MIS 34165-001 Spring 2012 Stevens
Dynamics of Leadership Section 01
M&IS 34165-001 CRN #15201
Spring Semester 2012
Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Room 210 BSA
Instructor: Dr. George E. Stevens
Office: A421 Business Administration Building
Department: Management & Information Systems
Telephone: 330-672-1100
Email: gstevens@kent.edu
Office Hours: TH 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon.
MW 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. and by appointment
Required Text: Loose Leaf version of text (cheaper for student but no return to this bookstore) Richard L. Hughes, Robert C. Ginnett and Gordon J. Curphy Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience, Seventh edition – McGraw-Hill Irwin publishers. Loose Leaf – ISBN: 007-797-1477 LL. There is a soft cover version of this textbook and a hard cover version as well. These will cost more but depending upon their condition you may be able to sell it back at the bookstore’s Buy Back or elsewhere – I have another ISBN’s: ISBN: 007-747-7634.
Also Required: McGraw-Hill Irwin’s supplement – “Premium Content” is needed. It may be packaged with new copies of the textbook or purchased from the publisher, McGraw-Hill Irwin on their website.
Suggested Reading: Business publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, the New
York Times, BusinessWeek and other sources of current business news.
Other Sources: Radio reports, television presentations, documentaries and other media
sources of information on the state of world business affairs.
Course Withdrawal Deadline: The course withdrawal deadline March 18, 2012.
NOTE: The material in this syllabus should be considered nominal and is subject to change by the instructor at any given time due to various constraints on the class, such as weather, illness of the instructor, or other such issues.
Course Objectives: Welcome to M&IS 34165, Dynamics of Leadership! This is a course that discusses leadership and management concepts and theory. It is a course that will allow us to blend theory and practice to help everyone better understand how management and leadership are different but may go hand-in-hand. These are not synonymous terms. Although textbooks tend to focus more on theory, I hope that we will be able to apply some of what we learn to the so-called “real world”. The course is built on an introductory part, a part that defines leadership, identifies indicators of leadership effectiveness, and discusses the conceptualization of leadership theories. Early on the student is introduced to the nature of managerial work. Throughout the sixteen-week course we will discuss management, organizational behavior, and leadership concepts as well as a variety of issues such as delegation, empowerment, power and influence, managerial traits and skills, contingency theories, leadership types such as charismatic and transformational leadership, team and decision group approaches, and how to lead change in organizations. Among other topics are ethics and leadership, strategic leadership, gender, diversity, and cross-cultural leadership, and how one develops leadership skills.
Today, leadership can be discussed in a more global context. We live in ‘global village where technological innovations such as smart phones, videoconferencing tools, and Skype have shrunk our world. Think of monetary changes, economic events and natural disasters that occur in particular countries (for example Ireland’s near financial collapse, Greece’s total economy in chaos, the United Arab Emirates’ near bankruptcy of Dubai, Haiti’s natural disasters, and the United States with its Gulf oil spill). As we look across our own country do we know what it takes to be a successful leader? We will discuss the causes and consequences of current events – economic crises, financial bailouts, wars, etc. – that impact us as a society and specifically impact the business environment as well.
I look forward to exploring these issues and concerns with you, sharing my experiences, having us learn from each other, and discussing the many difficult issues that may have multiple “right answers” or perhaps none at all. By the end of this spring term, I hope that you acquire a set of tools that allow you to analyze management issues both in your personal and professional life, as well as the enthusiasm and desire to use them.
Important: Most of my out-of-class communication will take place on Blackboard Learn. Emails, emails with attachments, quiz and examination dates, other deadlines, presenters, and other important information will be sent by email under the tab identified as “Messages (Email)”. Check Blackboard Learn regularly.
Common Courtesy:
As a faculty member I am here to serve our students, faculty, staff, and alumni among others. Within the classroom I will be respectful to each of you and I want you to be respectful to your fellow students. Here is a partial list of behaviors that will lead to repercussions should you be guilty of exhibiting these behaviors:
1. Side conversations during lecture
2. Eating in class
3. Taking or receiving cell phone calls
4. Reading a newspaper or other publication
5. Disrespectful behavior towards the instructor or another student in class.
6. Side conversations is No. #1 for a reason. It is my top pet peeve: it distracts me and other students especially those with learning disabilities.
I do allow drinking non-alcoholic beverages in class. I may need a non-alcoholic beverage (typically water) as my voice can become hoarse after hours of talking.
I will ask you to stop any of the above behaviors and upon persistent demonstrated behavior, may ask you to leave the class. You will be issued a verbal warning on the first offence, a written warning on the second offence with a copy to the Dean of Students, and the Dean of the School of Business. A third offense will result in my request that you be deregistered from this course, with a potential grade of WF! If you don’t want to be embarrassed, then follow these rules.
