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You are challenged to work in teams of four to explore how the case study (The 1996 Everest Tragedy) unfolds in terms of the context, leadership challenges, leadership theories, leader/follower behaviours (considering potential strengths, MBTI, values, EI) and arrive at insights that relate not only to the case in question but also, and more importantly, relate those insights to leadership challenges that you may have in future workplace situations.

NOTE: Please click the link to open the Mount Everest Tragedy Case Study.

The assignment should be a maximum of 8-10 pages (single-spaced). 

Note: The title page and reference pages are not included in the page limit.

The written case study assignment is comprised of five key deliverables:

1. Context

2. Key Decisions and Actions

3. Application of Theoretical Constructs

4. Identification and Analysis of Leadership Issues

5.  Group Reflection: Key Learnings and Application to Alternative Contexts

Consider the three main sub-headings when considering the deliverables:

1. Context:

Applying relevant leadership perspectives, provide a detailed description and analysis of the Mount Everest Tragedy context, including the following:

a) What organizational metaphor would you use to describe the structure of the companies? Explain.

b) Describe the situation during the climb. What happened? Mount Everest Tragedy – Pre-climb, Ascent, and Descent.

c) Discuss the Key Players – Who are they? What role(s) do they play? What do we know about them? Use relevant leadership theories to support your ideas. e.g. What were the leadership styled of both leaders? What do you know about the followers? Who are they?

2. Key Decisions and Actions:

a) Key decisions: As part of the analysis of the context, identify the key decisions and actions of each of the key players in the case.  Identify how each of these decisions may have influenced the outcome for all involved. Apply relevant leadership theories that were discussed during the semester. As part of the analysis of the key decisions and action steps, apply and explore the theoretical constructs introduced in the course to date.  Some of these may include; Motivation, Contingency theories, Followership, Communication, Strengths, Values, MBTI, EQ-i, 21st-century leadership to name a few.  Utilize specific examples from the case to explore the theories applied and their potential impact.

b) Identification and Analysis of Leadership Issues : As a part of the key decisions and actions identify and explain the leadership issue(s) and/or problem(s) that influenced the outcome of the case.  What were they, and why and how did they influence the outcome? Consider how the decisions that were made might have influenced the outcome of the climb (you can hypothesize about why these decisions were made). Apply theoretical constructs to support your ideas.

c) Outcome: Identify and explain how the leadership issue(s) and/or problem(s) influenced the outcome of the case.

3. Outcome

If you could re-imagine the case, what might have been done differently? How might these differences have made a difference? Explain.

As part of the analysis apply and explore the theoretical constructs introduced in the course to date to support your ideas/claims. Some of these may include; 21st-Century Leadership, Emerging Leadership Perspectives, Followership, Communication, Strengths, Values, MBTI, and EQ-i to name a few.

4. Group Reflection: Key Learnings and Application to Alternative Contexts

Consider your experience and learning as you explored the case study. Refer to the case and your own work and learning together as a group while solving the case. Some questions to consider are (but not limited to):

• What have you learned as it relates to teamwork, leadership, followership?
• How did you operationalize your group contract?
• What happened as you worked together?
• How might your key learnings (about the case, and your experiences as a group) be applied in the future in alternative/different leadership contexts or when you are leading a team in the future?

To assist in the theoretical aspects of your assignment, be sure to complete all of, and refer to, when appropriate, the required readings, including the chapters indicated in your weekly schedule, the additional papers (i.e. Values-Based Leadership articles) provided in SLATE, and the first 30 pages of Strengths Finder 2.0.  I also encourage you to explore additional peer-reviewed papers to support your exploration.

NOTE: All of our pre-session guiding questions, in-class case activities, and reflective assignments during the past several weeks were intentionally created to support your preparation, thinking, analysis, and reflection for this assignment.

The core learning objective of this assignment is to challenge you to think critically, analyze a “real” leadership case, and effectively apply leadership concepts and theories to identify issues and discuss possible implications in other leadership contexts.

By becoming familiar with the leadership theories and their application in a “real” case scenario, and by being more aware of how complex factors, including context, can influence leader decisions and actions, you are in a better position to become a more effective, intentional, and authentic leader.

As well, by paying attention to your own individual and group dynamics and approach to the assignment, you will become more aware of your own understanding of self-as-follower, self-as-leader, and self-as-team member.

