M&IS 34165 Dynamics of Leadership

Wednesdays 6:15 – 8:55

Room BSA #215

Fall 2008, Section 005, CRN#10288

Instructor:  Tammy Rapp

Email: trapp@kent.edu

Office Hours:  By appointment. Please email or call me to set up a meeting time.

Telephone:  (330) 235-6201. Please note, this is my home phone. You are welcome to call anytime between 7am and 7pm.

COURSE MATERIAL (Both are required)

§  TEXTBOOK:  Northouse, Peter G. (2007) Leadership Theory and Practice. 4^th Edition. Sage. ISBN #: 978-1-4129-4161-7.

§  CASE STUDY: Leadership in Crisis: Ernest Shackleton and the Epic Voyage of the Endurance.

Authors: Nancy F. Koehn, Erica Helms, Phillip Mead,  Product #: 803127

Cost = $6.95 for hard-copy or electronic access; Harvard Website: www.hbsp.harvard.edu/

Link to case study order page:  http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=803127&referral=8636&_requestid=99764

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to provide students with knowledge about the dynamics of leadership, primarily within organizational settings. We integrate theoretical and practical considerations through the textbook, lectures, class discussions, case studies, and “hands on” exercises.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the course is to give you a better understanding of leadership in organizations, using multiple angles and perspectives. Additionally, the course should stimulate students to think about and develop their leadership potential by integrating theoretical as well as practical considerations for effective leadership. 

GRADING

The course will consist of a total of 500 points, as follows:

Exams (2@100 points) ------------------------------- 200 points

Team Assignment (Leader Profile) ---------------  100 points

Team Assignment (Movie Clip) --------------------    20 points

Individual Assignment (Personal Assessment) -  100 points

Individual Assignment (Case Study) --------------    30 points

Class attendance & participation -----------------    50 points

COURSE CONTENT

EXAMS (2 @ 100 points = 200 points)

Two exams are scheduled for the semester (i.e., a midterm and a final).  Both exams will cover text readings, handouts, and lecture material.  The format of the exams may include multiple choice and/or short answer essay questions. Each exam is worth 100 points.  Make-up exams will be given under extenuating circumstances, by permission, and must be arranged prior to the scheduled exam time. If you have a conflict, please notify me as soon as possible.

INDIVIDUALS ASSIGNMENTS

(1)   WRITTEN CASE STUDY (30 points)

For this assignment, you will be required to read the Shackleton (Harvard Business School) case study and answer questions about the case (which I will distribute in class). Your case write up should be handed in during class on the day it is due (Nov. 5^th). Case write-ups must be typed. I prefer single-spaced, 12-point, Times New Roman font, 1 inch margins. Handing as assignment in late will result in a 5 point grade reduction.

Please note, due to copyright restrictions, students will be required to purchase this case from Harvard Business Online. Go to the Harvard Business Press website to purchase either an electronic download or a print copy (be sure to order it early enough if you get a print copy!).

(2)   PERSONAL LEADERSHIP ASSESSMENT (100 points)

This is the final, individual project for the course. This project allows you to apply what we have learned throughout the semester to yourself to get a better understanding of your own leadership ability and potential. Each student will complete a type-written report, which is due Dec. 3^rd. The sections below should be used as a guideline for the minimum required content.

(a) Assessments. This section should summarize the results of the individual leadership assessments that were completed over the course of the semester. This section should include (but is not limited to): (a) your reaction to the assessments (i.e., accurate? informative?, etc., why?), and (b) explain the scores’ meanings as related to your leadership ability and potential.

(b) Personal Leadership Profile. Describe your own leadership profile. What are your key strengths and weaknesses with regard to your leadership ability?  Include examples of real-life situations that demonstrate your leadership style/skills/etc. – both positive and negative. For this, please refer to any leadership/follower experience in your life (e.g., student teams, sports teams, job, internship, student organizations & activities, etc.).

(c) Leadership Goals & Action Plan. Discuss your personal goals with regard to leadership. What type of leader do you want to be, ideally?  Which aspects of your leadership ability do you need to develop if you are to reach this goal? Outline specific steps you can take to develop into the leader you want to be.

GRADING CRITERIA FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

For the case study & personal leadership assessment, four criteria that will be used as grading criteria for these written assignments: (a) assignment, (b) method, (c) organization, and (d) thought. A breakdown of expectations for the core ABCD grades follows.