The Following Policies Apply to All Students in this Course
A. Students attending the course who do not have the proper prerequisite risk being deregistered from the class.
B. Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes. Should you find an error in your class schedule, you need to correct the error with your advising office no later than Sunday, March 18 for spring 2012. If registration errors are not corrected by the stated date of March 18 for spring 2012 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.
C. Class Format: Class will consist mostly of lectures, discussions and use of video or other supplements. We will discuss some of the end-of-chapter cases. We should learn from students what they have seen, learned, read about, or experienced on the job as these experiences relate to the topic under discussion.
In each session we will have lectures, discussion, and power point slides on a given topic or topics indicated in the class schedule. If we are unable to complete all that we need to do in a given session, we will carry it over to the next session or you will be expected to complete the reading assignment on your own. There may at times be changes to the schedule of the course. For this reason, should you miss a session, it will be useful for you to keep in touch with a classmate who attends class and/or the instructor.
Each class session that is scheduled will last approximately one hour and fifteen minutes. If possible, I will do my best to add additional material and multimedia including music, videos, and internet news sites as needed to liven up the course. You can assist by engaging in discussion when those opportunities present themselves and in thinking about the issues we talk about in class.
Examinations: There will be four non-cumulative examinations in this course. Each exam will cover the material since the previous one. Keep in mind, however, that prior knowledge will be important for understanding future material. Material for the exams will come from the following sources: 1) class lectures, 2) readings from the textbook, 3) class discussion, 4) videos, news articles, other in-class materials, and 5) guest lecturers. Each exam will be worth 20% of your final grade. Exam grades will not be curved. The exam questions will consist of true-false and multiple choice questions. If examinations can be given electronically using McGraw-Hill Irwin’s testing system or through Blackboard Learn, I will likely do so. I will explore these options. Only if exams are administered in class, do the comments below apply – On exam days:
· Please bring two #2 pencils to complete the exam.
· Please bring your student ID.
· NO electronic devices (including electronic dictionaries, headphones, and cell phones) are permitted. If you are unsure as to the meaning of a word or phrase, ask the instructor or proctors
· Please turn your cell phones off or to silent mode. Even in “vibrate” mode, this is a distraction to your fellow classmates.
· Write the version of the exam you are taking on the top of your scantron sheet.
Makeup exams will be given only when absolutely necessary. In order to take a makeup exam you must present the instructor with written documentation for the reason a makeup exam is requested or an indication that an Internet problem or other electronic error occurred.
Grade Components:
The final course grade will be based on a total of 500 points and weighted according to the following scheme:
Exam 1 20% = 100
Exam 2 20% = 100
Exam 3 20% = 100
Exam 4 20% = 100
Cases, exercises, other assignments 20% = 100
Total 100% = 500 points
+ Extra credit assignments 5% = 25 points
Course Grading Scale:
Percentage Letter Grade
90 – 100 percentage points A
80 – 89 B
70 – 79 C
60 – 69 D
<60 F
According to University Guidelines the grades are converted to your grade point average by the following scale:
A = 4.0
B = 3.0
C = 2.0
D = 1.0
F = 0.0
Any issues concerning grading need to be called to my attention within one week of receipt of the grading. Grades assigned at the end of the session are not negotiable. Because of the grading system that KSU uses, there will likely be a large number of times that a student is just a few points away from the next grade. I do not round up – the time to accumulate points is on each assessment including the extra credit assignments, not after the semester’s work has ended.
Doing well in the class:
There is no bell curve for this class, thus no “quota” on letter grades. This means that everyone starts the class with a chance to earn an “A”. Here are some ideas that may help you succeed.
ü Come to class: I will not take attendance (although I may create a seating chart so that I can get to know you by name) but the best way to learn the material is to come to class, listen to the lecture, participate in discussions, and ask questions about material that is confusing or unclear.
ü Buy and Read the book: You are responsible for material assigned in the book as well as material from lectures. While lectures and the book are designed to complement each other, there may be material in the book that is not explicitly covered in the lectures and material in lectures that is not in the book (another reason to attend lectures). This is not done to punish you or “trick” you, but to help you gain the greatest understanding of management principles and theory. Note: discussions in class but not necessarily in the book are fair game, especially if the topic is discussed at some length.
ü Start studying early for exams: Considering both the quantity and complexity of the material covered in this class in the typical time frame of fifteen weeks with a several exams, quizzes and other assessments, cramming the night before (or worse – not studying at all) is a bad idea. Read the book chapters before and/or after lectures, make sure you understand the terminology and theories, and ask questions.
ü Use your “human resources” on exam day: I will be in the room on exam day. Feel free to ask questions when the terminology, phrasing, or nuance of a question is unclear or if you think there might be a mistake.
ü Keep your ears and eyes open outside of the classroom: I highly recommend frequenting websites, reviewing newspapers, looking at news programs that cover business matters, management issues, industry events, and international business, etc. Seeing what is going on in the “real world” and how it relates to what you have learned in the classroom and from the textbook is rewarding both now and into the future.
