Ashford MGT380 Full Course Latest 2020 September

MGT380 Leadership for Organizations

Week 1 Discussion

DQ1 Implementing Change

After watching the Change is Good… You Go First (Links to an external site.) movie clip, list three ways in which change can impact your leadership at work and two ways it can impact your leadership at home or in your personal life. What was the most important thing you learned from the clip?

DQ2 Authentic Leadership

Read the article, “Doing Good Requires Authentic Leadership (Links to an external site.).” Based on the content presented in the article, why is it important for a leader to be consistently authentic with his or her stakeholders? How can an authentic leader’s sense of purpose, values and relationships connect with and improve his or her community? How does a leader’s authenticity and integrity relate to servant leadership? Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts.

 

MGT380 Leadership for Organizations

Week 2 Discussion

DQ1 Leadership Traits

Please watch the video, “What you can learn from Steve Jobs (Links to an external site.).” Based on the content presented in the video, what leadership traits made Steve Jobs an effective leader? Some researchers have found that leaders have certain traits related to social intelligence; how did Steve Jobs’ social intelligence play a role in his success and how did it impact people and results? Do you consider Steve Jobs to be a transformational or transactional leader? Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts.

DQ2 Ethical Leadership

Give an example of ethical leadership. What are the characteristics of ethical leadership? And why do you think ethical leadership is important?

 

MGT380 Leadership for Organizations

Week 3 Discussion

DQ1 Cultural Differences

Why is it important for a leader to be able to manage across cultures? Communicate your thoughts on the following statement: “Leaders who cannot understand cultural differences in people cannot lead or manage them.”

DQ2 Corporate Culture

Read the information regarding Zappos in your book.  Does the leader impact organizational culture or does organizational culture impact the leader?  Explain.  If you were the leader of Zappos, what new elements would you add to the corporate culture? Explain.  How does the corporate culture impact vision, mission, and strategy at Zappos?

 

MGT380 Leadership for Organizations

Week 4 Discussion

DQ1 Frame of Reference

Take Assessment 9.3 (Your Leadership Frame of Reference) in the textbook. Tally your scores and report your scores in your initial post. Also in your initial post, analyze what the scores of the assessment reveal about your Frame of Reference. Do you think the assessment is accurate? Why or why not? Would you want to change your approach? Why or why not? What are you going to do to improve or change your frame of reference as you are more involved in leadership?

DQ2 Vision, Mission, Strategy

What is the role of leadership as it relates to vision, mission, and strategy in an organization? Give specific examples.

 

MGT380 Leadership for Organizations

Week 5 Discussion

DQ1 Team Leadership

If you were assigned to work a year in one of the following types of teams and had to choose only one, which would it be and why? (a) functional team, (b) cross-functional team, (c) self-managed team, (d) shared-leadership team, and (e) multiteam systems (MTSs)

DQ2 Change Theory

Leaders can improve the chances for a successful change outcome by following Kotter’s eight-step change theory. Pick three of the eight-step change theory components and give an example for each step that explains how leaders can implement it to effect change.

 

MGT380 Leadership for Organizations

Week 2 Assignment  

Prominent Leaders

Use the Ashford Library to research a prominent leader, living or deceased, who you admire. Explain whether the leader’s style is transactional or transformational. What type of leadership characteristics does the leader demonstrate? What aspects of servant leadership does the leader exhibit?  Provide relevant examples to support your claims.

 

The paper should be three to four pages in length (excluding title and reference pages).  At least two scholarly references (a minimum of one being from the Ashford Library) plus the course textbook must be utilized in the research. The paper should also reflect proper APA format and style and integrate resources with in-text citations to support the writing. Vocabulary and course content should be integrated throughout the paper.

 

MGT380 Leadership for Organizations

Week 5 Assignment  

Final Paper

Focus of the Final Paper

For the final paper, you will examine key concepts of leadership in your place of work, or in a social organization to which you may belong that has leadership concepts (Rotary club, athletic team, scout leader, etc). Include the following in your paper:

Apply one of the leadership theories from the course text to the organization. Explain how the theory works and include an example.

