Week Three Overview

Learning Outcomes This week students will:

1. Explain how situational variables affect task and relationship-motivated leaders and identify three factors that have the most impact on your situation.

2. Identify four path-goal leadership styles and explain how these styles compare to styles described in other theories.

3. Analyze the path-goal style being used by a leader with whom you are familiar and evaluate this leader’s effectiveness.   

Readings

1. Read. the following chapters in your text, Leadership:

· Chapter 6: Contingency Theory

· Chapter 7: Path Goal Theory

· Chapter 8: Leader Member Exchange Theory

Recommended Readings

1. It is highly recommended that you read the following articles to gain a better understanding of leadership:

· Tse, H. & Mitchell, R. (2010). A theoretical model of transformational leadership and knowledge creation: The role of open-mindedness norms and leader-member exchange .  Journal of Management and Organization, 16(1), 83-99.

· Whitener, J.K. (2007).  Year of wonders: The wonder of leadership . Advances in Developing Human Resources, 9(2), 214-235

Discussions

To participate in the following Discussion Forums, go to this week's Discussion link in the left navigation:

1. Situational Variables

Explain what/how situational variables affect task motivated and relationship-motivated leaders. Apply these factors to a work situation in which you were involved as a worker or a leader. Which of the 3 factors had the greatest impact on your situation and why? What category does this situation fall into? Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings.

2. Leadership Styles

Identify four leadership styles associated with path-goal theory. Explain each style and relate it to styles described in other theories. Can leaders exhibit more than one style? Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings.

Assignments

To complete this assignment, go to this week's Assignment link in the left navigation:

Path-Goal Style

Write a three to four page paper (not including the title and reference pages) about a contemporary leadership situation that is familiar to you.  You may use the same situation from the week two assignment.  Your paper needs to:

· Define path-goal leadership.

· Identify the path-goal leadership style used in this situation; provide the tasks, and the subordinates’ characteristics. 

· Support your position with specific examples. 

· Explain whether the action taken was appropriate and effective.

· Discuss if the path-goal leadership approach would be useful in understanding the leadership applied to the situation. 

In addition to the requirements above, your paper:

· Must be double-spaced and 12 point font

· Must be formatted according to APA style

· Must include an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement

· Must conclude with a restatement of the thesis and a conclusion paragraph

· Must reference at least two scholarly resources

· Must include a reference page written in APA format

Carefully review the  Grading Rubric  for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Ashford 4: - Week 3 - Instructor Guidance

Are Leaders Born or Made?    Leadership’s Essential Function in Society Leadership is essentially a description of an observation. An observation in reference to an individual’s ability to inspire others to act in a unified manner towards the attainment of a common goal. In The Leader Within, Zigarmi (2005) suggests that leadership is “the act of arousing, engaging, and satisfying the motives of followers in an environment of conflict, competition, or change that results in the followers taking a course of action towards a mutually shared vision”(p. 174). According to Drucker," Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations “(“Drucker quotes,” n. d.). Leadership is the driving force in societal change.

Martin (1998) suggests without a recognized leader, status quo becomes acceptable and the desire to grow and achieve higher goals never develops. Strong compelling leadership is at the root of all great accomplishments. Leaders create follower attitudes that motivate them to trust and follow them (Martin, 1998, p.1). Leaders also have the ability to make an impact in terms of changes in an organization and in a society (Martin, 1998, p.1). Does this imply that leaders have a unique ability to do what others are unable to do?

Do Circumstances Reveal Leadership Abilities?

“Great necessities call forth great leaders.” Abigail Adams

My Family Leadership Story In response to increasing crime in the Orlando Metro area area, my brother, Mr. N. Smith answered the leadership call to become a grass roots community organizer. His decision to act was in response to a 300% increase in crime, a decrease in police patrols and a significant increase in home invasions in the Orlando Metro area. In response to these community issues Mr. Smith organized community members to become proactively involved in ridding the neighborhood of crime.  Mr. Smith’s leadership call to action was in response to a leadership vacuum and a need for a unified community effort. Subsequently, he enlisted the aid of community members in establishing a fact- finding committee and presenting these findings to elected city officials. As a result of these efforts, he was able to establish a productive working relationship with elected city officials.

