Select one of the major theoretical leadership and apply it to a current workplace topic (i.e. job satisfaction, worker engagement, job fit, burnout, productivity, etc.).
Compose an 8-10 page paper (not including title page or references page) in APA format (font, margins, title page, references page, etc.). Integrate at least 4 scholarly resources into your analysis. Include the following components as headings in the assignment:
1) Introduction
2) Leadership Theory- Summarize the leadership theory you selected, drawing upon what you learned in your research of the literature about that theory.
2) Evaluation of Theory- Describe and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the theory.
3) Application/Analysis of Theory- Analyze the theory as it relates to your selected topic. Think critically about the literature reviewed to formulate your position.
4) Analysis of Theory in Context of Change Model- Examine the theory and selected topic in the context of Kotter’s change model.
5 ) Conclusion
ADDITIONAL RESOURCE INFORMATION
In Week 6, we examine change leadership through the work of Heifetz, Grashow, and Linksy on adaptive leadership and Kotter’s 8 step model of change. Adaptive leadership focuses on how a leader facilitates the work of subordinates in dynamic environments. Essentially, how well a leader supports workers as they navigate changing situational demands without providing solutions to the team.
Guiding Principles of Adaptive Leadership
As noted in Heifetz & Laurie (1995), the guiding principles of adaptive leadership include the following:
1. Get on the balcony – The leader must understand the big picture and the elements of the situation.
2. Identify the adaptive challenge – The leader must possess strong self-awareness and awareness of his workers in order to identify the real conflict
3. Regulate distress – The leader must maintain composure when faced with ambiguity and frustration, and manage change to sustain worker motivation without overwhelming workers
4. Maintain disciplined attention – The leader must counter distractions that inhibit people from dealing with tough questions
5. Give work back to the people – The leader must consider the specialized knowledge of subordinates and encourage their participation in the changes
6. Protect voices of leadership- The leader must consider the perspectives of all employees, even those on the periphery of the organization.
Pros and Cons
The Adaptive Leadership model has many strengths. It views leadership as a process and emphasizes the role of the follower. The model highlights the complexity of the leader-follower interactions and offers guidance on how leaders can mobilize followers to thrive in dynamic work environments. Criticisms of the model point out that there is limited research to support the theory, largely because the complexity of the theory makes it difficult to evaluate empirically (Northouse, 2019).
Kotter’s Model of Change
Kotter (1996) developed the 8-step model of change to help organizations implement change successfully. The current model (2014) is an expanded version of the original model (1996). While there are some changes in the new version of the model, the underlying principles remain the same. Kotter’s (1996) original model was highly structured, with a core change team implementing the steps in a sequential order. He also believed that proposed that the change process is linear and occurs within a traditional hierarchy. In the current version, Kotter’s (2014) approach is flexible. He renamed the steps as “accelerators” and proposed that the accelerators occur in a “concurrent and continuous” manner, driven by an organizational team of volunteers, and that organizations should make the most of opportunities as they arise.