Fluent Essays

Writing as a future leader or manager in your chosen sector of business, develop a Leadership Blog that respond to the following 2 themes: 1. Change Management (1000 words) 2. My Development as a Future Leader (1000 words) Blog 1 – Change Management Blog 1: background context On 29th March 2017, the UK officially triggered article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, paving the ground for the UK’s plans to leave the European Union (‘Brexit’). The triggering of article 50 was historically ground-breaking, and it marked the beginning of a two-year period in which the politicians, businesses and the people of Britain have to prepare for a life after Brexit. The 2 year extension expired on the 29th of March 2019 and the UK requested for an extension. Initially, an extension was granted till the 12th of April 2019 and the departure deadline was further extended till the 31st of October 2019. Brexit will undoubtedly have consequences for businesses, and it is believed that UK-based businesses will be most affected. These consequences might vary from industry to industry, however, many UK-based and international businesses are currently questioning what the future holds for them in the UK. Your task for this blog is to identify any kind of problem that you anticipate for UK-based and international businesses in the wake of Brexit, and develop a solution for one of these problems. Blog instructions (word count: 1000) Your task in this blog is to conduct independent research that will require you to: 1. Choose a real business in an industry of your choice and identify a problem triggered by (the uncertainty of) Brexit and all potential consequences associated with Brexit for this business. 2. Develop a solution to the problem that clearly outlines the organisational, structural or strategic change that has to be undertaken by this business. 3. Design an action plan that you would recommend to this business. 4. Define your learning outcomes for change management based on your problem-solving experience. Understanding the key words Below are some short explanations about these keywords: Identify – a real business in a particular industry, and explain you reasons for choosing this business. Use theories and models learnt in this module to critically evaluate the impact Brexit is having on this business. Develop – based on your change management research, explain the root of the identified problem caused by Brexit, providing arguments how the organisation would benefit from overcoming the problem by implementing change. Design – discuss the actions you suggest to overcome the problem and what role leaders can play in overcoming resistance to change. Define – communicate your learning outcomes for change management, making sure that these are founded on the learning experience and action plan (solution) you delivered. Reviewing your work After you have written your blog, read it all the way to the end to check that you have: Made reference to change management theories studied in this module. Used a problem of a real organisation to highlight the impact effective change management can have on overcoming challenges caused by real events such as Brexit. Identified learning outcomes for what you learned about change management theories and models to produce better results. Used in-text citations throughout your blog to show where your knowledge of change management comes from. Actively engaged with your followers on the WordPress blog. Taken screen shots of the conversations and inserted it in the final word document which you will submit on Moodle. What you must NOT do. Do not simply gather together a series of quotes from published authors in the hope that this presents your views. Remember Socrates words of wisdom: To believe without evidence and demonstration is an act of ignorance and folly. Blog 2 - My Development as a Future Leader Blog 2: background context ‘Serious leaders understand that, both by design and default, they’re always leading by example. Some want to “lead from the front” while others prefer “leading from behind.” But everyone senses their success — and failure — at leading by example is integral to their “leadership brand.” Smart leaders want to build their brands. The lead-by-example stories executives tell sharpen their leadership brand propositions… The true lead-by-example test is who follows those examples and how. Do colleagues and clients see those examples as leadership? Are direct reports inspired to admire and emulate? When people describe “the right way” of getting the job done or getting the best out of people, is an example explicitly referenced?’ (Schrage 2016:2-4). So, what is your leadership brand? And how effective has your brand been to acquire followers who feel supported and inspired by you? Do your followers trust your leadership and by doing so actively support the achievement of the team’s goals? Develop your blog to critically reflect on your performance this term as a leader of a team and what this means for your future development in your MBA. Blog instructions (word count: 1000) Your task in this blog is to conduct independent research that will require you to: 1. Appraise your leadership brand by justifying your choice of one theory or model of leadership that reflects your vision and values about leading other people to achieve a goal/result 2. Assess the relevance of your leadership brand to your chosen career in relation to the cultural norms of leaders in the role, industry or national context 3. Evaluate your current strengths and development needs when demonstrating your leadership brand by analysing the feedback from 3 different team members. Their feedback should include what they observed about the situation, the behaviour you demonstrated and the impact it had on your team to influence them to follow you and the results you achieved 4. Create a development plan that justifies how you will use more of your strengths and develop your weaknesses in leading teams in your future MBA studies Understanding the key words Below are some short explanations about these keywords: Appraise – using your research skills, write about how trustworthy and relevant your chosen theory or model is for leaders like yourself. Is the theory or model from a well-known author? Has this been tested by other researchers? Is it up to date for the needs of leaders now or the future? Assess – using more than one source of information about your career, industry and country to come to a conclusion about what is typical or expected and what might be new or unusual about this style of leadership. Evaluate – use your research skills to gather data for a specific purpose and analyse the data against your criteria (in this case, the leadership theory or model) to come to a decision about your effectiveness, e.g. ‘by how much’ are you effective in this style of leader for your specific purpose? Justify – using your writing skills, explain the reasons why your decisions are reasonable and logical linked to your overall goal Reviewing your work After you have written your blog, read it all the way to the end to check that you have: Used an appropriate theory or model of leadership studied in this module. Included your conclusions about how relevant this is for your career Drawn conclusions about ‘by how much’ you are achieving positive results as a leader from feedback from your team members. The feedback must be illustrated using actual quotes (anonymised) shared with you by 3 team members. We don’t expect you to be 100% perfect. Used in-text citations throughout your blog to show where your knowledge of leadership and your chosen career comes from. Actively engaged with your followers on the WordPress blog. Taken screen shots of the conversations and inserted it in the final word document which you will submit on Moodle. Requirement Detail Structure You have been asked to produce 2 blogs. It should contain the following: Appropriate cover sheet (as attached in this document – please ensure appropriate cover sheet is attached to your assessment brief) Title Page, including the given title in full. Format: Public WordPress Blog (converted to a word doc for submission) with a cover sheet including link to your WordPress Blog* Contents Page Introduction Screenshots of your conversations with the followers on the word document. Layout Your work should be word processed in accordance with the following: Font style, Arial, font size 12 1.5 line spacing. The page orientation should be ‘portrait’ Margins on both sides of the page should be no less than 2.5 cm Pages should be numbered Attached some ppt for knowledge for your reference. In addition, please use some picture for the blog hi, attached some more knowledge and sample of blog for your reference. Unit 5: Leading Teams (Knowledgecast) As a result of today’s Knowledgecast, you should be able to: Examine the difference between groups and teams in a work context Appraise a range of approaches managers can use to create high performance teams Assess the interventions managers can implement to address poor performance within teams Today’s Knowledgecast Understanding Groups and Teams Employee behaviour is influenced by a combination of 4 factors Understanding Groups and Teams requires an appreciation of differences in: Groups vs. Teams Team Formation Team Performance Team Dynamics Team Communication Changing Team Formats Individual behaviour is influenced by a range of factors The majority of workers are dependent on the skills and talents of others. How do I create the perfect team? Purpose: Mullins (2016) Skills: Belbin (2000) How do I get my team to work together effectively? Tuckman and Jensen (1977) What role do I need to take to manage the team effectively? CIPD (2010) Mullins (2016) What do I do when the team is not working well together? JoHari Window (cited in Mullins 2016) Teams – 4 Problems for Leaders and Managers Defining Groups vs Teams Source: Belbin (2000) One size DOES NOT fit all. The majority of workers are dependent on the skills and talents of others. Leaders must be aware of their own behaviour within the Group or Team