Assignment

UNIT 1

Deliverable Length: 8-10 PowerPoint slides with 200-250 words of speaker notes per slide

At your next luncheon meeting with Rae Marie, Vice President of Operations for MyShoppingSpreeTV, she arrives visibly troubled. She discloses, "I have 17 people reporting to me, and now I have 2 open positions. I feel confident that my people know what they are doing, but I am not sure they trust me.

Until I can get this position filled, I have spread out the responsibilities of the open positions to everyone on the team, but, as a department, we seem to get less and less done. As soon as we solve one problem, another one appears. In addition, my boss Jim, keeps adding more to our project list."

She confides that she is concerned that her employees do not respect her authority. When you inquire about her approach, her personal leadership style, and the methods she uses to influence her employees, she admits that she has not had time to reflect on her leadership style and is not quite sure what you mean. You share with Rae Marie that there are studies of leadership styles and multiple definitions of leadership styles can be found. However, a leadership style can be broadly defined as the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people.

Hoping to offer some perspective on the subject, for your next visit, you offer to put together a slide presentation to illustrate theoretical models of leadership related to the methods that leaders use to influence their employees. Your dedication to sharing your knowledge of leadership reassures her that she has a solid resource in you.

In your presentation, do the following:

Analyze the differences between 3 theoretical models related to leadership (one of the theoretical models should be transformational leadership)

Identify the goals of each theoretical model that you have selected

Illustrate the relationship between each of the 3 theoretical models

What is the difference between a theoretical model of leadership and a leadership style?

PART II DB

600-1000 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions with your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas:

For several years, Rae Marie, a former colleague and long-time friend, had been a successful manager for a company you worked at together years ago. Because you no longer work together, she confides in you during a private lunch meeting soliciting your advice and expertise on her new leadership role with, MyShoppingSpreeTV.

In a second meeting Rae Marie, she discloses that she is working harder than ever in her new role as the Vice President of Operations for MyShoppingSpreeTV but sees little results from her efforts. She shares that business is slow and the pressure to improve sales and productivity is growing.

She confessed, I am ready to give up. I don't know if I have the leadership abilities required to turn things around. I certainly don't have the confidence I did when business was good and I don't think my employees have confidence in me either. What if I am not the right person for a leadership position anymore? What if I had been successful in the past because of the great economy?"

She went on to share that she was working hard and working long hours, but business indicators suggested that business was bad and taking a turn for the worst. She was clearly unhappy and knew her team was unhappy as well. Rae Marie asks you, "How can I influence my team to turn things around?"

You know that the ways in which leaders influence their employees and encourage them to be productive depend on many variables, including the personality of the leader, the skills of the employees, the task at hand, or the group dynamics and personalities of team members. As with leadership styles, each base of power has its place when leading people and can prove effective in the right setting and right circumstances.

It is clear to you that Rae Marie would benefit from a discussion on leadership and the sources of authority and influence that she, as a leader, has on her employees and her position within the company. In your discussion, analyze the ways that leaders can influence employees.

must address the following in your posting:

Describe three ways that leaders can influence employees

How does a leader's influence affect an organization's performance? Provide a current example from your research.

Cite all references in a reference list. Be sure to reference all sources using APA format

Unit 2 (1500 TO 2000 WORDS )

Part 1

Reflecting on your last meeting with Rae Marie, the new Vice President of Operations for MyShoppingSpreeTV, you acknowledge that she may have legitimate concerns about the employees in her department not yet trusting her position of authority. Effective leadership is a common and critical element of a successful organization.

Not surprisingly, the period of leadership transition from the departure of a former leader and the hiring of a new leader can be seen as an unwelcome and resisted change.

If poorly managed, these transitions can create a turbulent period for the organization, leading to decreased organizational efficacy. Even well-established organizations can falter during and after a shift in power or change in leadership.

Research and identify methods and actions that will be required to sustain any change in leadership or shift in power. In a 750-1000-word response, identify ways in which leaders can build trust.

Provide examples of evidence of trust within a work environment.

Identify how Rae Marie can use office politics in a positive way to improve her leadership effectiveness.

Create a list of actionable recommendations that will be required to sustain this change in leadership.

Part 2

Keep in mind that transition periods offer organizations great opportunities for reflection, the rethinking of mission, and the reordering of priorities. However, they can also be times of great anxiety for employees. Often, the biggest challenge for the incoming leader in the first months is making relationship building a priority while addressing critical organizational issues.

For an organization, one of the biggest challenges is to resist the pressure to act too quickly by bringing in a new leader. Additionally, quite often, a change in leadership will also highlight other needed changes, that is, in staffing, systems, or structure. Therefore, one change may inevitably lead to subsequent changes.

Although these changes can come in many forms, the organization can plan for change to be best prepared to advance the organization with a new strategy.

With the scenario in mind, design an action plan that would prepare the organization for a future executive leadership change.

Address the following in 750-1,000 words:

In your plan, discuss the strategies you would recommend to guide the organization through an executive leadership change and a successful leadership transition for the MyShoppingSpreeTV organization.

Unit 3 part 1

(600-1000 words) substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas:

At your next scheduled lunch meeting, Rae Marie continues to share challenges with her transition to her new leadership role as the Vice President of Operations for MyShoppingSpreeTV.

Based on the current climate of her department and its declining productivity, she questions her earlier career success. She is having doubts about her current leadership capabilities needed for her new role.

For several years, Rae Marie, a former colleague and long-time friend, had been a successful manager for a company you worked at together years ago. You witnessed her previous successes and have confidence in her leadership.

She confessed, "what if I had been successful in the past because of the great economy?" "The techniques I used in the past do not seem to be working here."

You acknowledge that all organizational situations and climates are different, and what is required in one situation will not always work in another.

On the Discussion Board, consult with your classmates and offer your recommendations on how to decide the best course of action and the leadership style needed for different situations. For this discussion, you must research Fiedler's contingency model and Blanchard's situational model.

In your discussion, compare and contrast Fielder's contingency model and Blanchard's situational model. Evaluate the course scenario (the situation at MyShoppingSpreeTV), and identify which of Fielder's preferred leadership styles is most applicable to this situation. For full-credit, you must address the following in your posting:

How can Fiedler's contingency Model and Blanchard's situational model be applied in different organizational settings?

In which type of organization would you recommend the utilization of Fiedler's contingency theory of leadership or Blanchard's situational model? Explain why.

Unit 4

Key Assignment Part 2 (1000 to 1500 words)

As you reflect on previous conversations with Rae Marie regarding her new role as the Vice President of Operations for MyShoppingSpreeTV, you remember her calling you to question her earlier career success and doubting her current leadership capabilities needed in her new role.

For several years she had been a successful manager for another company in which you worked at together years ago. You witnessed her previous successes and have confidence in her leadership.

A change in leadership is a significant organizational transition for all employees. After all, responsibility for group effectiveness is not only on the leader's shoulders, but it is shared by the group.

However, creating the right team is a responsibility of the leader. In your discussion with Rae Marie, you shared that research suggests that some individuals are better suited to work and lead in a collaborative team environment. After this discussion, you are prompted to become aware of the characteristics of effective teams and the dimensions of team leadership.

Write a 1000 - 1500-word essay that covers the following:

Identify and analyze the characteristics of effective teams.

Discuss and analyze the need for leaders to monitor both the internal and external environments of a team.

Include in your essay a response to the following:

What are the dimensions of team leadership?

What is team leadership? What are and include examples of situations where it is frequently used?

Cite all references in a reference list. Be sure to reference all sources using APA format