Course Syllabus
Course Description
Presents the importance of organizational leadership in conjunction with various leadership traits, styles, and
characteristics. Enhances the importance of having a vision and aligning strategy, the motivation to lead, social motives in
the workplace, ethics, and the significance of empowerment for effective leadership. Topics include situational leadership,
organizational climate and culture, moral dilemmas, personal integrity, servant leadership, participative management,
human relationships, high-performance teams, diversity, cultural and interpersonal differences, workplace stress,
performance management, and organizational change.
Course Textbook(s)
No physical textbook is required; resources are integrated within the course.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Compare leadership styles.
2. Explain the importance of vision to organizational leadership.
3. Differentiate between effective leaderships and followership.
4. Describe the role of ethics in guiding leadership behavior.
5. Examine the role of leadership in organizational performance.
6. Analyze methods to lead teams effectively.
Academic Integrity
Honesty and integrity are taken very seriously at Waldorf University. All students should be familiar with the Waldorf
University Academic Integrity Policy (found in the current Student Handbook) and the consequences that will result from
breaches of this policy.
Credits
Upon completion of this course, the students will earn 3.00 hours of college credit.
Course Structure
1. StudyGuide:Course units contain a Study Guide that provides students with the learning outcomes, unit lesson,
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required unit resources, assignments, and supplemental resources.
2. Learning Outcomes: Each unit contains Learning Outcomes that specify the measurable skills and knowledge
students should gain upon completion of the unit.
3. Unit Lesson:Unit Lessons, which are located in the Study Guide, discuss lesson material.
4. Required Unit Resources:Units contain Required Unit Resources from one or more chapters from the textbook
and/or outside resources.
5. Learning Activities (Nongraded):Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of
study.
6. Discussion Boards: Students are required to submit Discussion Board posts in Units I-VIII. Discussion Boards
provide students the opportunity for student-to-student and professor-to-student interaction based on relevant course
concepts and ideas. Specific information about accessing the Discussion Board rubric is provided below.
7. Unit Assignments: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments. Specific information and
instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. Grading rubrics are included with each assignment.
Specific information about accessing these rubrics is provided below.
8. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides students with an opportunity to ask their professor general
questions or questions related to course content.
9. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with other classmates.
Unit Assignments
Unit I Essay
In this unit, you were introduced to various leadership traits, behaviors, and styles. For the Unit I Essay, you will select one of
the following leadership theories, research your selected theory further, and consider your own leadership style.
Select one of the following leadership theories:
authentic leadership theory,
leader-member exchange theory,
path-goal theory,
servant leadership theory,
situational leadership theory,
transformational leadership theory, or
transactional leadership theory.
Discuss a situation where you experienced the leadership theory you selected. Respond to the following questions and
statements:
1. Explain the selected theory (author, year, and the overall focus of the theory).
2. Describe a situation you experienced when this leadership style was practiced by you or another person.
3. In your analysis, answer these questions. How does the selected leadership theory apply to the situation? What
characteristics described by the theory can be applied to the situation and the individuals involved who contribute to
leadership effectiveness?
4. Discuss how you can develop your leadership and improve performance of followers.
Your essay should be at least two pages in length in APA Style. Include at least one outside resource. The title and
reference pages do not count toward the minimum page length. Your essay should include an introduction, conclusion, and
headings to delineate transitions.
Unit II Case Study
Identify a TV series or movie you have watched recently, preferably in a business setting. Consider the show and respond to
each of the following prompts.
1. Describe the situation of a scene when a character displayed leadership behaviors. Include descriptive words that
communicate the environment (sight), relationship, moods, tone of voice, feelings, motives, and so forth.
2. Explain the type or types of power observed in the show or movie and how power influences a leader’s behavior.
3. Explain how ethics, morals, and values may have influenced the behavior described above. Describe whether the
character illustrated good or bad ethical/moral behavior. Explain the ethical or moral dilemma. BUS 3651, Leadership 2
4. Explain whether the character was motivated to achieve a goal, objective, or task. Was the character intrinsically or
extrinsically motivated? Explain.
5. Discuss why the character depicted good or bad ethical behavior and what you would recommend to this character if
they were a co-worker.
6. What leadership style do you identify within the Path-Goal Theory: directive, achievement-oriented, participative, or
supportive? Why?
7. How can you apply your new knowledge to a current or future situation?
Your submission should be at least two pages in essay format with an introduction and conclusion. Headings and
subheadings are encouraged. You must include at least one outside source. All sources used must be referenced;
paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. Be sure to use APA Style for citations and references.
