Management Leadership
Purpose of Course showclose
Saylor.org has partnered with Sunstone Business School to have select content pieces and sections of this courses delivered in an instructor led, problem based short course, titled Being an Effective New Leader. Versions of this MOOC will last for approximately 2 weeks.Course Information showclose
Welcome to BUS401. Below, please find some general information on the course and its requirements.
Course Designers: Phillip Whitley and Spyridon Patton
Primary Resources: This course is comprised of a range of different onlinematerials, as the subject is extensive and lends itself to both written and visual formats. While many different materials are used, the following is a list of primary sources:
- Time magazine’s “The Time 100: Leaders and Revolutionaries”
- Legacee.com Murray Johannsen’s Leadership and Management series
- Mindtools.com series on Leadership Skills
- Free Management Library’s articles on Leadership by Carter McNamara
- Zainbooks’ Lesson in Leadership and Team Management
Requirements for Completion: You are expected to complete the readings and video assignments for each unit. At the end of each unit, there is a set of reading questions which will enable you to properly frame the assigned material within the overall objectives for the unit and for the course. At the end of the final unit, there is a Final Exam that must be completed. Please note that you will only receive an official grade on your Final Exam. In order to “pass” this course, you will need to earn a 70% or higher on the Final Exam. Your score on the exam will be tabulated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam, you may take it again.
Time Commitment: This course should take you approximately 96.5hours to complete. Each unit includes a “time advisory” that lists the amount of time you are expected to spend on each subunit. These should help you plan your time accordingly. It may be useful to take a look at these time advisories and to determine how much time you have over the next few weeks to complete each unit, and then to set goals for yourself. For example, Unit 1 should take you 12.75 hours. Perhaps you can sit down with your calendar and decide to complete subunit 1.1 (a total of 3 hours) on Monday night; sub-subunits1.2.1 through 1.2.3(a total of 4.5hours) on Tuesday night; etc.
Tips/Suggestions: Remember that the time advisories are simply estimates. You should dedicate time to reviewing resources and studying the content of the materials presented in this course. It will be helpful to take comprehensive notes on the resources in this course. These notes will serve as a useful study guide as you prepare for your Final Exam.
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Learning Outcomes showclose
- Distinguish the concept of leadership from the concept of management.
- Compare and contrast the major theories of leadership.
- Analyze the decision-making process and change management.
- Assess the skills necessary to exert power and influence in a non-authoritative leadership role.
- Evaluate the qualities necessary to effectively manage or lead in a team/group environment.
Course Requirements showclose
√ Have access to a computer
√ Have continuous broadband internet access
√ Have the ability/permission to install plug-ins or software (e.g. Adobe Reader or Flash)
√ Have the ability to download and save files and documents to a computer
√ Have the ability to open Microsoft files and documents (.doc, .ppt, .xls, etc.)
√ Have competency in the English language
√ Have completed BUS208 and BUS209 successfully.
Unit Outline show close
Expand All Resources Collapse All Resources
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Unit 1: Introduction
What are management and leadership? What is the purpose of studying how to lead a team? Aren’t all leaders born and not made? If that is the truth, then millions of people are wasting their time trying to improve their leadership skills. Fortunately, trying to become a better leader is not a waste of time. While it is true that some leaders are born, most are made by studying what makes an effective leader.
Unit 1 Time Advisory show close
In this introductory unit, you will explore the four pillars of good management: management, leadership, groups, and teams. Management and leadership are often used interchangeably; the same applies for groups and teams. Management is about allocating resources; leadership is about empowering people. A group is a collection of individuals with a similar interest. Teams have a similar goal, but teams work together. A good leader will help a group and become a team.
To prepare you for this course, this unit concludes with a look at some great leaders in history. These four individuals are selected for their broad experiences and abilities to manage groups and teams. The spectrum goes from sports team management to inspiring political movements, and from brilliant corporate management to excellence in military and national leadership.
Unit 1 Learning Outcomes show close
- 1.1 Definitions
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1.1.1 Management
- Reading: Legacee: Murray Johannsen’s “Effective Leadership and Effective Management”
Link: Legacee: Murray Johannsen’s “Effective Leadership and Effective Management” (HTML)
Instructions: Read the entire article linked here. This presentation discusses the differences between leadership and management, while providing a working definition for both terms. This article is written by Murray Johannsen, the President of Legacee Management Systems, Inc. This reading covers the topics outlined for subunits 1.1 and 1.2.
Studying this reading should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
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- Reading: Legacee: Murray Johannsen’s “Effective Leadership and Effective Management”
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1.1.2 Leadership vs. Management
- Reading: Tech Republic: Shannon T. Kalvar’s “Achieving Executive Balance: Nine Ways Leaders and Managers Work Together”
Link: Tech Republic: Shannon T. Kalvar’s “Achieving Executive Balance: Nine Ways Leaders and Managers Work Together” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read Kalvar’s article, which contrasts leadership and management in nine different ways. Note that the author concludes with the need for both leadership and management working in tandem for organizational effectiveness.
Studying this resource should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
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- Reading: Tech Republic: Shannon T. Kalvar’s “Achieving Executive Balance: Nine Ways Leaders and Managers Work Together”
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1.1.3 Leadership Styles
- Reading: The College of St. Scholastica’s “Autocratic, Democratic, Laissez Faire Leadership: Lewin, Lippitt, & Whites Leadership Studies”
Link: The College of St. Scholastica’s “Autocratic, Democratic, Laissez Faire Leadership: Lewin, Lippitt, & Whites Leadership Studies” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the College of St. Scholastica’s summary of Lewin, Lippitt, & White’s three styles of leadership. This brief overview of a seminal study on leadership styles will give you a basic framework for examining modern leadership theories in Unit 2.
Studying this resource should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
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- Reading: Mind Tools’ “Leadership Styles: Choosing the Right Style for the Situation”
Link: Mind Tools’ “Leadership Styles: Choosing the Right Style for the Situation” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this entire article. This article presents a brief summary of leadership styles in use in today’s organizations. Note that the article emphasizes transformational leadership as the most appropriate form of leadership. Be sure to also click on the embedded 3-minute video by James Manktelow & Amy Carlson, in which they discuss the application of transformational leadership. You will learn more about transformational leadership theory in Unit 2.
Studying this reading and viewing the video should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
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- Reading: The College of St. Scholastica’s “Autocratic, Democratic, Laissez Faire Leadership: Lewin, Lippitt, & Whites Leadership Studies”
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1.1.4 Teams
Note: This subunit is covered by the Rapid Intellect article assigned beneath subunit 1.1.3.
