BUSM 4194 Leading for Change Semester 1, 2014

Assessment Task 1: Leadership Development Report

Writing instructions and Marking Rubric

This assessment task is a REPORT. The RMIT College of Business requires you to use a particular style of writing which involves both the way the report is structured and the way that you acknowledge other people’s ideas used in your work. The structuring of a report is very clearly described in the RMIT Study and Learning Centre Report Writing Skills Online Tutorial available on the BUSM4194 course Blackboard site Your first step in preparing for this assessment task should be to complete this tutorial. Investing time before you start writing will result in a better report. Your second step should be mastering the art of referencing. There are many styles of referencing in use in different disciplines and geographical locations. You are required to use the RMIT Business Referencing System. This is available to you via the Library website, in your course site on myRMIT and is uploaded to the assessments folder in the BUSM 4194 course site. This is a 50 page document but reading it through will be enormously helpful for you in this and future assessment tasks. Make sure that you can clearly distinguish the difference between an essay (page 28 of the document) and a report (page 36). Remember: this current assessment task is a REPORT not an ESSAY. The critical thinking element We want you to be very comfortable with questioning everything you read and hear. Anyone can remember facts and state other people’s views but a far more useful skill is to critically review what you read and hear and decide for yourself how reliable, accurate, applicable, contemporary, objective and fair it is. In this report, your assessor will value the fact that you are able to see both benefits and deficiencies in a particular theory. Make sure you look through the critical thinking exercises in the course site to get a clear understanding of critical thinking! How many references should I cite? There is no right answer to this question because it all depends on what you write in your report. Some statements you make in your report will certainly need a reference to support them.

So, to determine how many references you need to cite, first (as described in the report writing tutorial) draw a mind map of ideas to go into your report and for each idea try to link it to a reference source.

BUSM 4194 Leading for Change task 1 Marking Rubric [sem 1 2014, Singapore]

How will the report be marked?

Your lecturers have already created a marking rubric that will be used to award you a mark out of 50 as the report comprises 50 of the overall 100 marks available in this course.

The rubric is reproduced over the page and will be used as a way of providing feedback to you on how you performed.

The most important thing about the rubric is that it DEFINES what you will be marked on. If you include additional material that is not mentioned in the rubric it will not attract any marks, if you forget to write about something listed in the rubric, you’ll lose marks.

So the rubric is like a “contract” between you and your lecturer. Following the rubric clearly is your best strategy for a good result

THE TASK

1. Explore the Central Michigan University competencies model 2. Identify you current strengths and weaknesses as a leader (or potential leader) within the context

of the CMU 3. Review the leadership theories explored in this course and describe how they relate to you and

your leadership development (again in the context of the CMU model) 4. Create a leadership development plan 5. Seek feedback on your plan from an established leader. This leader can be anyone you know who

holds a leadership position in an organisation 6. Describe how you have incorporated this leader’s feedback into your plan 7. Describe how you will achieve the developments set out in your plan 8. Describe how you will evaluate whether or not you have reached the level of development set out

in your plan

Word limit: 2500 words (not including your reference list or any appendices you may wish to attach)

Due: see due date in assessment tasks folder

Submission procedure: The report must be submitted in both electronic and hard copy. See the submission section in the course site assessment tasks folder for more details

BUSM 4194 Leading for Change task 1 Marking Rubric [sem 1 2014, Singapore]

Report Element Marks available

Marks awarded

notes

You have included a clear description of - and justification for - for your leadership development plan components. You should include:

a

Explanation of your contextualisation of the CMU Model

5 Did you utilise the whole model or did you focus on a subset of issues within the model? Why?

b Diagnosis of your leadership strengths and weaknesses

5 How did you carry out this diagnosis? What information / journal article / other source will you cite in your report to support the diagnostic process?

c Industry-specific issues (e.g. manufacturing industry vs financial consulting)

5 Considering the industry sector that you work in (or intend to work in) are there any issues that are either unique or especially important?

d Person-specific issues (e.g. gender, age, culture) 5 Your personal characteristics are important in shaping your leadership development. What can you say, for example, about the impact of your gender or your age group or your cultural background or the country / culture in which you are likely the work?

e Timeframe for plan (multi-staged? 2 years? 5 years?) 5 What time frames will you place on various aspects of your leadership development? How soon could you reasonably expect to achieve a leadership development goal?

f Plan evaluation approach(es )

5 How will you know that you’ve achieved the goals set out in your leadership development plan? What kind(s) of data and information will inform this?

Your plan is supported by key theory and practice literature. This literature has been cited and formatted according to the RMIT Business Referencing Guide

15 Which ideas, theories and approaches in leadership have you incorporated into your plan? Which reputable source will you “cite” when discussing these?

There is clear evidence of input to leadership plan from an industry leader.

What did the leader suggest? What did you change as a consequence of the leader’s advice?