Unit III Essay
Consider an organization for which you have worked in the past or one in which you currently work or have observed in a
movie or series. Write an essay responding to the following prompts:
1. Explain organizational culture, and describe your experience or observation of an organizational culture.
2. How did shared values, beliefs, assumptions, and behaviors influence the culture?
3. Explain your experience or observation of group development referring to Tuckman’s model.
4. Compare a homogeneous and heterogeneous culture, and describe how either relates to your experience.
5. Explain how a diverse culture contributes to organizational performance.
6. Explain how leadership affects a diverse culture within a global organization.
Your submission should be at least two pages in essay format with an introduction and conclusion. Headings and
subheadings are encouraged. You must include at least one outside source. All sources used must be referenced;
paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. Be sure to use APA Style for citations and references.
Unit IVPowerPoint Presentation
Put yourself in the position of an instructor. Develop a presentation that teaches the audience about high-performance
teams and leading a global team. Answer the following questions:
How do a leader’s ethics affect the relationship with followers?
How are high-performance teams developed?
How does a high-performance team establish a strategy, goals, and tasks?
What are the traits, characteristics, and dynamics of a high-performance team?
How does communication with a global team affect team dynamics?
You may present using your choice of presentation applications. This could include PowerPoint, Prezi, Visme, Canva, or
YouTube—just be sure it is accessible by your instructor. Consider a new platform with which you are unfamiliar. You may
record yourself presenting or include an audio of your presentation. Create a compelling message. Use correct punctuation
and grammar throughout your presentation. A good rule of thumb for presentations is less is more. Paragraphs on slides is
not good practice-consider using 10 words or less on your slides. An audio presentation should be the message and the
slides only used to reinforce your message. Be creative and share a story.
Your presentation should include content to cover all questions and topics listed above. As a guide, the expectation for a
traditional presentation in PowerPoint would include information in the speaker notes section with a minimum of eight slides.
If you choose a different presentation application and are unsure what the minimum requirements would be, reach out to
your instructor for guidance.
You must use at least two outside sources, one of which must come from the Waldorf Online Library. All sources used
must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. Be sure to use APA Style for
citations and references.
Unit VScholarlyActivity
Review the unit lesson, and write a reflection paper by responding to the following prompts:
1. Compare leadership and followership in a paragraph or two.
2. Create a table with two columns comparing leadership and followership with at least five characteristics for each.
3. Explain the formal and informal roles of leadership and followership. Discuss behaviors of each.
4. Discuss a situation when your behavior depicted that of either a charismatic, transformational, transactional, or
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laissez-faire leader.
5. Discuss a situation when your behavior depicted that of one of the five follower types: alienated follower, passive
follower, conformist follower, pragmatic follower, or effective follower.
Your submission should be at least two pages. Headings and subheadings are encouraged. All sources used must be
referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. Include at least one outside resource. Be
sure to use APA Style for citations and references.
Unit VI Essay
Research an organization you would like to work for in the future. Respond to the following prompts in an essay format.
1. Identify the organization, and describe the organization’s vision, mission, and values.
2. Explain the purpose of strategic planning and why it is necessary.
3. Discuss the importance of vision and leadership in the pursuit of organizational success.
4. Discuss how the strategic planning of your selected organization aligns with its organizational vision.
5. Discuss the difference between organizational climate and culture.
6. Explain why aligning the vision, leadership, climate, and culture contributes to organizational success.
7. Explain the role of an organizational leader during organizational change.
8. Discuss your preferred leadership style and how you as a leader would assist in transitioning this organization to the
desired state.
Your submission should be at least two pages in length. Headings and subheadings are encouraged. All sources used must
be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. You must include at least one outside
resource. Be sure to use APA Style for citations and references.
Unit VII Project
Part 1 of 2
Select two U.S. presidents and two leadership theories to compare, and respond to the following prompts in an essay
format.
1. Describe the two presidents and the two leadership theories you selected for this assignment.
2. Discuss the characteristics and behaviors of the selected presidents as they relate to the leadership theories.
3. Explain why one U.S. president may have been more effective as a leader than the other. This may be based on
characteristics, decisions, leadership style, achievements, or other reasons.
4. Identify an important decision made by each president, and discuss a different cognitive bias for each that may have
influenced the decision. Explain why you came to that conclusion.
Your submission should be at least two pages. Headings and subheadings are encouraged. Include an introduction to your
submission. You must include at least one outside source. All sources used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted
material must have accompanying citations. You must have at least one outside source. Be sure to use APA Style for
citations and references.
Unit VIII Project
Part 2 of 2
This is the second part of your project from Unit VII. Refer to the two presidents you selected, and respond to the following
prompts in an essay format.
1. Refer to the Unit VIII Lesson, and discuss three self-leadership approaches your selected president may need to
improve or whose behavior shows mastery. Explain why you came to this conclusion for each of the three selected
self-leadership approaches.
2. Describe a scenario when one of the presidents selected depicted good or bad emotional intelligence. You may
review public videos of the president or read articles to evaluate behaviors. Include a reference of each source
evaluated. Explain how this good or bad behavior would weaken or strengthen your motivation to work for this
president.
3. Discuss a decision this president made that indicates either strong or weak decision-making, and explain how
emotional intelligence may have contributed.
