Management

1- The annual payroll of the Miami Heat – a professional basketball team – totals $ 98 million. Salaries are entirely based on individual contracts, which range from $ 22,192,730 for superstar Chris Bosh to $ 525,093 for rookie Josh Richardson. Additionally, contingent on playoff results, the team may receive an extra compensation. This lump-sum compensation starts at $ 200,000, should the team reaches the playoff, and increases up to $ 2,000,000 if the team participates in the championship series. Compensation from playoff participation is to be evenly divided between team members (source: basketball-reference.com). 

Conceptually, classify the type of task of a basketball team. From your classification, would you recommend any changes to the Heat’s compensation scheme? Explain.

2- Below, you will find excerpts of an article discussing President Obama's Leadership style (source:  http://hubpages.com/business/Barack-Obamas-Leadership-Styles ).

Which of the three styles addressed in the article is the most inconsistent with theory? In other words, review the conceptual ideas of the three styles and identify which of the three is most inaccurately applied. Explain.

Transformational-charismatic

Before the election, President Barack Obama attracted the attention of American's and foreigners alike with a seemingly charismatic nature. A charismatic leader has an uncanny ability to draw others to his side and move them to accomplish a cause bigger than themselves. A charismatic approach is transformational if it invokes a permanent change in the people who embrace the leader's vision. During his first term, PresidentObama wooed at least some to his vision by showing the potential to make a huge difference in both domestic and foreign affairs. In his second term, he seemed more aloof and demonstrated less ability to draw others to his agenda.

Contingency Leadership

During his first five years in office, Mr. Obama not only displayed culturally sensitive and transformational leadership, he responded to various situations using different types of leadership models. In this way he modeled what has been described as contingency leadership. When traveling abroad Obama was conciliatory, humble and apt to listen before speaking. When he faced the failing automobile industry, he did not mince words but stood tough to call for necessary changes. This was seen in how he forced GM and Chrysler to accept new MPG standards and pare down their long-time commitment to NASCAR. Under the heat of the current foreign and economic troubles, Obama worked hard to accomplish what he promised understanding that each second he waited could have meant a lost home or job for another group of citizens. Whether one liked what he did or not, Obama did not shy away from the challenges that faced him when he accepted the job as president.

President Obama's Personality Profile

 Sarah Moore and Angela Rodgers, students at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn., did a research project on “The Personality Profile of President Barack Obama: Leadership Implications” and presented the results at the 6th annual Minnesota Private Colleges Scholars at the Capitol event, Feb. 19, in the State Capitol rotunda, St. Paul, Minn.

The profile revealed that Barack Obama is ambitious and confident; modestly dominant and self-asserting; accommodating, cooperative, and agreeable; somewhat outgoing and congenial; and relatively conscientious. The combination of ambitious and accommodating patterns in Obama’sprofile suggests a “confident conciliator” personality composite.

Leaders with this personality prototype, though self-assured and ambitious, are characteristically gracious, considerate, and benevolent. They are energetic, charming, and agreeable, with a special talent for settling differences and a preference for mediation and compromise over force or coercion as a strategy for resolving conflict. They are driven primarily by a need for achievement, but also have substantial affiliation needs and a modest need for power.

The study offers an empirically based framework for anticipating Obama’s performance as chief executive.

3- The impact of diversity is primarily explained on the basis of Tajfel & Turner (1974) Social Identity Theory. At the core, the theory prescribes that relationships are driven by the social categories we use in creating our own identity. Briefly propose a training intervention directed at minimizing any negative effect of diversity in organizations. Explain the conceptual grounds of your intervention.