Questions and Answers of The Leadership Experience

1. Assume you are Vince Brofft and want to lead the change to save the plant. Describe how you would enact the first three stages outlined in Exhibit 15.2 of the text.2. Describe three tactics you
1. How would you describe the culture of Forest International as it relates to internal integration and external adaptation?2. Would you expect that changing the culture at Forest would be easily
1. Identify themes that you would like to make a part of your vision for the police department.2. If you get the job, how will you gain acceptance for your vision? How will you implement changes that
1. What sources of power does Reid have in this situation? Do you believe using legitimate power to implement a decision would have a positive effect at Blake Memorial? Discuss.2. What influence
1. What do you think is the problem in the Antioch plant? What is the cause of that problem? 2. How do you think Stephen and his team of managers might cut through the cultural and language
1. If you were Ethney, how would you try to conduct yourself at the oil company? Why do you think your approach would be successful?2. Do you think male-dominated cultures like this one still exist?
1. If you were Ethney, how would you try to conduct yourself at the oil company? Why do you think your approach would be successful?2. Do you think male-dominated cultures like this one still exist?
1. Was the research program a group or a team? What about each subgroup? If a team, what type of team was it (functional, cross-departmental, self-directed)? Explain.2. What were the group norms
1. How would you rate the communication climate at the Saddle Creek Deli? How did this climate contribute to the service problems and complaints from customers?2. How do you think Purvis could
1. What theories of motivation underlie the switch to the new, computerized scheduling system? Why are employees working harder? Why aren’t they happier?2. If you were Lisa Mahoney, what factors
Why do you think making progress in meaningful work ranks as the most important factor contributing to motivation according to a recent study? How might leaders provide a sense of progress for
1. How would you evaluate Mitchell as a follower? How would you evaluate his courage and style?2. If you were Mitchell, would you confront Garrow and share your honest feelings and frustrations? Why
1. How would you evaluate Mitchell as a follower? How would you evaluate his courage and style?2. If you were Mitchell, would you confront Garrow and share your honest feelings and frustrations? Why
Discuss the role of a follower. Why do you think so little emphasis is given to followership compared to leadership in organizations?
1. What would you advise John Blake to do? Why? What are reasons both for and against being honest with the FDA?2. Do you believe it would take courage for Blake to honestly reveal the timing and
1. What do you see as the underlying problem with Larry Hillerman? What suggestions do you have that might help Larry change his behavior?2. Analyze Larry’s behavior with respect to the four
1. Based only on the consultant’s summary, which of the three candidates would you select as a leader for the group of loan officers? Discuss and defend your decision.2. The selection committee is
Extroversion is often considered a “good” quality for a leader to have. Why might introversion be considered an equally positive quality?
1. Why had Ken Osborne’s department been so successful even though he has provided little leadership over the past two years?2. How would you describe Osborne’s current leadership style? Based on
1. What traits does Woodside possess that might be helpful to him as he assumes his new position? What traits might be detrimental?2. Would you consider Woodside a people-oriented or a task-oriented
1. What leadership skills has Julie Cobb demonstrated in her current position? Discuss.2. Would you promote someone during a difficult time into a key leadership position who is considered a
1. What leadership skills has Julie Cobb demonstrated in her current position? Discuss.2. Would you promote someone during a difficult time into a key leadership position who is considered a
1. Compare the leadership traits and behaviors of Ben Samuels and Phil Jones.2. Which leader do you think is more effective? Why? Which leader would you prefer to work for?3. If you were Phil
If a leader directs her health-care company to reward hospital managers strictly on hospital profits, what kind of values is she encouraging within the company culture? Discuss.
Some mortgage company leaders have said that providing subprime mortgages (earn a commission by making loans to people at high interest rates who may have difficulty making the payments) was based on
Some people believe that all good leadership is spiritual in nature. Others think spiritual values have no place at work. Discuss these two opposing viewpoints.
1. What options do you think Jane and her management team should consider with regard to these two long-time supervisors? Discuss the positives and negatives of each option.2. Do you think it is
1. Using the competing values model in Exhibit 14.4, what type of culture (adaptability, achievement, involvement, consistency) would you say is dominant at 5 Star? At Amtech? What is your
How are Kotter’s eight-stage framework for change and the AI method similar? How are they different? Explain.
As a leader, how might you overcome your own felt resistance to a change from above and act as a role model for implementing the change?
Think of a problem situation you would like to change at work, school, or home and describe how you would provide a positive emotional attractor for this change.
