Module 1 – Case
Situational Leadership STYLES, ARISTOTLE AND LEADERSHIP, AND LEADERSHIP VS. MANAGEMENT
Background
One of the more contemporary styles of leadership is “situational leadership.” In this assignment, you will choose a CEO from a top company and analyze his/her leadership style through the lens of situational leadership.
Required Reading
Fortune Magazines “100 Best Companies to Work For 2016”: http://fortune.com/best-companies/
Case Assignment
Drawing on the material in the background readings and doing additional research, prepare a 5- page paper (not including the cover and reference pages).
Using the framework of Situational Leadership, analyze the leadership style of a contemporary CEO from one of the top 10 companies listed in Fortune Magazine’s Best Companies to Work for in 2016.
Keys to the Assignment
- Go to Fortune Magazines Top 100 Companies to Work For 2016 and choose a company from the Top 10.
- Research the company, then answer the following questions.
o Which of the situational leadership styles exemplifies this company?
o What is the added value of this leadership style?
o What impact does this leadership style have on the organization’s overall image?
o Contrast this leadership style with Express Scripts, named the worst company in America to work for by glassdoor.com.
o Based on your experiences and research, what kind of leadership style is needed to promote efficiency in an organization? What contingencies affect this outcome? Justify your response.
o These are not the only things that must be covered, but just the minimum. You are encouraged to go deeper with the assignment and use your critical thinking skills to ascertain what other areas are important in making a company one of the top ones in which to work.
Assignment Expectations
Your paper will be evaluated using the following five criteria:
- Assignment-Driven Criteria (Precision and Breadth): Does the paper fully address all Keys to the Assignment? Are the concepts behind the Keys to the Assignment addressed accurately and precisely using sound logic? Does the paper meet minimum length requirements?
- Critical Thinking (Critical Thinking and Depth): Does the paper demonstrate graduate-level analysis, in which information derived from multiple sources, expert opinions, and assumptions has been critically evaluated and synthesized in the formulation of a logical set of conclusions? Does the paper address the topic with sufficient depth of discussion and analysis?
- Business Writing (Clarity and Organization): Is the paper well written (clear, developed logically, and well organized)? Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level work? Are section headings included in all papers? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the primary means of responding to the Keys to the Assignment, or is justification/support instead conveyed through excessive use of direct quotations?
- Effective Use of Information (Information Literacy and References): Does the paper demonstrate that the student has read, understood, and can apply the background materials for the module? If required, has the student demonstrated effective research, as evidenced by the student’s use of relevant and quality sources? Do additional sources used in the paper provide strong support for conclusions drawn, and do they help in shaping the overall paper?
- Citing Sources: Does the student demonstrate understanding of APA Style of referencing by inclusion of proper end references and in-text citations (for paraphrased text and direct quotations) as appropriate? Have all sources (e.g., references used from the Background page, the assignment readings, and outside research) been included, and are these properly cited? Have all end references been included within the body of the paper as in-text citations?
Tips and Suggestions
Please note the following tips and suggestions:
- Include a cover page and reference page, in addition to the 5 pages of analysis described above.
- Include headings for all papers greater than 2 pages (basically all papers).
- Cite and reference all sources that you use in your work, including those that you paraphrase, but do not quote. This means include citations and quotation marks for direct quotes of more than 5 words, and citations for that information which you have “borrowed” or paraphrased from other sources.