context GROUPS Schein interact psychologically aware of each other & perceive Adair Conscious Shared purpose Interdependence interaction TEAMS Mullins: Shared goals Contribute own skills, dependency on success of others Gestalt Theory – whole is greater than sum of its parts The answer could be found in defining its characteristics: A belief in shared aims and objectives A sense of belonging to the group Acceptance of group values and norms A feeling of mutual trust and dependency Full participation and consensus in decisions A free flow of information and communication Open expression of feelings and disagreements Conflict resolved within the group Low levels of staff turnover and absenteeism Source: Mullins (2016) Q1. What makes the perfect team? Source: Belbin 2000 (cited in Mullins, 2016) Q1. What makes the perfect team? To function effectively an organisations requires Collaboratin Cooperation Amongst its members Q2. How do I get my team to work together effectively? FORMING NORMING PERFORMING STORMING Polite Impersonal Guarded Watchful Confronting people Dealing with conflict Opting out ‘not for me’ Lose team members Getting organised Developing skills Establishing systems and procedures Tackling challenges Getting Feedback Closeness/friendship Flexible Supportive and trusting Sharing ideas Tolerant of members ADJOURNING Based on Tuckman and Jensen (1977) Ground Rules – an example Q2. How do I get my team to work together effectively? We all turn up for every meeting on time We are honest with our opinions and feelings all the time We keep to deadlines It is OK to ask for help when we are struggling with work We deal with problems as a team as soon as they appear We review our ground rules in every meeting We challenge each other to come up with the best ideas possible We give each other constructive feedback to help improve our skills We have fun together Q3. What role do I need to take to lead the team effectively? In a CIPD (2010) Employee Outlook survey: 49% of respondents felt that they were well/fairly well informed about their organisation 53% of respondents felt that they were consulted on matters of importance to themselves by their line manager Source: CIPD (July 2010) 1. Have a shared purpose 2. Convince your leaders 3. Engage your people 4. Consider your channels 5. Keep the personal touch 7. Measure your results 6. Work collaboratively Q3. What role do I need to take to lead the team effectively? Clear and shared goals Agreed ways of working Effective communication Support and cooperation Regular review of progress We agree what we are setting out to achieve We agree a set of Ground Rules We agree the methods to use when we communicate with each other We agree to help each other with team tasks We meet regularly to review our action plan We agree what success looks like We take everyone’s needs into account We deal with poor cooperation as a team We review our Ground Rules to make sure the team is working effectively Development of leadership and management ability by: Diagnosing the relationships between people Understanding how others react to you Identifying hidden behaviour that needs to be shared Identifying behaviours unknown to you Adapting your behaviour to meet the needs of the situation Source: Mullins (2016) Q4. What do I do when the team is not working well together? Using ‘Johari Window’ to develop self-insight in order to: Reduce the ‘Hidden’ area through self-disclosure Reduce the ‘Blind’ area through feedback from others Q4. What do I do when the team is not working well together? What makes a Successful Virtual Team? The Culture The Team Members High level of trust and collaboration across the team Use technology to build relationships and team development Clear individual and team standards Flexible and dynamic with the variety of tasks, roles, and time zones Tools for communication and collaboration Commitment to deliver promised results Common processes and procedures Rapid accepting of new team members Communication prioritised by the sender Rapid accepting of change in the team Reward and recognition policies in place Leaders role model the use of communication and technology A Geographically separated, non face to face, self managed team in different time zones makes for some key challenges for a Virtual Team Reflect critically on and apply conceptual and practical approaches to leadership in a range of different organisational settings Critically evaluate techniques to address and overcome resistance to change Critically reflect upon personal experiences and aspirations around leadership enabling them to develop originality in their own leadership capabilities Explore the ethical relationships between leaders and followers Knowledgecast Summary M005 – Leading in a Changing World Unit 1: Ethical Leadership in Business (Knowledgecast) Welcome LECTURER NAME Dr Gratien David Pillai Qualifications PhD Academic Experience Taught with leading universities in the UK and Thailand in subject areas such as Organisational Behaviour (OB) and Human Resources Management (HRM) over the