WGU C721 Task 1 Guide and Example: Change Management Consultation

By Dan Palmer, MBA · Academic strategy consultant for working adult learners · LinkedIn

C721 Change Management Task 1 (NJP1) casts you as a change management consultant for a manufacturing company that grew from $1 million to $100 million in sales in a decade, now has 500 employees worldwide, and still runs like a small, top down firm. Employees aren’t encouraged to suggest ideas or experiment, there’s been no investment in training, and inventory processes and software are out of date. Your report tells the executive team why the company needs to change and how it can become a learning organization.

The challenge in WGU Change Management C721 Task 1 isn’t the scenario. It’s the number of models: the task asks you to apply seven frameworks in one report, and every one has to be tied to this company, not just described. This guide takes each part in order, explains what each model needs from you, and points out the choices you have to make, such as which life cycle or contingency model to use and which four steps to pick. It ends with a C721 Task 1 example written for a fictitious logistics company, so the structure is clear without a paper to copy.

C721 Task 1 (NJP1): Change Management Consultation

Scenario

You have been hired as a change management consultant for a manufacturing company. The leadership of the company currently uses a top-down management approach. The organizational structure is a hierarchy (pyramid type). Employees are not encouraged to be creative or make suggestions or decisions. They are also not encouraged to experiment and come up with new solutions to problems.

The company has grown rapidly over the past decade, from generating $1 million in sales to $100 million. In the past year, the company expanded its business internationally and now has 500 employees worldwide. Due to the rapid growth of the company, the organization has not invested in training and development opportunities for its employees to drive innovation and process improvements. Additionally, the company’s processes and software systems for inventory management have become antiquated.

As the change management consultant, you will provide a report for the executive leadership team where you diagnose the need for change and explain how to plan for change, how to implement change, and how to sustain change. You will also explain how the company can transition to a learning organization in order to be on the forefront of change and innovation.

A. Discuss the need for change for the company in the scenario using either the systems contingency model or the organizational life cycle model.

B. Describe the differences between a learning organization and a traditional organization.

1. Identify which stage of Woolner’s 5-stage model the company is currently in.

a. Explain why the company is currently in the identified stage of Woolner’s 5-stage model.

2. Explain how the company from the scenario would use Senge’s 5 disciplines to become a learning organization.

C. Identify the end result and the nature of change to take the company from a traditional organization to a learning organization using Balogun and Hope-Hailey’s model.

Note: You may either identify both the end result and nature of change individually or identify the name of the quadrant in Balogun and Hope-Hailey’s model that aligns to the end result and nature of change.

1. Explain why the end result and nature of change would be appropriate for the company in the scenario using Balogun and Hope-Hailey’s model.

D. Discuss how four steps of the action research model could be applied to the change process (traditional organization to learning organization) for the company in the scenario.

E. Recommend two innovation strategies that management could use to transition the company in the scenario from a traditional organization to a learning organization.

1. Explain how one recommended innovation strategy would be used by management in the company’s change process.
2. Discuss how four steps of Kotter’s 8-step model could be applied to the change process for the company in the scenario.

F. Explain how each of the five pillars of sustainable change could be applied to sustain the learning organization environment of the company in the scenario.

H. Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.

I. Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.

What C721 Task 1 Asks You to Do

Use a heading for each letter and number. With seven models in one paper, headings are what let the evaluator find each requirement quickly.

Start With the Course Materials

Every model in this task comes from the C721 course, and some of them appear in slightly different forms in other textbooks. Woolner’s stage names, the number of steps in the action research model, and the names of the five pillars vary between sources. Take each model’s terms from your course materials and cite them, so your report uses the same language the evaluator expects. The NJP1 task template many students use cites the course resource as Acrobatiq (2022), and it lists nine steps for the action research model and five pillars of sustainable change: leadership, strategy, culture, structure, and systems.

Part A: Diagnosing the Need for Change

You choose one model. Pick the one you can connect to the most scenario facts:

• Organizational life cycle model: organizations move through stages such as birth, growth, maturity, and decline or revival, and each stage creates problems the old management style can’t solve. This fits a company that grew a hundredfold and expanded internationally while keeping a structure built for a much smaller firm.
• Systems contingency model: an organization works well when its parts, such as strategy, structure, people, processes, and technology, fit its environment. This fits a company whose top down structure, untrained workforce, and outdated inventory systems no longer match its size and global market.

