Instructions
Overview
For this course, you will have a project that includes the written assignments in Weeks 1, 3, and 5. The Week 3 and Week 5 assignments are considered major assignments, which combined are worth almost half of the total course points. It will likely take you more than one week to complete the Week 3 and Week 5 major assignments, so begin working on those tasks sooner rather than later.
Project Summary:
Your course project will result in distinct deliverables for the Week 3 and Week 5 major assignments. Your Week 3 paper will provide a starter version of a comprehensive examination (for your DBA program) study document. Your Week 5 paper will provide a leadership development approach for an organization of your choice. For Week 1, you will begin summarizing the Week 3 and Week 5 work as well as looking for connections between the deliverables.
Week 1: Introductory Summary
Week 3: Comprehensive Exam Prep
Looking ahead in your DBA program, the final step in the course sequence is a comprehensive exam. Students must successfully pass the comprehensive exam before moving on to the dissertation phase.
Your preparation for the comprehensive exam should have already started via your study in previous courses, self-documentation of your learning, and completion of the reflection journals with your mentor.
For the Week 3 paper, you will provide an annotated outline that:
Segments the OB field into at least three broad categories. You may have more than three categories, but the minimum for this assignment is three. For example:
Individual
Group/Team
Organizational/Environmental
Provides a set of core topics beneath each of the broad categories. At this point in your doctoral development, you must have at least five core topics for each category (thus, a minimum of fifteen total). You may have more than five topics for each category (and eventually you will in your preparation for the exam!) but the minimum for this assignment is five topics for each of your categories (or at least a total of fifteen topics if you have more than three categories).
Connects one annotated resource (key author—with a brief description or bullet points of important points the author makes about the topic) for your fifteen core topics. You may provide more than one resource per topic, but you must have at least one resource for a minimum of fifteen topics.
Week 5: Leadership Development and Succession
For the Week 5 paper, you will design a leadership development program for an organization of your choice.
The leadership development program will include:
A general discussion of leadership (e.g., what is it?)
Selection of an approach (e.g., style or theory) to leadership that you wish to build or replicate throughout the organization
Summary of a four-module development plan for infusing your selected leadership approach in the organization
Proposal of a leadership succession perspective for the organization
Your Week 1 Tasks:
Introductory Summary (1–2 pages)
Although your course project has two distinct deliverables (comprehensive exam document in Week 3 and a leadership development and succession plan in Week 5), as a doctoral-level scholar, you should be able to synthesize connections between the two topics and activities.
Synthesize a 1- to 2-page summary of how the study of OB and preparation of a comprehensive preparation document can inform and enhance your design and delivery of a leadership development and succession plan. Support your synthesis with research.
Part 1: Comprehensive Exam Prep Document: First Thoughts (1–2 pages)
Defend an organizational motif or schema that helps break down the field of OB into smaller units (broad categories) for study (e.g., individual, group/team, organizational/environmental). Your schema must have at least three broad categories. Be sure to define each element of your schema.
Part 2: Leadership Development and Succession Plan: A Beginning (1–2 pages)
Select an organization for your study. The organization can be one you are currently part of, one you used to be part of, one you research, or even a hypothetical organization.
Summarize key details about the organization. What is it? What does it do? How would you describe its structure? How would you describe its culture? What issues is the organization currently experiencing that may be related to leadership problems? How does the organization currently develop leaders and plan for succession?
Submission Details:
Complete your analysis in a 5–6-page Microsoft Word document, using APA style