Leadership Theories Work

Consider the following scenario:

You are the chief of staff for the state director of corrections, who has been in the position for almost twenty years. He has always been effective, and has a very good reputation. However, the department is going through many changes, including a tremendous increase in the number of inmates, a new wave of gang violence in prisons, and serious budget cuts.

People are whispering that "the old man" may not still have it and that perhaps they need a change of leadership. The state director asks you about your views. Although you think his transactional style is past its time, you firmly believe he is an able leader and the right person to lead the department through these difficult times. You talk in general about changing leadership styles, and he asks you to prepare a memo outlining your suggestions for modifying his leadership style.

Tasks: Using the module reading and the Argosy University online library resources, write a 4- to 6-page memo in a Microsoft Word document. Consider the following discussion points:

• Analyze and explain the leadership theories most applicable to the modern corrections environment.
• Identify and analyze additional strategies and principles you would suggest for implementation by a modern corrections leader.