TEAM ASSIGNMENTS

(1)   MOVIE CLIP (20 points):

For this assignment, your team should identify a video/movie clip that demonstrates one (ore more!) leadership principle(s) that we have covered in class. You can use either movies or television shows, but you cannot use random internet clips that you gather from youtube.com and such. Your video clip should be no longer than 10 minutes. You will show the clip during class (Oct. 5), and then have 10 minutes to debrief the class and discuss the leadership principle(s) highlighted in the clip. Your grade will be a function of how well the clip demonstrates the leadership principle you described, as well as how effective your team is at discussing the principle and explaining how the clip is appropriate in that regard. Your team can decide how best to present (i.e., how many team members actually present).

(2)   CONTEMPORARY LEADER PROFILE (100 points):

Overview. The leader profile is the concluding team project of this course. Teams will select a contemporary leadership figure (some good choices include politicians, business leaders, sports figures, civil & military leaders). Teams will research the leader and develop a leadership profile, presenting the findings to the class at the end of the semester. The presentation should be 20-25 minutes. It is up to each team to decide which of its members will deliver the presentation. A minimum of three team members should be involved in delivering the presentation.  No duplicates allowed, so teams should “reserve” their preferred leader early.

Content. You have some flexibility with regard to the specific content, but the following is a list of suggested content that should get you off on the right foot:

§  Brief individual background

§  Career background & experience

§  Leadership traits and skills   (list continues on the next page!)

§  Leadership style

§  Leadership philosophy

§  Situational factors that influence the person’s leadership

§  Evaluation of the leader’s performance and effectiveness

§  Other relevant information within the context of the situation

Grading Criteria. Presentations will be graded using the following criteria:

(1)   Clarity & organization of available time (15 points). There are many ways that teams can structure the available time, but some are better than others. Your team should present important points and avoid getting bogged down with minute details. Your team is allotted 20-25 minutes for the presentation, so make every effort to stick to that timetable.

(2)   Professionalism (15 points). Professionalism is important. Your audience should be able to hear and understand all presenters. You should strive to keep the audience’s attention and to be convincing in your assessments. Use well-designed visual aids to enhance the impact of your presentations, but avoid overly detailed or technical material. Speak directly to the audience and maintain eye contact. Try not to read verbatim from slides/notes. Please make the transitions between presenters as seamless as possible.

(3)   Content & evidence of critical evaluation (70 points). The presentation must be thorough, well-reasoned, and demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the subject matter. Presentations should demonstrate that teams thoughtfully synthesized, integrated, and evaluated the information gathered during its research to form its conclusions. Team should be sure to provide support for their assertions (i.e., examples of specific leader behaviors, statements, actions) with adequate yet focused details.

Peer Evaluations. You will have an opportunity to assess the contribution of each of your team members (on the final team project). Peer evaluations will concentrate on evaluating whether each member of the group did their fair share of the work conscientiously. Individual grades on team assignments can fluctuate by as much as a letter grade (up and down) based on how much you have contributed to the success of your group.  All peer evaluations will be handled with strict confidentiality.

CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION (50 points):

For each class, I will assume that you have read the required reading. Clearly, class participation starts with attending the class, which is required. Class participation is required both during lectures, in-class assignments and exercises, as well as during guest speakers’ visits. Participation is assessed on both the quantity and most importantly, the quality of your input to class discussion. If you do not participate in class but always attend, your participation grade will reflect this.

EXTRA CREDIT

If offered, extra credit points will be added to your total points for the class.   

VISTA

Vista will be utilized extensively during the semester PowerPoint slides, class material, group communication, etc. Any changes to the schedule or syllabus will also be posted to Vista.  

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get undeserved credit.  The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense.  It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade for the work or course.  Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

University policy 3342-3-18 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access equal access course content.  If you have documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments.  You must first verify your eligibility for these through the Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sas for more information on registration procedures).

CLASS ENROLLMENT

Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Web for Students) during the first two weeks of the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this class and section.  Should you find an error in your class schedule, you have until Sunday, September 7, 2008 to correct the error.  If registration errors are not corrected by this date and you continue to attend and participate in classes for which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of the semester for any class in which you are not properly registered.

CLASS WITHDRAWAL

For Fall 2008, the course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, November 2, 2008. Withdrawal before the deadline results in a "W" on the official transcript; after the deadline a grade must be calculated and reported.

Course Schedule

* This schedule is subject to change as necessary over the course of the semester. Updates and changes will be announced by the instructor during class.