Leadership, Strategy, and Change Assessment

Module Assessment Brief

The aim of this assignment is to enable students to apply the theories/concepts, tools and techniques covered in the module to an organisation of their choice, to assess and critique the organisation’s practices, and to make recommendations for their future development.

This 2500 word assessment is to be divided into two components that are constructively aligned to the module learning outcomes. Students should select an organisation of their choice in the UK and examine this using the tools and methodologies from the module.

Section a: LEADERSHIP) appraise the role of the CEO in your chosen organisation; what characteristics and qualities might you expect them to have in order to enable this change agenda to be a success.

Section b: Stratgy & Change) critically evaluate the strategy of your chosen organisation and propose a change agenda

Part a) 

1. Select an organization (REAL ORGANISATION) of choice.
2. You should now analyse the leader of your chosen organisation.
3. Drawing from at least one trait, style, and contingency approach, develop your own philosophy of effective leadership (i.e., a model of effective leadership) with Just One Approach Of Leadership, Indicate Why The Leader Achieved Positive Results With His Approach Of Leadership.
4. Appraise the role of the CEO's leadership in your chosen organisation; what behaviours, characteristics, and qualities might you expect them to have in order to enable organisation to have a success (for example, how leadership helps to make organisational change a success)?  

The argumentation must be coherent and substantiated and must use relevant theory/conceptual underpinnings in a critical fashion, demonstrating analysis, synthesis and evaluation skills.

Part b) 1. Critically evaluate the strategy of your chosen organisation using appropriate tools.

2. Propose a change agenda to improve the business. These changes should be substantiated with reference to appropriate models and citations. (Approx. 1250 words).

1. Individual Assignment – Leadership; Strategy & Change (2500 words)
2. Synthesise various organisational and environmental factors which drive organisational change (Internal and External factors)
3. Appraise individual and group processes which enable and inhibit the change process.
4. Critically evaluate leadership characteristics, discriminating between different leadership approaches and their relative effectiveness.
5. Develop and justify effective people management skills around leadership, influencing, supervision, delegation and coaching.

1. Individual Assignment – Leadership; Strategy & Change (2500 words) Word Count: 2500 (which includes citations in the main text of the essay but excludes the list of bibliographic references at the end of the essay, any tables, graphs and schemas/frameworks. Essays that exceed the word limit by more than 10% will be penalised.) Font Size: Times New Roman 12 Line Spacing: 1.5 or double Margins should be normal (2.54 cm all around).

A word count must be provided on the cover page.

The argumentation must be coherent and substantiated. The analysis, synthesis and evaluation must use relevant theory/conceptual underpinnings in a critical fashion. Moreover, the value of theories and conceptual models to address the change process should be critically considered. Sources of information must be referenced appropriately.

Ethical Requirements N/ R

What is leadership? E.g „(…) there are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept." Stogdill (1974)

 Que A 3 Drawing from at least one trait, style, and contingency approach, develop your own philosophy of effective leadership (i.e., a model of effective leadership)

• Define effective leadership
• Identify and evaluate (at least) one trait by making an informed decision on the basis of existing evidence
• Identify and evaluate (at least) one style approach by making an informed decision on the basis of existing evidence
• Identify and evaluate (at least) one contingency approach by making an informed decision, using evidence where relevant

Ensure integration

• Effective leaders in organisations motivate and enable others to achieve organizationally relevant goals.
• Organizationally relevant goals are
• Productive output of a unit meets the standards of quantity, quality, and timeliness of its clients
• High levels of social integration within a unit
• High levels of continuous learning and well-being of unit members
• Goals and means to achieve goals are ethical
• What does leadership effectiveness mean to you?

Leadership situation (SITUATIONAL STYLE)

• Culture and political system
• Sector in which the company operates
• Legal framework
• Organisational structure and culture
• Function (Production, Finance, Marketing, R&D, HR, etc.)
• Size, structure, and climate of the group
• Composition of personal characteristics within the group
• Power base and legitimation of the leader

Individual Characteristics (LEADERSHP TRAIT)

• Intelligence
• Declarative and procedural knowledge
• Big-Five-Personality traits
• Emotional intelligence
• Political skill

Behaviours (BEHAVIORAL STYLE)

• Consideration vs. initiating structure
• Laiisez-faire
• Transformational and transactional leadership
• Servant leadership
• Ethical leadership
• Coaching behaviours of the leader

We Must Justify Why We Chose Any Of The Approach – Situational, Trait Or Behaviour, We Are To Work With Just One

Traits

• Intelligence
• Personality
• Extraversion
• Neuroticism (Emotional Stability)
• Conscientiousness
• Agrezableness
• Openness to Experience
• Emotional Intelligence
• Other?

If It Is Style We Chose, Then Justify It, How does it fit in with philosy

• Person/Task Oriented
• Transformational/ Transactional Leadership
• Servant Leadership
• Other?

Justify why you have chosen this contingency approach, how does it fit in your philosophy?

• Fiedler‘s Contingency Theory
• Path Goal Theory
• Situational Leadership
• Leadership Substitutes Theory
• (Culturally Endorsed) Implicit Leadership Theories

RELEVANT QUESTIONS THAT CAN HELP

• How does your chosen trait relate to your chosen leadership style/ behaviour? What is the evidence for this?
• What role does your contingency approach play on the effects of your chosen trait and style?

How do the various factors work together to lead to leadership effectiveness in your chosen organisation?

QUE 4 of part A:Appraise the role of the CEO's leadership in your chosen organisation; what behaviours, characteristics, and qualities might you expect them to have in order to enable organisation to have a success (for example, how leadership helps to make organisational change a success)?

Strategy:

• Compare and contrast your “model of effective leadership” with the CEO of your chosen organisation.
• Highlight where this CEO already shows traits, behaviors etc. that you recommend
• Highlight where he/she is falling short of being your “model CEO”.
• Provide some suggestions on how to address weaknesses in terms of leadership development