Reference no: EM132173041

4 short discussions (half page each) and management paper (8 pages)

-Discussion-1 Half a page

Discuss a time when you have been a member of a team that has not performed well. Why was the team not effective? What role did the leader play in the team's inability to perform?

What steps should have been taken to address the issues? Cite your sources appropriately to include the recommended readings and the textbook.

-Discussion-2 Half a page

One important skill for leaders to improve team performance is to be able to empower employees. Read the article "Get your employees to work ‘like nobody's watching.'

" In the article, three ideas for encouraging employees were described. As a leader, how would you implement these ideas within your organization? How would implementing these changes improve team performance? Cite your sources appropriately to include the recommended readings and textbook.

-Discussion-3 Half a page

As this week's material points out, we are living in times of immense change.

One of the essential tasks of an organization's leadership is to lead organizations in a way that ensures that the entire organization is committed to the change and that support mechanisms are in place to sustain change.

Research several online industries that are currently stressed by changing marketplaces and demographics: the newspaper and publishing Industries, entertainment media outlets, brick and mortar retail, and even campus bookstores.

Choose an organization within one of the industries listed above, or one of your own choosing that is currently impacted by a changing marketplace.

How would you apply Kotter's eights steps toward leading change within that organization?

Provide examples of the desired outcomes and support mechanisms you would utilize.

Cite your sources appropriately to include the recommended readings and the textbook.

-Discussion-4 Half a page

Adaptive work is accomplished by finding a solution to seemingly intractable problems facing leaders; the solution is neither technical, nor obvious.

As the material illustrates, leaders must motivate organization members to face demanding situations that arise from the organization's own culture and values. Using the organization you chose within this week's first discussion, analyze an adaptive challenge facing this organization.

Describe the adaptive work that needs to be accomplished.

Analyze your approach to resolving the problem. Be certain to include questions that would arise, and what trade-offs may be required in your analysis.

Describe the desired outcome.

-Paper- 8 pages

This paper will be an application of the leadership practice concepts learned throughout your degree program to a real-world situation. In an eight- to ten-page paper, discuss one significant organizational challenge within your organization or an organization you have researched. How did the leadership of the organization address the challenge?

Could it have been done more effectively? How would you recommend future leaders strategically plan to avoid encountering a similar challenge within their own organizations?

Provide suggestions for overcoming the challenge based on your own research and concepts presented in your degree program and grounded in leadership theory. Some challenges to consider would be (but are not limited to): an ethical challenge, a challenge occurring because of changes in the economy, a globalization challenge, or a challenge of organizational culture.

The Final Paper should, at minimum, include:

A description of the organization and its primary stakeholders. Include the vision and mission statement if they are available to the public, and the code of ethics if the company has one (if it is long, an excerpt or description is an acceptable alternative).

A detailed analysis of one challenge facing the leadership of the organization.

A strategy for overcoming the challenge based on outside research, the textbook, and concepts discussed during your degree studies.

Writing the Final Paper

The Final Paper:

Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages in length and formatted according to APA style, as outlined in your approved style guide.

Must include a separate title page

Must include an introductory paragraph with a succinct thesis statement.

Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.

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

Must use at least four scholarly sources to support your analysis and recommendations.

Must use APA style as outlined in your approved style guide to document all sources.

Must include, on the final page, a reference list that is completed according to APA style, as outlined in your approved style guide.