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1.2 Great Leaders
Note: There are thousands of leaders that have graced the pages of history, and there are many more who may have crossed your own path in life. Certainly no two leaders are exactly alike. The four leaders discussed below are all well known, but they are four very different people that lived in different times and circumstances. Each has approached their role as a leader based on their personality and developed a style of leadership that suited their situation. Each has been effective in his own way. The examples below, while well-known and often discussed in the business world, are not the only successful leaders; certainly there are others that will come to mind as you read the leadership bios below. As you learn about these famous leaders, consider which of Lewin’s leadership styles (see sub-subunit 1.1.2) each leader exemplifies. You may also want to keep a running journal of their similarities as well as their differences, and you will have an opportunity to review your findings in the guided reading questions provided at the end of this unit.
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1.2.1 Vince Lombardi
- Reading: Associated Content: Jake Emen’s “Vince Lombardi: A Case Study in the Art of Leadership”
Link: Associated Content: Jake Emen’s “Vince Lombardi: A Case Study in the Art of Leadership” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the entire article. This article highlights the leadership abilities of the famous football coach, Vince Lombardi. His style of team management serves as a model of team management even outside of football.
Studying this reading should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete.
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- Reading: Associated Content: Jake Emen’s “Vince Lombardi: A Case Study in the Art of Leadership”
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1.2.2 Steve Jobs
- Reading: Leadership with You’s “Steve Jobs: Leadership Case Study”
Link: Leadership with You’s “Steve Jobs: Leadership Case Study” (HTML and YouTube)
Instructions: Read the entire article linked above. You may also choose to click the hyperlinks within the text, such as the video link of Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford University. Steve Jobs was the co-founder and CEO of Apple. This article explores Steve Jobs’ attitudes toward his company, Apple, as well as his perspectives on leadership. Remember that he started this company from scratch and that it is now the second largest corporation in the world behind Exxon/Mobil.
Studying this resource and exploring the hyperlinks should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
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- Reading: Leadership with You’s “Steve Jobs: Leadership Case Study”
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1.2.3 Nelson Mandela
- Reading: Time: Richard Stengel’s “Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership”
Link: Time: Richard Stengel’s “Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership” (HTML)
Instructions: Read this entire article from Time magazine. Use the arrow at the bottom of the article to navigate through the webpages. Nelson Mandela is a celebrated anti-apartheid activist. He served as President of South Africa from 1994-1999.
Studying this reading should take approximately 2 hours to complete.
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- Reading: Time: Richard Stengel’s “Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership”
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1.2.4 Teddy Roosevelt
- Reading: Time’s “The Time 100: Leaders and Revolutionaries”: Edmund Morris’s “Teddy Roosevelt”
Link: Time’s “The Time 100: Leaders and Revolutionaries”: Edmund Morris’s “Teddy Roosevelt” (HTML)
Instructions: Read the entire article on the webpage linked here. Click the “Next” button at the end of the article to navigate through the webpages. This article describes the leadership qualities of Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States.
Studying this reading should take approximately 2 hours to complete.
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- Reading: Time’s “The Time 100: Leaders and Revolutionaries”: Edmund Morris’s “Teddy Roosevelt”
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1.2.5 Jack Welch
- Web Media: MIT World’s “A Conversation with Jack Welch”
Link: MIT World’s “A Conversation with Jack Welch” (Flash)
Also available via: iTunes
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and watch this entire video in which former General Electric CEO, Jack Welch, discusses his views on leadership with an audience at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Note Welch’s emphasis on the importance of performance and accountability. Before his retirement from GE in 2001, Business Week noted that Welch had created more value for shareholders than any other CEO in history.
Viewing this video and pausing to take notes should take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete.
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- Web Media: MIT World’s “A Conversation with Jack Welch”
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Unit 1 Assessment
- Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 1 Reading Questions”
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 1 Reading Questions” (PDF)
Instructions: Please respond to the list of questions attached here. These will not only help you better understand the readings you have completed in this unit, but they will also provide some useful preparation for the final exam. When you have finished, please evaluate your response with the “Guide to Responding to Unit 1 Reading Questions” (PDF).
You should dedicate approximately 2 hours to completing these questions.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 1 Reading Questions”
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Unit 2: Leadership Theory
People have studied leadership since ancient times, and theories of leadership have been around for centuries (Plato, Sun Tzu, Machiavelli, etc.); however, it wasn’t until the 20th century that the modern theories began to take shape. Today, researchers study leadership the same way that they study other aspects of psychology: they seek to get a better understanding of people’s behavior and motivation.
Unit 2 Time Advisory show close
The problem with some of these theories is that they tend to contradict instead of complement each other. They seek to identify one set of rules or behaviors that turns someone into a leader. The reality is likely a combination of all the theories and some ideas that have yet to be defined. It is best to study these theories with an open mind and understand that they each have their own merits. Remember that emphasis should not be placed on any one theory.
Unit 2 Learning Outcomes show close
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2.1 Trait Theory
Note: Trait theory concerning management is the belief that leaders are born with certain characteristics (or traits) that make them successful; in other words, being a leader is innate or based on the qualities of one’s personality. This theory assumes that a person who is born with certain traits will ultimately be a great leader.
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2.1.1 What Is Trait Theory?
- Reading: Management Study Guides’ “Trait Theory of Leadership”
Link: Management Study Guides’ “Trait Theory of Leadership” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the entire article. This material summarizes the basic elements of trait theory and discusses its strengths and weaknesses.
Studying this reading should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
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- Reading: Management Study Guides’ “Trait Theory of Leadership”
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2.1.2 Common Traits in Leaders
- Reading: U.S. Small Business Administration’s “Lead”
Link: U.S. Small Business Administration’s “Lead” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and review the information on this webpage. This is a brief list of nine personality traits identified by leadership research pioneer Raymond Cattell in 1954, along with several traits uncovered since then. Note this listing is based on conventional personality qualities.
Studying this reading should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
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- Reading: Legacee: Murray Johansen’s “Nine Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders”
Link: Legacee: Murray Johansen’s “Nine Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, read the nine characteristics of successful business leaders, and view the video that appears immediately after the “Wrap-up” section. Preceded by a picture of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates together, this presentation briefly describes nine traits applied directly to business leadership based upon the pioneering work of David McClelland.
Studying this reading, viewing this video, and note-taking should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
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- Reading: U.S. Small Business Administration’s “Lead”
- 2.2 Behavioral
- 2.2.1 “Two” Factor Models
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2.2.1.1 University of Iowa
- Reading: New Mexico State University: David Boje’s “The Isles Leadership: The Voyage of the Behaviorists”
Link: New Mexico State University: David Boje’s “The Isles Leadership: The Voyage of the Behaviorists” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the entire webpage. Professor Boje has provided an entertaining summary of all behavioral theories of leadership, but this presentation includes a useful summary of the “University” models as well. He begins with a fable by way of introduction then reviews each theory. The section marked Lewin, et al. -1938 is the Iowa model; Fleishman et al. 1945 is the Ohio State model, and Michigan University – Katz, et al. is self-explanatory. You will find this piece useful to review other behavioral models if you wish. Professor Boje is associated with New Mexico State University. This reading covers the topics outlined in sub-subunits 2.2.1.1-2.2.1.3.