Explain the effect of power and influence that leaders have on followers in the organization. Are the followers receptive? Would you recommend another strategy? Explain your reasoning. If not, why not?

Evaluate the role and effectiveness of transformational and transactional leadership in the organization. Support your (claims, points?) with examples (from?).

Assess the traits and characteristics of an effective team leader within the organization.

Explain how the leadership supports vision, mission, and strategy in the organization.

If you were the leader in the organization, what would you change and why?

Writing the Final Paper

The Final Paper:

Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages in length (excluding the title and reference pages), and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Must include a title page with the following:

Title of paper

Student’s name

Course name and number

Instructor’s name

Date submitted

Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.

Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.

Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.

Must use at least three scholarly sources (other than the text), including a minimum of one from the Ashford Online Library.

Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

 

MGT380 Leadership for Organizations

Week 1 Quiz   

Question 1Mintzberg (1973, 2009) identified 10 specific managerial roles, categorizing them into three groups. Which of the following is NOT one of the three categories?

  Decisional

  Informational

  Interpersonal

  Transactional

Question 2Which of the following statements about leadership is NOT true?

  Leadership is an art, so people cannot be trained to be leaders.

  Leadership contributes more to employee engagement than any other single variable.

  Leadership occurs across cultures, across industries, and within all levels of the organization.

  Leadership is both an art and a science.

Question 3One study of 160 male college students found that emergent leaders exhibited all of the following personality characteristics EXCEPT _____.

  self-efficacy

  intelligence

  conscientiousness

  dominance

Question 4Jolie has an engineering degree from a top-tier university. Which of the following best describes Jolie’s education and development needs?

  She can feel confident that she understands the technology she needs to continue to be successful.

 

  She will need to constantly learn new skills in order to be effective.

  She has the skills she needs to remain successful throughout her career.

  Her knowledge will remain stable now that she has an engineering degree.

Question 5Tom is in charge of a Habitat for Humanity build site where volunteers arrive daily, excited to volunteer,

but with very little knowledge of how to do the work or what needs to be completed. Based on the Situational Leadership Model II®, which leader style would be best for Tom to use?

  Delegating

  Coaching

  Supporting

  Directing

Question 6Marcie is in leader training, and she has been asked to diagnose her organizational situation based on Fiedler’s leadership-situation theory. Which of the following characteristics is she NOT likely to use?

  Marcie does not have access to many rewards, and her boss never supports her when she tries to terminate an employee.

  Marcie’s workgroup’s tasks are typically structured, straightforward, and easily understood.

  Marcie’s employees eat lunch as a group at a picnic table immediately outside of their work facility.

  Marcie’s followers do not have a lot of respect for her and often doubt whether she has the best ideas.

Question 7The marketing team for Phillips Real Estate is characterized by creativity and camaraderie. The employees feel close to each other, and the manager feels like “just another team member” instead of the person in charge. The marketing team has positive:

  Team-Member Exchanges.

  Leader-Member Exchanges.

  achievement-oriented leadership.

  energy.

Question 8Sasha generally assumes that her peers and subordinates are unmotivated to work, and she believes that people need to be controlled, directed, coerced, and micromanaged. Sasha likely has what type of attitude toward her subordinates?

  Machiavellian

  Negative affectivity

  Theory Y

 

  Theory X

Question 9The most widely used assessment worldwide is the:

  Narcissism Personality Indicator (NPI).

  Assessment of EQ.

  Big Five Personality Assessment.

  Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

Question 10Jenny is in charge of a group of employees who work in a kitchen to prepare meals for elderly individuals. The work is very simple and repetitive, yet the employees consistently report that they love their job, they enjoy working for Jenny, and they appreciate the extra perks and rewards that Jenny is able to distribute. Based on Fiedler’s leadership-situation theory, how is the situation described, and what leadership style would be best?

  Favorable situation; task-oriented leader

  Unfavorable situation; people-oriented leader

  Unfavorable situation; task-oriented leader

  Favorable situation; people-oriented leader

 

MGT380 Leadership for Organizations

Week 2 Quiz   

Question 1Surgical residents fight for the opportunity to work for Dr. Davis. It’s well-known that he engages the residents to the point that they change their perspectives and practices toward medicine, and that those residents who work for Dr. Davis finish their residency prepared to achieve their full potential. It is likely that Dr. Davis is a:

  transformational leader.

  authoritarian leader.

  active management by exception leader.

  transactional leader.