Academic Misconduct:
I take academic misconduct extremely seriously. Please keep your eyes on your own paper during exams, and should you witness or suspect that others are engaging in academic misconduct, please bring it to my attention. Strict confidentiality will be maintained. You work hard to get the grade you earn; do not let others free ride off of you or your peers.
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. In addition, it is considered to be cheating when one cooperates with someone else in any such misrepresentation. 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.
Disability Services:
University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided with reasonable University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit www.kent.edu/sas <http://www.registrars.kent.edu/disability/ for more information on registration procedures).
D. Reminder: For fall semester the course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, March 18, 2012.
Week Date Day Topic _____Reading Assignment
1 Overview January 10 Tuesday Introduction to Class Read syllabus
Use of Blackboard Learn Essential
McGraw-Hill Irwin book & Premium Content
Case Richard Branson shoots for the moon p. 37
Special January 12 Thursday Leadership in Sports, Student Organizations,
Topic Professional Groups
2 HOLIDAY January 16 Monday Martin Luther King Jr. Day
(No Classes Offices Closed)
January 17 Tuesday Dedicated Current Event
Chapter 1 “ “ “ What do We Mean by Chapter 1
Leadership?
Chapter 2 January 19 Thursday Leadership Development Chapter 2
Case Developing Leaders at UPS Case
3 Special January 24 Tuesday Interviews, Internships, and Jobs
Topic
Chapter 3 January 26 Thursday Skills for Developing Chapter 3
Yourself as a Leader
4 Special Topic January 31 Tuesday Dedicated Current Event
Personal Global Perspective – Currency& Clothes
4 Chapter 4 Feb. 2 Thursday Power and Influence Chapter 4
Delegation and Empowerment
Study The Milgram Studies p. 124
Questions to answer; anything to review
5 Special Feb. 7 Tuesday Beyond U.S. borders:
Topic A Personal Global Perspective (Korea, China and Japan expectations of a leader) & review for Exam #1
6 EXAM 1 Feb. 9 Thursday All material since start of course – incl. Chapters 1 – 4
Chapter 5 Leadership, Ethics and Values Chapter 5
Book article The Cult of Enron p. 180
7 Special Feb. 14 Tuesday Personal Ethics and Corporate (Separate source)
Topic “ “ “ Social Responsibility
Chapter 6 Feb. 16 Thursday Leader Attributes Chapter 6
“ “ “ Table 6-2 The 16 Psychological Types p. 206
“ “ “ Anne Mulcahy – Leadership Profile p. 208
8 Special Feb. 21, Tuesday Career Services Center Talk
Topic
Chapter 7 Feb. 23 Thursday Leader Behavior Chapter 7
Case Paying Attention Pays Off for
Andra Rush
9 Chapter 8 Feb. 28 Tuesday Skills for Building Personal Chapter 8
Credibility and Influencing Others
Special March 1 Thursday AACSB Accreditation and
Topic Institutional Accreditation
10 EXAM 2 March 6 Tuesday All material since Exam #1 incl. Chapters 5 – 8
Chapter 9 Motivation, Satisfaction, and Chapter 9
Performance
Chapter 10 March 8, Thursday Groups, Teams, and Their Chapter 10
Leadership
11 Chapter 11 March 13 Tuesday Skills for Developing Others Chapter 11
Designated Current Event
Chapter 12 March 15 Thursday The Situation Chapter 12
12 Spring Recess March 19-25 No Classes but Offices open
13 EXAM 3 March 27 Tuesday All material since Exam #2
Chapter 13 March 29 Thursday Contingency Theories of Chapter 13
Leadership
14 Chapter 14 April 3 Tuesday Leadership and Change Chapter 14
Chapter 15 April 5, Thursday The Dark Side of Leadership Chapter 15
15 Chapter 16 April 10, Tuesday Skills for Optimizing Chapter 16
Leadership as Situations Change
Special Topic April 12 Thursday Leadership Topic
16 Special Topic April 17 Tuesday Leadership Topic
Special Topic April 19 Thursday Leadership Topic
April 24 Tuesday Teacher Evaluation, class wrap up
17 April 29, Sunday Classes End
IMPORTANT
FINALS WEEK – Monday, April 30 through Sunday, May 6, 2012
EXAM 4 The class’s fourth examination is scheduled in accordance with the university’s spring term final exam schedule.
The fourth examination will not be comprehensive. Coverage will include Chapters 13 – 16 and
any other assigned materials
Remembrance Day May 4, 2012 No final exams or classes from 12 noon to 2:00 p.m.
**If the examinations are offered electronically they will be done within a three-day window including the assigned date/time the university schedules the class’s final examination.
Latest revision: January 3, 2012