Whichever you choose, describe the model briefly, then use the scenario numbers: the sales growth, the 500 employees, the international expansion, the lack of training, and the antiquated systems. End with the consequence if nothing changes.

Part B: Learning Organizations and Woolner’s Model

B: Traditional versus learning organization

The prompt asks for differences, so compare the two directly: who makes decisions, how information flows, how learning happens, and how mistakes are treated. A short comparison table or a paragraph that pairs each trait works well. Research on psychological safety, the shared sense that it’s safe to speak up and take risks, is a useful source here, because it’s linked to team learning (Edmondson & Bransby, 2023).

B1 and B1a: Woolner’s stage

Woolner’s model runs from informal, unplanned learning in the first stage to learning that’s fully integrated with work and strategy in the fifth. Identify one stage, using the stage name from your course materials, then justify it in B1a with scenario evidence. The strongest B1a answers explain both why the company fits its stage and why it doesn’t fit the next one. The scenario’s statement that the company hasn’t invested in training and development is the key evidence.

B2: Senge’s five disciplines

Apply all five disciplines to this company: personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking. For each one, say what the company would actually do, such as who would do it and how often, not just what the discipline means. A bullet for each discipline keeps this section easy to grade.

Part C: Balogun and Hope-Hailey’s Model

Balogun and Hope-Hailey’s model combines two questions:

The note in the directions lets you name the end result and nature separately, or just name the quadrant. In C1, explain both choices. Moving from a traditional to a learning organization changes culture and assumptions, which bears on the end result. Whether the change should be incremental or big bang depends on how urgent the situation is and what the company can absorb at once. Justify your choice with the scenario, because the evaluator is checking your reasoning, not a single expected quadrant.

Part D: Four Steps of the Action Research Model

The course model has more than four steps. Choose four and, for each, say what would happen at this company: who gathers what data, what the consultant feeds back and to whom, and what action the company plans. Keep the steps in the model’s order so the process reads logically.

Part E: Two Innovation Strategies

Recommend two strategies management could use to move toward a learning organization, such as cross functional innovation teams, an employee idea program, communities of practice, or protected time for experimentation. Make each specific enough to picture.

E1 asks how management would use one of them in the change process. Explain the rollout: where it starts, who’s involved, how results are reported, and how it shifts problem solving away from the top of the hierarchy.

Part F: Four Steps of Kotter’s 8-Step Model

Kotter’s model runs from creating a sense of urgency through instituting change (Kotter, n.d.). Choose four steps and apply each one to this company. “Create a sense of urgency” is stronger with a reason the company can’t wait, and “generate short-term wins” is stronger with a specific early win and a timeframe.

Part G: The Five Pillars of Sustainable Change

G asks how each of the five pillars would sustain the learning organization. That means five separate applications, one for each pillar named in your course materials. Focus on sustaining: what keeps the new behavior in place after the consultant leaves, such as job descriptions, budgets, leadership habits, structure, and systems.

Sources and Professional Communication

Cite each model from your course materials, plus any research you use, with APA in-text citations and a reference list. Run Grammarly for Education and review the similarity report before submitting.

WGU C721 Task 1 Example: Brightwell Freight

Our C721 Task 1 example is a complete APA 7 report for Brightwell Freight, a fictitious logistics company, not the manufacturing company in the WGU scenario. Brightwell grew from $3 million to $48 million, pays tuition for a few dispatchers but has no training plan, and faces a logging compliance deadline in nine months. Because its facts differ, its Woolner stage and its Balogun and Hope-Hailey quadrant differ from what a reasonable analysis of the WGU company would find. The example shows:

• Part A using the organizational life cycle model
• A Woolner stage with a justification that rules out the stages on either side
• All five Senge disciplines applied as specific practices
• A quadrant choice with both the end result and the nature of change explained
• Four action research steps, two innovation strategies, four Kotter steps, and all five pillars
• Comments explaining which requirement each section meets

Here’s part of its B1a section:

Brightwell is past the first stage because it pays tuition for dispatchers who ask. It is not yet in the third stage, because it has no internal learning program, no link between training and strategy, and no way for what one dispatcher learns to reach anyone else.