Question 2Juan consistently talks with his employees about using the team’s internalized, shared values to focus on the common good of the organization. Juan is demonstrating:

  a figurehead role.

  business ethics.

  morals-based leadership.

  values-based leadership.

Question 3Pharma Company Pharmaceuticals has always conducted tests on animals, even though the tests may cause discomfort for the animals in their labs. Company leadership is deciding whether the outcome of the drug testing justifies the harm done to the animals. On which moral principle is the leadership of Pharma Company most likely basing its decision?

  Virtue ethics

  Rights rule

  Utilitarianism

  Universalism

Question 4The utilitarianism approach to ethical decision making has several limitations. Which of the following statements is NOT one of those limitations?

  It is difficult to measure “cost and benefits.”

  It is useful in situations when a zero-sum decision is imminent.

  There is no definition of “good” for all concerned.

  It does not consider individuals.

Question 5Which of the following is NOT an outcome associated with Kouzes and Posner’s leadership characteristic “enabling others to act”?

  People feel empowered and trusted.

  Results exceed the manager’s and followers’ expectations.

  Followers evolve to become leaders.

 Followers feel as though tasks have been forced on them.

Question 6Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, grew up in a housing project, where his family had no health benefits. As CEO, he is passionate about providing a top-tier benefits package to all employees. This is an example of:

  leader authenticity.

  justice rule.

  universalism.

  ethical relativism.

Question 7In a classic leadership example, Aaron Feuerstein decided to pay 3,000 employees full pay and benefits while rebuilding Maulden Mills, a manufacturing facility that had completely burned down. Feuerstein’s decision to pay employees during a period without profits demonstrates _________.

  ethical schizophrenia

  ethical complacency

  stewardship

  servant leadership

Question 8Sam is described as charismatic. Which of the following outcomes is NOT likely associated with Sam’s subordinates?

  They agree with Sam’s ideology.

  They tend to do what Sam asks them to do.

  They are emotionally uninvolved in their work.

  They feel personally connected to Sam.

Question 9Which of the following statements regarding the relationship between transformational and transactional leadership is TRUE?

  A leader who is transformational is not also transactional.

  A leader who is transformational is often also transactional.

  A leader who is transactional is also transformational.

  A leader is either transformational or transactional, but cannot be both.

Question 10Charismatic leadership is commonly compared to which of the components of transformational leadership?

  Intellectual stimulation

  Idealized influence

  Individual consideration

  Inspirational motivation

 

MGT380 Leadership for Organizations

Week 3 Quiz   

Question 1Which of the following behaviors is NOT something Jan should do while receiving feedback from her team?

  Summarize what she hears and ask for clarification.

  Share her feelings about the feedback in order to validate the information.

  Defend and justify her own behaviors.

  Decide whether the feedback should result in either personal or professional change.

Question 2Dr. Davis is not sure why his employees are resisting his plan to implement an information technology system for processing records. He begins meeting with them one-on-one to understand their concerns and decide whether he should move forward with his plan. Dr. Davis is focusing on which stage of the persuasion process?

  Building goals from a common frame

  Establishing credibility

  Presenting a compelling position

  Connecting emotionally

Question 3Which of the following scenarios does NOT describe an organization with a strong culture?

  Employees never deviate from the rules, even when deviating would be good for customers.

  Employees are unpredictable, and there are not clear standards of customer service.

  Employees consistently do what is right for the customer, even if it means deviating from the rules.

  Customers know that the organization’s employees will go above and beyond to fulfill their needs.

Question 4Will is the founder of a startup. While he wants employees to be creative when meeting client needs, he also gets frustrated when they fail to follow communication protocols, like how to structure an email. Will’s struggle is most aligned with which of the following communication models?

