Assignment:
You were introduced to Theory X and Theory Y as two competing philosophies of leadership. You were also introduced to three different styles of leadership (authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire). Begin this assignment by taking a few minutes to write down some of your personal thoughts about those different concepts. In other words, do you hold Theory X or Theory Y? Are you more authoritarian, democratic, or laissez-faire in your leadership practice? Most importantly, reflect on why you might hold those attitudes and underlying values. What evidence is there that your assessment is true?
After you have documented your initial reflection, Next, identify one leader for each of the three styles from all of the leaders that you have ever had. Consider these questions:
How did each leader try to influence you?
How did each use rewards/punishment? How did you and others react to each leader?
Which leader was the most resonant?
Which one inspired the highest productivity?
Then, conduct some research on the leadership philosophies (X and Y) and styles (autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire) from some published sources (such as the course text, other books, and journal articles). How did completing the questionnaire, interviews, and research confirm or challenge your personal leadership philosophy or style? What did you add to your initial philosophy? What did you delete from your initial philosophy?
Compose a 300- to 500-word essay that summarizes your initial leadership philosophy/style reflection and describes the changes to your initial thoughts that occurred after completing the questionnaire, interviews, and research. Finally, complete your essay by briefly discussing specific activities you might use to improve your leadership style.Make sure to cite sources using correct APA format.