Studying this reading should take approximately 4 hours to complete.
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- Reading: New Mexico State University: David Boje’s “The Isles Leadership: The Voyage of the Behaviorists”
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2.2.1.2 University of Michigan
Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below sub-subunit 2.2.1.1. In particular, focus on the section under the “Michigan University – Katz et al.” heading.
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2.2.1.3 Ohio State University
Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below sub-subunit 2.2.1.1. In particular, focus on the section under “Fleishman et al. 1945” heading.
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2.2.2 Leadership Grid
- Reading: Mind Tools: Blake Mouton’s “Managerial Grid: Balancing Task- and People-Oriented Leadership”
Link: Mind Tools: Blake Mouton’s “Managerial Grid: Balancing Task- and People-Oriented Leadership” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the entire article. Presented in a manner accessible to managers, this text outlines the essential elements of this behavioral theory of leadership. It includes a neat graphic of the grid–people vs. production–as well as a critical analysis of the model.
Studying this reading should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
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- Reading: Mind Tools: Blake Mouton’s “Managerial Grid: Balancing Task- and People-Oriented Leadership”
- 2.3 Situational Leadership
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2.3.1 Leadership Styles
- Reading: Zainbooks’ Principles of Management: “Lesson #38: Behavioral and Situational Models of Leadership”
Link: Zainbooks’ Principles of Management: “Lesson #38: Behavioral and Situational Models of Leadership” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the entire webpage. The situational theories constitute the bulk of this virtual lesson. In the “Situational Theories” section, first read subsection A (no title but an introduction to the topic), and then scroll down to subsection D the “Situational Leadership Theory” of Hersey and Blanchard. The piece also reviews the models of previous subunits and will be useful for the next subunit.
Studying this reading should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
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- Reading: Zainbooks’ Principles of Management: “Lesson #38: Behavioral and Situational Models of Leadership”
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2.3.2 Maturity Levels of Agents: Hersey-Blanchard
- Reading: Military Review: George Yeakley’s “Situational Leadership”
Link: Military Review: George Yeakley’s “Situational Leadership” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, scroll down to the section titled “Situational Leadership,” and read this section as well as the section that follows. This presentation was prepared for an ROTC leadership training course. It reviews the major tenets of the situational theory of leadership within the military leadership context
Studying this reading should take approximately 2 hours to complete.
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- Reading: Military Review: George Yeakley’s “Situational Leadership”
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2.4 Skill Based: Uses and Limitations
- Reading: Big Dog and Little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition: Don Clark’s “Introduction to Competencies: Leadership Competency Model or the Pyramid of Leadership”
Link: Big Dog and Little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition: Don Clark’s “Introduction to Competencies: Leadership Competency Model or the Pyramid of Leadership” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above. You will see the page marked “Introduction to Competencies,” which presents a brief history of the concept. Read this brief introductory webpage. Then,in the left-hand margin,click on the “Leadership Competency Model or the Pyramid of Leadership” linkto read about the specific skills and competencies associated with this model of leadership.
Studying this reading should take approximately 2 hours to complete.
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- Reading: Big Dog and Little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition: Don Clark’s “Introduction to Competencies: Leadership Competency Model or the Pyramid of Leadership”
- 2.5 Visionary
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2.5.1 Visionary Characteristics and Models
- Reading: Create the Future: Frank Martinelli’s “Encouraging Visionary Board Leadership”
Link: Create the Future: Frank Martinelli’s “Encouraging Visionary Board Leadership” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the information on this webpage. This text is geared toward an audience of board members of nonprofit organizations, which certainly can utilize a visionary leadership style. Martinelli presents the steps needed to develop a visionary style of leadership as well as barriers which could impinge on that development.
Studying this reading should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
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- Reading: Create the Future: Frank Martinelli’s “Encouraging Visionary Board Leadership”
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2.5.2 Behavioral Components
- Reading: Motivation Tools’ “Elements of Visionary Leadership”
Link: Motivation Tools’ “Elements of Visionary Leadership” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this webpage, which provides a bulleted summary with basic terms and elements as well as a guide of what to consider and to avoid in being a visionary leader.
Studying this reading should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
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- Reading: Motivation Tools’ “Elements of Visionary Leadership”
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2.6 Transformational Leadership
- Reading: weLead: Iain Hay’s “Transformational Leadership: Characteristics and Criticisms”
Link: weLead: Iain Hay’s “Transformational Leadership: Characteristics and Criticisms” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this entire text. In Hay’s article, you will find an explanation of what is widely viewed as the most effective leadership model in business today. The author outlines the pros and cons of transformational leadership, plus a description of successful leaders who have used these characteristics.
Studying this reading should take approximately 3 hours to complete.
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- Reading: weLead: Iain Hay’s “Transformational Leadership: Characteristics and Criticisms”
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Unit 2 Assessment
- Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 2 Reading Questions”
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 2 Reading Questions” (PDF)
Instructions: Please respond to the list of questions attached here. These will not only help you better understand the readings you have completed in this unit, but they will also provide some useful preparation for the final exam. When you have finished, please evaluate your response with the “Guide to Responding to Unit 2 Reading Questions” (PDF).
You should dedicate approximately 2 hours to completing these reading questions.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 2 Reading Questions”
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Unit 3: Change Management and Decision-Making
The most difficult task for a manager is implementing changes without disrupting the whole business. Changes to the normal business operation will have supporters and protestors. It is important for a manager to understand the point of views from both sides. Sometimes the changes are minor, such as a new benefits plan. Other times major changes must be made, such as moving the operations across the country and laying off employees. The only certainty with change is that you cannot please everyone, but a good manager will anticipate reactions and focus on effective communication.
Unit 3 Time Advisory show close
Both major and minor changes are often the result of a decision-making process. There are many different ways to approach a decision, and each method has an appropriate time and place. Decisions can be based on dictatorial edicts, on a leader’s decision derived from consultation with subordinates, or on a more collective process where everyone can develop and agree on the final outcome. These methods will be presented in this unit. In addition, one must also address the real probability that decisions, regardless of the process by which they are derived, will be clouded by any of a number of biases. We present the most critical of those biases, including anchoring, “groupthink” and selective perception in this unit as well.
Unit 3 Learning Outcomes show close
- 3.1 Change Management
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3.1.1 Types of Change
- Reading: Free Management Library: Carter McNamara’s “Organizational Change and Development”
Link: Free Management Library: Carter McNamara’s “Organizational Change and Development” (HTML)
Instructions: For this sub-subunit, you will read two sections of McNamara’s article. First, read the “Introduction,” which you will find in the section titled “Foundations for Managing Change in Organizations.” The Introduction will give you an overview of the need for change management. Second, read “Specific Types of Organizational Change,” which you will find in the section titled “Overview of Change Management.” Click on each of the four links in sequence to read the four pages covering differing perspectives on organizational change: “Types of Organizational Change,” “The Three Shades of Change,” “Coping with Type I Change,” and “Managing Type II Change.” The first link will download a PDF file adapted from “The Field Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development.” The remaining links will open as HTML pages.