Mr. Smith’s leadership was built on the foundation of strong community ties, trust, credibility, and sacrifice. This trust was implied by his proactivity. He spends a significant amount of his personal time conducting community meetings, gathering crime data, and meeting with city officials. Accordingly, he has been able to garner community support by demonstrating his sincere care and concern for the safety and welfare of its members. He clearly understands that without trust, an individual has no power in relationships. Trust is central to cultural ideas of empowerment, expectation, and predictability (Fairholm, 1994, p. 97). To this end he enjoys a reciprocal trust relationship with members of his community and elected officials.

Mr. Smith has faced significant challenges as a community leader. Initially some community members were reluctant to become involved in neighbor watch activities in fear of reprisals. However, he was able to convince community members that their unified efforts in combating the neighborhood crime problem would be successful. As a leader, he demonstrates the traits of pioneering, organizing, integrity, encouraging and supporting. Most importantly, he has demonstrated vision, commitment, and sacrifice. He has also demonstrated a willingness to challenge the status quo and demand accountability of city leaders. In spite of his demanding career as a fire fighter, he daily checks on the welfare of elderly community members.

Mr. Smith could have chosen to relocate his family. When asked why he chose to take up the leadership responsibilities of a community organizer he replied “This is something that needed to be done. I love my community; this is where I grew up” (N. Smith, personal communication, April 5, 2007). In his opinion, he is merely filling a leadership responsibility by building a collaborative social network in a neighborhood where one previously did not exist. He is merely filling a leadership void. Is this situation unique? How often have we seen leaders emerge without recognizing what was occurring? What is needed in a leader in terms of traits and character is the same as it has always been. Leaders need to be individuals of integrity and vision. As stated by a Zen Master over 2000 years age ago; there is nothing special to leadership; essentially, it is a matter of controlling the evils of biased information and autocracy. (Cleary, 1993:p. 159) .Leaders emerge, flourish, and grow in situations where there is a leadership void and they and their followers share unifying values, ideals, and goals. 

References:

Cleary, T. (1993). ZEN LESSONS: The Art of Leadership. Boston and London:Shambala Pocket Classics

Fairholm, G. W. (1994). Leadership and the Culture of Trust. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.

Martin, M. M. (1998). Trust Leadership. Journal of Leadership Studies, 5(41), 3.

Peter F. Drucker Quotes. (n.d.) retrieved April 5, 2007 from     

             http://www.inspirationalquotes4u.com./druckerquotes/index html Zigarmi, D., Blanchard, K., Edeburn, C., & O'Connor, M. (2005). The leader within: Learning enough about yourself to lead others. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

 DISCUSSIONS

Explain what/how situational variables affect task motivated and relationship-motivated leaders. Apply these factors to a work situation in which you were involved as a worker or a leader. Which of the 3 factors had the greatest impact on your situation and why? What category does this situation fall into? Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings.

Identify four leadership styles associated with path-goal theory. Explain each style and relate it to styles described in other theories. Can leaders exhibit more than one style? Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings.

Path-Goal Style

Write a three to four page paper (not including the title and reference pages) about a contemporary leadership situation that is familiar to you.  You may use the same situation from the week two assignment.  Your paper needs to:

· Define path-goal leadership.

· Identify the path-goal leadership style used in this situation; provide the tasks, and the subordinates’ characteristics. 

· Support your position with specific examples. 

· Explain whether the action taken was appropriate and effective.

· Discuss if the path-goal leadership approach would be useful in understanding the leadership applied to the situation. 

In addition to the requirements above, your paper:

· Must be double-spaced and 12 point font

· Must be formatted according to APA style

· Must include an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement

· Must conclude with a restatement of the thesis and a conclusion paragraph

· Must reference at least two scholarly resources

· Must include a reference page written in APA format