To respond to the Discussion, click on the blue hyperlink in the Topic area. Discussion #1 You will read the discussion below and follow the instructions provided. You will create the memorandum and submit it in the discussion area. Post the entire memorandum into the discussion area rather than provide it as an attachment. Read the Following Case Scenario A recent survey was taken among employees at Life Science Nutraceuticals, Inc. (LSN). The results were alarming, as it appeared the leadership has been less effective than in the past. Some common complaints seemed to focus on the lack of vision, a breakdown in communication, and a lack of connection with staff. You have read the results, and as a senior leadership Consultant to LSN's CEO, you completely agree with employees. Leadership is the cornerstone to success in any organization, and to permit poor leadership can only spell trouble. It occurred to you that the place to start change was staring you in the face - the new management hires planned for Warehouse Operations in Las Vegas and Miami. Mumbling to yourself, "but what do I want them to look like?" you decide that you must write a memo to CEO Alexandria Marvel to make sure the "right" characteristics of a leader are asked for in the soon-to-be-released job description. Scrambling around on the desk, you find the old job announcement so that you can make some changes. It reads, "LSN is looking for experienced warehouse managers who have a high task focus to keep the distribution speed high and shipping costs low. Managers must instruct employees to keep distribution, packing, and shipping moving smoothly and efficiently. Managers must be someone who can handle a fast-paced environment, able to meet deadlines, task-focused, personally driven, and results-oriented. The manager must be goal-oriented and adhere strictly to policy to succeed in the department." Instructions You will act as a senior-level leadership Consultant to the CEO of LSN. You will write a memorandum to CEO Alexandria Marvel. In writing the memorandum, use only the course material from Week 1, and as necessary or desired, you may also use course material from Week 2. Reading the Company Profile provided will explain why contemporary leadership skills are so important to LSN. Your memo will address the following specific issues to CEO Marvel. Explain how the existing job announcement for new hires was effective in the past based on the theories and view of leadership through the 1990s. Be specific using examples from course materials and the existing job announcement. Explain why the existing job announcement is no longer able to meet the needs of today's leaders. Support your explanation with examples of the language changes you recommend updating the job announcement to be consistent with today's desired leadership characteristics. Explain the differences between management and leadership and why LSN needs to understand the distinction. Memorandum Set Up Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document (no pdf files allowed) using 12-point font. A memo is left justified with no indentations of paragraphs. A memo is single-spaced with a double space between paragraphs to make the memo easy to read. In business, writing must be concise, easy to read, and free of writing and grammatical errors. You are required to use in-text citations with an associated reference list. Use headings for each element. It is suggested that you set up the memo with all of the required headings and then fill in each memo section. Use a memo format: To: From: Date: Subject: Remember, you are sending this memo to the CEO, so this is a formal memo. Proof the memo carefully for typos, grammatical errors and ensure the memo conveys the points you are to address. Why? Because your work products are a reflection of who you are – it is your brand! A good brand can lead to future opportunities in an organization, such as a promotion. Ensure the memo is audience-appropriate, concise, coherent, readable, uses appropriate terminology, is professional, provides a factual tone (no opinion and no recommendations), and is visually appealing. The memo should comply with the following guidelines, which can be used as a checklist. Use the grading rubric while completing the project to ensure all requirements are met to lead to the highest possible grade. Contractions are not used in business writing, so do not use them. Students will paraphrase. This means that you will put the ideas of an author or article into your own words rather than lift them directly from a source document. You should not use more than four consecutive words from a source document (including the case scenario) or change words in a passage as doing so would require direct quotation marks. Use a passage from a source document by putting it into your own words (paraphrase) and attribute the passage to the source document. Include in-text citations and provide a reference list that contains a reference associated with each in-text citation. Theme 1: Understanding the nature of leadership helps to frame the views of a leader. Although many scholars have defined leadership, the definition of leadership is dynamic. This week, we will discuss the definitions of leadership to understand the field of study upon which we are about to embark. The definition of leadership has significantly changed over the past generation to meet the needs of a contemporary business environment. In fact, many scholars have disagreed on the nature or essential characteristics of leadership but instead have offered a variety of perspectives as to what leadership is not. As we discuss the contemporary definitions of leadership, please pay close attention to various definitions and compare them to prominent leaders today. Are they similar? If so, how? If not, why not? Read Gandolfi, F., & Stone, S. (2018). Leadership, Leadership Styles, and Servant Leadership. Journal of Management Research (09725814), 18(4), 261–269. Differences Between Management and Leadership (Additional Resources at the bottom of the content page for this link are not required reading.) Simon Sinek on Leadership