This document provides guidance for students on completing discussion assignments for their course. It outlines the requirements for two discussion assignments: 1) A case analysis of James Houghton and Signature Theatre using a five question strategy framework and developing a strategy map. Students are asked to analyze the theater's success, create a strategy map, and recommend future actions. 2) An evaluation of the mission, vision, and values of an organization they have chosen for their capstone project. Students are asked to analyze the strength and alignment of these statements and recommend improvements. They will add this analysis to the appendix of their strategy playbook. The document provides questions for students to consider in their analysis and guidelines for posting their responses. It

1. Click on ‘Week 2’ Under Course content to get all information
about the week. DQ1,DQ2
Discussion 1 - Week 2
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Discussion 1: Case Analysis With Discussion: James Houghton
and Signature Theatre
Lafley, Martin, and Riel (2013) suggest that strategic thinking
does not need to be overly complex, and that a simple
framework in which one rigorously answers five questions can
be a strong starting point for developing a Strategy Playbook.
As importantly, they suggest that this "five-question strategy
playbook" is relevant for all kinds of organizations.
Here are the five questions:
1. What is your winning aspiration? (What to you stand for and
believe deeply in?)
2. Where will you play? (Who will you serve, and who will
either help or compete against you?)
3. How will you win? (How will you create unique value?)
4. Which capabilities must be in place (to win)? (What skills,
competencies, and capabilities do you need now and in the
future?)
5. What management systems are required? (Do you have a
supporting culture, structure, systems, and appropriate measures
to implement a strategy?)
This week, and during the remainder of the course, you will use
this framework as a starting point for analyzing case study
examples, and for building your own Strategy Playbook.
Additionally, this week you will create a "strategy map" of the
Signature Theatre, which you will use as a template for creating
such a map for your Strategy Playbook later in the course.
To prepare for this Discussion:
· Review all required readings, including the Weekly Briefing,
which provides additional guidance on how to complete the

2. Assignment.
· Review this week's case study. You can, and should, scan it
multiple times.
· Identify and review all relevant readings from the Capstone
Program Bibliography.
By Day 3, post a polished analysis that responds to each of the
three prompts below:
1. How would you explain the success of James Houghton and
the Signature Theatre using the "five-question strategy
playbook" and Wolfe's "living organization" as your frames of
reference? Be specific.
Then, review the Joseph (2009) article on implementing a
balanced scorecard (a way to measure one's strategy playbook).
Recall that you read this article in a prior MBA course. Pay
particular attention to pages 119–123.
2. Using the strategy map illustrated on p. 122 as a guide, create
a similar strategy map for the Signature Theatre (circa
2014). Attach your map to your original post in the Discussion
board.
3. Based on your strategy map and earlier response, what should
Houghton do in the future? Why? How?NOTE: This is the most
important element of your response and requires an analytic,
rather than descriptive response.
Be sure to integrate concepts and quotes from this week's
readings. To obtain an exemplary assessment, you must also
integrate at least one resource from the Walden MBA Program
Capstone Bibliography as well.
Your overall response should be approximately the equivalent
of 1 single-spaced page total, and your strategy map should be
in the form of a diagram.
General Guidance: Your original post, due by Day 3, will
typically be approximately 1 single-spaced page in length (cut
and pasted into the DQ) as a general expectation/estimate. Refer
to the Week 2 Discussion 1 rubric for grading elements and
criteria. Your Instructor will use the rubric to assess your work.

3. Read a selection of your colleagues' posts.
By Day 5, respond to two or more of your peers in one or more
of the following ways:
· Comment on what you learned from your colleague's analysis
that is new to you.
· Comment on how your analysis might extend or improve his or
her analysis.
· Provide your observations about your peers' comments based
on your synthesis of several of the original posts, explaining
how those posts better inform what your peer wrote.
(Note: Exemplary responses should provide a synthesis of
multiple peers' insights, findings, and analyses.)
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to
your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any
insights you have gained as a result of the comments your
colleagues made.
Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for
entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post
your message.
Discussion 2 - Week 2
COLLAPSE
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Discussion 2: Capstone Forum: Assignment With Peer Review:
Evaluation of the Mission, Vision, and Values of an
Organization: The Soulful Purpose in Action
This week, you begin to build your Strategy Playbook for your
chosen Capstone organization. You will begin this process by
evaluating what Wolfe calls the "Context Field," or level of
analysis, of the organization. As Wolfe explains (2011, pp. 81–
84):
Within organizations, the Context field is often incorrectly
referred to as the culture of the organization. It is this but is
also much more. Culture is part of Context but not all of it.
Context is certainly much more than the "do's and don'ts" we

