Leadership

Practice of Management

The graduate explains the theoretical bases, current knowledge, best practices, and trends related to the practice of management.

3018.1.2 : Theories of Leadership

The graduate uses contemporary theories of leadership to develop personal leadership skills based on a personal leadership philosophy.

3018.1.3 : Sustaining Business Performance

The graduate applies management and leadership theories for long-term global-business success.

3018.1.4 : Organizational Performance Methods

The graduate analyzes appropriate methods to improve organizational performance.

INTRODUCTIONFor this task, you will write a paper on an existing organization with which you have had personal experience. The organization can be a business or a nonprofit, and you may represent any level of the organization (e.g., team, department, division, whole) in your analysis.
You will first describe the chosen organization. Your description of the organization should convey personal experience, rather than information gained from secondhand sources or media coverage. You will then perform a SWOT analysis on that organization. Last, you will analyze that organization’s leadership.
Note: Any information that would be considered confidential, proprietary, or personal in nature should not be included in the actual task submission to WGU. Do not include the actual names of people, suppliers, the organization(s), or other identifiable information. Fictional names should be used. Also, organization-specific data, including financial information, should not be included but should be addressed in a general fashion as appropriate. Work performed for clients and employers is their property and should not be used without written permission.REQUIREMENTS

Your submission must be your original work. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. The originality report that is provided when you submit your task can be used as a guide.

You must use the rubric to direct the creation of your submission because it provides detailed criteria that will be used to evaluate your work. Each requirement below may be evaluated by more than one rubric aspect. The rubric aspect titles may contain hyperlinks to relevant portions of the course.

Write a paper (suggested length of 10–16 pages) by doing the following:

A. Describe an existing organization with which you have had personal experience and its objective(s).

1. Describe three leadership practices of the current leader, other than yourself, in the existing organization.

Note: Leadership practices are routine actions, behaviors, functions, and responsibilities that the current leader performs.

2. Discuss how the current leader has affected organizational culture.

Note: You may represent any level of the chosen organization (e.g., team, department, division, whole) and the respective current leader in your description.

B. Conduct a SWOT analysis evaluating the chosen organization by doing the following:

1. Evaluate two of the organization’s current strengths.

2. Evaluate two of the organization’s current weaknesses.

3. Evaluate two of the organization’s current unmet opportunities.

4. Evaluate two of the organization’s current unresolved threats.

Note: The accepted model for a SWOT analysis defines strengths and weaknesses as internal to the organization, and opportunities and threats as external to the organization.

C. Conduct a leadership evaluation of the current leader discussed in part A1, using one of the scholarly leadership theories below that is different from task 1, by doing the following:

• transformational leadership

• transactional leadership

• situational leadership

• participative leadership

• servant leadership

• behavioral leadership

• trait theory of leadership

1. Evaluate three strengths of the current leader, using the chosen scholarly leadership theory, including how each strength relates to the theory. Support the evaluation of the leader’s strengths with at least one scholarly source.

2. Evaluate three weaknesses of the current leader, using the chosen scholarly leadership theory, including how each weakness relates to the theory. Support the evaluation of the leader’s weaknesses with at least one scholarly source.

3. Recommend three actionable items to improve the effectiveness of the current leader, including how each actionable item relates to the chosen scholarly leadership theory. Support the recommendations of actionable items with at least one scholarly source.

Note: The recommendations need to address the current leaders identified leadership weakness.

Note: A scholarly source could be a reputable journal, a published book, or any source from a university faculty member or business leader. Scholarly sources also include any article or book in the online WGU library.

D. Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.

E. Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission