There are three elements that must be considered to analyze a leadership scenario. The first is the leader, which we will spend the majority of the term discussing. The second is the followers, which we will also discuss. The last is the situation and it will be the focus of this discussion. This discussion will use the definitions listed below to analyze a situation. This analysis will provide a basis for you to systematically choose a leadership approach that has the best odds for success.

A systematic way to analyze a leadership situation is to start with a micro, or task-level, analysis and zoom out. A task-level analysis concerns the characteristics of a task that a person is assigned to complete. An analysis of an organization dissects the larger organizational characteristics into component parts that could influence the person completing the task. Finally, the environment consists of outside forces that may impact the person completing the task. Review the definitions below, and consider the discussion prompt at the end.

Consider the Primary Task That Your Followers Must Complete and Describe:

Task autonomy is the degree to which a job provides an individual with some control over what he does and how he does it.

Test feedback is the degree to which a person accomplishing a task receives information about performance from performing the task itself.

Task structure is the degree to which the task is made clear to the employee who has to perform it.

Task interdependence is the degree to which tasks require coordination and synchronization for workgroups or teams to accomplish desired goals.

Consider The Organization In Which You And Your Followers Operate and Describe:

The level of authority concerns the hierarchical level in an organization.

Organizational structure refers to the way an organizations activities are coordinated and controlled, and it represents another level of the situation in which leaders and followers must operate.

Horizontal complexity refers to the number of boxes at any particular organizational level.

Vertical complexity refers to the number of hierarchical levels appearing on an organizational chart.

Spatial complexity describes geographic dispersion.

Formalization is the extent to which an organizations policies, procedures, job descriptions, and rules are written and explicitly articulated.

Centralization refers to the diffusion of decision-making throughout an organization.

Consider The Environment In Which You and Your Followers Operate and Describe:

External Stakeholders for your organization

How These Stakeholders could impact your organization.

Use the above concepts to analyze your current position or the position you hope to be in from a leadership point of view.

The goal of this exercise is twofold. The first is that you recognize a leader alone does not create success or failure in a situation. Leaders are successful when they recognize the factors that could help or hinder the teams success. The second goal is to give you a foundation to consider leadership and ethical theories in this course from your individual point of view.