Dynamics Leadership

Assignment

an Evaluation of Leadership for House, Hearth and Home Part 1

Over the next 2 weeks, you will examine a case study that demonstrates the effectiveness of different leadership approaches of two individuals in a company and will provide to the business owner/general manager a report that details your observations and recommendations. This case provides an opportunity to evaluate and contrast different leadership styles and theories in a real-world context.

Scenario

The owner/general manager of House, Hearth and Home, a large retail hardware, furniture, and building center, is facing a dilemma regarding the leadership effectiveness of his long-time yard manager and that of a newly hired assistant manager. The owner has hired you as a consultant and has asked you to investigate and then report your findings and recommendations on how he should address this situation.

For this weeks Assignment, you will prepare a business report to the company owner/GM that addresses the leadership theory or framework that Dan Boyd and Wesley Simpson each employ, the differences in their leadership style, along with a discussion on which approach you feel is more effective for this companys situation and why. Be sure to provide specific examples from the case and relevant citations from the Learning Resources, the library, and/or other credible, appropriate academic sources to substantiate and validate your position. For more information about evaluating the credibility of sources for use in your coursework, please review the following video:

• Walden University, LLC. (2021). Evaluating the credibility of sources [Video]. Walden University Canvas.
• Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 9 minutes.

Resources

Using these resources, you will examine the framework of transformational leadership. Transformational leaders focus on what their followers need. Instead of making sure they are served by their team, transformational leaders invest in their teams development and guide their team toward growth. Can you think of a leader with these qualities who may have had an influence on your life?

• Anthony, S. D., & Schwartz, E. I. (2017, May 8). . Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 29.
• Time Estimate: 14 minutes
• Boamah, S. A., Spence Laschinger, H. K., Wong, C., & Clarke, S. (2018). . Nursing Outlook, 66(2), 180189.
• Time Estimate: 24 minutes
• Chin, T. L., Lok, S. Y. P., & Kong, P. K. P. (2019). . Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal, 11(2), 9297.
• Time Estimate: 18 minutes
• Cleavenger, D. J., & Munyon, T. P. (2013). . Business Horizons, 56(3), 351360.
• Time Estimate: 28 minutes

Authentic leadership focuses on whether leadership is genuine and real. Authentic leaders come across as being trusting, ethical, and sensitive to the needs of others. Harvard Business School professor Bill George is most credited with initiating the conversation on leadership and focused on developing an authentic leadership model, which is referenced in these resources. In these resources, you will explore the characteristics and strengths of authentic leadership. As you do so, consider what authentic leadership looks like for you.

• Dhiman, S. (2011). . Organization Development Journal, 29(2), 6983.
• Time Estimate: 28 minutes
• George, B. (2016). . Leader to Leader, 2016(79), 3035.
• Time Estimate: 10 minutes
• Talks at Google. (2015, November 2). Bill George | Talks at Google [Video]. YouTube.
• Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 60 minutes.
• White, R. P. (2017, June 20). . Chief Learning Officer, 16(5), 5465.
• Time Estimate: 8 minutes

Servant leaders are responsive first and foremost to the needs of followers, placing others before themselves. They empower followers and help them achieve their personal and professional objectives and goals. Have you ever worked under or been taught by someone who displayed qualities of a servant leader? Using these resources, you will examine some the benefits and strengths of servant leadership.

• Cable, D. (2018, April 23). . Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 25.
• Time Estimate: 7 minutes
• Schwantes, M. (2015, May). . Leadership Excellence, 32(5), 3031.
• Time Estimate: 8 minutes
• Walker, C. A. (2015, September 15). . Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 24.

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.

Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Read and review the document .
• Read and review the case study .

Submit Part 1 of your evaluation of leadership for House, Hearth and Home, in which you address the following in a 2- to 3-page business report (excluding references):

• Based on your case analysis, what leadership theory or framework do Dan Boyd and Wesley Simpson each employ? Be sure to provide specific examples from the case and other academic sources to validate your position.
• What are the differences in leadership style for each of these individuals?
• Which approach do you feel is more effective for this companys situation, and why? Include the pros and cons of each approach in your assessment.

Discussion

Water Cooler Discussion on Leadership Styles

The water cooler has become a symbol in business life. Like any common gathering place in an office slightly removed from the cubicles and desks, the water cooler is a place to share information, both casual and vital, and to build networks with colleagues with whom you do not necessarily interact on a daily basis. The water cooler discussion activity this week will help you get into the practice of looking beyond your metaphorical cubicle to seek out topical news stories and ideas and analyze them with your Instructor and colleagues. Familiarity with current trends, topics, and events is an important element of your participation and success in the business world and in your MBA program.

Resources

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.

Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Access the Walden Library by clicking on the following link: .

Note: You may want to bookmark this link, as you will be utilizing the Walden Library throughout your masters program.

• Navigate to the Business Source Complete database. For more information about finding a specific database, access the following resource:
• Walden University. (n.d.).
• Research the Business Source Complete database in the Walden Library for interesting and compelling articles on the topic of leadership styles. There are many different leadership styles from which to choose. Here are some common leadership styles that you can use as key words in your search in the library: democratic leadership, participative leadership, laissez-faire leadership, charismatic leadership, authoritarian leadership, and autocratic leadership. For more information about setting up your database search, access the following resource:
• Walden University. (n.d.). .
• Select an article from the library that resonates with you. You need to access the full text of the article, and it should be more than 2 pages in length. Do not worry if the article you select has a complicated research design (i.e., describes complex quantitative research techniques), as usually the introduction and summary conclusion pages have interesting concepts and findings to discuss.

Note: Most of the articles you find in Business Source Complete will provide a PDF of the article. For the water cooler activity, it is preferable to attach the PDF of the article to your post. If the article you find in Business Source Complete only provides the full text as an HTML file, paste the HTML file in a Word document and attach it to your post. For more information about saving an article as a PDF, access the following resource:

• Walden University. (n.d.).

Post your analysis of your selected library article as follows:

• Provide the author(s) and title of the article on leadership style(s) that you found interesting. Include the article as an attachment to your post (either as a PDF or Word document, as previously indicated).
• In your own words, provide a brief analysis of what the article says about leadership style(s) in business, including an explanation of why you chose the article, and what you learned from it, relative to what you have studied throughout the course to date.