This
written assignment includes two application questions and one case analysis.
Written Assignment
Questions:
Question
1. (a) In your life, who is the most influential leader you have had so
far? Please answer how that leader gave you so much influence with specific
examples. (b) What type of power did the leader have? What type of
influence tactics did the leader use? Please answer with examples.
Some notes from
the textbook:
Types of power
that can be grouped along two dimensions: organizational power and personal
power
Organizational
Power has three types:
·
Legitimate
power
·
Reward power
·
Coercive power
Personal Power:
·
Expert power
·
Referent power
Question
2. (a) In a crisis situation (e.g., pandemic, natural disaster, etc.), we
tend to look for strong leadership. What type of leader behavior (e.g.,
initiating structure, consideration) should be emphasized in a crisis
situation? Why? (b) How does your organization deal with a crisis
(e.g., the pandemic)? Do you have any complaints to your manager or leader at
work during a crisis? Do you have any suggestions to make the leadership be
more effective? Please share your experience in leadership during any crisis
situation.
Notes from the textbook:
According
to the textbook there are two dimensions capture most of the day-to-day
leadership behaviors which are initiating structure and consideration :
Initiating structure reflects
the extent to which the leader defines and structures the roles of employees in
pursuit of goal attainment.44 Leaders
who are high on initiating structure play a more active role in directing group
activities and prioritize planning, scheduling, and trying out new ideas. They
might emphasize the importance of meeting deadlines, describe explicit
standards of performance, ask employees to follow formalized procedures, and
criticize poor work when necessary.Millard
Drexler, CEO of J. Crew (the New York–based clothing retailer), has a unique
initiating structure approach as he belts out instructions, assigns tasks,
discusses clothing trends, and talks about sales statistics and goals about a
dozen times a day over loudspeakers in the main Manhattan office. If he isn’t
in the office (and he often isn’t), he has his assistant patch him in through
his cell phone.
Consideration reflects the
extent to which leaders create job relationships characterized by mutual trust,
respect for employee ideas, and consideration of employee feelings.Leaders
who are high on consideration create a climate of good rapport and strong,
two-way communication and exhibit a deep concern for the welfare of employees.
They might do personal favors for employees, take time to listen to their
problems, “go to bat” for them when needed, and treat them as equals.48 Jeff
Immelt, former CEO of General Electric, attempted to do this with many of the
officers in his company by hosting a sleepover a couple of times a month.
Immelt says, “We spend Saturday morning just talking about their careers. Who
they are, how they fit, how I see their strengths and weaknesses—stuff like
that. The personal connection is something I may have taken for granted before that
[and] I don’t want to ever take for granted again.”49 Google’s
project OXYGEN was a process that tried to identify the most effective
behaviors of managers inside the organization. The three most important habits
that determined leader success were all oriented toward consideration: meeting
regularly with employees, taking an interest in them personally, and asking
questions rather than always providing answers.50P
Case
analysis – Spotify case
Please
answer the three questions in this case
CASE: SPOTIFY
Although it didn’t start that way, few
people doubt the ability of Daniel Ek (CEO of Spotify) to be able to follow
through any more. One early investor said, “When I first met him, he could
completely articulate how this could affect the music industry and what the
world would look like. I was shaking my head about his crazy ambition, but what
he said at a meeting in 2007 has turned out to become true.”* Ek
is known for his willingness to sit through extraordinarily long negotiations
with musicians and executives in order to prove his point, but he rarely
compromises if he believes he is right. Unlike most CEOs, Ek is seen by most as
“egoless” and focuses a good amount of time on his family. Although he is used
to those who question his practices, Ek receives different kinds of criticism
now that he runs a public company.
One of these criticisms is the high
rate of turnover among key executives in Spotify. Ek labels himself as
“missionary” in that he likes to set 5-year missions for himself. He says,
“That’s how I think about life. Five years is long enough for me to achieve
something meaningful but short enough so I can change my mind every few years.
I’m on my second five-year commitment on Spotify. In two years, I will have to
make my next one. I will need to ask myself if I still enjoy what I’m doing.
I’m kind of unusual that way, but it gives me clarity and purpose.”** He
expects others to do the same. Every year he sits down with his executives and
asks them one question, “Is this what you want to do for the next two years?”
In a process that he calls “excruciating,” he forces his employees into
thinking about whether or not what they are doing is their true passion and
whether they are willing to commit to another “mission.”
This has led to a large number of
people leaving, including some high ranking employees. Ek pushes them with
questions that are meant to make transparent whether the employee’s goals are
in line with the goals of their job. Ek notes that, “Very few people at Spotify
last more than two or three of these rounds.Ӡ The
employees don’t leave as a result of poor performance, they are just empowered
to pursue their true passions somewhere else. Ek says that “That honesty is an
important part of our culture.Ӡ
1.
14.1Is it reasonable for a CEO like
Ek to expect his employees to have the same passion and commitment to their
work as he does?
2. 14.2What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a leader with
such a strong vision for the company?
3.
14.3Does Ek fit your perception of what a “transformational
leader” is supposed to be?
Submission
Instructions:
For
question 1, your example leader can be anyone you know personally or a public
figure who has a strong influence on you. You have to describe specific
examples in your answer.
For
question 2, if you are not currently working, please consider any previous
experience or example leadership in crisis.
Please
apply chapter theories and contents in your answer. Also, if you have any
related experience, try to share your own experience in your answers.
Make
sure to fully answer all questions (with all sub-questions). Do not type
out all questions, but need to include question numbers for each answer.
Expect
to see 4.5 pages excluding references – the last sentence of your answer should
be on page 5.
Double-space
and 12 pt.
font
size. One-inch margins. APA style.