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WGB612 Final Assignment
John F. Welch College of Business
Sacred Heart University
The president and CEO of your company has just paid you a wonderful compliment and offered you an
interesting opportunity. It turns out that the president is a Sacred Heart University MBA alumnus from
the early 80s. He knows that you are currently working on your MBA (or leadership certificate) at
Sacred Heart. In fact, your company has generously paid for a good percentage of your tuition. During a
brief meeting with the president yesterday afternoon he invited you to join him and several other
members of his management team for lunch next week. After you accepted he joked that you will be
working for your lunch!
The president mentioned that during a recent casual lunch discussion on the changing nature of
organizations (including your company!) he and the other management team members started talking
about leadership and the roles of leaders. They debated whether the nature of leadership might be
changing and discussed what the company should be doing to select and help prepare future leaders.
The president told his team members that he knew of an especially promising employee who is
currently studying leadership in Sacred Heart University’s MBA program – you!
The president indicated that he remembers some leadership “theories” he studied years ago but would
love it if you could briefly summarize insight to be had from the best known approaches to leadership
through the years. He’s also curious to hear about more recent approaches since he graduated and
what insight those approaches might offer. “I don’t need or want a summary of each theory because my
colleagues and I won’t remember all the names and details. So stay with broad categories of theories
when you talk about historical leadership approaches. Then what we are especially eager to hear is
what you and your MBA colleagues want and expect from leaders.”
Right before you left the president’s office, he threw out another challenge. He mentioned that in the
next few years the company will be expanding its operations in China and Latin America. “You know,”
he says, “this whole emphasis on cross-cultural management has exploded – for obvious reasons – since
I completed my MBA. So, during our lunch together, could you also share some advice on how
company managers might need to vary their leadership style if they are working in China?”
After walking out of the president’s office yesterday you felt both honored and nervous. You believe
that the president genuinely wants your advice. Knowing the president is a classic MBTI intuitive type
and that he loves to talk about concepts, you want to prepare for your lunch. What insight could you
gather from broad leadership approaches and what advice would you give about implications of all the
ideas for manager selection, development and training?
When you mentioned the invitation to your boss this morning she was very supportive and convinced
you what a wonderful opportunity the president’s invitation is. “I don’t want to make you more
nervous – and honestly I don’t think you need to be nervous because our president is a genuinely
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WGB612 Final Assignment
nice guy who will make you feel very much at home with the management team. Besides, the very fact
that he offered you the invitation means he really respects you! Your lunch conversations with him and
the others will actually be fun. But don’t be surprised if the president turns to you at the end, asks you
to describe yourself as a leader, and to share what aspects of leader behavior you feel you need to work
on most. Yes, I know you might not have any formal leadership responsibilities right now in our
company. But we all lead and influence others in numerous ways – whether formally or informally at
work or in other aspects of our lives. Tell him about times when you have led or influenced others or
how you would hope to lead others if you had a formal leadership position.
Here’s my advice if he does ask. Don’t b.s! The president is into honesty and the value of selfawareness! I’ve heard him say dozens of times that none of us are perfect and that all of us have room
to grow as leaders. So assess yourself honestly and be honest with him! Believe me, he will appreciate
that honesty. For that matter, if there is something controversial you want to say about leadership, say
it! ”
Now, hours later, you’re sitting down to think about what you want to say. You have a fleeting thought
that this lunch conversation might even be the president’s way of checking you out for a potential
promotion. “No way of really knowing,” you mutter to yourself. “I’m just going to say what I really
think and have fun talking with these folks!”
Here’s your opportunity to prepare what you will discuss with the president and his management team
members. You know the president is the type who will ask you lots of questions and you want to make
sure you elaborate your thoughts well enough so that the ideas and the logic behind them is clear. You
have decided you will just talk through your ideas during the informal lunch, but then that you will also
hand the president a paper afterward which presents your ideas in writing – and even includes
reflections on your own leadership style. Knowing that he loves to read management literature you
have also decided to include recommendations on three supplementary journal articles you read for
your course with an explanation on why you think the particular articles are worth his time.
The paper to be given to the president after your lunch is the deliverable
for your final WGB612 assignment. There is no set format required.
“Business brief ”or essay style are both fine. The president is rumored to
be a stickler, however, for coherent business writing with a logical
flow to any document. You know he is a busy man so you have
resolved to keep your paper to approximately thirteen pages.
