Leadership (Organizational Behavior )

Leadership theories, notes, assignments, and projects.

leadership

Here’s what to cover in academic work related to Leadership.

Various leadership theories. Evolution of leadership theories. Qualities, skills, traits and behaviour of leaders. Transformational leadership. Global Leadership.

Global leadership

Here’s what to cover in academic work related to Global Leadership.

Mention about Global leadership theories, what research says about Global leadership theories, what global leadership theories leaders are using. Refer to articles with culture, cross-culture leadership.

Various Theories, models and concepts:

Domestic versus Global leadership. The Global leadership capacity wheel, indigenous leadership, Global leadership competency pyramid, empowering leadership. Global mindset, cultural intelligence, multinational teams, bicultural fluency / biculturalism. People oriented leadership in global teams. Cross cultural and global Leadership experience. Challenging perspective and assumptions that stretch their comfort zone.

More topics related to Global Leadership:

Global staffing, inpatriation, Cross cultural adjustments, behavioural differences. Role novelty, pre-departure training. Deep level cultural acceptance – embracing values and beliefs. Requires cultural intelligence – Knowledge, mindfulness, behaviour, cultural flexibility, cultural, intelligence.

Ambiguous teams (due to globalisation). Tolerance to Ambiguity. Work groups to build interdependence within teams for effective team building. Build rapport, then collectively set goals. Performance management – individual rewards, team based reward for higher interdependence.

Perceptual Management skill. Social loafing. Cross cultural communication. Map bridge integrate, de-center and re- center. Intercultural competence (skill), knowledge, value and behaviour, personality orientation. Xenophobia, prejudice, intersectionality, discrimination

Diversity management – social category, informal diversity, value diversity. Diversity inclusion – recruitment practice. Unconscious bias – affinity bias, recruitment, hallow effect ( reviewing candidate application) , nonverbal bias in interviews due to body language.

Assignments, Projects, Questions on Leadership

Management (MBA) Question on this topic:

Question: Explore how leadership & management theory can support managers to develop successful professional teams. Consider how leaders can manage functional and dysfunctional conflict during the group formation process. The presentation requires you to examine the relationships between leadership, conflict, and teamwork. Consider using examples from your previous experience of group work along with examples from professional managers. You can use PowerPoint or other presentation software to design your presentation.

Demonstrate an understanding of leadership and management approaches and the impact they have on the formation and development of successful teams.

How could knowledge of identity and personality assist managers to produce groups with less dysfunctional conflict? By understanding other people can we give them appropriate roles within groups to promote harmony? Would applying Belbin’s team roles during the group formation phase reduce conflict? Are there limitations to identity theories (Myers Brigg) and team roles?

How do different management and leadership styles affect functional and dysfunctional conflict during the group formation stages? Where is dysfunctional conflict most likely to occur during the group formation process? What can managers do to reduce dysfunctional conflict during the group formation processes e.g. storming, performing etc? Would different leadership styles produce functional or dysfunctional conflict? Why? May different leadership styles be more relevant during different stages of the group formation stages? Provide examples of teams from the real world such as from Patrick Lencioni.

What specific kinds of conflict could emerge during team formation and what strategies could group leaders, co-ordinators, and team members use to address the conflict. Types of conflict – accommodating, competing etc. How can managers use the conflict styles to reduce dysfunctional conflict? Patrick Lencioni also addresses these issues which will provide examples from the real world.

What performance management techniques could be used to in order to reduce dysfunctional conflict and enhance performance during the group formation stages? How can managers and other team members manage people to bring the best out of them? Consider: Rewards, Learning & Development plans, how to resolve conflict. Patrick Lencioni also addresses this issue. The Clydesdale Bank Case Study includes many relevant examples.
Conclusions and Recommendations: What you have learnt from your research into the topic. What recommendations can you make to managers who want to reduce dysfunctional conflict and produce high performing teams?

