BUS 691 Strategies in Organizational Leadership complete course (week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4, week 5 & week 6)

  

Week 1 - Discussion 1

  

 Truths About   Leadership 

Read the article, “10 Tough Truths About Leadership (Links to an external site.)”. Based on the information in the article, which of the ten truths do you think are the most important for leaders to understand and why? Emotional intelligence has become an important topic in leadership. The 5th truth in this article deals with emotions. What can leaders do to help control emotions? According to the 9th truth, leaders should be relentless in their pursuit of goals. Is it ever appropriate to give up on a goal? Give an example and explain why it is or why it is not appropriate to give up on achieving a goal. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts.

Week 1 - Discussion 2

  

 Leadership Trait   Questionnaire 

Rate yourself on the Leadership Trait Questionnaire. What do you perceive as your greatest strength? Give an example of how your behavior in one situation illustrated this strength. What do you perceive as your greatest weakness? Give an example of how your behavior in one situation illustrated this weakness. Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings. 

Week 1 - Assignment 

Leadership vs. Management

Write a three to four page paper (not including the title and references pages) that:

· Defines leadership and management. 

· Defends or criticizes the view that leadership and management are different concepts. 

· Gives specific examples that support your position.

· Discusses the implications of your general leadership views. 

In addition to the requirements above, your paper:

· Must be double-spaced and 12 point font

· Must be formatted according to APA style

· Must include an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement

· Must conclude with a restatement of the thesis and a conclusion paragraph

· Must reference at least two scholarly resources

· Must include a reference page written in APA format

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Week 2 - Discussion 1

  

 Behavior   Approach 

Explain the behavior approach and the two general kinds of behaviors that it is composed of. What is the central purpose of the behavior approach? Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings.

Week 2 - Discussion 2

  

 Steps to   Effectiveness 

Explain at least two steps that leadership should take to be effective. Apply these steps to a current situation in which you are a follower. What style would be most appropriate for leading you, according to the theory, and why? Do you agree? Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings.

Week 2 - Assignment 

Contemporary Leadership

Write a three to four page paper (not including the title and reference pages) about a contemporary leadership situation that is familiar to you. Your paper needs to:

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

· Identify the development level and style demonstrated in the situation. 

· Support your position with specific examples. 

· Explain whether the action taken was appropriate and effective.

· Determine and discuss if the situational leadership approach would be useful in understanding the leadership applied to the situation. 

In addition to the requirements above, your paper:

· Must be double-spaced and 12 point font

· Must be formatted according to APA style

· Must include an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement

· Must conclude with a restatement of the thesis and a conclusion paragraph

· Must reference at least two scholarly resources

· Must include a reference page written in APA format

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment. 

          

Week 3 - Discussion 1

  

   Leader-Member Exchange Theory

Leader-Member Exchange Theory (LMX) examines leadership dynamics in terms of personal relationships between an organizational leader and follower. However, this personal relationship exists in a professional setting. What is the difference between a Dyadic Relationship and a friendship? LMX Theory promotes the positive aspects of personal relationships between a leader and a follower. But, are there some leaders and/or followers that can’t have very personal relationships with their co-workers, and is this good, bad, neither, and why? Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings.

Week 3 - Discussion 2

  

   Leadership Styles 

Identify four leadership styles associated with the path-goal theory. Explain each style and relate it to styles described in other theories. Can leaders exhibit more than one style? Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings. 

Week 3 - Assignment 

Path-Goal Style

Write a three to four page paper (not including the title and reference pages) about a contemporary leadership situation that is familiar to you. You may use the same situation from the Week 2 assignment. Your paper needs to:

· Define path-goal leadership.

· Identify the path-goal leadership style used in this situation; provide the tasks, and the subordinates’ characteristics. 

· Support your position with specific examples. 

· Explain whether the action taken was appropriate and effective.

· Discuss if the path-goal leadership approach would be useful in understanding the leadership applied to the situation. 

