Capstone Online Tutoring
This Capstone Assessment is not to be discussed with any other student whatsoever (as it is an alternative to an exam) otherwise you may be in breach of UTAS Academic Policies.
Total Word count 2500. Due Sunday 18 October at 11.59pm (originally in Unit outline as 2pm). Please submit via MyLO.
A cover page is not required however, you do need to place your student name and student number on your front page of the Assessment.
EACH question is worth 12.5 Marks for a total of 50 marks.
Students must answer ANY FOUR (4) of the questions below:
Question 1: How do Leaders influence Culture within an organisation? and How does culture influence performance?
Question 2: How do leaders achieve job satisfaction for employees in the Workplace?
Question 3: Compare the functional and dysfunctional effects of organisational culture on employees within the organisation?
Question 4: What would the potential disadvantages of selecting a team leader who is highly charismatic and visionary?
Question 5: To what extent do you think teamwork is required of members of the executive group of a business or not for profit?
Question 6: Why is Motivation one of the most important part of a leader’s job?
Question 7: What actions might a leader take to demonstrate that their interest in diversity goes beyond rhetoric?
Question 8: Are Leaders Born or Made?
Question 9: How is culture transmitted to employees?
Question 10: How is leadership different to power?
Requirements:
(1) Each Question should be a maximum of 625 Words.
(2). You must include at least 3 references per answer.
(3) Define terms, use OB theory or Models and real-world examples to support your answers.
(4) There will need to be a reference List and In-text referencing. Your full reference list DOES NOT count towards the word limit.
(5) No Introductions or Conclusions required.
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Solution
2. How do leaders achieve job satisfaction for employees in the Workplace?
ANS… According to Wicker (2012) job satisfaction can be defined as a sense of inner fulfillment and pride achieved when performing a particular job. Employees satisfied with their job perform with full dedication and sincerity leading their organizations to success. As such accomplishment of organizational goals is based on how satisfied are the employees with their job.
Convincing the employees for a better performance, and procuring desired results from them is among major concerns of the organizational leaders. Though, they adopt varied techniques and strategies to enhance loyalty and productivity of their employees, but implementing measures for making the employees satisfied with their job is a proven and most effective technique for enhancing their performance. When employees are satisfied with their jobs, they will energetically deliver the higher levels of job performance (Christiansen & Chandan, 2017).
Like organizations are always in pursuit of skilled and experienced individuals for their workforce, similarly workers are also looking for organizations where they can work peacefully, are given their due rights, have growth and skill development opportunities and there are no communication barriers with the top management.
Job satisfaction is based on multiple components starting from safe and healthy work environment. it is quite common that employees working in an unhygienic, crowded or unsafe working area cannot perform with full devotion, thus their productivity would be not be as expected. Employees would prefer to work in the organizations that provides best of the working conditions (Ahuja & Rathore, 2018). Leaders for job satisfaction of their employees create work area that is safe, healthy and clean. Also, they implement techniques to make the working areas pollution free.
Secondly, organizations with growth opportunities are always appealing for the employees. they mostly prefer organizations in which they could get a chance to develop or enhance their skills, and have options for their further growth. When an employee perceives that a job lacks variety, learning opportunities and autonomy, distress might result (Rothmann & Cooper, 2013). Learning and developing opportunities are effective factors leading to job satisfaction. Leaders institute different training and skill enhancement programs, and implement future growth plans for their employees satisfying their need of further progress, upgrading their loyalty for the organization, thus making them satisfied with their job.
Awarding employees for their efforts and accomplishments, makes employees realize that their contribution for the organization is being acknowledged. It not only enhances their devotion for their task but also upgrades their loyalty with the organization. Organizational leaders design varied award programs for their employees which could be in the form of some recreational leaves, promotion, certificates, further training or cash prizes. Such award system not only refuel an employee’s contribution for the organization but also makes them more comfortable with their job.
Moreover, another concern of the employees is their well-being during the job tenure and even after their retirement. According to the custodial model of OB theory employees are more oriented towards security and benefits offered by the organization in the form of cash like pension, loans or some other form of financial support (Agarwal, 2020). Organizations offering employees well-being programs are successful in gaining their employees trust and retaining the skilled workforce.
Also, when an employee’s personal interests and family concerns are acknowledged by the organizations in turn, he become more loyal with his job. For instance, the facilities Netflix is offering for its employees like anytime vacations (depending on the work load), and renumerations of employee’s choice (Griffin & Moorhead, 2012), its employees rated the company the third best place to work in the United States in the 2009 (Parnell, 2014). As such, employees of Netflix are not only satisfied with their job but also, they devote their full efforts for the benefit of their company.
6. Why is Motivation one of the most important part of a leader’s job?
Ans…. Employees are the main driving force of an organization, there loyalty, devotion, and working attitude are quite significant for the organization. As employees are more devoted to their task, they use their best skills and knowledge to achieve the given targets for the best interest of their organization. Organizational leaders adopt varied techniques and strategies to enhance the performance of their employees making them more productive. Thus, success of an organization is based its employee’s productivity.
According to Napolitano (2014) motivation can be defined as a combination of dynamic factors at any given moment, which influence an individual’s behavior towards a goal in time. Hence, it can be stated that the performance or working attitude of an individual is based on his level of motivation. As such, to expect a productive performance from the employees their motivation level should be enhanced.