How could you increase the number of novel and useful solutions you can come up with to solve a problem?
Of the five elements that help people change (positive emotional attractor, supportive relationships, repetition of new behaviors, participation and involvement, and after-action reviews), which do
How would you suggest a leader overcome resistance to a change that is going to cause some people to lose their jobs?
Why are idea champions important for a creative culture? Do you think these people would be more important in a large organization or a small one? Discuss.
Planned change is often considered ideal. Do you think unplanned change could be effective? Discuss. Can you think of an example?
Do you believe the Wall Street meltdown of 2008 will lead to any lasting changes in U.S. financial services institutions? What kinds of lasting changes do you envision? What about companies in other
Is the world really changing faster today, or do people just assume so?
1. Why do you think the regions are not responding to Wilkes’s initiative for change? What did Wilkes do wrong with respect to implementing the change?2. Should Wilkes solicit more active support
1. Assume you are Sanchez or Hudson and plan to implement immediate organizational change within the practice. Where would you start? What steps would you take?2. The accountant recommended that
1. Does John Terrill’s leadership style fit the definition of leadership in Exhibit 1.1? Is it part of a leader’s job to manage upward? Explain.2. With respect to Exhibit 1.4, in what leadership
1. If you were a top leader, how would you respond to the ultimatum? Be specific. Explain why.2. What is Marshall missing with respect to his leadership abilities? How do you explain his poor
1. What do you see as Michael Collins’s leadership traits? Which of these traits do you consider a strength? A weakness? Explain.2. What do you think of Michael Collins’s approach to leading the
1. Analyze this situation using the Hersey–Blanchard model and the Vroom–Jago model. What do these models suggest as the appropriate leadership or decision style? Explain.2. Evaluate Kevin
1. How would you characterize Block’s leadership approach (task versus people)? What approach do you think is correct for this situation? Why?2. What would you do now if you were Block? How might
1. What does nice mean to you? Do you think nice is a good trait for leaders or the kiss of death?2. Is nice related to any concepts in the chapter, such as one of the big five personality
1. “At the senior management level, you get hired for competence. You get fired for personality.” In your opinion, is this statement true or false? How does it relate to Barry Carver and his
1. Describe the two different mental models represented in this story.2. What are some of the assumptions that shape the mindset of Sam Nolan? Of Tom Carr?3. Do you think it is possible for Carr to
1. Analyze Alfonso’s impact on the crew in terms of love versus fear. What might account for the fact that he behaved so strongly as captain of the USS Florida?2. Which do you think a leader should
1. If you were De la Vega, what would you do at this point? Do you think De la Vega has waited too long to make a substantial change in his relationship with Bussard? Why?2. How would you
1. Which store manager—Phillip Jordan or Jan Whitall—would you prefer working for? How did each leader’s style affect the culture of the pet store? Explain.2. What kind of follower was Adam
What style of handling conflict do you typically use? Can you think of instances where a different style might have been more productive?
If you were the leader of a team developing a new computer game, how might you apply negotiation to resolve a conflict between two strong-willed members related to which features to include in the
1. What styles for handling conflict appear among the board members? Explain.2. What options do Ben and Casey have for helping resolve the conflict between Johnna and Robert? What conflict styles
1. What factors do you think are affecting this team’s cohesiveness? Explain.2. If you were the team leader, what could you do to bring Fitzgerald into the team more and foster better relationships
Do you agree with sociologist William Bielby that people have innate biases and will automatically discriminate if left to their own devices? Discuss.
Why is diversity of thought important for today’s organizations? Do you think an organization can have diversity of thought if all employees are of the same race and approximately the same age and
What is interactive leadership, and why might this approach be increasingly important for all leaders in the twenty-first century?
Discuss ways in which low power distance as a social value among followers could affect their interaction with a leader who displays high power distance.
Why do you think many women opt out from seeking higher levels of corporate leadership? Discuss why you think this either is or is not a trend that might hurt organizations over the next decade.
Take another look at this chapter’s Consider This box. What might be some reasons men seem to be falling behind in today’s world? If this is true, why is it that women are still so poorly
Why is it important for today’s leaders to develop cultural intelligence? Do you think a leader who has never had experience with people different from himself or herself can develop the ability to
Recall a leader you worked for. At what stage of personal diversity awareness (refer to Exhibit 11.7) was this leader? Explain. At what stage of diversity awareness are you?
Do you think people and organizations can ever become gender- and color-blind? Discuss.
