Module 1 – Case
SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLES, ARISTOTLE AND LEADERSHIP, AND
LEADERSHIP VS. MANAGEMENT
Background
One of the more contemporary styles of leadership is
“situational leadership.” In this assignment, you will choose a CEO
from a top company and analyze his/her leadership style through the lens of
situational leadership.
Required Reading
Fortune Magazines “100 Best Companies to Work For 2016”: http://fortune.com/best-companies/
Case Assignment
Drawing on the material in the background readings and doing
additional research, prepare a 5- to 6-page paper (not including the cover and
reference pages).
Using the framework of Situational Leadership, analyze the
leadership style of a contemporary CEO from one of the top 10 companies listed
in Fortune Magazine’s Best Companies to Work for in 2016.
Keys to the Assignment
Go to Fortune Magazines Top 100 Companies to Work For 2016
and choose a company from the Top 10.
Research the company, then answer the following questions.
Which of the situational leadership styles exemplifies this
company?
What is the added value of this leadership style?
What impact does this leadership style have on the
organization’s overall image?
Contrast this leadership style with Express Scripts, named
the worst company in America to work for by glassdoor.com.
Based on your experiences and research, what kind of
leadership style is needed to promote efficiency in an organization? What
contingencies affect this outcome? Justify your response.
These are not the only things that must be covered, but just
the minimum. You are encouraged to go deeper with the assignment and use your
critical thinking skills to ascertain what other areas are important in making
a company one of the top ones in which to work.
Assignment Expectations
Your paper will be evaluated using the following five
criteria:
Assignment-Driven Criteria (Precision and Breadth): Does the
paper fully address all Keys to the Assignment? Are the concepts behind the
Keys to the Assignment addressed accurately and precisely using sound logic?
Does the paper meet minimum length requirements?
Critical Thinking (Critical Thinking and Depth): Does the
paper demonstrate graduate-level analysis, in which information derived from
multiple sources, expert opinions, and assumptions has been critically
evaluated and synthesized in the formulation of a logical set of conclusions?
Does the paper address the topic with sufficient depth of discussion and
analysis?
Business Writing (Clarity and Organization): Is the paper
well written (clear, developed logically, and well organized)? Are the grammar,
spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level work? Are section
headings included in all papers? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the
primary means of responding to the Keys to the Assignment, or is
justification/support instead conveyed through excessive use of direct
quotations?
Effective Use of Information (Information Literacy and
References): Does the paper demonstrate that the student has read, understood,
and can apply the background materials for the module? If required, has the student demonstrated
effective research, as evidenced by the student’s use of relevant and quality
sources? Do additional sources used in the paper provide strong support for
conclusions drawn, and do they help in shaping the overall paper?
Citing Sources: Does the student demonstrate understanding of
APA Style of referencing by inclusion of proper end references and in-text
citations (for paraphrased text and direct quotations) as appropriate? Have all
sources (e.g., references used from the Background page, the assignment
readings, and outside research) been included, and are these properly cited?
Have all end references been included within the body of the paper as in-text
citations?
Tips and Suggestions
Please note the following tips and suggestions:
Include a cover page and reference page, in addition to the
5-6 pages of analysis described above.
Include headings for all papers greater than 2 pages
(basically all papers).
Cite and reference all sources that you use in your work,
including those that you paraphrase, but do not quote. This means include
citations and quotation marks for direct quotes of more than 5 words, and
citations for that information which you have “borrowed” or
paraphrased from other sources.
Follow the TUI Guidelines for well-written papers.
Submit your analysis by the end of this module.
Module 1 – SLP
SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLES, ARISTOTLE AND LEADERSHIP, AND
LEADERSHIP VS. MANAGEMENT
The purpose of the Session Long Project in Trident
University International classes is to give you the opportunity to explore the
applicability of the Module to your own life and work, and to see how the
otherwise academically rigorous presentation of a topic may, with more or less
work and/or trauma, become “up close and personal”. This is done in a
number of different ways — sometimes cumulative papers, sometimes practical
hands-on experimentation with a tool of some sort, sometimes reflections on a
place of work or life. The common thread is personal application, aimed at
demonstrating a cumulative knowledge and understanding of the course’s
material.
