LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1
When you think about the word power, what comes to mind? For many people, the word often has negative connotations and is associated with words like control, dominance, and authority. Although we have many examples to justify these associations of leaders who have used power unethically and immorally, power is actually used every day by organizations and leaders to get things done. Therefore, it is important to consider how power is acquired, when to use it, and its potential impacts. The concepts of power and leadership are closely linked. Power can be considered as the ability to influence others (Northouse, 2020). Power is used by leaders to attain group goals, and if you have knowledge about the operation of power in an organization, it enhances your capacity to be an effective leader. In this assignment, you will consider what power means to you, what the term coercion conveys, and how you have observed someone in a leadership capacity using position, personal, or coercion power effectively or ineffectively.
Instructions
- What does the term power convey to you and how does your view of power relate to the way it is explained in the text?
- Distinguish between position power and personal power.
- Define coercion as a specific type of power.
- Provide an example of a leader you have observed using position, personal, and/or coercion power.
- Discuss how effective or ineffective this application of power was for this leader.
Citations are required including in-text referencing followed by a reference list of three to five scholarly references in APA Style. The writing must be in your own words. This writing assignment should be 3 to 5 pages (1000 to 1500 words) using 12-point Times New Roman and 1-inch margins. Citations/references should not be included in the page/word count.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 2
Leaders play a big part in the success of their organizations and the people they influence. Leaders can drive growth, encourage innovation, and help companies and employees meet their goals. Good leaders are effective because they possess a unique set of skills and personality traits that enable them to take charge and inspire confidence in their team. Poor leaders can cause dissension, poor morale, and drain the productivity from an organization and its employees. In this written assignment, you will have the opportunity to provide feedback to an individual in a leadership role from your past or current work environment or some other setting.
Instructions
- Select a leader with whom you are personally familiar at either a current or former place of employment. If you can’t identify a leader from a current or former work setting, select a leader from some other experience you have encountered such as a teacher, coach, religious leader, community volunteer, family member, and so forth. Create an alias for this person including a brief description, their role, and your relationship to them. Avoid including any information that would allow the person to be identified.
- Describe the leadership characteristics possessed by this person, or explain which important characteristics this person lacks.
- Discuss the leadership abilities of this person through the lense of situational, path-goal, or leader-member exchange leadership theory.
- If you were providing helpful leadership advice to this person, what would you suggest?
Citations are required including in-text referencing followed by a reference list of three to five scholarly references in APA Style. The writing must be in your own words. This writing assignment should be 3 to 5 pages (1000 to 1500 words) using 12-point Times New Roman and 1-inch margins. Citations/references should not be included in the page/word count.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 3
In this course, you have studied multiple theories of leadership. However, the study and advancement of leadership theories continues to evolve with new or alternative leadership theories being proposed on a regular basis. In this assignment, reflect on what you have learned in the course and propose key competencies you believe will be needed by leaders in the future.
Instructions
- Reflect on the course leadership theories and their essential elements.
- Propose two to three core leadership styles that you believe are essential for 21st-century leaders.
- Provide a sound rationale for your selection of these leadership styles and the core elements needed within each style.
- Explain how followership and ethics play a role in the application of these styles in the real world today.
Citations are required including in-text referencing followed by a list of three to five scholarly references in APA Style. The writing must be in your own words. This writing assignment should be 3 to 5 pages (1000 to 1500 words) using 12-point Times New Roman and 1-inch margins. Citations/references should not be included in the page/word count.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 4
In this course, you have studied multiple theories of leadership. However, the study and advancement of leadership theories continues to evolve with new or alternative leadership theories being proposed on a regular basis. In this assignment, reflect on what you have learned in this course and propose key competencies you believe will be needed by leaders in the future.
Instructions
- Based on the research and examples presented in this course and what you have learned about the most progressive organizations, assume you will lead an effort to help your organization transition from its current level of development as described by Frederic Laloux (red, amber, orange, green, or teal) to a higher level of development. Describe where your organization is now (red, amber, orange, green, or teal).
- Explain what you would recommend your organization do to move to a higher level of development. For example, if, in your opinion, your organization is operating at a red level (according to Laloux’s model), what could it do to move up to an amber level? If it is operating at a green level, what could it do to move to a teal level?
- What challenges would this change have for current employees and leaders?
Citations are required including in-text referencing followed by a list of three to five scholarly references in APA Style. The writing must be in your own words. This writing assignment should be 3 to 5 pages (1000 to 1500 words) using 12-point Times New Roman and 1-inch margins. Citations/references should not be included in the page/word count.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 5
OVERVIEW
You are required to write and submit a final paper to your mentor. The paper will analyze your own approach to leadership and strategize an approach that will allow you to integrate best practices into a practical business or organizational context. Theories and models of leadership should be considered and evaluated.
GUIDELINES
The final project is a paper of 2000 to 3000 words (6 to 10 pages, double-spaced), not including the title page and references. In the paper, you should:
· Demonstrate comprehension and analysis of course topics and objectives.
· Use personal examples to best illustrate the concepts you are describing.
· Be well organized and logical.
· Include six to ten scholarly references.
· Properly cite sources in APA Style.
· Display proper grammar, spelling, and mechanics.
· Present original work.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Select a past or current job to illustrate how you will use the concepts and leadership theories you have learned in this course. If you can’t identify a current or former work setting, select from some other organization you have been a part of such as a school, sports team, religious group, community volunteer setting, and so forth. Begin by describing the organization (what services, products, etc. it provided), the culture of the organization, any major internal and/or external challenges and opportunities the organization faced, and your specific position, title, duties, and responsibilities.
2. Provide an analysis of which models or aspects of the primary theories of leadership (those covered in this course) align with your beliefs, personality, ethics, and vision. [CO 1, CO 5]
3. Describe a minimum of four leadership approaches and evaluate their potential for success in helping you improve as a leader and help the organization respond more effectively to the internal or external challenges and opportunities. [CO 1, CO 2, CO 7]
4. Choose one leadership approach (or a combination of approaches) you believe would be the most effective for enhancing your leadership skills on a personal and professional level. Be sure to include a discussion of how this choice would consider ethics and personality (your own). [CO 3, CO 4, CO 5, CO 6, CO 7]
5. Describe how you would go about implementing this plan in the organization, what challenges you might encounter (personal and/or organizational), and what benefits you anticipate for both you and the organization. [CO 1, CO 2, CO 3, CO 4, CO 5, CO 6, CO 7]
RECOMMENDED TOPICS
Consider the following topics for this final project and keep in mind the context of this paper—your organization or one that you have been involved with:
· Trait perspective
· Assigned versus emergent leadership
· The role of power in leadership
· Coercive leadership
· The skills approach to leadership
· Situational leadership
· Path-goal theory
· Leader-member exchange theory
· Transformational leadership
· Authentic leadership
· Servant leadership
· Adaptive leadership
· Psychodynamic approach
· Team leadership
· Gender, culture, and leadership
WRITING AND RESEARCH RESOURCES
The following links provide online writing and research aids to help you with your paper assignments.
· OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue University
· Writer’s Handbook, the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
· APA Guidelines