| Course | PSY-3600 Organizational Theory |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 4 |
| Paper type | Written assignment: communication, systems theory and change |
| Length | About 488 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PSY 3600 Module 4
The Estimate Never Matches the House: Systems, Media Richness and Change at a Moving Company
Student Name
Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership, Thomas Edison State University
PSY-3600: Organizational Theory
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
The Estimate Never Matches the House: Systems, Media Richness and Change at a Moving Company
The Problem
Sales estimators visit homes, list the items to be moved and price the job. Crews then arrive to find more furniture, a third-floor walk-up or a piano no one mentioned. Last year 41 percent of local moves ran over the estimated hours, and disputes over the final bill were the most common customer complaint. Crews blame sales; sales blames customers.
A Systems View
Katz and Kahn, whose open systems theory is excerpted in Shafritz et al. (2016), described organizations as systems of interdependent subsystems that take in inputs, transform them and produce outputs, with boundary units that link the organization to its environment. Sales is our boundary subsystem: it takes in information from customers. Crews are the production subsystem: they transform that information into a completed move. When the information passing between them is incomplete, the production subsystem cannot perform, no matter how skilled it is. Tolbert and Hall (2009) note that communication problems in organizations often arise at such boundaries between units with different goals and languages. Sales is rewarded for winning jobs; crews are judged on finishing on time.
Media Richness
Daft and Lengel (1986) proposed that communication media differ in richness, their capacity to convey cues, feedback and complex meaning, and that rich media such as face-to-face conversation suit ambiguous information while lean media such as written forms suit routine information. A typed estimate is lean. It can list "sofa," but not the sofa's size, the narrow stairway or the parking problem outside. The information crews need is ambiguous and visual, so a lean medium loses most of it.
| Concept | Application |
|---|---|
| Open system and boundary units | Sales takes in customer information; crews depend on it |
| Interdependence | Crew performance limited by estimate quality |
| Media richness | Typed estimate too lean for visual, ambiguous information |
| Planned change | App introduced through unfreezing, moving and refreezing |
The Change
We plan to introduce a video survey app in which the customer or estimator walks through the home on video, the app tags items and the crew chief reviews the video before the move. Lewin, whose work on change appears in the classics collection, described change as unfreezing current habits, moving to new behavior and refreezing it. To unfreeze, we will share the overrun and complaint figures with both sales and crews in a joint meeting. To move, we will pilot the app with two estimators and four crew chiefs for a month, with crew chiefs giving feedback on what the videos miss. To refreeze, the app will become required for all local moves, and estimators' bonuses will include accuracy of hours as well as jobs won.
Conclusion
The estimate gap is a systems and communication problem, not a personal one. A richer medium across the boundary between sales and crews, introduced through planned change and backed by aligned incentives, should reduce overruns and disputes.
References
Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H. (1986). Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design. Management Science, 32(5), 554-571. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.32.5.554
Shafritz, J. M., Ott, J. S., & Jang, Y. S. (Eds.). (2016). Classics of organization theory (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Tolbert, P. S., & Hall, R. H. (2009). Organizations: Structures, processes, and outcomes (10th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall.
What the PSY 3600 Module 4 instructions ask for
Communication, systems and change share the fourth PSY-3600 module, and this written assignment belongs to it; the final exam's essays begin with this material. You will analyze a communication or coordination problem in a real organization using open systems theory, consider how the choice of communication media affects information and plan a change using a recognized model. Tolbert and Hall's chapters and the classic readings in the Shafritz collection provide the theories. Describe the problem with figures, link units through the systems view and make the change plan specific. Tie communication problems to how units depend on each other.
Inside the PSY 3600 Module 4 example
The paper starts with figures: 41 percent of local moves running over and billing disputes topping complaints. Katz and Kahn's open systems theory frames sales as a boundary subsystem and crews as the production subsystem that depends on it, with Tolbert and Hall on communication at boundaries. A typed estimate, by Daft and Lengel's account, is too thin a channel for what crews need to see. A four-row table maps concepts to the case. Lewin's stages structure the rollout of a video survey app, with a joint meeting to unfreeze, a pilot to move and new requirements and bonus criteria to refreeze. Aligning estimators' bonuses with accurate hours helps the change last. The joint meeting that opens the change brings sales and crews to the same figures.
Reading the PSY 3600 Module 4 grading rubric
Marks go to systems, media and change theories used correctly, one real problem examined and APA form. Papers that use systems theory to explain interdependence between units, rather than describing the organization as a system in general terms, earn more. Applying media richness to a specific message shows analytical skill. A change plan that names actions for each stage and aligns incentives shows practical understanding. Clear essay organization also prepares students for the final exam. Mentors also look for change plans that align incentives with the new behavior, as the estimator bonus does here. Explaining why a lean medium fails for a particular message shows real command of media richness theory.
PSY 3600 Module 4 help from the desk
Students lose marks by defining open systems and Lewin's model without applying them, by treating communication problems as personality conflicts or by proposing a change without a plan for making it last. Describe a coordination problem with data, explain it through interdependence between units, consider whether the medium fits the message and plan each stage of change with specific actions. A free first draft of your PSY-3600 Module 4 written assignment can be prepared on your workplace. Check that each stage of your change plan names an action and who carries it out. Describe the gap with numbers, such as overrun rates or complaints, before explaining it with theory.
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PSY 3600 Module 4 questions, answered
Where can I find a free PSY 3600 Module 4 sample paper?
The written assignment above explains a moving company's estimate gap with open systems and media richness theory and plans a change.
What is open systems theory?
Katz and Kahn's view of organizations as interdependent subsystems that exchange inputs and outputs with their environment.
What is media richness theory?
A theory that channels vary in how much meaning they can carry, so face-to-face or video suits murky messages and forms suit routine ones.
What are Lewin's stages of change?
Loosening old habits, shifting to new ones, then fixing the new ones in place.
What does the PSY-3600 final exam cover?
The last three modules, tested through essays written in two proctored hours, for a quarter of the grade.