In each module, you will complete an assessment and/or
situation diagnostics focusing on some aspect of leadership. You will then be
asked to create a plan by which you can “grow” your strengths and
develop your weaknesses. By the end of the course and the project, you will
have a better understanding of strategic leadership and how to use leadership
to influence followers.
Background
Martin Luther King was one of the great orators of the 20th
century, and his style has been used as a model for many, including President
Barack Obama. In this SLP assignment, you will analyze MLK’s style and compare
it to your own.
Required Reading
Please read Martin Luther King’s letter from Birmingham Jail
at:http://www.bu.edu/irsd/Ec326_2004/material_2004/Letter%20from%20Birmingham%20Jail.htm
Session Long Project
Then, drawing on the material in the background readings and
doing additional research, write a 2- to 3-page paper in which you:
Analyze the leadership and oratory styles of Martin Luther
King, Jr. through the lens of ethos, logos, and pathos, and compare his styles
to your own. What could you do to strengthen your own skills at influence and
persuasion?
Keys to the Assignment
The key aspects of this assignment that, at a minimum,
should be covered in your paper include:
Examples of how Martin Luther King used ethos, logos, and
pathos in his powerful and highly influential letter.
How do you/can you incorporate what you have learned about
ethos, logos, and pathos into your own leadership activities to increase your
influence as a leader?
SLP Assignment Expectations
Your paper will be evaluated using the following five
criteria:
Assignment-Driven Criteria (Precision and Breadth): Does the
paper fully address all Keys to the Assignment? Are the concepts behind the
Keys to the Assignment addressed accurately and precisely using sound logic?
Does the paper meet minimum length requirements?
Critical Thinking (Critical Thinking and Depth): Does the
paper demonstrate graduate-level analysis, in which information derived from
multiple sources, expert opinions, and assumptions has been critically
evaluated and synthesized in the formulation of a logical set of conclusions?
Does the paper address the topic with sufficient depth of discussion and
analysis?
Business Writing (Clarity and Organization): Is the paper
well written (clear, developed logically, and well organized)? Are the grammar,
spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level work? Are section
headings included in all papers? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the
primary means of responding to the Keys to the Assignment, or is
justification/support instead conveyed through excessive use of direct
quotations?
Effective Use of Information (Information Literacy and
References): Does the paper demonstrate that the student has read, understood,
and can apply the background materials for the module? If required, has the student demonstrated
effective research, as evidenced by the student’s use of relevant and quality
sources? Do additional sources used in the paper provide strong support for
conclusions drawn, and do they help in shaping the overall paper?
Citing Sources: Does the student demonstrate understanding
of APA Style of referencing by inclusion of proper end references and in-text
citations (for paraphrased text and direct quotations) as appropriate? Have all
sources (e.g., references used from the Background page, the assignment
readings, and outside research) been included, and are these properly cited?
Have all end references been included within the body of the paper as in-text
citations?
Tips and Suggestions
Please note the following tips and suggestions:
Include a cover page and reference page, in addition to the
2-3 pages of analysis described above.
Include headings for all papers greater than 2 pages
(basically all papers), but do not use headings as “space fillers.”
You are expected to deal with these issues in an integrated
fashion, rather than treating them as a series of individual questions to be
answered one by one and left at that.
You should synthesize information and present a concise and
meaningful paper.
Cite and reference all sources that you use in your work,
including those that you paraphrase but do not quote. This means include
citations and quotation marks for direct quotes of more than 5 words, and
citations for that information which you have “borrowed” or
paraphrased from other sources.
Follow the TUI Guidelines for well-written papers.
Upload your assignment by the end of this module.
