The case study analysis should clearly state your position, include supporting evidence from the case study, and demonstrate your mastery of the material by appropriately applying concepts from the reading assignments.
- The case study analysis should be at least 600 words, but no more than 750 words, in length.
- Please include the word count as part of your written case study analysis.
- Use proper grammar, spelling and punctuation.
- Please include your name on the assignment.
Grading of Assessment
Grading will be based upon the attached rubric below. Refer to this grading rubric in preparing your case study analysis assignment.
Please note that the grading rubric is divided into the following sections:
- Quality of Response (25 points)
- Application of Principles (50 points)
- Clearly Stated Course of Action (15 Points)
- Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation and Including the Word Count (10 Points)
Descriptions of each of these four sections are provided in the grading rubric.
The written case study analysis will be worth a maximum of 100 points. Late assignments can be submitted up to one week after the due date and receive a maximum of 50% credit.
Background
“We live in an age of unprecedented opportunity: If you’ve got ambition and smarts, you can rise to the top of your chosen profession, regardless of where you started out.
But with opportunity comes responsibility. Companies today aren’t managing their employees’ careers; knowledge workers must, effectively, be their own chief executive officers. It’s up to you to carve out your place, to know when to change course, and to keep yourself engaged and productive during a work life that may span some 50 years. To do those things well, you’ll need to cultivate a deep understanding of yourself—not only what your strengths and weaknesses are but also how you learn, how you work with others, what your values are, and where you can make the greatest contribution. Because only when you operate from strengths can you achieve true excellence.” (Peter F. Drucker in “Managing Oneself“)
This insight from Peter Drucker seems to align well with Daniel Goleman’s assertion in “What Makes a Leader” that there are five elements of Emotional Intelligence that are required for truly effective leaders (self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill). According to Goleman, if you want to become a truly effective leader, then you will need to develop Emotional Intelligence.
It’s clear that Alex has experienced a certain level of success up to this point, being “younger than every other product manager at Landon.” There are certain traits that Alex has exhibited that probably have contributed to this success (e.g. conscientiousness), but there might be other traits that are missing (e.g. agreeableness).
However, the main question facing Alex Sander and Sam Glass right now as they embark on the performance review is about Alex’s ability to be successful in a future role in the company.
In a conversation with Sam Glass, Alex Sander has expressed interest in “having influence over strategic decisions,” “getting into broader planning areas, thinking about broader implications for the division,” and taking advantage of “the opportunities that the Avant-Garde acquisition presents.” Alex wants to continue to progress and take on new roles with ever increasing levels of responsibility.
However, as Sam Glass points out, there are some concerns that will need to be addressed. “To do that, you must prove yourself as a motivator and leader. You must learn how to get work done through other people. You won’t always be able to do everything yourself–not even close. And that means that you are going to have to value performance measures other than compensation for individual effort. You peers respect you, but I doubt many would see you as a leader.”
Assignment
What should Sam Glass encourage Alex Sander to do to develop the individual traits needed to be successful in future roles of increasing responsibility? Clearly state which two (2) principles from this module Alex Sander should have employed, providing at least three (3) specific examples (courses of action) that demonstrate the application for each of the two principles.
Please see ‘Kirby’s Guidelines and Tips for the Case Study Analysis’ (in Module 1) for additional details on the structure of the Case Study Analysis, application of principles, and the course of action (specific examples). If you are looking for ideas on which principles you might want to select, how to apply the principles to this case study, and specific courses of action to recommend to the protagonist, tune into the weekly Professor Corner (and/or watch it when it comes out – it will be posted in the Canvas Announcements tab)
(Please do not restate or summarize the details of the case study, but instead focus on applying the principles from this module as explained in the assignment rubric below. See the Objective section of the Module 2: Overview – Individual Traits and Diversity page for a list of the main principles in this module.)