Performance Tasks for the Graduate-Level Business Core Domain - Essay Example

Western Governors Learning Progress Assessment Booklet Performance Tasks for the Graduate-Level Business Core Domain LDP1 - #2STUDENT STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC AUTHENTICITY WGU Business College Domain Performance Task Booklet WGU STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC AUTHENTICITY: "THIS SUBMISSION IS THE RESULT OF MY OWN PREPARATION AND COMPLETION AND NOT ANOTHER'S." DIRECTIONS: WGU policy states that all work submitted for assessment shall be "solely created by the student." By submitting this assessment booklet to WGU you are confirming your observance of this policy. Student Name: Student Number: Mentor Name: Date Submitted: Email Address: General Instructions How to Complete Your Assignments 1. Download the Learning Progress Assessment Booklet file. 2. Open the file in a word processor. 3. Read the general instructions and the specific instructions for each individual performance task. 4. Insert your responses directly into this word processing document at the place(s) indicated in the individual instructions. 5. Type all work, using consistent margins (1 inch on all sides), font (12 point, same font throughout), and spacing (single-spaced). 6. If references are cited, follow American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines. How to Submit Your Assignments 1. Submit all of the work for this entire booklet at one time. 2. Complete all elements of each individual performance task before submitting the assessment booklet for scoring. Graders will NOT evaluate incomplete tasks. 3. Enter on the cover page your full name, student number, mentor's name, and the date you are submitting the assessment booklet. (Also, please review the academic authenticity statement.) 4. Save the completed assessment booklet with a file name consisting of your student number (without leading zeros), last name (lower case), and the booklet's tracking code-the 4-digit alphanumeric designator appearing on the cover just below the title-(all caps), separated by spaces. For example, if your student number is 0059684, your last name is Chavez, and the tracking code is FAA1, the file name would be 59684ChavezFAA1.doc. 5. Send your completed assessment booklet file as an e-mail attachment to wgusubmittals@wgu.edu. 6. Your mentor will receive your score reports and then will help you determine if you have successfully completed all assignments. Please note that your final product will remain on file at WGU. Domain: Graduate-Level Business Core Leadership Subdomain Subdomain 315.1 - Leadership (s0265) Competency 315.1.4: Team Development and Leadership The student understands the process of team development and leadership. Objective 315.1.4-02 Describe how groups evolve into teams. 315.1.4-04 Describe how to build trust among team members. 315.1.5-02 Describe the common management mistakes that lead to team failure. 315.1.5- 03 Describe the common problems for team members that lead to team failure. 315.1.5- 05 Select the type of team (advice, production, project, action) that is appropriate for a given situation. 315.1.5- 06 Justify the selection of a particular type of team (advice, production, project, action) for a given situation. Assignment Instructions Given: Case: Jeanne Lewis at Staples Inc. (A) (Abridged) Write an essay (5-7 pages) analyzing team building and team leadership as it relates to the Jeanne Lewis case. A. There were a number of teams that evolved at Staples. 1. Identify one example of the evolution of a team at Staples 2. Describe three (3) elements that were present and necessary for the evolution of that team. B. Describe the development of trust within one of those teams by using at least three (3) guidelines for building trust among team members. C. There are a number of management mistakes that can lead to team failure in an organization. 1. Identify at least four (4) common management mistakes that lead to team to failure; and, 2. Explain whether any of those mistakes occurred in Lewis's marketing team, using an example to support your explanation. D. There are a number of common problems for team members that can lead to team failure in an organization. 1. Identify at least four (4) common problems for team members that lead to team to failure; and 2. Explain whether any of those problems occurred in Lewis's marketing team, using an example to support your explanation. E. A variety of teams may be utilized within an organization. 1. Identify the type of team (advice, production, project, action) that is appropriate for the Staples/Office Depot marketing and advertising merger team; and 2. Justify your selection. Insert essay here: A. There were a number of teams that evolved at Staples. 