Motivation is the moving force behind successful leadership (Wright, 2014). Employee’s motivation is the core responsibility of organizational leaders, as employees would be more productive and committed to their task if they are more motivated.
Every individual in any role and segment is working to accomplish his desires or needs, and when the same desires seems to be achievable after successful completion of a specific task, individual dedicate his best skills and knowledge for the success of the task. As stated by Iland (2013) that the strength of motivation largely relies on the clearness of the mental picture of the goal or the reward, as well as the intensity of the desire to achieve it, for employees, motivation is the reflection of the rewards they would attain over their performance or productivity. Hence, to convince employees for a better productivity, motivation would be the assurance of their award, and would convince them for their dedication towards the task.
As an organization’s success is based on the performance of its employees, organizational leaders implement varied techniques to enhance motivation of their employees. moreover, least motivated employees are least productive even are not loyal with their organizations. As such, leaders not focusing on their employees motivation are always encountering with the issues like retaining of good talents, getting appropriate candidate for the vacant posts and achieving the desired results from their employees.
For a seamless progress of an organization there must be a healthy relationship among the employees and the leaders, effective implementation of motivational strategies by the leaders not only establishes a link between the employees and the leaders but also aids in building trust and loyalty among the employees, which makes them feel more secure with their organization and further nourishes their performance. Making motivated employees an asset for the organization.
As motivation enhances employee’s loyalty with the organization, they more often become the source of identifying any issues the organization may counter with, also employees being practically involved with the operation procedures their suggestions could aid in concluding the solutions of the same issues. As such, motivation can be claimed as a mandatory segment of a leader’s job.
Moreover, at present considering the intense competitive environment, to be in a leading position an organization have to upgrade its products or services in accordance with the constantly changing market demands. Motivation not only enhances productivity of the employees but also develops interest among the employees for their job. A motivated employee may put in more effort with a greater focus on quality (Moreira, 2017), they contribute their best creativity for their tasks which ultimately benefit the organizations. Thus, organizational leaders by motivating their employees can take advantage of their creativity and ideas, and can maintain a leading position among the market competitors.
An organization without skilled and motivated employees will not be competitive very long (Gulati, Mayo, Nohra, 2014). As such, leadership in organization may not be effective without the implementation of efficient motivational strategies for the employees, as organization’s success is based on the devoted performance of its workforce, while employee’s performance is based on how effectively they are motivated.
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8. Are Leaders Born or Made
Ans… Leaders are individuals who stand out among the general public owing to their particular behavior, style, attitude and mindset, influenced by their particular traits. Whereas, either a leader’s trait inborn or developed through experience or training, different leadership theories developed up till now presents their own versions. According to Berger & Brownell (2012) neither researchers nor practitioners have come to an agreement regarding how leadership should be defined. Hence, conclusion of the argument regarding either leaders are born or made is yet to be decided.
In the past, it was believed that a leader can only be a person born with specific characteristics. Great-Man theory developed in 19th century portrays the same believe. The Great-man theory considering the leadership style of prominent leaders like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Napoleon Bonaparte, was focused on the innate traits and characteristics of individuals considered to be historically great leaders (Gulati, Mayo, Nohria, 2014). Later, as more developments were made among varied industrial and business segments across the globe, Great-Man theory was challenged by theories later developed claiming leadership traits not necessarily should be inborn but could be developed through learning, experience or training, even working environment could also promote leadership characteristics.
Great-Man theory can be justified as considering the least personal development opportunities available during the early periods and the achievements of the leaders of that time, exclusive characteristics of the leaders can rightly be claimed as inborn. In contrast of the Great-Man theory, behavior theory was introduced by the mid of 20th century, stating that anyone could become a leader with the right information (Reed & Bogardus, 2012). Hence, according to behavior theory an individual can be a leader, developing particular traits through learning, training or experience.
Though, behavior theory does not completely refuse the influence of inborn traits, however it highlighted that an individual can overcome his deficiency of inborn traits by developing the same or parallel traits through varied sources or means. As such, acknowledging the developments of current era and opportunities available, it seems that traits developed through learning or training has superseded the significance of inborn traits.
Considering the two leadership theories i.e., the Great-Man and Behavior it would be difficult to conclude that either leaders are born or made. Question remains the same that do traits can be developed ?? if the traits can be developed through learning or any other means than why only certain group of individuals reaches the top position in an organization, why only few individuals have a number of followers, or why only few individuals are able to be regarded as a role model for many people.
learning, training or experience no doubt aids in the development of some of the traits essential to be a leader, but the ability of an individual for benefiting from his learning or experience to enhance or develop traits is based on his inborn abilities. As a good number of individuals participates in a same learning and training process or goes through a same experience but not all becomes a leader. That is, it is the inborn characteristics of an individual which influence his abilities to efficiently make use of one’s learning or training for the development of his characteristics or skills.
Certain traits are quite common among the leaders like, visionary, good decision makers, good communicators, charismatic, self-motivated, and confident. These are the traits which cannot be developed through any learning or training, however the same traits do aid in enhancing one’s knowledge, skills and leading for the accomplishment of desired tasks.
Moreover, individuals with inborn leadership traits are capable to perform and succeed in every situation or environment, whereas learned traits fails to be productive in most of the situations.
Thus, it can be concluded that inborn traits are pivotal to be a leader, hence, leaders are born and not made.
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