Leadership Theories

You are part of a team at your organization where you are employed currently or at an organization with which you are familiar. This team is made up of members of the different departments at the organization. The executive director has tasked each member of the team to independently research the following two questions (respond with one full paragraph for each question):(1) What theory of leadership most closely aligns with our current practice within our organization and do you think it is most appropriate or would another serve us better?

(2) What leadership theory would you recommend that might be more effective, and why? (Note: if you think the current leadership theory is a good fit and is effective, explain why you think it is working and should remain in place).

On your own, you will have to conduct research on leadership theories and present a 2-paragraph summary of the central ideas of a leadership theory you believe is most appropriate for the organization.

A summary that paraphrases the central idea of the leadership theory that you think is most appropriate for your organization (or an organization with which you are familiar). Provide a rationale to support why you think the leadership theory is appropriate for your organization and include specific lessons that can be learned from the theory, based on your observations and experience. Be sure to include the appropriate citation and reference for the reading from which you are paraphrasing.

You might want to start your summary like this: “Based on my analysis of various leadership theories, I think the passage that best captures the central idea of a leadership theory that is particularly relevant and important to our organization is found in Ulrich, Smallwood, and Sweetman (2008) on page X.” Then, include the appropriate reference at the end of your summary. For example:

Reference:

Ulrich, D., Smallwood, N., & Sweetman, K. (2008). Defining leadership code. In The leadership code: Five rules to lead by (pp­ 1–24). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School.