1. Identify one example of the evolution of a team at Staples 2. Describe three (3) elements that were present and necessary for the evolution of that team. The best example of the evolution of a team at Staples is the core team that consisted of Tom Sternberg, Todd Krasnow, the company's Chief Financial Officer, VP of operations, and VP of merchandising. According to the case study, "each had their own primary spheres of responsibility, but they all worked very closely together, doing whatever it took to get the job done" (Suesse 79). Todd Krasnow, in particular, seemed to embody three elements that were present and necessary for the effective evolution of this particular team: 1. optimism, 2. dedication, and 3. perspective. As Suesse phrased it, "Krasnow's optimism, exceptional dedication, and "big picture" perspective often helped keep even the most heated debates substantive, rather than personal" (79). B. Describe the development of trust within one of those teams by using at least three (3) guidelines for building trust among team members. A major element that influenced the effective functioning of this core team can be designated under Bartolom's number one guideline for building and maintaining trust--communication. According to Professor Bartolom, one needs to "Keep team members and subordinates informed by explaining policies and decisions and providing accurate feedback" (Kreitner 408). Looking at Staples background, one sees that according to Suesse, "they [the founder's core team] hashed out virtually every decision together, early on developing the discipline to back up their intuitions with hard data" (79). Other important guidelines for building trust among team members include support, respect, fairness, predictability and competence (Kreitner 408). One can see respect in the shared decision-making authority within this team, fairness in their willingness to "hash out" important decisions as equals, instead of a timeframe getting imposed from above, and competence in each member's consummate professionalism. C. There are a number of management mistakes that can lead to team failure in an organization. 1. Identify at least four (4) common management mistakes that lead to team failure; and, 2. Explain whether any of those mistakes occurred in Lewis's marketing team, using an example to support your explanation. Common management mistakes that lead to team failure include: 1. Failure to communicate purpose. 2. Failure to build group cohesion and trust. 3. Failure to show respect by delegating responsibility. 4. Failure to show leadership by resolving unproductive conflict quickly. One mistake that Lewis made with her transition to the marketing merger team fall under category number two: failed to build group cohesion and trust. This is often a problem when a manager makes a lateral transition into a new department. People within the new department have their own culture, rituals, and expectations. Lewis demonstrated a lack of sensitivity to these cultural variables when she challenged a marketing plan in the same forceful way she would challenge a leading dogma in merchandising or operations. As Lewis reported, "the person was just devastated. It was a real eye-opener for me. I realized I needed to shift my style or would have people leaving my office in tears and would end up accomplishing nothing" (Suesse 84). D. There are a number of common problems for team members that can lead to team failure in an organization. 1. Identify at least four (4) common problems for team members that lead to team failure; and 2. Explain whether any of those problems occurred in Lewis's marketing team, using an example to support your explanation. Common problems for team members that lead to team failure include: 1. Lack of group cohesion. 2. Lack of communication. 3. Lack of motivation. 4. Lack of trust. One problem that existed for Lewis's marketing team was a lack of cohesion and communication between marketing and advertising. Lewis found very little understanding in each department for the results that people in other departments were responsible for. Lewis reported, "I was amazed that while we had this huge marketing budget that everyone shared, no one knew what the other people were doing. You couldn't even have that conversation...The thought I would go home with at night was, if they knew more, then they would do a better job. It sounds so simple" (Suesse 85). In an effort to instantiate change at this most basic level, Lewis conducted meetings solely designed to develop productive crosstalk between departments. She found employees reluctant and encumbered with the effort to cross these traditional lines. People seemed more capable of communicating in her one-on-one meetings that she conducted on alternate weeks. Nevertheless, Lewis persisted in these interdepartmental meetings that, over time, may contribute to a cultural change within an organization. E. A variety of teams may be utilized within an organization. 