Question: Amar works for an IT company as a project coordinator. His boss, Ajay is very adamant and wants the work to be done according to his way without even considering anyone’s perspective. If Amar commits any minor mistake also he is reprimanded in front of the entire team. Ajay wants Amar to stay late beyond office hours, even when his work is complete. Consider the given situation and explain the pitfalls in leadership shown by Ajay.

Q. Does leadership make a difference to organisational performance?

Q) The Trait theory of leadership asserts that leaders are born not made. According to these theories leaders have common personal or behavioural characteristics accounting for leadership effectiveness. Do you agree with the same? Support your answer with proper justification for the same. Conclude by expressing which theory explains leadership the best.

Q) Politics is said to be an inevitable evil at any workplace, no matter how much one tries to be away from it, would always find to be embroiled in it. It is a proven fact that politics cannot be avoided at any cost but has to be coped. It becomes imperative to be well aware of the elements contributing to politics at workplace. Keeping in view the above statements introduce the concept of workplace politics. Also, list factors contributing to workplace politics. Give concluding remarks on the importance of workplace politics (10 Marks)

Q3) Sanjay and Sam are co-workers. They both are working in the same project but their work values are quite contrast to each other. Sanjay belongs to GenX (The X Generation) and relies a lot on the team-work as well as its (team’s) upliftment, whereas Sam is from GenY (The Y Generation) or the Millennial and for him self-reliance is more important. Though they share a great personal rapport but they always find dissonance at work.

a) Explain the reason for their dissonance? It is natural to have such dissonance, give concluding remarks for the same (5 Marks)

b) Introduce the value system of your generation. Discuss the rest of the generations and their values? (5 Marks)

Q) Karan is an HR Manager and his team comprises of 6 members excluding him. Everyone in his team has extremely congenial relations to the extent that during brainstorming session they blatantly support each other. Though it is a sign of a close knit team but Karan feels that this kind of extreme harmony is killing the creativity of the team. Karan wants some kind of spur in the team’s creativity. Karan is in a dilemma.
a. Suggest any two methods of stimulating functional conflict in Karan’s team.
b. In case the conflict becomes dysfunctional, also suggest two methods through which Karan can manage the same (dysfunctional conflict).

Q: Leadership is said to be a vital quality which is becoming very rare in the organizations. It would not be wrong if we say that it is a progression where an individual solicits the backing of other entities for the completion of mutual objectives. The leaders are the visionaries and also act as a catalyst in terms of influencing and inspiring others. Based on the above statements discuss the significance of leadership in any organization. Conclude by answering that how the organization would fare if leadership is not right? (10 Marks)

Q) Explain with examples, what type of leader is Sundar Pichai (CEO Google). What kind of leadership style does he practice?

Q) A team leader in an organization wants to take feedback about his leadership from his peers, superiors and subordinates. List the various tools of verbal and non-verbal communication that can be developed for this purpose.

Q) What is the role of a leader in motivating his/her subordinates? Explain the impact of leadership styles on subordinates with the help of three different theories of leadership in brief.

Q) M/s Subodh Enterprise is failing to make profit from last five years. The company has no proper vision and direction to follow. The Directors have decided to replace the current leader who shows less concern for people as well as profit. They appoint you as a consultant to guide them on the various types of leader and suggest them one type of leader that will be suitable for this organization with reasons.

Q) Shanaya works as a creative head in the entertainment industry, where she is often required to work for long hours. Her reporting authority Kiran is very inflexible who wants the work to be done according to her liking. Shanaya tried to talk to her on several occasions and explain her as well as other team members’ point of view but in vain, as Kiran would not budge. If anything is not done according to Kiran’s way she reprimands Shanaya in front of her peers and subordinates. Kiran would pile Shanaya with excess work and make her work from home even during holidays. Keeping the above scenario in mind, discuss the pitfalls of leadership as demonstrated by Kiran.

