ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR & LEADERSHIP
SUBDOMAIN 317.1 – ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR & LEADERSHIP
Competency 317.1.5: Leadership – The graduate can analyze leadership theories, methods and tools in given situations and select the appropriate behavior of the leader.
Objective 317.1.5.03: Recognize leadership qualities of “level 5” leaders.
Objective 317.1.5.04: Identify the approach that a transactional leader would take to resolve a given situation.
Objective 317.1.5.05: Identify the approach that a transformational leader would take to resolve a given situation.
Introduction:
A corporation that was originally established as a commercial printing company has diversified to include an array of services including digital printing production, mailing services, and order fulfillment. The corporation prides itself on using creative methods and having a knowledgeable team with a strong desire to work together to satisfy customers’ needs. It has a tradition of excellence, and many people in the field credit the current CEO as a major contributor to the company’s success.
Given:
Executive A is the chief executive officer (CEO) of the corporation. Colleagues describe the CEO as driven, fiercely ambitious, and entirely focused on the success of the company. When Executive A became CEO several years ago, the company was losing more than two million dollars a year, and its stock had plummeted to $23 a share. During Executive A’s tenure the stock has risen 128%, and the company posted a profit during the second quarter after Executive A became CEO. The media has hailed Executive A as the reason for the corporation’s success. Executive A shies away from the attention and often gives credit for the company’s success to other leaders in the organization. Executive A is quick to accept responsibility for mistakes and poor results and takes pride in developing strong leaders within the company.
Executive A is planning to retire within the next two years. Leader B and Leader C are both considered in the running to take over as CEO.
Leader B has worked closely with Executive A and values Executive A’s ideas and long-term vision. Leader B establishes clear goals by clarifying role and task requirements and continually guiding subordinates in the direction of these goals. Leader B believes in a clear chain of command and in rewarding good performance and recognizing employee accomplishments. Leader B also believes that when a task is delegated to a subordinate, the subordinate is fully responsible for that task. Leader B considers the subordinate to be personally at fault when things go wrong with a delegated task and issues punishment for failures. Leader B also rewards subordinates for their successes.
Leader C also values the missions and goals established by Executive A. Leader C encourages followers to transcend their own self-interest for the good of the organization. Leader C believes that people can achieve great success when they are inspired and passionate about a vision. Leader C continually sets high expectations for subordinates, instills a sense of pride in the corporation in all employees, and takes pride in instituting a rational approach to problem-solving at the corporation. Leader C tries to remember employee’s birthdays and other special events and prefers that employees see their leader
as a coach or a mentor instead of their manager.
Task:
Write an essay (suggested length of 2–4 pages) in which you do the following:
A. Identify the leadership style of each of the three leaders in the given scenario (Executive A, Leader B, and Leader C) as transactional, transformational, or “level 5.” 1. Justify your identification of Executive A’s leadership style using specific examples
from the scenario.
2. Justify your identification of Leader B’s leadership style using specific examples from
the scenario.
3. Justify your identification of Leader C’s leadership style using specific examples from
the scenario.
B. Identify how the leadership style of Leader B would be likely to affect the employees’ and corporation’s performance if Leader B were appointed as CEO when Executive A retires.
C. Identify how the leadership style of Leader C would be likely to affect the employees’ and corporation’s performance if Leader C were appointed as CEO when Executive A retires.
D. When you use sources, include all in-text citations and references in APA format.
Note: For definitions of terms commonly used in the rubric, see the attached Rubric Terms.
Note: When using sources to support ideas and elements in a paper or project, the submission MUST include APA formatted in-text citations with a corresponding reference list for any direct quotes or paraphrasing. It is not necessary to list sources that were consulted if they have not been quoted or paraphrased in the text of the paper or project.
Note: No more than a combined total of 30% of a submission can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. For tips on using APA style, please refer to the APA Handout web link included in the General Instructions section.
http://www.apastyle.org http://www.citationmachine.net http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01
References:
Robbins, S. P. & Judge, T. A. (2007). Organizational behavior. (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