past fifteen years Professional Experience Held senior management roles where I successfully helped to setup an international programme in collaboration with leading universities in the UK and Australia Research Consultancy Work-Life Balance; flexible working; HRM issues relating to the public sector Module Overview Leadership & Ethics Leadership & Culture Management & Teamwork Leadership & Motivation Change Management Leadership Reading Our Core Textbook: Management & Organisational Behaviour Laurie J Mullins 11th edition 2016 Interesting books on leadership: There is a plethora of leadership books so choose a writing style you will enjoy reading. Good examples include: Good to Great, Jim Collins The Servant Leader, Ken Blanchard & Phil Hodges Leadership & the One Minute Manager, Blanchard, Zigarmi & Drea The One thing you need to know, Marcus Buckingham 29 Leadership Secrets from Jack Welch, Robert Slater https://www.bcgperspectives.com/talent_and_leadership http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/leading_in_the_21st_century/interviews_with_leaders?cid=other-eml-alt-mip-mck-oth-1311 http://blogs.hbr.org/2010/04/the-new-21st-century-leaders-1/ Type https://twitter.com/search?q=leadership into your web browser to find out what’s trending re leadership on Twitter LinkedIn Today – http://www.linkedin.com/today/ – LinkedIn Today uses your linked in profile to gather articles relevant to your field & follow topics of interest Other useful Leadership Research Blog Writing Workshop When? Tuesday 1st October 2019 16:00 – 17:00 in Room 304 (Library) Friday 4th October 2019 15:00 – 16:00 in Room 304 (Library Friday 25th October 2019 12:00 – 13:00 in Room 304 (Library)   The students will have to register for these training sessions via the spotlight site. Please remember that ‘Places’ are limited. If you have problems registering for the workshop, you can email Rachael Hunter at  [email protected] Management is: Getting work done through the efforts of other people (Mullins, 2016) Leadership is: The process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it (Yukl, 2010:26) Management and Leadership - our working definitions Or to put it another way……. Leadership is: The art of getting people to do what you want them to do, in the way you want it done, because they want to do it” (General Eisenhower, Military Leader & US President 1953-61) Master your emotions The past: what holds you back? The future: what new behaviours do you need? Real Leadership starts with You: No days unalert! “The behaviours that got you here will not be the behaviours you need to succeed here”. Realism Mastery of Self: the past & the future Each week you will appoint a new team leader. Team leaders are responsible for ensuring all team members participate in class and prepare for their following class reading and activities. Team members are responsible for managing their time to ensure they arrive into class on time and fully prepared. Teams give their leaders feedback! As a result of this knowledgecast, you should be able to: Identify the 2 principle theories of ethics Appraise the relevance of ethical leadership in relation to the impact on organisational culture Understand the 4 V model of ethical leadership Unit 1 Learning: ETHICS & Leadership Mullins Text book reading: Chapter 3: The nature & context of organisations Chapter 14: Corporate Responsibility & Ethics Why is the study of Ethical Leadership Relevant today? Source: Yukl (2010) The evidence suggests that ethical leader behavior can have important positive effects on both individual and organizational effectiveness Studying ethics in leadership is useful to: Identify individual determinants of ethical leadership Understand the situational influences on ethical leadership Appreciate the consequences of ethical & unethical leadership “If there were principles and fixed laws, nations would not change them as we change our shirts and a man cannot be expected to be wiser than an entire nation”. Honore de Balzac 1799-1850 Why is Ethical Leadership Relevant? Informs brand Identity Competitive advantage Helps customers understand what we do Drives business results Ethisphere Starts with the founding leader’s values Trust linked to how organisations operate Important to Customers Influences recruitment of staff Reflects expectations of employees What is Ethical Leadership? Defining it….. Relates to being “good and bad, or right and wrong”. Its about understanding what makes some things good and others bad. Mullins (2016) The demonstration of normatively appropriate conduct based on the identification of a set of values & beliefs Rubin et al (2010: 216-17) Consistency between espoused and actual behaviors consistent with a set of justifiable moral principles Yukl (2010) Normative ie ‘standard’ behaviour expected of a leader through personal actions & interpersonal relationships observable in their own work & when working with others & the promotion of such conduct to followers through two-way communication, reinforcement & decision-making. Role modeling these behaviours