Studying this reading should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
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- Reading: Free Management Library: Carter McNamara’s “Organizational Change and Development”
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3.1.2 Lewin’s Three-Step Model of Change
Note: The social scientist, Kurt Lewin, believed that change functions as a balance of forces that either drives employees toward a goal (driving force) or pulls employees in opposite directions (restraining force). He understood that change happens as a process, and he developed a three-step model of change in order to successfully transition through planned change. The first stage, considered “unfreeze” is to prepare a business or organization for the change, the second stage is to relieve any uncertainty after the change is implemented, and the last stage is “refreeze” or maintaining that the changes are being used appropriately.
- Reading: The Pivotal Network: Bronwyn Ritchie’s “Pivotal Points: Lewin’s Change Management Model: Understanding the Three Stages of Change”
Link: The Pivotal Network: Bronwyn Ritchie’s “Pivotal Points: Lewin’s Change Management Model: Understanding the Three Stages of Change” (HTML)
Instructions: Read the entire article. The Pivotal Network is a website that focuses on self-improvement. This particular essay discusses the three stages of Lewin’s change model, as well as provides practical steps for applying this model.
Studying this reading should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
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- Reading: The Pivotal Network: Bronwyn Ritchie’s “Pivotal Points: Lewin’s Change Management Model: Understanding the Three Stages of Change”
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3.1.3 Communicating Change
- Web Media: YouTube: IABC/Chicago’s “Communicating Change”
Link: YouTube: IABC/Chicago’s “Communicating Change” (YouTube)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and view this entire video. IABC is the international Association of Business communications. This video summarizes a panel presentation at a conference in Chicago on communicating change. The participants discuss change communication projects within their organization. Turn up the volume a little. You may have to play it twice as these communicators suffer from poor recording devices.
Viewing this video (several times if needed) and pausing to take notes should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
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- Web Media: YouTube: IABC/Chicago’s “Communicating Change”
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3.2 Decision Making
- Web Media: Academic Earth: Carly Fiorina’s “The Importance of Selective Information”
Link: Academic Earth: Carly Fiorina’s “The Importance of Selective Information” (Flash)
Instructions: View this entire video lecture. Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard (HP), discusses the importance of selective information and how she has applied this in her professional life.
Viewing this video (several times if needed) and pausing to take notes should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
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- Web Media: Academic Earth: Carly Fiorina’s “The Importance of Selective Information”
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3.2.1 Individual Decisions
- Reading: Mind Tools’ “The Vroom-Yetton-Lago Decision Model”
Link: Mind Tools’ “The Vroom-Yetton-Lago Decision Model” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and study the entire webpage. Although brief, this presentation summarizes two individual decision-making styles – autocratic and consultative (each with two variants) – along with the team or collaborative style which can be used for the next topic. The highlight is the extensive tree diagram. By following this tree, you will be able to develop an extensive taxonomy to enable you to distinguish between the three styles. (The article identifies each style with a code. Use it to help you follow along.)
Studying this resource should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete.
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- Reading: Mind Tools’ “The Vroom-Yetton-Lago Decision Model”
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3.2.2 Team Decisions
- Reading: National Defense University’s “Strategic Leadership and Decision-Making: Consensus Team Decision Making”
Link: Reading: National Defense University’s “Strategic Leadership and Decision-Making: Consensus Team Decision Making” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this entire webpage. This presentation is part of the NDU’s Strategic Leadership and Decision making course for military leaders. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the team decision-making, or consensus approach.
Studying this reading should take approximately 2 hours to complete.
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- Reading: National Defense University’s “Strategic Leadership and Decision-Making: Consensus Team Decision Making”
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3.2.3 Optimal (Rational) Decisions
- Reading: U.S. Army War College: Lt.Col. Stephen A. Shambach’s “Strategic Decision-making in the Information Age”
Link: U.S. Army War College: Lt.Col. Stephen A. Shambach’s “Strategic Decision-making in the Information Age” (HTML) (PPT)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and you will go to the Table of Contents. Under “First Day Presentations,” select the link to “A. Rational Decision-Making Model,” and read this entire section. This will describe the first model presented which the rational or optimal decision making model. There is a link embedded to an Appendix B which will take you to a PowerPoint presentation of the model referred to in the presentation. You may wish to review this for one example of this type of decision-making model. This material is taken from a workshop held at the War College in 1996, comparing various leadership decision models and their relevancy to military decision-making.
Studying this section of the reading should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
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- Reading: U.S. Army War College: Lt.Col. Stephen A. Shambach’s “Strategic Decision-making in the Information Age”
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3.2.4 Satisficing
Note: Satisficing is a strategy, where a decision is settled upon as being “good enough” instead of working on an optimal solution. A team may do this to evade incurring additional costs or using extra resources that may come with deciding on an ideal solution.
- Reading: University of Kentucky, Dr. Derek Lane’s Notes on Charles Pavitt’s Small Group Communication: A Theoretical Approach: “Chapter 12: Descriptive Approaches to Decision-Making” (3rd Edition, 1998)
Link: University of Kentucky, Dr. Derek Lane’s Notes on Charles Pavitt’s Small Group Communication: A Theoretical Approach(3rd Edition, 1998): “Chapter 12: Descriptive Approaches to Decision-Making” (HTML)
Instructions: This material first serves as a comparison of the “satisficing” theory (second section) with the optimizing theory of the previous subunit. There is material on individual and group decision making as well as “groupthink,” presented below. Dr. Lane, professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Kentucky, uses Pavitt’s book for his online courses, and Chapter 12 is presented here.
Studying this reading and note-taking should take approximately 4 hours to complete.
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- Reading: University of Kentucky, Dr. Derek Lane’s Notes on Charles Pavitt’s Small Group Communication: A Theoretical Approach: “Chapter 12: Descriptive Approaches to Decision-Making” (3rd Edition, 1998)
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3.2.5 Biases
Note: Biases are a regular part of everyday life. The best way to avoid a bias when making a decision is to pretend you are seeing all available information for the first time. History’s successes and failures may help when making decisions, but they run the risk of influencing decisions when the situation is not the same.
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3.2.5.1 Anchoring
- Reading: Center for the Study of intelligence: Richard J. Heuer, Jr.’s Psychology of Intelligence Analysis: “Chapter 12: Estimating Biases in Probability”
Link: Center for the Study of intelligence: Richard J. Heuer, Jr.’s Psychology of Intelligence Analysis: “Chapter 12: Estimating Biases in Probability” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read Chapter 12 in its entirety. At first, this chapter appears to be a chapter in advanced statistics, but it is primarily a presentation on bias in decision-making. The second section presents and defines “Anchoring.”