The chapter described a conflict at a meatpacking plant over providing break times for Muslims to pray. How might leaders accommodate the needs of diverse groups without offending other groups or
Do you think male-dominated cultures like this one still exist? Do you think women have to plot a strategy to be accepted? Would you adopt a strategy in which you acted different from your normal
1. What is your initial reaction to this story? Why do you think you had this reaction?2. Based on this limited information, how would you rate this organization in terms of developing leadership
How do you feel about personally using Machiavellian-style leadership? What do you see as some positive and negative aspects of Machiavellian-style leadership?
What do you consider the most important difference between transformational leadership and transactional leadership? Between transformational and charismatic leadership? How is transformational
Assume you are on a search committee to replace the CEO of a large financial services firm that is recovering from problems related to the mortgage crisis. Which do you think would be most valuable
Which of the four organizational frames of reference do you most admire? How do you think this frame of reference could be beneficial or detrimental to your leadership capability?
A recent magazine article suggested that young college graduates just entering the workforce are refusing to “play the political game.” Why might this be the case? If politics is important for
Which types of power would you rely on to implement an important decision quickly? Which types would you consider most valuable for sustaining power over the long term?
Describe ways in which you might increase your personal power.
Which of the six influence tactics would you be most comfortable with as leader of a study group? Of a work team? Discuss.
A leadership observer said in an interview that most women leaders view power differently than men do and prefer a collaborative, relationship-oriented use of power. If this is the case, what does it
1. Who do you think the CEO should appoint as CIO? Why?2. Is Pat sabotaging his career by thinking of relationship building as “office politics” that takes the focus away from day-to-day work?
1. How would you explain the board’s selection of Standard Systems?2. Discuss the types, sources, and relative amount of power for the three main characters in this story.3. How might Lassiter have
A management consultant said that strategic leaders are concerned with vision and mission, while strategic managers are concerned with strategy. Do you agree? Discuss.
A vision can apply to an individual, a family, a college course, a career, or decorating an apartment. Think of something you care about for which you want the future to be different from the present
If you worked for a company like Amazon or Google that has a strong vision for the future, how would that affect you compared to working for a company that did not have a vision?
Do you agree with the principle of self-reference? In other words, do you believe if people know where the organization is trying to go, they will make decisions that support the desired
What does it mean to say that the vision can include a description of both the journey and the destination?
Many visions are written and hung on a wall. Do you thing this type of vision has value? What would be required to imprint the vision within each person?
Do you think most employees know what the mission of their company is? Suggest some ways leaders can effectively communicate the mission to people both inside and outside the organization.
Do you think every organization needs a noble purpose in order to be successful over the long term? Discuss. Name one company that seems to reflect each category of noble purpose as defined in the
Strategic vision and strategic action are both needed for a leader to be effective. Which do you think you are better at doing? Why?
If vision is so important, why do analysts and commentators sometimes criticize a new CEO’s emphasis on formulating a vision for a company that is struggling to survive? Discuss.
1. What mission for the Central City Museum do you personally prefer? As director, would you try to implement your preferred mission? Explain.2. How would you try to resolve the underlying conflicts
1. How effective would you rate Coleman as a visionary leader? Discuss.2. Where would you place Coleman on the chart of types of leaders illustrated in Exhibit 13.1? Where would you place Deacon?3.
How difficult would it be for you as a leader to fire someone who is bringing in big sales and profits for the company but not living up to the cultural values? Explain.
How might leaders use symbolic acts to strengthen a cultural value of teamwork and collaboration? How about a value of customer care and responsiveness?
Describe the culture for an organization you are familiar with. Identify some physical artifacts—such as logo, mascot, building, advertising images—associated with the company and discuss what
Name one or two companies in the news that seem to have strong corporate cultures, and describe whether the results have been positive or negative. Discuss how a strong culture could have either
As a leader, how might you recognize a culture gap? What techniques might you use to influence and change cultural values when necessary?
Compare and contrast the achievement culture with the involvement culture. What are some possible disadvantages of having a strong involvement culture? A strong achievement culture?
If you were the leader of a small technology firm, how might you imprint in people’s minds the values shown in Exhibit 14.2 for responsive cultures in order to create a high-performance culture? Be
Discuss the meaning of calling and membership, as related to spiritual leadership. Identify an organization or leader that uses these concepts. To what extent were these concepts present where you
Think back to teachers you have had, and identify one each who fits a supportive style, directive style, participative style, and achievement-oriented style according to the path–goal theory. Which
Should serving others be placed at a higher moral level than serving oneself? Discuss.

Showing 1 - 100 of 192