Lead and Influence Assignment-
In this assignment, you are encouraged to be a "participant-observer" at your workplace. This means that you should be observing and reflecting on leadership behaviour or acts that you see around you. This practice of observation and reflection will help you raise your consciousness about leadership.
You have also been taught the various theories of leadership and frameworks for analysing leadership issues and behaviour.
For this assignment, you will be assessed on the following learning outcomes:
- Identify the key attributes of leaders and their sources of power
- State the difference between management and leadership
- Recognise the critical role of ethics and communication in leadership
- Interpret and analyse leadership issues
- Interpret various leadership issues in different contexts such as work, school or social environment
- Develop feasible solutions to real-life issues.
Part 1: Narrative
The case should be about 400 words long. It should have the following features:
1. It should be in the form of a narrative (story). You should write it in past tense.
2. IT MUST BE BASED ON A REAL-LIFE SITUATION WHICH YOU HAD OBSERVED OR IN WHICH YOU WERE INVOLVED.
3. You should state the time period, the organization and the industry so as to provide a context for the narrative.
4. There should be a protagonist who is in a leadership position. The protagonist could be you. There should only be one protagonist.
5. There is a problem that requires a leadership decision and action.
(a) Explain the problem and its cause. Demonstrate that there is a wider context to the situation by discussing how it affects the stakeholders.
(b) Describe the trigger event that brings the problem to the foreground.
6. The story can be about the decision that was already made or yet to be made by the protagonist.
7. You should explain why making a decision would present a dilemma to the protagonist. For example, the decision may result in unfavourable consequences to some of the stakeholders but still be greatly beneficial to others.
8. You can disguise your case.
Part II: Analysis
The analysis should be about 600 words.
Select two theoretical frameworks (ie, two leadership theories) to analyse your case.
Describe the key elements of the theories. Using the selected theories, you should analyze:
1. the good and bad points about the protagonist's leadership behaviour (or lack thereof);
2. (if the protagonist had made a decision) whether that decision made was a good one.
Provide reasons for your views; and
3. (if the protagonist had not made a decision) how the problem should be resolved.
Provide reasons for your recommendations.
In your analysis, you should refer to:
(a) the problem which requires a decision from the protagonist;
(b) the impact of the problem (and the decision) on the stakeholders;
(c) the external and internal environment affecting the protagonist and the stakeholders.