Studying this text should take approximately 3 hours to complete.
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- Reading: Center for the Study of intelligence: Richard J. Heuer, Jr.’s Psychology of Intelligence Analysis: “Chapter 12: Estimating Biases in Probability”
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3.2.5.2 Groupthink
Note: Remember that groupthink involves a group nonchalantly coming to a consensus without discussing or considering fully the main issue at hand. This may be because one person in the group has more influence over the others, or because the group is not motivated to resolve the issue.
- Reading: Psychologists for Social Responsibility’s “What Is Groupthink?”
Link: Psychologists for Social Responsibility’s “What Is Groupthink?” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this entire webpage. This is a scholarly presentation on the concept of groupthink and includes an annotated bibliography that you may wish to use to pursue on your own. The works of Byron Janis are the originals.
Studying this reading should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
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- Reading: Psychologists for Social Responsibility’s “What Is Groupthink?”
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3.2.5.3 Selective Perception
- Reading: Illinois State University’s “POS 101: Selective Perception”
Link: Illinois State University’s “POS 101: Selective Perception” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and review this brief presentation on the topic of selective perception. Selective perception is best summarized by the phrase “we hear what we want to hear” and base decisions in that way.
Studying this reading should take less than 15 minutes to complete.
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- Reading: Illinois State University’s “POS 101: Selective Perception”
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Unit 3 Assessment
- Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 3 Reading Questions”
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 3 Reading Questions” (PDF)
Instructions: Please respond to the list of questions attached here. These will not only help you better understand the readings you have completed in this unit, but they will also provide some useful preparation for the final exam. When you have finished, please evaluate your response with the “Guide to Responding to Unit 3 Reading Questions” (PDF).
You should dedicate approximately 2 hours to completing these reading questions.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 3 Reading Questions”
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Unit 4: Leading Without Formal Authority
While many students of this course will go on to manage teams, organizations, and companies, everyone will have opportunities to lead without being granted any actual authority (called “legitimate power”). To leverage these opportunities, you must know what types of power exist and when to use them. For example, having expert power allows someone to step-up, because they have the most knowledge about a specific subject.
Unit 4 Time Advisory show close
Leading without authority goes beyond power; the ability to influence without manipulation, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills are all important aspects of gaining power and leadership without having direct authority over a group or team. After studying these topics, you will be able to recognize when a leader takes over a situation and to determine who may be the best leader for a given situation.
Unit 4 Learning Outcomes show close
- 4.1 Power
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4.1.1 Sources
- Reading: CLI: Terry Stimson’s “Sources of Power”
Link: CLI: Terry Stimson’s “Sources of Power” (HTML)
Instruction: Please read the entire article by Terry Stimson. Consider answering the questions at the end of the reading for your own benefit.
Reading and answering the questions should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
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- Reading: LearnManagement2.com’s “Leadership Power”
Link: LearnManagement2.com’s “Leadership Power” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the information on this webpage. Also, click on the PowerPoint link for a useful summary of the sources of power.
Studying this resource should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
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- Reading: CLI: Terry Stimson’s “Sources of Power”
- 4.1.2 Forms of Exerting Leadership
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4.1.2.1 Dominance
- Reading: Center for Creative Leadership: Vidula Bal, Michael Campbell, Judith Steed, and Kyle Meddings’ “The Role of Power in Effective Leadership”
Link: Center for Creative Leadership: Vidula Bal, Michael Campbell, Judith Steed, and Kyle Meddings’ “The Role of Power in Effective Leadership” (PDF)
Instructions: Read the entire text. This study from the Center for Creative Leadership provides a detailed look at the use of power in organizations. After you have read this resource, take some time to consider the reflective questions on page 19.
Studying this reading should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete.
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- Reading: Center for Creative Leadership: Vidula Bal, Michael Campbell, Judith Steed, and Kyle Meddings’ “The Role of Power in Effective Leadership”
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4.1.2.2 Conflict Prevention
- Web Media: YouTube: Dr. Robert Gibbs’ “Gibbs on Leadership, Conflict, Strategy, and Failure”
Link: YouTube: Dr. Robert Gibbs’ “Gibbs on Leadership, Conflict, Strategy, and Failure” (YouTube)
Instructions: Please click on the link above and view the entire video. This seven minute clip discusses leadership in general terms, as well as conflict resolution, which begins at 2:31. Dr. Gibbs is an establishment consultant in the field of church leadership.
Viewing this video and pausing to take notes should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
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- Web Media: YouTube: Peter Adler’s “Mediation and Leadership with Philosophies”
Link: YouTube: Peter Adler’s “Mediation and Leadership with Philosophies” (YouTube)
Instructions: View this entire video second, as it will complement material presented in the previous video. Dr. Adler is head of The Keystone Center, which applies consensus-building and scientific information to energy, environmental, and health-related policy problems.
Viewing this video and pausing to take notes should take less than 15 minutes to complete.
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- Web Media: YouTube: Dr. Robert Gibbs’ “Gibbs on Leadership, Conflict, Strategy, and Failure”
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4.1.2.3 Empowerment
- Reading: Quality Digest: Stephen R. Covey’s “Principle Centered Leadership: What Is Empowerment?”
Link: Quality Digest: Stephen R. Covey’s “Principle Centered Leadership: What Is Empowerment?” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this entire webpage. Stephen Covey is the author of the bestseller The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. This is his summary of the concept he helped popularize.
Studying this reading should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
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- Reading: Quality Digest: Stephen R. Covey’s “Principle Centered Leadership: What Is Empowerment?”
- 4.2 Influence
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4.2.1 Compliance
- Web Media: YouTube: Dr. Robert Cialdini’s “Dr. Robert Cialdini –Expert in the Fields of Persuasion, Compliance, and Negotiation”
Link: YouTube: Dr. Robert Cialdini’s “Dr. Robert Cialdini - Expert in the Fields of Persuasion, Compliance, and Negotiation” (YouTube)
Instructions: This 9-minute video is really a visual promotion for Dr. Cialdini, who is Professor Emeritus of Business at Arizona State University and internationally recognized in the field of influence. This video is a compendium of clips for lectures and appearances on MSNBC and CNBC, among others. It is useful for the entire section, but pay attention to the material on compliance which is interspersed through this presentation.
Viewing this video and pausing to take notes should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Web Media: YouTube: Dr. Robert Cialdini’s “Dr. Robert Cialdini –Expert in the Fields of Persuasion, Compliance, and Negotiation”
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4.2.2 Identification (with the Leader and Organization)
- Web Media: YouTube: ESSEC: Hamid Bouchikhi’s “How Identity and Power Shape an Organization's Responses to Isomorphic Pressures”
Link: YouTube: ESSEC: Hamid Bouchikhi’s“How Identity and Power Shape an Organization's Responses to Isomorphic Pressures” (YouTube)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and view this entire video. The title of this 8-minute video seems formidable, but actually it is a presentation on developing identity through leadership in organizations. ESSEC is a private European business school based in France and Bouchikhi is Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship.