5 What did the industry leader have to say about your draft leadership development plan? How have you modified your draft as a consequence? (For example, if the leader you consulted said that your timeframe to achieve your leadership gaols was unrealistically short, did you then extend the timeframe top achieve these?)

Total marks for this assessment task 50

BUSM 4194 Leading for Change task 1 Marking Rubric [sem 1 2014, Singapore]

The School of Management Undergraduate Marking Scale Serious Fail (NN) 0-29% Fail (NN) 30 – 49% Pass (PA) 50 – 59% Credit (CR) 60 – 69% Distinction (DI) 70 – 79% High Distinction (HD) 80 – 100% Attainment Standards for assessment Levels Serious Fail (NN) 0 – 29%

Flawed work – showing evidence of the following:

• Inadequate understanding of the subject in terms of knowledge, skills and application. Minimal reading and inadequate planning.

• Little understanding of underlying principles and concepts, and no effective analysis. • Reflective statements provide an incomplete or inaccurate description of the task, with no

evidence of effective collaboration with others. • Work failed for one or more of the following: non-submission, academic misconduct,

answering a different question from the one asked, poor or incoherent vocabulary, no evidence of correct scholarly referencing.

Fail (NN) 30-49%

Deficient work – showing evidence of the following:

• Lack of academic rigour, with material that is incomplete or irrelevant. • Little evidence of knowledge of the relevant body of knowledge to make a persuasive case. • Failure to review critically, analyse, consolidate and combine knowledge and draw relevant

conclusions. • Reflective statements provide a basic description of the task with no insight into behaviour

or learning preferences for collaborative practice. • Does not demonstrate sufficient grasp of the required scholarly standards in relation to

presentation, with errors, bad spelling or grammar, lack of organisation, insufficient arguments.

• Improper citation of sources and referencing of work. • Late submission.

Pass (PA) 50 –59%

Satisfactory work – showing evidence of the following:

• The subject is covered satisfactorily but the volume of reading is insufficient for Credit. • Reasonable coverage of the relevant body of knowledge but does not review critically,

analyse, consolidate with a high level of insight. • Factual and descriptive rather than carefully argued and analytical style of work. Lacks

evidence of intellectual independence to adapt knowledge in diverse contexts.

BUSM 4194 Leading for Change task 1 Marking Rubric [sem 1 2014, Singapore]

• Conclusions are limited in scope. • Reflective statements provide a nuanced insight into behaviour and learning preferences

and practice in collaboration with others. • English, including spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and communication style is competent and

coherent • Only minor lapses in referencing and/or use of sources. • Work is not well organised or structured.

Credit (CR) 60 – 69%

Good work – showing evidence of the following:

• Broad understanding of the subject or area of practice and has read widely. • Volume of reading of sufficient breadth and depth for a competent understanding of main

issues, underlying principles and concepts but without the comprehensiveness of higher grades.

• Well-developed skills to present critical arguments and competent use of theoretical and technical knowledge with depth in some areas.

• Displays competence in reviewing critically, analysing, consolidating and synthesising the various cases made within a body of knowledge.

• Coherent arguments supported by evidence and illustration from the work of other authorities or by direct empirical analysis, but without the intellectual independence found in the higher grades.

• The work is clearly structured and the exposition of knowledge and ideas is clear and competent.

• Reflective statements provide a thoughtful commentary on the task, learning and relationships with others, ability to critically evaluate relevant theories, but without the self- awareness and self-questioning found in higher grades.

• Clear, coherent and interesting presentation, with responsibility and accountability to deal with questions and criticisms well.

• English, including spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and/or use of sources, and communication style is good.

• Work is fully referenced according to accepted scholarly standards.

Distinction (DI) 70 – 79%

Excellent work – showing evidence of the following:

• Demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge of the subject. • Material is deployed in a disciplined way with sophisticated comprehension of key issues • Demonstrated ability to critically review, analyse, synthesise and apply theoretical and

technical body knowledge in a broad range of areas and diverse contexts. • Shows reasoning and creative skills to use knowledge and awareness to exercise critical

thinking and judgement in selecting and applying methods and technologies in identifying and solving problems with intellectual independence

BUSM 4194 Leading for Change task 1 Marking Rubric [sem 1 2014, Singapore]

• The work is clearly structured and convincingly supported by appropriate evidence, argument or illustration.

• Reflective statements provide a thoughtful commentary on the task with insights into learning and interaction.

• Demonstrates critical evaluation and analysis of relevant theories as a basis for independent lifelong learning.

• Extremely solid, thorough, comprehensive written work, with a high level of academic integrity but without great originality.

High Distinction (HD) 80 – 100%

Exceptional work – showing evidence of the following:

• Highly original or insightful work. • Evidence of formulated and sustained arguments with sophisticated analysis, inferences,

synthesis of material and identifying flaws in published work. • Could not be improved at this learning

BUSM 4194 Leading for Change task 1 Marking Rubric [sem 1 2014, Singapore]