What actions were taken by the leader in response to the crisis/challenge?

LDR 3301 – Leadership Case-Study Assignment Instructions

This course covers several key theories and models of leadership, as well as the essential traits and competencies associated with effective leadership in the public sector and the ethical questions that arise when considering leadership in service of the public good.  While seminal readings and traditional classroom instruction are a helpful means of introducing you to this material, one of the goals of this course is for you to apply these concepts in meaningful contexts and to see leadership in action through real-world examples.  To that end, you will be working on a semester long project that will allow you to observe actual public leaders, identify and document their leadership styles, and apply the theories and concepts covered in this course to a case-study of real-world public leadership crafted from their professional experiences.

You will be given the remainder of this semester to work on the projects.  Your instructor will be available throughout the semester to meet with you and discuss your projects. At a minimum, your group will be required to meet with the instructor twice throughout the semester to discuss your progress on the project. These meetings can be by phone, or via Microsoft Teams depending on what’s most convenient for your group.

Project Instructions

Each individual project will culminate in the submission of a 10-12 page (double-spaced)case study report that answers the questions and prompts provided below.  Your case-study reports should be informed by thorough background research as well as interviews with your identified public leader, and when possible interviews with her or his subordinates and colleagues, organizational stakeholders, and direct observation of her or his leadership qualities.  Some best practices for structuring and achieving such interactions will be discussed in class.  Each project should cover the following four areas (which will be discussed in detail throughout the semester).  Be careful to read the instructions for each section thoroughly before beginning your projects.

1. Leader Introduction: You should begin by identifying an individual leader in the public domain that you can interview as the subject of your case-study.  You should provide a general introduction to the subject of your case-study, including a brief sketch of her or his professional biography, organizational affiliation, and professional responsibilities.

You may select leaders who work in the public domain as broadly defined by this course, including governmental organizations, transnational governing bodies, non-government institutions (i.e. nonprofit and community-based organizations), educational institutions, and public private partnerships.

Your group should discuss answers to the following questions when writing your narrative for this section:

• Where does this leader work and what is their primary function/s?
• What does their career history look like that led them to their current position?
• What skills are necessary to be successful in this role?

2. Leadership Responsibilities: Thoroughly define and describe the individual’s organizational, institutional, and/or community leadership responsibilities. Building on the theories and models of leadership covered throughout the semester, this should go beyond simply detailing the individual’s professional job requirements and should more specifically identify their roles and responsibilities as a leader.  This includes identifying the various communities, audiences, and stakeholders for which the individual serves as a leader, and in what capacities she or he executes these duties.

Your group should discuss answers to the following questions when writing your narrative for this section:

• What are the primary responsibilities of this leader’s current role?
• Which stakeholders does this leader have to consider in decision-making?
• How does the leader interact with the various stakeholders, the same or differently depending on the group?

3. Leadership Style: Based on your in-depth research (including interviews, observations, etc.), you should provide a detailed leadership profile of the individual, including identifying his or her leadership style, strengths and weaknesses as a leader, and leadership competencies and characteristics. You should be attentive to connecting your observations and analysis of these leadership qualities to the theories and models of leadership covered in the course throughout this semester.  You should also be careful to provide specific details and thoughtful analysis in identifying these leadership traits.

Your group should discuss answers to the following questions when writing your narrative for this section:

• How do you define this leader’s style?
• What are the identified strengths/weaknesses of this leader?
• What specific competencies and characteristics does this leader possesses?

Case Study Example: You should describe a specific challenge or crisis faced by the leader and provide an in-depth analysis of how the leader responded to the challenge.  In doing so, your group should discuss answers to the following questions when writing your narrative for this section:

1. What actions were taken by the leader in response to the crisis/challenge?
2. Why did she/he take those actions?
3. What public values and ethical considerations were relevant to the challenge?
4. How did the leader address these ethical considerations?
5. How did the leader’s actions ultimately affect the public interest?

The section below provides a detailed grading rubric for the final report.  Please only contact your leadership partners for questions related to the case-study portion of the project (i.e. interviews, observations, etc.).  All questions about the project instructions, well as educational/academic questions, should be directed to the instructor.