Ashworth College MB661 Discussion questions (2)
After reading Simons’ (1999) article on behavioral integrity, discuss the following issues. (25 points) (A 1½-page response is required.)
a. Discuss three (3) of the sources of incongruence between the values expressed by words and those expressed through action and the practical implications to managers. The author refers to these sources as “antecedents to BI breaches.”
b. Discuss two (2) specific actions a manager might take to avoid a lack of behavioral integrity and give one (1) example of each.
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Activity Instructions: Leader Essay
Identify a leader with whom you have had many opportunities to interact and have had many opportunities to observe. This leader may be a good or bad example of leadership; however, you must choose someone about whom you can write intelligently while providing numerous examples to support your evaluation of him or her. This leader does not necessarily need to be from industry; he or she may be a leader in academia, sports, social organizations, etc.
After identifying a leader, write an essay evaluating that leader with the concepts presented in Chapters 4-7 of the text. The objective of your essay is to demonstrate that you understand the concepts and that you can apply them to a real-world situation. You may use any of the other concepts presented in the Required Readings or from other sources that help you discuss or explain the leader. If you use sources other than your textbook, you must cite your sources and provide references in APA format. In your essay, you must include discussion of each of the following eight (8) concepts and provide one (1) example for each concept.
1. Big-Five Personality Dimensions
2. Values and Attitudes
3. Charismatic, Transformational, or Transactional Leadership
4. Independent Thinking and Open-Mindedness or Systems Thinking
5. Leading with Love versus Leading with Fear
6. Moral Leadership and Moral Courage
7. Stewardship or Servant Leadership
8. Leader’s Role in Developing Effective Followers
You must provide examples to support your analysis of the person. For example, you might state that Mr. Jones demonstrated a low degree of conscientiousness. You would then need to support that statement with an example, such as the fact that he rarely operated according to any schedule, was often late for meetings and deadlines, and frequently changed priorities in the middle of a project. Keep in mind that although you are required to use the concepts listed above, you may be arguing that the leader did not demonstrate a characteristic.
The conclusion of your essay should be an argument as to whether the leader you have chosen was effective or ineffective based on the concepts you have just learned. Generally speaking, no leader is completely good or bad; therefore, you will use the concepts covered in the Required Readings to discuss the person’s strengths and developmental opportunities.
(A 4-page response is required.)
Discuss each of the three (3) elements of Expectancy Theory and apply those elements to Romei’s (1995) article. Does Romei cover each of the elements? If so, how? If not, which elements are missing, and what would you advise a leader to do to ensure that every aspect of Expectancy Theory is applied? (25 points) (A 1½-page response is required.)
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Think about a leader with whom you have had extensive positive experience in the past. Think about whether this leader had a high need for achievement, affiliation, or power. Discuss which motive was dominant in the leader and why you think so, giving at least three (3) behavioral examples. Also, discuss why you think the dominant motive was a positive factor in the leadership style. (25 points) (A 1½-page response is required.)