NOTE: This assignment, along with others in this course, will be a core component of your final Leadership Creative Learning Portfolio Assignment due at the end of the term. I suggest that you refer to this document from time to time as a guide for your career and leadership path.

EVALUATION OF WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT

This assignment is worth 30% of your final grade. The evaluation of this paper is completed on the basis of:

• Thoroughness and Detail: The degree to which you completed the requirements of the paper consistent with the outline of the assignment.  An A paper had all of the necessary thoroughness and detail; a B paper had sufficient detail but not complete; and a C paper had critical detail missing.
• Application: The application refers to the degree to which you applied critical thinking and applied your understanding of leadership theories and constructs to the case study situation and your analysis.  An A paper had specific, detailed applications that were logical with the insights identified; a B paper had more generic applications; and a C paper did not outline sufficient applications.
• Insights: The insights refer to the degree to which you are able to transfer what you have learned through the case analysis to alternative leadership scenarios. An A paper had deep, probing insights with multiple alternatives provided and explained; a B paper had some reflective insights; and a C paper was missing real insights.
• Professionalism/Paper Structure: Professionalism and paper structure refer to the professional structure of the paper, language, spelling, grammar, and appropriate citations and references. An excellent paper in this area will be formal in its structure with a title page, table of contents, appropriate headings, sub-headings, tables and exhibits where appropriate, and page numbers. It will have no spelling or grammatical errors, and appropriate use of APA 7 for all citations and references.

Note: Regardless of how well your assignment is written, inappropriate, or no use of citations and references to acknowledge work of others (using APA 7 format) will result in a failing paper.

Marking Rubric for Case Study Assignment

Total Marks for this Assignment = 100

Adjusted Grade = 30%

Example Assessment criteria

An “A+” Grade = 26.8/30 or higher

1.     Completed all of the requirements of the assignment as outlined – went beyond expectations

2.     Demonstrated significant competence in critical thinking and problem-solving when analyzing the case

3.     Demonstrated a deep understanding of the leadership theories/constructs by applying to case study and applying insights to alternative “real world” contexts

4.     Creative, sometimes profound ideas and actions as to how to become a better leader as a result of the case study experience and learning.

An “A” Grade = 25.5/30 – 26.7/20

1.     Completed all of the requirements of the assignment as outlined

2.     Solid critical thinking and problem-solving in analyzing the case

3.     An accurate understanding of the leadership theories and constructs

4.     An insightful and accurate application of the leadership insights to alternative “real world” contexts

5.     Interesting, unique ideas and actions as to how to become a better leader as a result of the case study experience and learning.

 A “B” Grade = 21/30 – 25.4/20

1.     Some of the requirements of the assignment not completed

2.     Some critical thinking and problem solving evident

3.     A general understanding of leadership theories and constructs

4.     Some application of the leadership insights to alternative “real world” contexts

5.     Specific actions to become a better leader as a result of the case study insights identified

 A “C” Grade = 18/30 – 20.9/20

A “C” grade will be assigned to those assignments that are incomplete in two major areas.

A “D” Grade = 15/20 – 17.9/20

       A “D” grade will be assigned to those assignments that are incomplete in more than two major areas.

According to Daft (2018), effective leaders are leaders who are ethical, honest, and lead with integrity (p. 39). Integrity, in a leadership context refers to “a leader’s character as a whole, integrated, and grounded in solid ethical principles, and he or she acts in keeping with those principles. . . . Honest and integrity are the foundation of trust between leaders and followers” (p. 39).

In keeping with the importance of integrity in leadership, this course holds learners to the highest standard in Academic Integrity.  To support your learning and understanding of Academic Integrity and its role in your learning please refer to the Academic Integrity information embedded in this course.

Submission Instructions

Submit to the assignment dropbox by the due date. Please note, Late Penalties (in accordance with the BBA Student Handbook) will be applied to ALL late assignments.

Turnitin has been activated for this (and all assignments for this course) assignment.

In alignment with Sheridan’s Academic Integrity Policy, we want to encourage students to use proper citation and documentation practices to avoid unintentional plagiarism. Turnitin is a tool intended to assist students in determining if their written work contains material that could be interpreted as copied from another source. By providing this guidance, students may then attribute written work appropriately, thus avoiding concerns related to copying the work of others. (Source: Teaching with Technology).