MBA WGB612 Final Written Assignment Assessment
Student Rubric
Use this when developing and reviewing your paper
Criterion
Needs Improvement
Meets Expectations
Exceeds Expectations
1. Demonstrates
familiarity with
primary broad
historical
approaches to
leadership
15 points
2. Demonstrates
familiarity with
current leadership
themes
/issues/emphases
in popular
management
literature
15 points
3. Draws practical
behavioral insight
from leadership
approaches and
themes
1. Refers to only one (or no)
broad leadership approach
explored in course
1. Summarizes at least several
broad approaches to
leadership explored in course
1. Describes multiple broad
approaches to leadership,
including occasional examples of
representative theories
1-9 points
2. Does not refer to any current
leadership issues or themes
10-12 points
2. Mentions at least one
leadership issue or theme
debated or espoused in
current popular management
press
13-15 points
2. Mentions several leadership
issues or themes debated or
espoused in current popular
management press
1-9 points
3. Does not explain how
leadership approaches translate
into specific leader behaviors
10-12 points
3. Describes specific
leadership behaviors
suggested by several
leadership approaches
10 points
4. Integrates own
personal opinions
and preferences
regarding
leadership and
influence into
advice on
leadership
15 points
5. Identifies ways
that leadership
styles and
behaviors may
need adaptation in
a different
specified culture
15 points
1-6 points
4. Does not share personal
opinions
7-8 points
4. Articulates personal
opinions on leadership and
influence
13-15 points
3. Identifies specific leadership
behaviors suggested by multiple
leadership approaches ; explains
why such behaviors are
important; links behaviors to
specific roles of a managerial
leader’s job
9-10 points
4. Articulates personal opinions
on leadership and influence,
explaining why certain aspects
are important
1-9 points
5. Refers to need for adapting
behavior but does not specify
how
10-12 points
5. Identifies at least three
ways that leaders may need
to vary their behavior in the
specified culture and explains
why
1-9 points
10-12 points
Page 1 of 2
13-15 points
5. Identifies multiple ways
leaders may need to vary their
behavior in the specified culture
and links those differences to
underlying cultural dimensions
and values
13-15 points
MBA WGB612 Final Written Assignment Assessment
Student Rubric
Criterion
Needs Improvement
Meets Expectations
Exceeds Expectations
6. Demonstrates
self-awareness
regarding own
leadership and
influencing styles
(or inclinations, if
not in leadership
role )
10 points
7. Expresses ideas
in coherent
writing style
6. Does not describe own style
or style s/he would hope to
exhibit in a leadership role or
influence situation
6. Describes own leadership
and influencing style;
identifies potential areas for
development
6. Describes own leadership and
influencing styles, identifying
strengths , weaknesses and some
areas for development
1-6 points
7. Writes in style that detracts
from the ideas covered – i.e.
with multiple writing errors
and/or structural problems
7-8 points
7. Writes in clear, concise and
well-structured style with
minimal typos, spelling or
grammatical errors
1-6 points
8. Does not integrate ideas from
readings or utilizes them but
without proper attribution
7-8 points
8. Integrates ideas from
assigned readings using
commonly accepted methods
for attributing credit
7-8 points
9-10 points
7. Writes in clear, concise and
well-structured style with no
typos, spelling or grammatical
errors; utilizes a persuasive,
logical style that enhances the
message content
9-10 points
8. Seamlessly integrates ideas
from readings to support
arguments and attributes credit
appropriately
9-10 points
10 points
8. Appropriately
integrates relevant
ideas from
assigned course
readings
10 points
Page 2 of 2
1-6 points
WGB612 Final Written Assignment
Writing Tips
The final paper is designed to assess how well you have absorbed key concepts, can put them
into perspective about how we evolved from early concepts to contemporary ones, and how they
apply to you in shaping your approach to leading others. While an overall rubric was provided as
a guide to what is being assessed, the following may provide you with additional guidance in
shaping your paper.
Rubric Sections
1. Describe Primary Broad Approaches (Class 4)
• Personality [Great Man, Big 5, Cognitive Traits]
• Behavior [Ohio State Studies, University of Michigan Studies, Theory X & Y, Kurt Lewin,
Blake/Mouton]
• Situational/Contingency [Fielder Contingency, Path-Goal, Vroom-Yetton, Situational
Leadership]
• Transformational [Transactional vs, Transformational, Level 5 Leadership, Strength-based
Leadership]
2. More Contemporary Themes/Concepts; and
3. Draw Insights Regarding Why Behaviors are Important to Roles/Effectiveness and
8. Integrate Course Readings/Articles to Support and Enhance Points you are making
Concepts
• Quinn Competing Values
• DISC
• MBTI
• Thomas Kilmann Conflict Model
• Situational Leadership model
• Level 5 Leadership
• Strengths–Based Leadership
• Organizational Culture Model (Quinn and Faerman–Clan ,Adhocracy, Hierarchy, Market)
• Kotter Change Model
• Bridges Transition Model
• Bradford and Cohen Influence Currencies
• Cialdini Persuasion Theory
Articles (That you can add to support/enhance your points)
• Managing Oneself
• Managing Your Boss
• Managing Authenticity
• What Every Leader Needs to Know About Followers
• Want Collaboration?
• Leading the Way; Why Transformation Efforts Fail
• How Unethical Are You?
• Confronting Corruption
4. Integrate Personal Opinions and Preferences on Advice for Leadership
• Part of the assignment asks for to share your opinion on what you look for in leaders, and
implications for manager selection, development, and training
• You might choose to address this as part of your conclusion to your paper. Think of it as a
way of saying, “Based on all I described above, here are some advice I might give to
management on what to look for in leaders”.
5. Identify Ways to adjust Leadership Styles of to Adapt to Different Cultures
• Hofstede Cultural Dimensions
• Hofstede Cultural Comparison Tool
6. Self-awareness Re Influencing and Leadership style; and
8. Integrates Course readings to support enhance points you are making
• Bradford and Cohen Influence Currencies
• Cialdini Persuasion Theory
• How to Negotiate with Someone More Powerful Than You
• Harnessing the Science of Persuasion
Additional Hints: These questions may help you shape your answers
What are your strengths and weaknesses as a leader? Use 1-2 concepts to help explain:
• How can these strengths make you an effective leader?
• What potential problems or drawbacks can these strengths pose when leading others?
• Any gaps you need to work on or compensate for?
• Provide 1-2 real life examples to describe what they look like for you in real life
• *It might be good to highlight insights regarding the difference between how you might
have approached these challenges in the past vs how you might approach them now
7. Coherent Writing Style
• Think out the general points in that section before you write them. This should help your
writing to be clearer and more coherent
• Do spell check!!!!!!!
• Put the paper away for a few hours. Then read it as if you were someone else reading it
for the first time.
• Ask yourself–Have I explained just enough that it makes sense? Would they get the point?
What questions might they ask about what I have written or my point of view? Do I need
to tighten up that point?
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