Eastern Illinois University Authoritative Leadership Style Discussion

PLEASE ANSWER EACH QUESTION SEPARATE!, EACH ANSWER SHOULD BE 500 WORDS OR MORE!! ANSWER IN COMPLETE DETAIL!

1. Team X is not producing at the desire level. The supervisor, David Derby, does not like dissent. He is proud of “running a tight ship” in which his word is final and not open for discussion. Unfortunately, Team X is being torn apart by conflict, dissent, and bickering among its members. David refuses to get involved. His typical response is, “Bickering is for children; do what I say and work your differences out on your own time.”

a. What do you think of David’s handling of team conflict? Why?

b. If you replaced David as supervisor of Team X, how would you handle the problem of conflict within his team?

2. The evaluation of training may be one of the most important phases within Training Program Development. It is where trainers get to provide evidence of a training programs success, as well as an opportunity to gain feedback on where to improve the program. Yet many organizations either don’t evaluate or only evaluate reactionary aspects of the training (did the trainees “enjoy” the training, do they perceive that the trainer was prepared, etc.), while others only try to evaluate the acquisition of knowledge through tests. So what is the problem with this? We are ultimately developing training so that someone can adequately perform on the job. While trainees might “enjoy” the training, this doesn’t mean that they can perform. Some trainees might be able to pass a knowledge test, but can’t transfer that knowledge onto the job. Therefore the focus of evaluation should be on whether or not the trainee is able to “DO”! This is ultimately what the organization is paying for and the employees performance is what has an impact on the organizations bottom line.

For this discussion, describe how you would explain to your boss the value of evaluation and how understanding the skills needed, as well as the level of skill needed, will make providing evidence of your training programs success easier. Explain how you would utilize the skills profile developed to specifically evaluate performance during and after training.

3. Utilizing the “Framework of Organizational Culture Typologies” matrix, define the four quadrants and discuss the characteristics of each. Give examples of companies you can think of that represent each type of culture. Explain why you selected the company for each culture.

Note that the companies you choose do not have to be Fortune 500 companies. They may be companies that you currently work for or have worked for in the past. They may also be companies that are in the local area. You do not have to list these companies by name, but do explain the characteristics of the company you choose for each culture.

4. One of the most difficult aspects of change within any organization is sustaining and following through with change initiatives. As we have learned, change is extremely difficult and many within an organization will do everything in their power to simply stay the same. As a leader of change, it can then be equally as difficult to maintain change and not fall back into old habit. Discuss an experience where a change was difficult to sustain and what was done to follow through. What are some techniques you might employ if you were tasked with leading a major change within the workplace to ensure change is maintained?