OLPD1301W Blog

Week 15

2013-05-03T22:50:35Z

Last week's final definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs, style, ethical reasoning on leadership, and group dynamics, directed towards a common goal. A leader works on his or her own personal vision while serving the community through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
This week's definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs, style, ethical reasoning on leadership, and group dynamics, directed towards a common goal. A leader works on his or her own personal vision while serving the community through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
Analysis of differences in definition:
I did not change anything in the definition for this week because this week's readings focused on the communication between team members which I felt was already covered in the "group dynamics" part of my definition. For example, the "Starring Acts in the Circus" article talks about communication between cultures and the interactivities, values, and priorities of the individuals that make up a group. One of the parts of the article talked about how communication and circus performers are influenced by their own and other's performances, as well as the audience and the input of the coach. These are all components that make up the group dynamic. In the "How Offline Gatherings Affect Online Communities" reading, the reading looked at the dynamics of groups that function primarily online. I agree that commnication and group dynamic is much like a circus in that there are many different factors acting upon each other such as the audience, the performers, the individuals and the coach.

Saphiere, D. H., Mikk, B. K., & Devries, B. I. (2005). "Factors Affecting Communication Style: Starring acts in the circus." 47 - 82. Retrieved from http://www.download-it.org/free_files/Pages%20from%20Chapter%2003%20-%20Factors%20Affecting%20Communication%20Style-c2c273a32b32ce590fe42518fa48db05.pdf.

Sessions, L. F. (2010). How offline gatherings affect online communities: When virtual community members 'meet up'. Information, Communication & Society, 13(3), 375-395. doi:10.1080/13691180903468954

Week 14

2013-04-28T05:59:47Z

Last week's final definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs, style, ethical reasoning on leadership, and group dynamics, directed towards a common goal. A leader works on his or her own personal vision while serving the community through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
This week's definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs, style, ethical reasoning on leadership, and group dynamics, directed towards a common goal. A leader works on his or her own personal vision while serving the community through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
Analysis of differences in definition:
I didn't change anything in this week's definition because I felt that the current definition already includes the topics from this week's readings. Even in regards to personal growth and intentional change, the main idea is still that there is a goal that needs to be reached. I feel that Boyatzis was accurate in his description of the intentional change because for an individual to go from his/her real self to ideal self, it is necessary to assess one's strengths and weaknesses,create a learning agenda and plan, practice with new behavior, thoughts, feelings, or perceptions, and establish relationships enabling a person to experience and process each discovery in the process.

Boyatzis, R. E. (2006). "An Overview of Intentional Change from a Leadership Perspective." Journal of Management Development, 25(7), 607-623.

Entry 10 Week 13

2013-04-21T14:15:13Z

Last week's final definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs, style and ethical reasonings on leadership, directed towards a common goal. A leader works on his or her own personal vision while serving the community through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
This week's definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs, style, ethical reasonings on leadership, and group dynamics, directed towards a common goal. A leader works on his or her own personal vision while serving the community through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
Analysis of differences in definition:
I chose not to change that much in this week's definition because I felt that the current definition already works with the readings for this week. In addition, many of the points of this week's articles were more about the process of group formation and structuring. For example, I agree that most groups go through a process of forming, storming, norming, and performing. But the article focused less on a leader's role in this process and focused more on the process through a scientific lens. I do think that it is important for a leader to know these for stages in order to best direct a group towards their common goal, for which I added "group dynamics" to the definition. "Group dynamics" also encompasses the reading for Yoon and Johnson (2008) because their findings have to do with the group dynamics of a virtual setting, which changes the way people form, storm, norm and perform

Komives, S. R., Lucas, N., & McMahon, T. R. (1998). "Interacting in Teams and Groups." Exploring Leadership: For college students who want to make a difference (pp. 165 - 194). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Yoon, S., & Johnson, S. (2008). Phases and patterns of group development in virtual learning teams. Educational Technology Research & Development, 56(5), 595-618.

Entry 9 Week 12

2013-04-13T22:13:20Z

Last week's final definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs, style and ethical reasonings on leadership, directed towards a common goal. A leader works on his or her own personal vision while serving the community through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
This week's definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs, style and ethical reasonings on leadership, directed towards a common goal. A leader works on his or her own personal vision while serving the community through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
Analysis of differences in definition:
I chose not to change anything in my definition because I feel that the current definition is reflective of the readings for this week. The readings on "The Warren Harding Error" and "Defining Racism: Can We Talk?" were less about leadership styles and more about things to think about and consider when it comes to being a leader such as institutional policies favoring a certain group or making judgements based on appearance. These things can fit into the category of "ethical reasonings" in the current definition. The reading on "Pluralistic Leadership: Incorporating Diverse Voices" was about different views regarding leadership depending on a person's background and demographics which falls into the category of beliefs and styles of leadership.

