Leadership Assignment

When putting the term 'leadership' into a Google search, over 51 million results come back. This serves to highlight the importance placed on this concept. As businesses seek to gain competitive advantage, every possible avenue is being explored.

What makes one business more successful than another? Why is it that businesses that appear to have been well planned and well organized fail, despite having seemingly good products or services, while others seem to thrive?

The Task - Part 1

You are going to be given scenarios, which require some form of leadership competence. You will choose two of these scenarios to profile in a two-page, double spaced report.

Working individually or in pairs, consider the role of a leader in the situation you are given and how leadership should address the situation. Decide whatleadership style (autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, paternalistic) is best, and whattheory of leadership (contingency, transformational, invitational, transactional) is most appropriate given the situation. You should discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches and conclude why these approaches are best.

You should structure your answer to Part 1 using the following headings:

1. Summary of the Situation
2. Leadership Style (include pros/cons)
3. Theory of Leadership (include pros/cons)
4. Conclusion

You may use bullet points in this section.

The Situations

1. A new working practices regime is being introduced. Staff were working 40 hours per week, 9:00 am -5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, but the firm now needs greater flexibility. The flexibility will come from staff working on shift patterns covering the period 6:00 am - 10:00 pm, 365 days per year. The working week will be adjusted to 37 hours per week but there are no funds available for additional pay to be given to any member of staff.

1. A client has contacted your firm of commercial designers and asked them to come up with a new logo that represents a change in the direction the firm wishes to go in. The new logo and associated corporate branding of headed paper, publications, packaging and so on is set to coincide with the launch of the re-branding in two months time at the start of the client company's new season sales drive. If it does not meet this deadline, the client will run the risk of falling behind their rivals whom it has suffered against in recent years.

1. Following a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visit, a chemical company has been warned that its safety procedures in parts of the plant are lacking. It must take steps to remedy these weaknesses within three weeks or face having the plant shut down. The guidelines for remedying the weaknesses are readily available in detailed HSE publications.

The Task - Part 2

Take any four business, sporting or political leaders. Discuss what you think their leadership style is and what theory of leadership they best fit (approximately page, double-spaced per leader for a total of two pages, double-spaced).

The Task - Part 3

Personal opinion question (one page, double-spaced): Can an individual be taught leadership or are leaders born?

All three sections of this assignment are to be handed in at the same time. Include a cover page, and remember to double-space your report.