Mba 520 Leadership Concepts Worksheet

Leadership Concepts Worksheet

Learn the Culture It is very important for a manager to take the time to observe and learn the culture and personality of both teams and/or individuals whose support will be required for successful implementation of new strategies before moving forward with them. Without learning the culture and personality of those needed to make a plan a success, the idea can be doomed before it ever gets off the ground.

In the simulation, a senior manager of R&D was required to seek out advice and profile the culture of both the sales and the production departments before approaching them with a new product idea. Later as the VP of Production he had to win observe individual personalities and needs before approaching his new subordinates, peers, and manager. “We can't determine an organization's cultural values just by asking employees and other people about them. Enacted values are values-in-use. They are the values that guide individual decisions and behavior in the workplace and they must be observed (McShane and Glinow, 2005).”

Communicate

Appropriately

Different teams or departments of an organization may have significantly different personalities, preferences, and customs. It is very important that a manager not attempt to communicate to different teams in the exact same way. Some teams are more formal and are only swayed by facts, where other teams might be more casual and require a totally different approach.

In the simulation, the senior R&D manager had to communicate with the sales department in a completely different manner to win their support than he did the production department. Had he use the same communication style with both groups, he surely would have failed to gain the respect and support of one of those key departments. Failing to do so would have had had a negative impact on the product launch. “However, organizations are also comprised of subcultures located throughout its various divisions, geographic regions, and occupational groups(Kreitner and Kinicki, 2004).”

“Keep team members and employees informed by explaining policies and decisions and providing accurate feedback. Be candid about one’s own problems and limitations. Tell the truth. (Kreitner and Kinicki, 2004)”

Earn the Trust of Subordinates The old saying, “They don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care,” is very applicable to this leadership concept. Superiors, subordinates, and peers will all be more willing to support your decisions and buy into your vision if they believe you respect them and have their best interests at heart. You can earn that respect by communicating with peers directly and taking an interest in the development of your subordinates.

In the simulation, the VP of production had to win the trust of senior production manager Matt Fernandez who was disgruntled about being passed over for a major promotion. The VP took an interest in Matt’s professional development and enrolled him into a leadership program that would better prepare him for future promotions. The VP also had to communicate directly with peer Tamara Watkins to alleviate her discomfort with their new working relationship. “Be available and approachable. Provide help, advice, coaching, and support for team members’ ideas (Kreitner and Kinicki,