In addition to the requirements above, your paper:

· Must be double-spaced and 12 point font

· Must be formatted according to APA style

· Must include an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement

· Must conclude with a restatement of the thesis and a conclusion paragraph

· Must reference at least two scholarly resources

· Must include a reference page written in APA format

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Week 4 - Discussion 1

  

 Bass' Factors 

Identify and explain four of Bass’ factors associated with transformational leadership. Give examples from your own experiences or observations that illustrate the use of two of these factors. Contrast the expectations of transactional and transformational leaders. Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings. 

Week 4 - Discussion 2

  

 Team Leadership 

Describe the role of leadership within teams. What are the primary reasons teams fail? What can be done to ensure team success? Give a personal example of team success. Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings.

Week 4 - Assignment 

Leadership Factors

Write a three to four page paper (not including the title and reference pages) about your leadership factors according to the Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment Questionnaire. Your paper needs to:

· Explain the scores you received on the Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment Questionnaire.

· Describe your perception of the accuracy of these measures. 

· Discuss the implications of the scores for your effectiveness as a leader. 

· Give specific examples to support your ideas of effective leadership.   

In addition to the requirements above, your paper:

· Must be double-spaced and 12 point font

· Must be formatted according to APA style

· Must include an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement

· Must conclude with a restatement of the thesis and a conclusion paragraph

· Must reference at least two scholarly resources

· Must include a reference page written in APA format

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Week 5 - Discussion 1

  

 Glass Ceiling 

Define and describe the glass ceiling. Summarize the reports/research results of the glass ceiling’s impact on women. Have you faced barriers similar to those described or observed others’ experiences with any of these barriers? Give an example to illustrate. Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings.

Week 5 - Discussion 2

  

 Navigating the   Labyrinth

As the textbook indicates, the Glass Ceiling has become more of a Leadership Labyrinth. What are some best practices, both organizationally and individually, that can help women leaders navigate this labyrinth and attain more leadership positions within organizations? Does the burden of making changes in the representation of female leadership fall upon businesses and organizations or on individuals, and why? Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings.

Week 6 - Discussion 1

  

 Culture 

Define culture and explain the terms related to culture. Define and describe ethnocentrism and prejudice. Give personal examples to support your descriptions. Explain the dimension of culture that research has focused on in the past 30 years. Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings.

Week 6 - Discussion 2

  

 Ethical Leadership 

Define and describe the principles of ethical leadership. Which two of the five covered in Chapter 16 do you think are the most important? Why? Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings.

Week 6 - Final Paper 

Final Paper

Write an eight- to ten-page paper (not including the title and reference pages) that addresses your personal best leadership experience. Personal best is a time when you believe you had performed at the peak as a leader. Be sure to incorporate elements from our reading in regards to your leadership approach, the type of leadership application; transactional, transformational, situational, etc. Some questions to address in the essay are:

· What characterized the situation?  Who was involved?  Where and when did it take place?  Who initiated it?

· What approach did you apply to the situation?

· What type of leadership would you classify yourself as in this situation?

· What motivated you to engage in this project?  How did you challenge yourself and others?

· What did you aspire to achieve?  How did you build enthusiasm and excitement?

· How did you involve others?  How did you foster collaboration?  How did you build trust and respect?  How did you build the capacity to excel?

· What values and principles guided you and others?  How did you set the example?  How did you progress from one milestone to another?

· How did you recognize individuals?  How did you celebrate success?

· What lessons about leadership did you learn from the experience?

Writing the Final Paper

The Final Paper:

1. Must be double-spaced and 12 point font

2. Must be formatted according to APA style

3. Must include a cover page that includes:

a. Title of paper

b. Student’s name

c. Course name and number

d. Instructor’s name

e. Date submitted

4. Must include an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement

5. Must conclude with a restatement of the thesis and a conclusion paragraph

6. Must include a reference page written in APA format

7. Must use at least five scholarly sources, including a minimum of two from the Ashford Online Library.

8. Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

9. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.