4. associate with the word culture in our society. It's even more
than the mores and shared values we spend so much time
dissecting and diagramming. It's the sum total of all our shared
stories, the mythology we make up to explain our world to
ourselves and to others.
As such, it is not something that we can easily observe or
measure but it literally defines "how we do things around here."
An organization and the individuals within it cannot behave or
operate in ways that are contrary to the Context framework
defining the organization. . .
The Context Field contains energy associated with meaning and
purpose. It is the energy that drives what is known in today's
business environment as engagement.
In traditional strategy terms, evaluating the "Context Field" of
an organization is related to the evaluation of the organization's
stated, and lived, mission, vision, and values (if they have them
stated). The analysis of the Context Field derives from
developing answers to a probing set of questions that are
intended to help you better understand the goals, ambitions,
values, and long-term soulful purpose of the organization.
Understanding these issues sets the context and lens from which
to better understand how to shape your Strategy Playbook when
you complete later analyses in the course. It also affords you
the opportunity to recommend ways in which these important
context elements (mission, vision and values) could be
improved. This week's focus question for your Strategy
Playbook is, what is your winning aspiration? (What do you
stand for and believe deeply in?)
To prepare for this Discussion:
· Review all required readings, including the Weekly Briefing,
which provides additional guidance on how to complete the
Assignment.
· Review this week's case study and peer discussion.
· Identify and review all relevant readings from the Capstone
Program Bibliography.
· Locate and maintain access to publicly available information

5. about the organization's mission, vision, and values. This
information should be available in:
. Annual reports
. The organization's official website
· Synthesize your answers to the following analytic questions as
part of your formal assignment response. That means you should
answer each question, then you should take your overall
conclusions about your responses to write your response to the
formal assignment below:
. What is the fundamental purpose of the organization (beyond
"making money")? Why does it exist and what problems does it
solve in the world? (See Wolfe, 2009, pp. 121–128)
. Would the world be a better place if this organization no
longer existed? Why or why not? (See Wolfe, 2009, pp. 121–
128)
. Has the company been consistent and true toward achieving its
purpose and vision over the years? Is it still consistent now?
How? What could it do better?
. Are organization-wide goals stated merely in terms of market
growth or financial outcomes for a year or two? Are there any
more broad, stakeholder-related goals or "balanced scorecard"
goals? How should they improve in this area (what goals should
they have and why)?
. Do the stated mission and/or vision statements address all of
the fundamental stakeholders explicitly (at an absolute
minimum this should include employees, customers,
shareholders)?
. Are the organization's fundamental (soulful) purpose, mission,
vision, and values aligned explicitly with one another, and with
the actions of the organization?
· Consider what you learned from the James Houghton and
Signature Theatre case study that you can apply to your chosen
organization.
By Day 5, post a polished and synthesized evaluation of your
chosen organization's stated mission, vision, and values
statements. At a minimum you should address:

6. · Do the stated mission, vision, and values provide a strong
foundation from which to clearly understand the organization's
Soulful Purpose? How and Why?
· What are the strengths and weaknesses of the stated mission,
vision and values? Why?
· What revisions would you make to strengthen them (if
necessary), and why? If you do not have recommendations,
explain why you think the current stated mission, vision, and
values are appropriate without revision and what criteria you
suggest that organization use to evaluate those periodically so it
can ensure that they remain relevant.
Be sure to back your evaluation with evidence and with
reference to best practices from the case study, required
readings, and relevant readings from the Capstone Program
Bibliography.
If the organization you are studying does not have formal
mission, vision or value statements, create a draft of each, based
on the application of your research and analysis of your
company. Then explain why your version makes sense.
General Guidance: Your original Discussion post for the
Capstone Forum will typically be 1 to 1 ½ single-spaced pages,
excluding references. Refer to the Week 2 Discussion 2 rubric
for grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use the
rubric to assess your work.
Note: After you receive input from your colleagues, in the next
few days you should revise your original post to reflect input
that you think is helpful and strengthens your position. This
final revised version from this week's Capstone Forum will
become the first formal entry into your Strategy Playbook
appendix. Title this section "Mission, Vision, and Values
Analysis for XYZ [Insert Organization Name]," and be sure to
keep a version of your response in your Strategy Playbook
template. As a best practice you should plan to review your
playbook throughout the next 6 weeks as you continue to build
your components. You may find that you have new ideas and
items that further improve your work.

7. Read a selection of your colleagues' posts.
By Day 7, respond to two or more of your peers in one or more
of the following ways:
· Comment on what you learned from your colleague's analysis
that is new to you and that will help you improve your Strategy
Playbook and how you will use it to do so.
· Offer constructive ideas for how your colleague might extend
or improve his or her summary analysis.
· Provide your observations about your peers' comments based
on your synthesis of several of the original posts, explaining
how those posts better inform what your peer wrote.
Note: For bullet 3 above, exemplary responses should provide a
synthesis of multiple peers' insights, findings, and analyses.
Recommended Best Practice: Read through many of the posts
and responses as you will learn more about your own work by
seeing a variety of posts and responses to various peers. Please
respond to peers who have not received peer comments when
possible.
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to
your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any
insights you have gained as a result of the comments your
colleagues made.
Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for
entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post
your message.
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