Gladwell, M. (2005). "The Warren Harding Error: Why we fall for tall, dark, and handsome men." Blink: The power of thinking without thinking (pp. 72 - 98). New York: Pushkin Enterprises.
Tatum, B. D. (1997). "Defining Racism: Can we talk?" Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? (pp. 3 - 17). New York: Basic Books.
Kezar, A. (2000). "Pluralistic Leadership: Incorporating Diverse Voices." The Journal of Higher Education, 71(6), Nov. - Dec., 2000, pp. 722-743. http://z.umn.edu/kezar

Entry 8 Week 11

2013-04-06T16:05:27Z

Last week's final definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs and ethical reasonings on leadership, directed towards a common goal. A leader works on his or her own personal vision while serving the community through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
This week's definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs, style and ethical reasonings on leadership, directed towards a common goal. A leader works on his or her own personal vision while serving the community through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
Analysis of differences in definition:
I added "style" to the sentence about leadership being the directing of a group based on a leader's beliefs and ethical reasonings on leadership, directed towards a common goal. I chose style because, as shown through Steve Jobs, there are different specific ways of being a leader. Steve jobs chose to do things like take walks and "cut to the chase", but these things don't necessarily define a great leader. These things worked for Steve Jobs and crafted him to be a great leader, but this is only one case and may not be true across the board. I thought the article Mohandas Ghandi was really interesting because it showed how the actual actions of a leader do not necessarily line up with the legacy of a leader. While I agreed with the point, I did not this defined a leader because the legacy a leader leaves is beyond his/her control.

Lomas, N. (2011). "Ten leadership lessons from the Steve Jobs school of management." Silicon.com. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/cio-insights/ten-leadership-lessons-from-the-steve-jobs-school-of-management/39748225
Rushdie, Salman (1998). "Mohandas Ghandi". Time Magazine U.S., Monday, April 13, 1998.

Entry 7 Week 10

2013-03-29T18:57:16Z

Last week's final definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs and ethical reasonings on leadership, directed towards a common goal while simultaneously working towards a leader's personal vision and/or serving the community through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
This week's definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs and ethical reasonings on leadership, directed towards a common goal. A leader works on his or her own personal vision while serving the community through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
Analysis of differences in definition: I did not change anything per se in this week's definition because I felt my definition from the previous week encompassed the readings for this week. I revised the sentence structure to make the idea more coherent and less jumbled. I really agreed with Heifetz and Linsky's (2002) writing about getting on the balcony. I feel that it is important for a leader to switch back and forth between the dance floor and the balcony in order to both focus and look at the big picture. I did not feel the need to add anything to my definition because "adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment" is in sync with the idea of getting on the balcony because a leader cannot adapt without "getting on the balcony" and "getting back on the dance floor". I did not add anything about "Identifying Each Person's One Big Thing" because I felt that Kegan and Lahey's (2009) view of only one big thing was too narrow and did not fully convey the aspects of adaptation and growth a leader needs to have.
Heifetz, R. A., & Linsky, M. (2002). "Get on the balcony." Leadership on the Line: Staying alive through the dangers of leading (pp. 51 - 74). Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. L. (2009). "Identifying Each Person's One Big Thing" (pp. 63 - 67). Boston: Harvard Business Press.

Entry 6 Week 8

2013-03-16T05:51:11Z

Last week's final definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs and ethical reasonings on leadership, directed towards a common goal while simultaneously working towards a leader's personal vision through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
This week's definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs and ethical reasonings on leadership, directed towards a common goal while simultaneously working towards a leader's personal vision and/or serving the community through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
Analysis of differences in definition: I agreed with Barbuto and Wheeler (2007) and Astin and Astin's (1996) emphasis on serving the community and group as an important quality leadership. I said "and/or" because I do not think that leadership is necessarily always about serving the community because leadership can possibly only be towards following personal goals or business goals not directed towards community improvement. However, I do agree with Barbuto and Wheeler (2007) in the qualities of a servant leader for the individual members of the group including listening, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, growth and building community. These things help foster a better group that can function to achieve personal, community and common goals.

Barbuto, J. E., & Wheeler, D. W. (2007). "Becoming a Servant Leader: Do you have what it takes?" Retrieved from www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/g1481/build/g1481.pdf

Astin, H. S., & Astin, A. W. (1996). A social change model of leadership development: Guidebook (version III) (pp. 4 - 27). Los Angeles: University of California Los Angeles Higher Education Research Institute.

Entry 5 Week 7

2013-03-08T23:27:00Z

This week's definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs and ethical reasonings on leadership, directed towards a common goal while simultaneously working towards a leader's personal vision through innovation and adaptation to today's fast-paced, high-stakes environment.