  Strategic control

  Information transfer

  Transactional process

  Balance of creativity and constraint

Question 5Josh was hired to establish lean processes for a local manufacturing facility. He creates a plan, but he also hires a leading expert in lean manufacturing to help him sell the process to the CEO and other employees. Which step of the persuasion process is Josh hoping to enforce by hiring an expert?

  Building goals from a common frame

  Presenting a compelling position

  Connecting emotionally

  Establishing credibility

Question 6Which of the following is NOT a communication recommendation for someone whose introversion makes communication difficult?

  Develop awareness and a plan to deal with the apprehension.

  Practice techniques like relaxation and deep breathing.

  Ask for support from people and friends.

  Behaviors associated with introversion will be impossible to overcome.

Question 7While on a business trip, Tim noticed that employees at the company he visited became nervous when he discussed a risky venture, and they deferred decisions to the highest-ranking person in the room. Which cultural dimensions best capture the company Tim visited?

  High uncertainty avoidance, high power distance

  Low uncertainty avoidance, high power distance

  High uncertainty avoidance, low power distance

  Low uncertainty avoidance, low power distance

Question 8When visitors enter Google, they immediately see open spaces, bright colors, people dressed in casual attire, and signs encouraging creativity. Visitors are viewing which dimension of organizational culture?

  Expressed values and beliefs

  Cultural artifacts

  Sagas

  Organizational stability

Question 9Dale asks a consultant to train her employees to communicate with “mindfulness.” Which of the following skills would Dale NOT likely expect to see increased in response to the training?

  Context and depth to employee communications

  Openness and trust between employees

  Assumptions that the receiver interprets a message the way the sender intends

  Feelings of equitable treatment among employees

Question 10As CEO of his company, Marcel thinks that it is important to hire people of diverse backgrounds, although he also has a preference for people with cultural backgrounds similar to his own. Marcel is most likely at what stage of intercultural awareness?

  First

  Second

  Third

  Fourth

 

 

 

 

MGT380 Leadership for Organizations

Week 4 Quiz   

Question 1

Most employees like to maintain a good relationship with the individuals from the information technology department, because they are the ones who can provide access to databases needed in order to understand the company’s financials. This gives the information technology department what type of power?

  Expert

  Legitimate

  Reward

  Information

Question 2Dave sees conflict as a game he prefers to win. When he realizes that someone needs the same resources as him, he immediately starts engaging in tactics in order to obtain the resources for himself. Dave’s conflict style can best be described as:

  accommodation.

  competition.

  collaboration.

  avoidance.

Question 3According to Zenger, a leader’s most difficult strategic challenge is:

  obtaining limited resources for the organization.

  finding new ways to create value.

  sustaining a competitive advantage.

  hiring the right people.

Question 4Nick always attends events organized by colleagues, in hopes that they will do the same for him when he needs to make certain an event is well attended. Nick is engaging in what sort of power building?

  Negotiation

  Access

  Building coalitions

  Reciprocity

Question 5When leaders of an organization compete and debate for scarce resources, they are operating within which of the following frames of reference?

  Human resource

  Political

  Structural

  Symbolic

Question 6In order to create a new department, Maggie sought buy-in from individuals who were seen as leaders among their peers, getting them to vocalize support for the department. Maggie engaged in what sort of power building?

  Building a coalition

  Reciprocity

  Education

  Networking

Question 7If given the choice, which of the following strategies should the leader pursue?

  Low effort, low impact

  High effort, low impact

  Low effort, high impact

  High effort, high impact

The answer can be found in Section 9.4, Strategy Implementation, in An Introduction to Leadership

Question 8In order to save money, Anita is looking for redundancies in spending and functions. Anita is engaging in which of the following “sights” of corporate theory?

  Cross-sight

  Insight

  Foresight

  Hindsight

Question 9Carrie has a strong preference for promoting people from within, allowing employees the opportunity to grow and develop their capabilities. Carrie’s perspective is most aligned with which of the following frames of reference?

  Human resource

  Structural

  Symbolic

  Political

Question 10A common slogan associated with Walmart is “Saving people money so they can live better.” This is Walmart’s:

  core values.

  vision.

  functional strategy.

  mission statement.