Consider the following:

An important learning objective in this course is for students to critically apply leadership concepts and theories in order to analyze and present solutions to leadership challenges.

Increasing your ability to accomplish this objective, is the main goal of the paper assignments. The paper assignments are designed to help you apply the assigned materials, lectures, and class discussions to specific cases. This is a critical part of your learning process because it helps you translate the abstract concepts introduced in the materials to real-world scenarios.

Read the two scenarios in the attached Word document.

Choose one of the scenarios to focus on for this assignment.

Write a 750- to 1,050-word paper that addresses the questions associated with your chosen scenario (found in the Word document).

Keep the following guidelines in mind as you work on your paper:

You can draw on the assigned materials, power points, class discussions etc. but be sure to cite properly all quotations and paraphrases used from existing sources.

The course papers are not a test on your ability to recite all the concepts and theories discussed in class so pick carefully one or more perspectives that you think informs the leadership challenge at hand.

Grades will take into account grammar and spelling. Papers must be well developed, logically consistent, and brief.

The assignment is to be completed individually but students are welcome to discuss the case description questions in groups.

Papers should be single-spaced. Excluded from the word count are cover pages (not required) and a reference list (required if quotations or paraphrases from external sources are used).

All quotations and paraphrases should be properly cited using APA, MLA or some other academic writing format. It is up to you which format you use but use it consistently. Students may not submit work undertaken for a different class.

Papers should use professional language. No slang, emoticons, text-speak etc.

Wikipedia should not be used as a source - it is a fine place to become familiar with topics, but you must move to more reputable references (e.g., see the reference list to the Wikipedia page).

Scenario 1

As head of Exxel you are looking to fill a position in your executive management team.

To betterscreen potential candidates and shortlist the applicant pool you are considering which skills and characteristics the ideal candidate should possess. To execute the position effectively, it is important that the candidate will be perceived as leader-like by followers and that the person will possess competencies that allow him or her to help you formulate the strategic plans for the future of the firm.

• Q1. Which skills are important for your candidate to possess? Are some more important than others, if so why?

• Q2. Which characteristics are more likely to make the employees at Exxel perceive the candidate as leader-like? Briefly describe the characteristics and explain why persons possessing these characteristics are more likely to be perceived as leaders.

• Q3. What are potential strengths and weaknesses of using characteristics such as the Big 5 personality factors as screening tools in the executive management hire? Support your response with examples and evidence.

Scenario 2

You recently started as a manager of the 30th district's social work administration. While you respect established work routines and the dynamics of the work place you have the sense that people could run faster. For instance, you have noticed that meetings are called on a regular basis although there seems to be no pressing agenda to discuss.

Despite a lack of technical insights into the procedures necessary for processing individual cases, you feel that case workers should be able to process a higher number of cases than the current frequency. To increase the number of cases processed, you implement an incentive system in which individual case workers receive a reward corresponding to one month's salary if they process a minimum of 1,000 cases a year.

The target is evaluated at the end of the year and historically the average number of cases processed in the administration on a yearly basis have varied between 7 and 800.

• Q1. Describe the concept of credible commitment.

• Q2. Explain why credible commitment is considered paramount to the success of transactional leadership and the use of pay for performance incentive systems.

• Q3. Discuss what you expect will happen to the number of cases completed by caseworkers in response to the incentive system in each of the two scenarios outlined below:

o You successfully secure the additional funding needed to make sure that you are able to reward every case worker that meets the performance criteria and completes a minimum of 1,000 cases.

o At the end of the year you are suddenly informed that the discretionary budget for your department has been slashed as a result of a political compromise, and you will therefore not be able to honor your commitment to rewarding case workers for their performance.