Viewing this video and pausing it to take notes should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
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- Web Media: YouTube: ESSEC: Hamid Bouchikhi’s “How Identity and Power Shape an Organization's Responses to Isomorphic Pressures”
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4.2.3 Internalization (or “Buying into the Leader”)
- Reading: The University of Rhode Island Schmidt Labor Research Center: Richard W. Scholl’s “Leadership Overview”
Link: The University of Rhode Island, Schmidt Labor Research Center: Richard W. Scholl’s “Leadership Overview” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the first three sections of this prelude to a course on leadership offered at the university. The first section – “What Is Leadership?” – is a good review for Unit 1. The next section – “What Is Leadership Effectiveness and How Is It Assessed?” – includes material on the role of influence as a measure of leadership effectiveness. The third section on leadership styles is in part a review of Unit 2 and contains the material about the importance of internalization in leadership.
Studying this reading should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete.
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- Reading: The University of Rhode Island Schmidt Labor Research Center: Richard W. Scholl’s “Leadership Overview”
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4.2.4 Minority Influence
- Reading: The Free Library: Steven R. Ash’s “Why Should Small Businesses Care about Employee Diversity?: Five Areas of Research that Influence Organizational Results”
Link: The Free Library: Steven R. Ash’s “Why Should Small Businesses Care about Employee Diversity?: Five Areas of Research that Influence Organizational Results” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the entire text. The terms diversity and minority influence are intertwined, since diversity results in distinct subgroups within an organization. This condition challenges leaders both in terms of their leadership style and the decision-making process. Professor Ash is with the University of Akron.
Studying this reading should take approximately 2 hours to complete.
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- Reading: The Free Library: Steven R. Ash’s “Why Should Small Businesses Care about Employee Diversity?: Five Areas of Research that Influence Organizational Results”
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4.3 Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Note: Emotional Intelligence is not the same as understanding or empathy. Rather, it is the ability to identify, understand, and manage emotions of oneself and if applicable, the emotions of a group.
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4.3.1 Understanding EI : The “New Hampshire Perspective”
- Reading: University of New Hampshire’s “What Is Emotional Intelligence?”
Link: University of New Hampshire’s “What Is Emotional Intelligence?” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, read the first webpage, and click on the links to all six parts of the reading. This is six part presentation from the University of New Hampshire. Two of the school’s professors, John Meyer and Peter Salovey, claim credit for developing this concept. By clicking on every section, you will receive a comprehensive presentation on the subject.
Studying this reading should take approximately 3 hours to complete.
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- Reading: University of New Hampshire’s “What Is Emotional Intelligence?”
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4.3.2 Emotional Intelligence Models
- Web Media: YouTube: Yale University: Peter Salovey’s “Emotional Intelligence and Leadership”
Link: YouTube: Yale University: Peter Salovey’s “Emotional Intelligence and Leadership” (YouTube)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and view the entire video. In this 20-minute video, the provost of Yale University, Peter Salovey, discusses the psychological aspects of leadership by sharing some anecdotes from his own experience.
Viewing this video and pausing to take notes should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
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- Lecture: PowerShow.com: Jennifer Wild’s “Emotional Intelligence”
Link: PowerShow.com: Jennifer Wild’s “Emotional Intelligence” (Flash)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and watch the entire presentation (26 slides).
Studying this resource should take approximately 2 hours to complete.
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- Web Media: YouTube: Yale University: Peter Salovey’s “Emotional Intelligence and Leadership”
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4.3.3 Emotional Intelligence and Leadership
- Web Media: YouTube: Anthony Shave’s “How to Be a Leader: What Is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)”
Link: YouTube: AnthonyShave’s “How to Be a Leader: What Is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)” (YouTube)
Instructions: Please view the entire presentation, as it provides details about the role emotional intelligence plays in leadership.
Viewing this video and pausing to take notes should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
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- Web Media: YouTube: Anthony Shave’s “How to Be a Leader: What Is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)”
- 4.4 Interpersonal Skills
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4.4.1 Communication
- Reading: U.S. Air Force: Dr. John A. Kline’s “Communication and Leadership”
Link: U.S. Air Force: Dr. John A. Kline’s “Communication and Leadership” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the entire text. This article, prepared for the Air Force course in leadership, focuses on the role of communication in leadership, including pitfalls to avoid and ways to improve communications with subordinates.
Studying this reading should take approximately 2 hours to complete.
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- Reading: U.S. Air Force: Dr. John A. Kline’s “Communication and Leadership”
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4.4.2 Assertiveness
- Reading: Webster University: Walker School of Business and Technology’s “Assertive Leadership”
Link: Webster University: Walker School of Business and Technology’s “Assertive Leadership” (HTML)
Instructions: The blog page you first view is really a prelude for the main article, which can be found by clicking on the link after “Learn More” at the end of the main webpage. Entitled “Assertiveness: Why It Matters and How It Will Help You Lead” (2010), the article, sponsored by Tampa based Gary L. Wood and Associates, will lead you through the relationship between assertiveness and leadership. You will need Adobe Reader to view the article.
Studying this resource should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
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- Reading: Webster University: Walker School of Business and Technology’s “Assertive Leadership”
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4.4.3 Conflict Resolution
- Reading: University of Missouri – St. Louis: Amy Ohlendorf’s “Conflict Resolution in Project Management”
Link: University of Missouri – St. Louis: Amy Ohlendorf’s “Conflict Resolution in Project Management” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the entire text. The context of the article is conflict management in IT project teams, but the bulk of the article is devoted to the nature of conflict and the generic presentation of conflict resolution strategies. Ms. Ohlendorf is an Information Systems specialist at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. There is a notated reference list at the end that you may find useful.
Studying this resource should take approximately 2 hours to complete.
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- Reading: University of Missouri – St. Louis: Amy Ohlendorf’s “Conflict Resolution in Project Management”
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Unit 4 Assessment
- Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 4 Reading Questions”
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 4 Reading Questions” (PDF)
Instructions: Please respond to the list of questions attached here. These will not only help you better understand the readings you have completed in this unit, but they will also provide some useful preparation for the final exam. When you have finished, please evaluate your response with the “Guide to Responding to Unit 4 Reading Questions” (PDF).
You should dedicate approximately 2 hours to responding to these reading questions.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 4 Reading Questions”
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Unit 5: Managing Groups and Teams
Whether your power base is legitimate or otherwise, you may find yourself potentially in a leadership position within a group or team. But what is the difference between a group and a team? This was touched on in the first unit, but further distinction is needed here. Groups are often formed organically. Think about a group of car enthusiasts: they come together because of a similar interest. There may not be an underlying goal other than to share ideas and discuss topics of mutual interest. Teams are formed more strategically. For example, think about a professional sports team; management carefully selects and trains players, and together they work toward the common goal of winning games.
