Module 1

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.

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?

Module 1 – Background

Situational Leadership STYLES, ARISTOTLE AND LEADERSHIP, AND LEADERSHIP VS. MANAGEMENT

Required Reading

Journal Articles and Websites:
Journal articles can be found in the Trident Online Library. Book chapters are located in the same library, but you must click on “Additional Library Resources” and then search the eBook Academic Collection (EBSCO).

Badshah, S. (2012). Historical study of leadership theories. Journal of Strategic Human Resource Management, 1(1), 49–59.

Blanchard, K. (2008). Situational leadership. Leadership Excellence, 25(5), 19. Retrieved from ProQuest in the Trident Online Library.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Definition and Examples. (2015) Retrieved from

http://pathosethoslogos.com/

Kotter, J. P. (2013, January 9). Management is (still) not leadership. Harvard Business Review- Blog Network. Retrieved from

http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/01/management-is-still-not-leadership/

Leigh, A. (2017). Define situational leadership. Chron. Retrieved from

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/define-situational-leadership-2976.html

Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail. (1963). Retrieved from

http://www.bu.edu/irsd/Ec326_2004/material_2004/Letter%20from%20Birmingham%20Jail.htm

NetMBA. (2010). Theory x and theory y. Retrieved from

http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/mcgregor/

Theory X and Theory Y: Understanding Team Member Motivation (2013), Retrieved from

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_74.htm 

Optional Readings and References

Changing Minds. (2011). Leadership vs. management. Retrieved from

http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/articles/manager_leader.htm