consistently. Integrity Ethics – 2 principle theories http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/introduction/ Kant: the only intrinsically “good” thing is a good will ie actions which uphold moral law Bentham/Mills: greatest good for the greatest number Deontological (Rules) Emphasizes DUTY ie what must done or not done irrespective of the results Goodness or badness is evident in the action itself Teleological (Consequentialist) The means can be justified by the end result A ‘bad’ act can have ‘good’ results - goodness or badness is only evident in the results concerned with what people do, not with the consequences of their actions The more good consequences an act produces, the better or more right that act Ethics – 2 principle theories http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/introduction/ Kantianism is a deontological approach to ethics e.g. to be considered moral it is essential to adhere to rules or duties. Kant believed consequences have no role when judging a person’s action to be right or wrong Bentham, Mills, Machiavelli and other philosophers subscribe to the teleological approach to ethics e.g. acting morally is determined by whether the consequences of an act are good or bad. If good, the act is right, if bad the act is wrong. Enron: an abuse of deontological principles Enron collapses Andrew Fastow Jeffrey Skilling hid behind accounting rules Introduction to Enron's downfall (1:30sec) Daimler Chrysler: good intentions led to catastrophic consequences 1998 Merger valued at $38billion: Hailed by Daimler CEO & merger architect, Jurgen Schrempp as “a merger of equals…yet Daimler executives behaved as the “buyer” causing huge resentment in the American Chrysler firm. Schrempp resigned in 2005 Daimler sold Chrysler in May 2007 for US$6 billion Values carry an individual’s ideas as to what is right, good or desirable and influene behaviour, perception and motivation. Vision: the ability to frame one’s actions in the service of others Voice: process of articulating the vision with authenticity to motivate action in others Virtue: understanding that we become what we practice The 4V Model of Ethical Leadership Dr Bill Grace: http://www.ethicalleadership.org/concepts-and-philosophies.html The 4-V model of ethical leadership What are your personal values How do you behave? Do you hold yourself accountable 4V Model: Why Ethical Leadership is relevant to YOU Real life lessons & Social Science findings Dr Bill Grace: http://www.ethicalleadership.org/concepts-and-philosophies.html The 4-V model of ethical leadership Ethical leaders ask, “How are my values, vision and voice in keeping with the common good?” What happens when there is a loss of Values and Consequent Behaviours Libor – (London InterBank Offer Rate) systemic financial corruption….. “this goes far beyond any corruption we’ve had….” http://corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15768 Goldman – Cheating their own clients http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15857 Madoff– 150 years for Ponzi scheme…“didn’t want to look like a failure” http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15406 Bank of America/Countrywide illegal loans http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15792 Barclays – Manipulated Fed rate………”everyone else was doing it, our only way to compete” http://corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15749 MF Global – Billions “missing” http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15676 Enron collapses. Andrew Fastow & Jeffrey Skilling Loss of Values and Consequent Behaviours 2001:Ehime Maru disaster: USS Greenville, Commanded by Scott Waddle sinks Japanese civilian fishing boat off the coast of Oahu Loss of 9 lives 4 submariners knew the sub was directly under the boat but were too afraid to embarrass the Commander Ethical Behaviour If you don’t have the character to do the right thing then knowing how to do the right thing is irrelevant Why understanding your values and ethical behaviour is important: Stanley Milgram’s Obedience to Authority Knowing your own values is key to knowing how you will behave when under peer pressure and business pressure Replication of Stanley Milgram's Obedience to Authority 65% inflicted 450 volts Comparable global results Why would so many subjects obey? Social learning theory & peer pressure Peer pressure impacts behavioural response due to the social need to “conform”. Consider and be ready to discuss how peer pressure can affect commands from legitimate authority Milgram & Solomon Asch: Peer Pressure Solomon Asch Conformity Experiment - video Other famous Social Science experiments examining behaviour and peer pressure: 1967: How Ron Jones & Cubberley High School, Palo Alto recreated Nazi Germany 1971: The Lucifer effect. Philip Zimbardo, Stanford University Prison Guards Knowledgecast Summary Identify the 2 principle theories of ethics Appraise the relevance of ethical leadership in relation to the impact on organisational culture Understand the 4 V model of ethical leadership Any Questions?