Analysis of differences in definition: I agreed with Heifetz in that today's environment is very fast-paced and high-stakes. In order to survive in this kind of 21st century environment it is important for a leader to be innovative and adaptive. I felt that my original definition lacked the outside world and only focused on the leader and his or her team. I felt that this definition was incomplete after reading Heifetz because the work a leader does only makes sense and can be judged in context with the environment.

Heifetz, R., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). "Leadership in a (permanent) crisis." Harvard Business Review, 87(7), 62-69. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=keh&AN=41997981&site=ehost-live

Entry 4 Week 6

2013-03-02T17:53:15Z

Last week's final definition: Leadership is the management of a group, based on a leader's beliefs on leadership, directed towards a common goal while simultaneously working towards a leader's personal vision.
This week's definition: Leadership is the directing of a group, based on a leader's beliefs and ethical reasonings on leadership, directed towards a common goal while simultaneously working towards a leader's personal vision.
Analysis of differences in definition:
I added that a leader directs based on both beliefs and ethical reasonings because I feel that beliefs can embody many things such as a leader's strategies or game-plan for the group. However, there is definitely an aspect of ethical conundrums of right vs. right that is very important for a leader, as shown by the Kiddler (2003) reading. These situations are ones that involve truth versus loyalty, individual versus community, short-term versus long term and justice versus mercy. For a leader to find the best course of action, he or she needs to use ethical reasoning because both answers are right, but only one can be chosen. It is important for a leader to have sound ethical reasoning, clarifying purposes, accurately presenting information, evaluating the complexities of the situation in depth and instilling fairness (Paul & Elder 2006). I agree with this because it can be hard to make a right vs. right decision, but ethical reasoning will help outline the best course of action for a leader.

Kidder, R. M. (2003). "Overview: The ethics of right vs. right." How Good People Make Tough Choices (pp. 13 - 29). New York: Simon & Schuster.

Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2006). "The Function of Ethics -- and Its Main Impediement." Understanding the Foundations of Ethical Reasoning (pp. 4 - 36). Dillon Beach, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Entry 3 Week 5

2013-02-21T03:44:12Z

Last week's final definition: Leadership is providing whatever a group needs in order to best direct the group towards a common goal.

This week's definition: Leadership is the management of a group, based on a leader's beliefs on leadership, directed towards a common goal while simultaneously working towards a leader's personal vision.

Analysis of differences in definition: I changed the "providing whatever a group needs" portion because that phrase is too vague. I chose to use the word "management" instead because "management" better conveys the idea of organizing and motivating people to accomplish a desired goal. I included the portion about personal vision because I agree with Lee and King (2001) in that, without a personal vision, the work a leader does may seem meaningless or feel unimportant. When a leader does not personally find his or her work meaningful, it becomes impossible for him or her to motivate his or her group. I also included the portion about a leader's beliefs on leadership, because, looking at Terry's (2001) writing, there are valid arguments for both sides of the different forms and beliefs of leadership. While there is no way to decide whether one side is correct, usually an individual will lean towards one side or the other. This shapes the way an individual leads a group.

Lee, R. J., & King, S. N. (2001). "Ground your leadership vision in a personal vision." Discovering the Leader in You: A guide to realizing your personal leadership potential (pp. 31 - 54). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.
Terry, R. (2001). "Deciding what you believe." Seven zones for leadership: Acting authentically in stability and chaos (pp. 20 - 40). Mountain View, CA: Davies-Black Publishing, Inc.

Entry 2 Week 4

2013-02-16T18:39:39Z

Last week's final definition: I think leadership is a position of authority. Leadership can provide any sort of guidance or direction to those who seek or need it.
This week's definition: Leadership is providing whatever a group needs in order to best direct the group towards a common goal.
Analysis of differences in definitions: I changed my definition to focus more on the original part of my definition about providing " any sort of guidance or direction to those who seek or need it." Goleman (2000) mentions that there are six distinct styles of leadership, but good leaders do not just embody one or the other. For the best results, leaders use the styles of leadership seamlessly depending on the situation. I agreed with this because it made me realize that groups, or even individuals, need different things depending on the situation, and are not cut-and-dry. I also included that leadership directs a group towards a common goal because according to Rath and Conchie (2009), "the most effective leaders rally a broader group of people towards an organization's goals, missions, and objectives." I think this is important because people need to believe they are working towards something mentally, physically, or socially tangible and defined.

Goleman, Daniel (2000). "Leadership that Gets Results." Harvard Business Review, 78(2), 78-90.
Rath, T. & Conchie, B. (2009). "Understanding why people follow." Strengths based leadership: Great leaders, teams, and why people follow. (pp. 79 - 85). New York: Gallup Press.

Entry 1

2013-01-23T19:58:43Z

I think leadership is a position of authority. Leadership can provide any sort of guidance or direction to those who seek or need it.