Q) Anay works as a project lead in a pharmaceutical company. He is very famous amongst his team members because of his approach towards them. Whenever his team performs well he always rewards them. This reward comes in many forms like appreciation mail, gift voucher, and acknowledgement certificate. Because of this practice in Anay’s team they are regarded as the best performers in the office. Analyse the situation and explain the elements of reinforcement used by Anay.

Question: Personal Development for Leadership and Strategic Management

You have been a senior manager for a number of years and have decided that your next career move should be to or take responsibility for an aspect of strategic management in an organisation. Some interesting posts have been advertised recently and you have registered with a recruitment agency Harris Hall, which specialises in senior positions.

Task 1

Harris Hall has sent you a guidance pack titled ‘Preparation for Application and Interviews’, which includes some tasks for you to complete. This will provide the foundations for the applications you will make. You are required to produce a file of information. In section 1 you must:

• analyse the knowledge and skills in leadership and strategic management which are required to support the creation and achievement of organisational vision and strategy
• assess the contribution that factors other than skills and knowledge in leadership and strategic management make to the achievement of organisational vision and strategy
• review theories of leadership and management and assess the implications for your personal development.
• provides a justified ranking of the leadership and management knowledge and skills required to successfully create and achieve organisational strategy.
• evaluates the leadership and management knowledge and skills required for the successful achievement of organisational operations versus the creation and achievement of organisational strategy.

Task 2

The second part of the file enables you to manage the development of your own personal knowledge and skills in leadership and strategic management. This will support achievement of personal and organisational vision and strategy. This audit must be done in the context of an organisation where you are employed, where you work in a voluntary capacity, where you wish to gain employment or where you are studying. You must:

• carry out an audit of your own personal leadership and management knowledge and skills. The knowledge and skills identified must facilitate the creation and achievement of organisational vision.
• set objectives to meet your personal development needs in the context of strategic organisational needs
• prepare a personal development plan to develop own leadership and management skills to support the creation of organisational vision and strategy
• justify how objectives and the plan selected for personal development support achievement of organisational vision and strategy.
• carry out appropriate personal development activities to develop knowledge and skills identified in the audit,

Task 3

Harris Hall has sent you an email about an interesting post which is advertised in Management Today and you have decided to apply. As part of the application the organisation wants you to send a CV and a paper on ‘Developing and Communicating Organisational Vision’. The SHR Department in the organisation will use this information in the shortlisting of applicants, who will then be invited to interview.

Prepare a paper which:

• analyses the factors which impact on the creation of organisational vision
• assesses the different approaches to developing vision
• evaluates the key factors which impact on the communication of vision to external stakeholders.
• evaluates the key factors needed to gain the commitment of internal stakeholders when communicating vision
• assesses the benefits of review and explains when this tool can be used in the achievement of personal and organisational strategy.
• evaluates the sources of information needed to review progress with achieving personal development plans.

Task 5

In the guidance pack Preparation for Application and Interviews’, Harris Hall have asked you to review progress to date with your personal development plan. You understand the importance of review in supporting individual and organisational progress.

Produce a report which reviews your progress against the outcomes stated in your personal development plan.

Produce a clear and detailed analysis of the knowledge and skills in leadership and strategic management which are needed to support the creation and achievement of organisational vision and strategy. Produce a detailed review of a range of leadership and management theories linking them to their own personal development and making judgements on the relevance.

The personal development plan should be in a clear format with stated specific objectives, timescales and monitoring points. The plan must be detailed and might include a range of activities such as formal learning or training, as well as informal learning.

The evaluation of key factors impacting on the communication of the vision to external stakeholders should clarify who the external stakeholders might be and how the message might be differentiated. The evaluation should consider the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches and lead to judgements.

This should be accompanied by a full explanation of when the tool of review can be used to support achievement of personal and organisational strategy.

Q. Critically evaluate the models theories and concepts related to Global Leadership.