Your submission should be at least two pages. Headings and subheadings are encouraged. Include an introduction to your
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submission. You must include at least one outside source. All sources used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted
material must have accompanying citations. Be sure to use APA Style for citations and references.
Submitting Course Papers/Projects
Once you have completed your papers/projects, submit your completed papers/projects by uploading through the
Assignment tab in each unit. Do not e-mail your paper directly to your professor. By using the Assignment tab, your record
will automatically be updated to indicate you have submitted your papers/projects, and the assignment will be provided to
your professor for grading. Instructions for submitting your assignment can be found under the Assignment tab in each unit.
APA Guidelines
Waldorf University requires that students use the APA style for papers and projects. Therefore, the APA rules for formatting,
quoting, paraphrasing, citing, and listing of sources are to be followed. Information about using APA style can be found in
APA Style Help in the Course Menu. This area provides links to Internet sites, tutorials, and guides that provide
comprehensive information on APA formatting, including examples and sample papers.
Grading Rubrics
This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each
rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each level
of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your efforts to
meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics because
these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities.
Rubric categories include (1) Discussion Board, (2) Assessment (Written Response), and (3) Assignment. However, it is
possible that not all of the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may not have
Assessments).
The Discussion Board rubric can be found within Unit I’s Discussion Board submission instructions.
The Assessment (Written Response) rubric can be found embedded in a link within the directions for each Unit
Assessment. However, these rubrics will only be used when written-response questions appear within the Assessment.
Each Assignment type (e.g., article critique, case study, research paper) will have its own rubric. The Assignment rubrics
are built into Blackboard, allowing students to review them prior to beginning the Assignment and again once the
Assignment has been scored. This rubric can be accessed via the Assignment link located within the unit where it is to be
submitted. Students may also access the rubric through the course menu by selecting the “Grades” link.
Again, it is vitallyimportant for you to become familiar with these rubrics because their application to your
Discussion Boards, Assessments, and Assignments is the method bywhich your instructor assigns all grades.
Communication Forums
These are non-graded discussion forums that allow you to communicate with your professor and other students.
Participation in these discussion forums is encouraged, but not required. You can access these forums with the buttons in
the Course Menu. Instructions for subscribing/unsubscribing to these forums are provided below.
Click here for instructions on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and post to the Communication Forums.
Ask the Professor
This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content questions.
Questions may focus on Blackboard locations of online course components, textbook or course content elaboration,
additional guidance on assessment requirements, or general advice from other students. BUS 3651, Leadership 5
Questions that are specific in nature, such as inquiries regarding assessment/assignment grades or personal
accommodation requests, are NOT to be posted on this forum. If you have questions, comments, or concerns of a nonpublic nature, please feel free to email your professor. Responses to your post will be addressed or emailed by the
professor within 48 hours.
Before posting, please ensure that you have read all relevant course documentation, including the syllabus,
assessment/assignment instructions, faculty feedback, and other important information.
Student Break Room
This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. Communication on this forum should
always maintain a standard of appropriateness and respect for your fellow classmates. This forum should NOT be used to
share assessment answers.
Schedule/Grading
The following pages contain a printable Course Schedule to assist you through this course. By following this schedule, you
will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted.
Unit I Leaders and Leadership [ Weight: 12%]
Read/View: Unit I Study Guide
Unit Resources (2 videos, 3 articles): See Study Guide
Discuss: Unit I Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit I Essay 10%
Unit II The Influence of Leaders [ Weight: 12%]
Read/View: Unit II Study Guide
Unit Resources (1 video, 4 articles): See Study Guide
Discuss: Unit II Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit II Case Study 10%
Unit III Understanding Culture, Groups, and a Leader’s Influence [ Weight: 12%]
Read/View: Unit III Study Guide
Unit Resources (2 videos, 5 articles): See Study Guide
Discuss: Unit III Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit III Essay 10%
Unit IV Who You Lead [ Weight: 12%]
Read/View: Unit IV Study Guide
Unit Resources (3 articles): See Study Guide
Discuss: Unit IV Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit IV PowerPoint Presentation 10%
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Unit V How You Lead and Follow [ Weight: 12%]
Read/View: Unit V Study Guide
Unit Resources (1 video, 3 articles): See Study Guide
Discuss: Unit V Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit V Scholarly Activity 10%
Unit VI Where You Lead? Leadership Vision and Global Environments [ Weight: 12%]
Read/View: Unit VI Study Guide
Unit Resources (2 videos, 2 articles): See Study Guide
Discuss: Unit VI Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit VI Essay 10%
Unit VII Leadership and Biases [ Weight: 14%]
Read/View: Unit VII Study Guide
Unit Resources (3 videos, 1 article): See Study Guide
Discuss: Unit VII Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit VII Project 12%
Unit VIII Lead Thyself Leader [ Weight: 14%]
Read/View: Unit VIII Study Guide
Unit Resources (4 articles, 1 video): See Study Guide
Discuss: Unit VIII Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit VIII Project 12%
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