The example is for illustration only. Your report must analyze the WGU scenario in your own words.

Download the C721 Task 1 example (.docx)

Why a “C721 Task 1 Passed” Paper Won’t Save You Time

Every student in this version analyzes the same unnamed manufacturing company, so papers labeled “C721 Task 1 passed” on study sites share the same facts and often the same choices. That’s exactly the overlap WGU’s similarity checker is built to find. A passed paper also reflects one student’s model choices and reasoning, which may not match the course materials in your version. Your own choices, explained with the scenario, are what the rubric rewards.

Plan It Around Your Work Week

Most working learners can finish the C721 WGU Task 1 report in four evenings:

1. Evening one (about 1.5 hours): Pull each model’s terms from the course materials into one page of notes, and write Part A.
2. Evening two (about 2 hours): Write Part B, including Woolner and all five Senge disciplines.
3. Evening three (about 2 hours): Write Parts C, D, and E.
4. Evening four (about 2 hours): Write Parts F and G, add citations and references, run Grammarly, and check every heading against the directions.

Common Reasons C721 Task 1 Comes Back

• Part A describes both models, or describes one without applying it to the scenario
• The B section describes a learning organization without comparing it with a traditional one
• B1a names a stage without scenario evidence
• One or more Senge disciplines is defined but not applied
• C1 explains the end result but not the nature of change, or the reverse
• Fewer than four steps in D or F, or steps listed without explaining how they’d apply
• E1 explains both strategies loosely instead of one in depth
• G covers fewer than five pillars, or describes implementing change rather than sustaining it

Pre-Submission Checklist

Check each item against your C721 Task 1 WGU directions:

• Part A uses one model and the scenario’s numbers
• B compares learning and traditional organizations directly
• B1 names one Woolner stage, and B1a justifies it with evidence
• B2 applies all five Senge disciplines to the company
• C names the end result and nature of change, or the quadrant, and C1 explains both
• D and F each apply four steps to this company
• E recommends two strategies, and E1 explains one in depth
• G applies all five pillars to sustaining the change
• Every model is cited, with a reference list

C721 Task 2

C721 Task 2 is a separate assessment with its own directions. Finish Task 1 first: the change models you work through here are the foundation for the rest of the course.

Related WGU Guides

• Leading people through change draws on emotional intelligence. See our WGU D253 Task 2 guide.
• For evaluating operational change with data, see our D472 Task 1 guide and our D473 Task 1 guide.
• Innovation strategies connect to our WGU D428 design thinking guide.
• For presenting a proposal to decision makers, see our D268 Task 3 guide and the WGU D268 course guide.
• Ethical leadership carries into our WGU C717 Task 2 guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NJP1 Task 1 in WGU C721?

NJP1 is the assessment code for C721 Task 1, the change management consultation. You diagnose a manufacturing company’s need for change and explain how it can become a learning organization.

Do I use the systems contingency model or the organizational life cycle model?

Either one. Part A asks you to use one of them, so choose the model you can connect to the most scenario facts.

Which stage of Woolner’s 5-stage model is the C721 Task 1 company in?

That’s your call to make and justify. Use the stage names from your course materials and support your choice with scenario evidence, especially what the scenario says about training and development.

How many steps of the action research model and Kotter’s model do I need?

Four of each. Choose four steps from each model and explain how each would apply to the company’s change.

What are the five pillars of sustainable change in C721?

Use the five pillars as named in your course materials. The NJP1 task template lists leadership, strategy, culture, structure, and systems.

Can I submit the C721 Task 1 example from this page?

No. It analyzes a fictitious logistics company and is for illustration only. Your report must analyze the WGU scenario in your own words.

Want a Second Look Before You Submit?

If you’re working full time and want structured assignment support choosing your models, justifying your Woolner stage and Balogun and Hope-Hailey quadrant, or checking all nine parts before you submit, message Gradevia on WhatsApp at +1 564 544 6924.

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Sources

Acrobatiq. (2022). Change management [Learning resource for C721 Change Management]. Western Governors University.

Edmondson, A. C., & Bransby, D. P. (2023). Psychological safety comes of age: Observed themes in an established literature. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10, 55–78. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-055217

Kotter, J. (n.d.). The 8-step process for leading change. Kotter Inc. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://www.kotterinc.com/methodology/8-steps/