Unit 5 Time Advisory show close
Teams should function in the way a group does: with a more relaxed atmosphere, which will allow each contributor to feel comfortable in his or her role. Maintaining this atmosphere can be difficult, because teams sometimes work in very stressful environments. This is why building a good team with great dynamics is so important and so challenging. A team that functions well together will be more productive than a team that does not have a good dynamic. Thus, this unit will enable you to explore the world of teams and groups. You will learn about the internal processes that underlie team/group formation and maintenance as well as the role of leadership in these types of settings. The unit opens with a discussion of diversity. While the value of diversity in an organization is not restricted to team processes, scholars and business practitioners both agree that team performance is improved by a diverse membership.
As stated throughout, this course will not make you a good leader or member of a team, but it can give you the tools that will help you recognize what makes a team effective and identify the players that serve best as leaders.
Unit 5 Learning Outcomes show close
- 5.1 Managing Diversity
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5.1.1 The Value of Diversity
- Reading: Forbes Magazine: Glenn Llopis’ “Diversity Management Is the Key to Growth: Make It Authentic”
Link: Forbes Magazine:GlennLlopis’ “Diversity Management Is the Key to Growth: Make It Authentic” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read Llopis’ article for an overview of the importance of a diverse talent pool. The author discusses diversity strategies with three noted experts on the subject.
Studying this reading should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
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- Reading: Boundless: “Diversity”
Link: Boundless: “Diversity” (PDF)
Instructions: Read this article, which discusses how globalization and diversity affect the issues/threats caused by different cultural norms and how diversity can be effectively managed.
Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
Terms of Use: This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License. It is attributed to Boundless, and the original version can be found here.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Forbes Magazine: Glenn Llopis’ “Diversity Management Is the Key to Growth: Make It Authentic”
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5.1.2 Inclusion and Diversity
- Web Media: YouTube: Tony Anderson’s “Tony Anderson – The Demographics of Global Business (Segment I),” “The Business Case for Diversity (Segment II),” and “Motivating, Developing, Coaching Diverse Teams (Segment III)”
Link: YouTube Tony Anderson’s “The Demographics of Global Business (Segment I)” (YouTube), “The Business Case for Diversity (Segment II)” (YouTube), and “Motivating, Developing, Coaching Diverse Teams (Segment III)” (YouTube)
Instructions: Please click on the first link above, which will take you to the first of three segments of a presentation made by Tony Anderson, Midwest Area Managing Partner of Ernst and Young. This presentation was given to the 2009 Annual Meeting of Chicago United an organization devoted to promoting diversity and inclusion in all organizations. When you are done viewing this segment, click on the links above for Segment II and Segment III, and view these videos in their entirety.
Viewing these videos and pausing to take notes should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
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- Web Media: YouTube: Tony Anderson’s “Tony Anderson – The Demographics of Global Business (Segment I),” “The Business Case for Diversity (Segment II),” and “Motivating, Developing, Coaching Diverse Teams (Segment III)”
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5.1.3 Conflict
- Reading: The University of Maine Co-operative Extension: Ronald Beard’s “Working With Group Conflict”
Link: The University of Maine Co-operative Extension: Ronald Beard’s Getting Things Done in Groups: “Working With Group Conflict” (HTML)
Instructions: This page provides a useful condensation of the key elements of managing conflict within groups.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The University of Maine Co-operative Extension: Ronald Beard’s “Working With Group Conflict”
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5.1.4 Motivation
- Reading: Dr. Rasha Salama’s “Motivation Towards Teamwork”Link: Dr. Rasha Salama’s “Motivation Towards Teamwork” (PowerPoint)
Instructions: This is a 28-slide presentation on the subject of team motivation. Dr. Salama, of the Faculty of Medicine of Suez Canal University in Egypt, presented this PowerPoint to the University Of Pittsburgh Graduate School Of Public Health. While oriented to public health professionals the presentation presents the key elements required here. There is a critical thinking question in Slide 28 you may wish to review.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Reading: Dr. Rasha Salama’s “Motivation Towards Teamwork”
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5.1.5 Inclusion and Diversity
- Web Media: YouTube: Tony Anderson’s “Tony Anderson – The Demographics of Global Business”
Link: YouTube: Tony Anderson’s “Tony Anderson – The Demographics of Global Business” (YouTube)
Instructions: The link will take you to the first of three segments of a presentation made by Tony Anderson, Midwest Area Managing Partner of Ernst and Young. This presentation was given to the 2009 Annual Meeting of Chicago United an organization devoted to promoting diversity and inclusion in all organizations. When you are done viewing this segment click on the right the link marked “The Business Case for Diversity…”, which is segment 2. Then click on the video marked “ Motivating, Developing, Coaching…” to complete the presentation. The entire set is about 20 minutes in length.
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- Web Media: YouTube: Tony Anderson’s “Tony Anderson – The Demographics of Global Business”
- 5.2 Internal Group Processes
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5.2.1 Cohesion
- Reading: Lewis-Clark State College’s “Group Cohesion”
Link: Lewis-Clark State College’s “Group Cohesion” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and review the information on this webpage. This is a set of notes from a course provided for athletic team leaders on the subject. Pay close attention to Carron’s model, which is the dominant model of group cohesion. Try the critical thinking question provided at the bottom of the page.
Studying these notes and attempting the critical thinking question should take approximately 45 minutes to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Lewis-Clark State College’s “Group Cohesion”
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5.2.2 Communication
- Reading: Montana State University Extension Service: Dave Sharpe’s “Group Communication”
Link: Montana State University Extension Service: Dave Sharpe’s “Group Communication” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this entire article. This working paper is part of the University’s Extension (outreach) program in community development. It includes the factors influencing communication, the logistics of group communication, the essentials of verbal and nonverbal communication, and the responsibilities of both leaders and members in maintaining good communication channels.
Studying this reading should take approximately 2 hours to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Montana State University Extension Service: Dave Sharpe’s “Group Communication”
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5.2.3 Conflict
- Reading: The University of Maine Co-operative Extension: Ronald Beard’s Getting Things Done in Groups: “Working with Group Conflict”
Link: The University of Maine Co-operative Extension: Ronald Beard’s Getting Things Done in Groups: “Working with Group Conflict” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this entire text. This page provides a useful condensation of the key elements of managing conflict within groups.
Studying this reading should take approximately 45 minutes to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The University of Maine Co-operative Extension: Ronald Beard’s Getting Things Done in Groups: “Working with Group Conflict”
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5.2.4 Motivation
- Reading: Dr. Rasha Salama’s “Motivation towards Teamwork”
Link: Dr. Rasha Salama’s “Motivation towards Teamwork” (PPT)
Instructions: Click on the above link, then select “36041” to download the PowerPoint presentation file to your computer. This is a 28 slide presentation on the subject of team motivation. Dr. Salama, of the Faculty of Medicine of Suez Canal University in Egypt, presented this PowerPoint to the University Of Pittsburgh Graduate School Of Public Health. While oriented to public health professionals the presentation presents the key elements required here. There is a critical thinking question in Slide 28 you may wish to review.
