Milestone 4: Leadership Styles – Homework Solution

Leadership Styles

Context: In the discussion this week you researched the management of your company and assessed whether you felt the team in general had a transactional or transformational leadership style. In your milestone submission this week you will build on that foundation of research and further assess the leadership styles in your company.

First, be sure you have read Chapter 11 in the text.

Next, please watch the following video clips from the lab:

·  Chapter 11: Concept Clip: Consideration Structure

·  Chapter 11: Concept Clip: Fiedler’s Contingency Model

Leadership Styles

Requirements: There are a wide variety of definitions of what makes a person a true leader. There are also a wide variety of leadership styles beyond the simple classification of transactional versus transformational; autocratic, democratic, bureaucratic, charismatic, situational, servant leadership, and more. Some are, in theory, at least mildly effective in any given situation, and some, in theory, are far more effective only in certain situations. In other words, it’s likely that one size does not fit all. You’ve begun to research your company’s leadership team. In your milestone submission, compile a more comprehensive look at the leadership team and the approach they use.

Leadership Styles

Your fourth milestone submission should address the following requirements:

1.  Outline the leadership style of at least three areas of your organization (three key leaders, leaders of three key divisions, the CEO, the board, the finance team, the operations team, etc. – it doesn’t matter what three you choose but you must outline at least three).

2.  Describe the leadership style of at least one of your company’s largest competitors.

3.  Assess your company’s leadership team as compared to other styles and the competition.

a.  Is the leadership style in use by your organization the most appropriate?

b.  Is the leadership style consistent within your company from one area to another?  Should it be? Why or why not?

c.  How does the leadership style of your organization compare to its competitor? Is one better than the other?  Why or why not?

Your third milestone submission should follow APA format, be well supported with a minimum of five recent sources, and be a minimum of four pages long.

Remember: Think critically about the team that leads your organization, how well their leadership style is working, if it’s most appropriate for that company, that industry, their type of employees, and given the current economic environment.  Just like last week, there are a lot of factors at play that impact whether or not a given leadership style is effective.  One size does not fit all, and not all the time.