1. Identify the type of team (advice, production, project, action) that is appropriate for the Staples/Office Depot marketing and advertising merger team; and 2. Justify your selection. Looking at the special case of the Staples/Office Depot marketing/ advertising merger team, one may conclude that an appropriate model would be an advice team. A specialized team for gathering and sharing critical data with management would make the right fit for the early efforts of a merger team, designed to help a company move intelligently into new territory. At a later stage, with an upper manager directly involved as team leader, such a group could also function well as an Action team, bringing specific changes directly to bear. References: Organizational Behavior, 6th ed., Kreitner, Kinicki, (pp. 446-472) Suesse, J.M. (2000). Jeanne Lewis at Staples, Inc. (A) (Abridged). Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, pp. 1-14 (78-91). Scoring Rubric The first three aspects and the last one are always the same; insert new scoring aspects for the particular requirements of this item in the space provided. Each required element (lettered task statement) given in the task instructions must have a corresponding scoring aspect in the rubric. If you tell the candidate to "address the following three issues" there should be an aspect & criteria for each of the three. If you instruct the candidate to "describe" or to "compare & contrast," then there must be an aspect for those elements. When building criteria for each aspect, we recommend you first define what it is that constitutes "meets standard" (criterion 3),and then determine what must be missing for the work to slip to "needs revision" (criterion 2). Finally, define what is completely "unacceptable"(criterion 1) and what is "exemplary" (criterion 4). Following such a sequence will make your criteria more consistent and accurate. Criteria: 1=Unacceptable 2=Needs Revision 3=Meets Standard 4=Exemplary Aspect Criteria Score Communication Holistic 1. The work is difficult to follow and is confusing. 2. The work needs clarification and other revision. 3. The work is easy to follow and understand. 4. The work is extremely clear and easy to understand. Mechanics (Grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.) 1. Five or more minor errors and some major errors. 2. Three-four minor errors and no major errors. 3. One-two minor errors and no major errors. 4. No minor or major errors. Style (Word choice, sentence structure, etc.) 1. Poor sentence structure, limited vocabulary, inappropriate word choice. 2. Some sentence variation, adequate but limited vocabulary, poor word choice. 3. Generally effective sentence structure, solid vocabulary, accurate word choice. 4. Highly varied sentence structure, vivid vocabulary, accurate word choice. A1-Identify Team evolution 1. Does not identify a team evolution 2. Incorrectly identifies a team evolution 3. Correctly identifies one team evolution 4. Correctly identifies more than one team evolution A2- Describe elements of team evolution 1. Does not describe any elements of team evolution 2. Correctly describes one or two elements of team evolution 3. Correctly describes three elements of team evolution 4. Correctly describes more than three element of team evolution B-Building trust 1. Fails to describe any guidelines for building trust 2. Correctly describes one or two guidelines for building trust 3. Correctly describes three guidelines for building trust 4. Correctly describes four or more guidelines for building trust C1-Identify management mistakes 1. Fails to identify or correctly identifies only one common management mistake 2. Correctly identifies two or three common management mistakes 3. Correctly identifies four common management mistakes 4. Correctly identifies more than four common management mistakes C2- Explanation of decision 1. Decision is not clearly explained and a supporting example is missing 2. Decision is clearly explained, but example does not support the decision 3. Clearly explains decision using an example to support the decision 4. Clearly explains decision using multiple examples to support the decision D1- Identify common team member problems 1. Fails to identify or correctly identifies only one common problem for team members 2. Correctly identifies two or three common problems for team members 3. Correctly identifies four common problems for team members 4. Correctly identifies more than four common problems for team members D2- Explanation of decision 1. Decision is not clearly explained or missing and a supporting example is missing 2. Decision is clearly explained, but example does not support the decision 3. Clearly explains decision using an example to support the decision 4. Clearly explains decision using multiple examples to support the decision E1- Identifies type of team 1. Does not identify a team 2. Incorrectly identifies advice or action or production team as appropriate 3. Correctly identifies project team as appropriate 4. Correctly identifies project team as appropriate E2- Justifies selection 1. Justification is missing 2. Justification is not clear 3. Justification is clear 4. Justification is clear Overall Holistic 1. Unacceptable 2. Needs Revision 3. Meets Standard 4. Exemplary Read More