In Week 1, you learned about EMERGENT LEADERSHIP, the kind of leadership that does not involve formal authority. In this project, you will initiate one thing to lead others who do not report to you.
The scope of the initiative should be moderate, such that within seven weeks, you can have a significant impact creating momentum for the initiative or even completing the initiative. For example: Leading the effort to outsource background checks in the HR recruiting function is appropriate in scope; Leading an effort to reorganize the HR department is not. The initiative must involve others so that you have an opportunity to lead. In addition, you must use data or evidence as a part of your influence strategy.
In your report, you will answer the following questions. Please modify the questions into section headings for your paper.
In one paragraph, describe the context (e.g., the company, the department you will focus this on, what the department does).
Describe the issue or challenge you planned to address. Why is it a problem (or opportunity)?
Describe your initiative and how your solution addresses the issue or challenge. Describe how your initiative fits into the organizational culture. (Week 5)
Who was involved? In other words, who needs to participate in making the change happen? What did/are they actually be doing as part of this change? What were the current values (Week 2) and attitudes of these people toward the status quo, your proposed change and any competing proposed change? You may have different groups of people with vastly different values (e.g., “The engineers in the division value precision, data, and quality, whereas the managers value speed and profitability…”)
Describe how you influenced the people involved. (Week 3) Get specific applying the concepts from the CCL white paper and the Science of Persuasion video. Analyze how your influence tactics worked (or didn’t work) for the different people you interacted with.
Describe your data collection – the evidence you provided to others that your initiative makes sense in this situation. Example sources of data: Bureau of Labor Statistics, your organization’s employee engagement survey, a study published in a reputable business publication. (For instance if your company is contributing to excess waste by dumping lots of trash each week and you propose introducing a paper recycling program, data collection means finding evidence that paper recycling programs reduce waste.)
Who was the decision maker? How was the decision made? By an individual? By a group? What concepts have you learned about decision making (Week 4) that can help you analyze how the decision was made?
In a timeline format, with dates, describe the steps you have taken to initiate the change. E.g., 1. January 2 Met with xx in order to yy…; 2. January 9 presented to my manager…; 3. January 10 surveyed 23 co-workers…; etc.
Self-Reflection. What have you learned about leading change through this process? What competencies, traps and detailers did you experience or witness (Week 6)? What was more difficult than you anticipated? What leadership ability(s) did you develop that you can leverage moving forward?
The Emergent Leadership Initiative Paper will be graded on the following criteria:
Integration of course concepts and theory. Demonstrate that you not only understand but can apply the conceptual ideas of the course in your paper.
Depth of Analysis. Demonstrate that you have gone beyond the superficial in addressing the questions. For example, discuss not only which influence strategy you are using, but also why that is the best strategy to follow.
Data collection. Data collection should show completeness and effort. Ask yourself, “If this initiative were going to cost a lot of money or time, what information could persuade stakeholders to be convinced?”
Investment of time and effort. You do not need to choose an initiative that can be fully executed within seven weeks. However, you should demonstrate that you have put a good deal of time and effort into moving closer toward your ultimate goal.
Writing style. A paper will receive more weight if it is well-organized and well-written in terms of syntax and usage. You will decide how best to organize the paper and the appropriate headings. Papers should be 6-12 pages, double spaced, plus any appendices. Appendices might include PowerPoint presentations to the decision maker, a survey that you used to collect data internally, flowcharts and graphs, etc.
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