Leadership: Foundational and Critical Perspectives

Assignment QuestionIdentify a leader with whom you are familiar. You can use a pseudonym if you wish (itwill be better that you pick a leader that you have a firm opinion about i.e. either onethat you think was particularly successful or unsuccessful).Provide an overview of the leader you have chosen, the context in which they ‘lead’ andyour reason for choosing them. Then, drawing upon relevant theory, explain the reasonsfor the leader’s success (or failure). You will need to assess aspects like the leader’straits, style and engagement with situational factors.Finally, what does your analysis suggest about the importance of leadership incontemporary organisations?Approaching the questionYou are reminded that whilst some questions may very evidently refer to a particular unitthey are all designed to span issues across the entire module. A full answer to thequestion will require reflection on the issues that you have encountered throughout themodule. It is important to bear in mind that the content of your answer will depend onthe argument that you wish to put forward in answer to the question and not solely onthe concepts that the question explicitly identifies.(a) Be careful not to spend too much of your assignment simply describing courseconcepts or examples. Your emphasis should be on applying these to allow you toanalyse the issues identified in the question and for this analysis to be a foundation foryour subsequent conclusions.(b) The example used can be from your experience or suitably researched (for exampleusing secondary sources such as case studies, academic journals and qualityjournalism).(c) Ensure that you substantiate your arguments in offering an assessment of the factorswhich you think explain the situation. As you will be aware from your studies, differenttheories provide somewhat competing assessments of the relative importance ofinfluencing factors in explaining leadership practice.Page 2 of 2(d) Informed by your analysis, you will also need to provide a critical discussion of theimportance given to leadership more generally. Consider, for example, whether youagree (or disagree) with the particular significance that is emphasised.(e) We also advise that you use the electronic databases (e.g. Business Source Premierand Emerald) in the library to search for additional academic articles which supportyour answer.(f) All sources should be referenced sources appropriately (see guidance below)In addition to the criteria outlined above and in the Programme Handbook, students areexpected to demonstrate:(a) the ability to apply frameworks and concepts from the leadership literature to ‘realworld’ cases;(b) the ability to identify the implications of such an analysis for leadership practicewithin organisations; and(c) the ability to reach a conclusion based upon the analysis of both theory and practicein addressing the question.ReferencesPlease ensure that you have read the advice on assignment writing and referencing whichis available at:http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/management/documents/pdfs/assignwritingguidelines.pdfThe essay should be fully referenced throughout and contain a bibliography.Word limit: 3,500Date for submission: Sunday, 31 January 2016Please refer to the Assessment section of Blackboard for details on how to submit.If you have any questions or need information regarding submission of your assignment,please contact the programme administration team.