Studying this resource and addressing the critical thinking question should take approximately 2 hours to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Dr. Rasha Salama’s “Motivation towards Teamwork”
- 5.3 Building and Managing Teams
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5.3.1 Groups
- Reading: Rapid Intellect: Lawrence E. Zeff and Mary A. Higby’s “Teaching More than You Know”
Link: Rapid Intellect: Lawrence E. Zeff and Mary A. Higby’s “Teaching More than You Know” (HTML)
Instruction: Please click on the link above, and read the entire webpage, which provides a useful distinction between the generic concept of groups and its subunit teams. The application presented here is geared towards classroom management and organization, but it is framed by the general context of illuminating the difference between the two concepts. You will find additional references at the end that you may wish to explore on your own as well. This reading covers the topics outlined for sub-subunits 5.2.1 and 5.2.2.
Studying this reading should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Rapid Intellect: Lawrence E. Zeff and Mary A. Higby’s “Teaching More than You Know”
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5.3.2 Teams
Note: This topic is covered by the Rapid Intellect article assigned beneath sub-subunit 5.2.1.
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5.3.3 Group Development
- Reading: National Defense University’s “Teams and Decision Making in the Strategic Environment: Creating and Managing Teams”
Link: National Defense University’s “Teams and Decision Making in the Strategic Environment: Creating and Managing Teams” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the entire webpage. This presentation is part of the course “Strategic Leadership and Decision Making” given to military leaders of all branches. This is a comprehensive presentation, which defines teams and the models of team development. Examples used in this unit are drawn from both military and business settings.
Studying this resource should take approximately 3 hours to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 5 Reading Questions”
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 5 Reading Questions” (PDF)
Instructions: Please respond to the list of questions attached here. These will not only help you better understand the readings you have completed in this unit, but they will also provide some useful preparation for the final exam. When you have finished, please evaluate your response with the "Guide to Responding to Unit 5 Reading Questions" (PDF).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: National Defense University’s “Teams and Decision Making in the Strategic Environment: Creating and Managing Teams”
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5.3.4 Dynamics
- Reading: The Qualitative Report: Anthony Wilbon’s “Organizational and Developmental Dynamics of Project Review Teams in Technology Environments”
Link: The Qualitative Report: Anthony Wilbon’s “Organizational and Developmental Dynamics of Project Review Teams in Technology Environments” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above. Reading up to the section called “Research Design” as well as reading the conclusion is required. Although the title is quite specific, this is a scholarly presentation on the process of group dynamics applied to the technology environment, yet also with general application. If you wish read the ‘Research Design’ section you may do so, but for the purposes of this course it is optional.
Studying this reading should take approximately 2 hours to complete. Reading the optional section may take up to an additional 1 hour to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The Qualitative Report: Anthony Wilbon’s “Organizational and Developmental Dynamics of Project Review Teams in Technology Environments”
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5.3.5 Team Building
- Reading: University of California, San Francisco’s “Chapter 14: Team Building”
Link: University of California, San Francisco’s “Chapter 14: Team Building” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the entire article, being sure to read the sections labeled “Guiding Principles,” “Other Resources,” “Steps to Building an Effective Team,” and “Symptoms that Signal a Need for Team Building.”
Studying this reading should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: University of California, San Francisco’s “Chapter 14: Team Building”
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5.3.6 Virtual Teams
- Reading: Zainbooks’ “Leadership and Team Management: Managing Virtual Teams”
Link: Zainbooks’ “Leadership and Team Management: Managing Virtual Teams” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the entire webpage. Presented primarily in bulleted fashion, this lesson presents the essential elements of the management and performance of virtual teams.
Studying this resource should take approximately 2 hours to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Zainbooks’ “Leadership and Team Management: Managing Virtual Teams”
- 5.4 Team Leadership
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5.4.1 Credibility
- Web Media: YouTube: Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner’s “Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It: Why People Demand It”
Link: YouTube: Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner’s “Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It: Why People Demand It” (YouTube)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and view the brief video. In this segment, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner of Santa Clara University introduce their latest book, Credibility: Why Leaders Gain It and Lose It; Why People Demand It.
Viewing this video and pausing to take notes should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Web Media: YouTube: jyodes21’s “Credibility”
Link: YouTube: jyodes21’s “Credibility” (YouTube)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and view this entire presentation. This is an effective PowerPoint summary of the Kouzes and Posner’sbook noted above.
Viewing this presentation and pausing to take notes should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Web Media: YouTube: Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner’s “Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It: Why People Demand It”
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5.4.2 Balancing Management and Leadership
- Reading: Business Leadership Review: Richard Bolden, Jonathan Gosling, and John Burgoyne’s “High Performance Leadership”
Link: Business Leadership Review: Richard Bolden, Jonathan Gosling, and John Burgoyne’s “High Performance Leadership” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this entire text. This article presents the outcomes of a three-year workshop, which sought to assess the relationship between leadership development and performance management. There is also some discussion on diversity (see subunit 5.4). The authors are scholars at the universities of Exeter and Lancaster in Great Britain.
Studying this reading should take approximately 4 hours to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Business Leadership Review: Richard Bolden, Jonathan Gosling, and John Burgoyne’s “High Performance Leadership”
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5.4.3 Transitional Leadership
- Reading: American Society for Training and Development: Joseph T. Christy’s “Successful Leadership Transition”
Link: American Society for Training and Development: Joseph T. Christy’s “Successful Leadership Transition” (HTML)
Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the entire article. While Joseph Christy’s background is in juvenile justice, the article here presents a fairly comprehensive and generalized overview on the subject. A team framework with a procedure for dealing with leadership transitions already in place will be able to minimize the disruption caused by leadership change, leading to a smooth period of transition.
Studying this reading should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: American Society for Training and Development: Joseph T. Christy’s “Successful Leadership Transition”
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Unit 5 Assessment
- Reading: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 5 Reading Questions”
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 5 Reading Questions” (PDF)
Instructions: Please respond to the list of questions attached here. These will not only help you better understand the readings you have completed in this unit, but they will also provide some useful preparation for the final exam. When you have finished, please evaluate your response with the “Guide to Responding to Unit 5 Reading Questions” (PDF).
You should dedicate approximately 2 hours to completing these reading questions.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 5 Reading Questions”
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Final Exam
- Final Exam: The Saylor Foundation's BUS401 Final Exam
Link: The Saylor Foundation's BUS401 Final Exam
Instructions: You must be logged into your Saylor Foundation School account in order to access this exam. If you do not yet have an account, you will be able to create one, free of charge, after clicking the link.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Final Exam: The Saylor Foundation's BUS401 Final Exam
Questions? Consult the FAQ's!



