As a student in the MBA program, you have been acquiring the knowledge and developing the skills to assume leadership responsibilities in today's complex, multinational, and multicultural business environment. This requires you to have a broad array of specialized knowledge as well as a deep understanding of your own leadership proficiency and potential.
So far in your program you have had an opportunity to do the following:
• Identify gaps in some of the core knowledge areas. It will be important to reduce or eliminate these gaps given your chosen career aspirations.
• Identify specific leadership skills that you wish to develop further.
• Create, monitor, share, and revise both long- and short-term career goals.
• Create and revise a Leadership Development Plan (LDP) that captures the specific actions you choose to advance your knowledge and skills, your goals and priorities, and your major accomplishments during this academic journey.
These are things you will continue to work on in this course and throughout the rest of this program.
In this course, your specific focus will be on making decisions that are legal and ethical, determining the best legal and organization structure for a business, and addressing legal, ethical, and cultural issues involved in managing a global business enterprise. In addition, you will assess your global mindset by completing the Global Attitude Protocol (GAP) questionnaire at the beginning of the course and then reflecting upon your global awareness growth at the end of the course. You will complete Steps 1, 2, 3, and 4 by the end of Week 1. You will then complete the remaining steps at the end of the course. Return to complete Step 5 in Week 10.
By completing this project, you will show that you can assess and develop your personal leadership skills, enhance your personal leadership portfolio, and further develop your personal leadership brand. This project also reinforces the foundational student competencies identified by UMUC's Graduate School including written communication and critical thinking.
Get started in Step 1: "Career Goals."
When you submit your project, your work will be evaluated using the competencies listed below. You can use the list below to self-check your work before submission.
• 2.1: Identify and clearly explain the issue, question, or problem under critical consideration.
• 2.2: Locate and access sufficient information to investigate the issue or problem.
• 2.3: Evaluate the information in a logical and organized manner to determine its value and relevance to the problem.
• 2.4: Consider and analyze information in context to the issue or problem.
• 2.5: Develop well-reasoned ideas, conclusions or decisions, checking them against relevant criteria and benchmarks.
• 5.3: Create, implement, and evaluate a personal leadership development plan.
Step 1: Reflect on Your Career Goals
Revisit the SMART goals (your long-term career goals) that you created in MBA 610 or revised in MBA 620, and reflect on your progress and any changes in your situation or priorities. Make any needed changes to the goal in the Leadership Development Plan (LDP) created in your prior courses.
Step 2: Complete Your Gap Analysis
Use this gap analysis instrument to self-evaluate your course-related knowledge and skills before beginning work on the other projects in this course. Submit your preliminary gap analysis in the designated drop box for Project 1.
In the next step, you will review your leadership development plan.
Step 3: Review Your LDP and Complete Your GAP Questionnaire
Review the LDP (for personal effectiveness) you completed at the end of MBA 620, highlighting the activities you have completed successfully in green and those remaining in yellow. Post this copy of your LDP to the designated drop box for Project 1.
Assess your global mindset by completing the Global Attitude Protocol (GAP) questionnaire. The questionnaire is available online without a fee from the author, Pankaj Ghemawat.
To locate the survey, conduct the following search: pankajghemawat tools
Click on: Pankaj Ghemawat - Tools
Click on: Gap Survey - Take the Global Attitude Protocol (GAP) Survey.
Before you go on to the next step, you should also read and start thinking about Managing in a Global Environment.
You will begin the next step in Week 10 of the course, when you are ready to retake the Global Attitude Protocol questionnaire and assess how your studies during this course have affected your answers.
Step 4: Reassess Your Global Attitude Protocol Results
In Week 10, reassess your global mindset by retaking the Global Attitude Protocol (GAP) questionnaire. The questionnaire is available online without a fee from the author, Pankaj Ghemawat. Compare your results to the results you received in Week 1, and write a short reflection (250 words) on how the material you studied during this course has caused you think differently about aspects of global culture. Review Managing in a Global Environment if needed. Post your reflection to the Project 1 drop box.
In the next step, you will complete your end-of-course gap analysis.
Step 5: Complete Your End-of-Course Gap Analysis
Complete your end-of-course gap analysis using the same instrument you used in Week 1. Include a maximum 250-word summary of the lessons you learned by completing this gap analysis.
In the next step, you will revise your Leadership Development Plan.
Step 6: Revise Your Leadership Development Plan (LDP)
Using feedback from faculty combined with self-reflection, review and revise your LDP (for personal effectiveness). Include a maximum 250-word discussion about the implications for your SMART goals, career aspirations, and priorities going forward.
In the next step, you will submit your work.
Project 1: Summary of Deliverables Timeline
• Complete your initial personal knowledge/skills gap analysis for MBA 630.
• Title your file using this protocol: yourlastname_MBA630Week1SkillsGap_date.
• Assess your global mindset by completing the Global Attitude Protocol (GAP) questionnaire. Week 1
• Complete your MBA 630 Leadership Development Plan (LDP).
• Title your file using this protocol: yourlastname_MBA630LDP_date. Week 3
• Post your final gap analysis with brief narrative in your assignment folder.
• Keep a copy for posting in MBA 640.
• Title your file using this protocol: yourlastname_MBA630Week10SkillsGap_date. Week 10
• Post your revised LDP with brief narrative in your assignment folder.
• Keep a copy for posting in MBA 640.
Please submit all Project 1 work to the Connecting the Dots: Leadership in Global Organizations folder.
Before you submit your assignment, review the competencies below, which your instructor will use to evaluate your work. A good practice would be to use each competency as a self-check to confirm you have incorporated all of them in your work.
• 2.1: Identify and clearly explain the issue, question, or problem under critical consideration.
• 2.2: Locate and access sufficient information to investigate the issue or problem.
• 2.3: Evaluate the information in a logical and organized manner to determine its value and relevance to the problem.
• 2.4: Consider and analyze information in context to the issue or problem.
• 2.5: Develop well-reasoned ideas, conclusions or decisions, checking them against relevant criteria and benchmarks.
• 5.3: Create, implement, and evaluate a personal leadership development plan.