at TED Aldrin, A., and Gayatri, R. (2014, August). Leadership Not a Title Nor a Position. International Journal of Current Research and Academic Review, 2(8), 356 – 366. Theme 2: The evolution of leadership theory can help to explain what makes a good leader today. The Second theme for Week 1 details how the definition of leadership has adapted to fit the changing business environment. Changes in the definition of leadership are reflected in how scholars have viewed leadership. Leadership theory took root in the social science fields of sociology and psychology. People wanted to know what made a good leader and whether they could become a good leader by adapting the “good” traits. Debate still rages on in leadership research as to whether leadership is inborn or learned. By examining leadership theory this week, we will begin to define leadership in answering the question of what should Biotech's leaders look like for success today. The evolution of leadership theory illustrates how leaders have perceived the act of leading and how the psychology of leading people interfaces with the real job of leading others. How one views and defines leadership influences the beliefs, values, and behaviors maintained while leading and relating to others.As mentioned earlier, leadership experts have perspectives/ theories about leadership. It is important to understand the history of leadership theories because it will help define how leadership is today. The business environment controls the leader's view as it controls the actions needed for a company to survive. By reviewing the chart below and the leadership theories from the attached readings, it should become clear how leadership has evolved. Understanding how leadership theory has evolved to meet the organization's needs over time will help define us as leaders today. Table Description Source: Adapted from Daft, R. L. (2010). The leadership experience (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning Read PDF - The Most Important Leadership Theories PDF - The Relational Leadership Model (pages 74-80) What's New? Contemporary Approaches to Leadership Style PDF - Situational Leadership Theory PDF - How to Analyze a Case Study PDF - Life Science Nutraceuticals, Inc. (LSN) Company Profile Theme 2: Leadership style should fit the person, the organization, and the job. It should be situational in nature. A leader sets the direction, implements plans, and motivates people to accomplish a task is known as a leadership style. It cannot be emphasized enough that leadership style is not a one-size-fits-all type of cloak. A leadership style must fit those that are led, the company, and the job. The following story about leadership style illustrates theme two.Alan Robbins started Plastic Lumber Company when he saw a way to help the planet by converting plastic milk and soda bottles into fake lumber while still making money. Robbins had strong opinions on how to run his company. He expected that decisions be made in teams with participation from everyone. Sound familiar? To accomplish this goal, Robbins spent a long time on the factory floor chatting with employees, sounding them out on how best to get the job done. Robbins soon learned that this was not working. Most of his low-skilled employees wanted clear direction and a set of standards and expectations for doing the work. The freedom that Robbins’ laissez-faire leadership style encouraged led to frequent confusion, employee absences, tardiness, and fights on the factory floor. Employees came to work under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Robbins’ style undermined his authority in the eyes of many workers (Aeppel, 1998).Although Robbins believed in his laissez-faire leadership style, he had to force himself to adapt a direct style with factory workers to save the business and instill order.Would Robbins' style fit better at Google than on the factory floor? While reading and preparing for this week, consider the aspects of style that relate to a leader’s ability to build relationships and keep the organization competitive.Reference:Aeppel, T. (1998, Jan 14). Losing faith: Personnel disorders sap a factory owner of his early idealism. The Wall Street Journal, A1-A14.In Week one, we learned that a leader must define leadership personally and within the organization's context. A successful leader should adopt a leadership style that fits his or her definition and the organization’s definition of a leader. The choice of leadership style should enhance the point of view of the leader, the organization's culture, and the job and situation at hand.The following notable leadership styles will be examined this week: Table Description Many of the leadership styles have emerged from the theories discussed in Week 1. Others have evolved from combined elements of different theories to create a successful leader's characteristics, behaviors, attitudes, and values. Read Pages 22-28 of (continued from last week): PDF - Gandolfi, F., & Stone, S. (2017). The Emergence of Leadership Styles: A Clarified Categorization. Review Of International Comparative Management / Revista De Management Comparat International, 18(1), 8 Most Common Leadership Styles — Which One Are You? Leadership Style, Emotional Intelligence, and Organizational Effectiveness Organizational effectiveness: the X factor for company success Theme 1: Leadership characteristics are demonstrated in a leader’s style. Traits are characteristics that are ingrained in an individual. Traits are not easily learned or unlearned. For example, the introvert is unlikely to become the life of the party. On the other hand, leadership attributes are personal qualities or characteristics that can be learned and typically described in behaviors – values, habits, character, or motives. Leadership competence is a mix of leadership skills and behaviors that lead to an increase in performance. Read PDF - Leadership - Do traits matter Goleman, D (2000). Leadership That Gets Results. Harvard Business Review. 78(2), 78-90. 10 Traits of Highly Effective Leaders Leaders at all levels
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