8.2 – Written Analysis: Critical Thinking Questions

Chapter Eleven – 

1. As leaders make strategic decisions, they must balance the interest of the various stakeholders- employees, customers, shareholders, suppliers, unions, activists, and the community. Describe the best approach for this. Give your own example of a firm doing this.

2. Many decisions made by strategic leaders benefit some people at the expense of others, this raising ethical issues. Give specific examples for each of the following categories of unethical behavior, that are not found in the textbook:

• Breaking laws or evading regulators.

• Legal but unethical behavior.

• Acts of omission rather than commission.

• For CEOs and many other senior executives, strategic leadership is an important role they must perform well. Briefly describe some of the specific actions or responsibilities of the CEO that leadership entails.

• Resistance to change is more likely to succeed if the forces resisting the change are stronger than the forces driving the need for change. Describe some of the specific tactics that resisters could employ to thwart change efforts.

• Discuss a situation where you were involved in a change and there was some degree of resistance. What was the outcome of this change situation?

Your submission should be a minimum of two full pages of analysis.

Assignment 2:

8.3  Discussion: Vision Statement

You remember the story of Alice in Wonderland when she was searching for a way out of Wonderland; she came to a fork in the road. “Which road should I take?” she asked the Cheshire Cat. “Where are you going?” the cat responded. Alice said she didnâ€t know. The smiling cat gave her this reply, “If you donâ€t know where you are going, any road will lead you there.”

It is a common belief that what you learned in the first grade is the base of your success. This story about Alice in Wonderland is a good example. Alice wanted to get out of Wonderland, but she did not know what road to take. In life, many times some people are of the same way. This also applies to some companies and organizations. This module revolves around strategic leadership and managing crises and change.

Discussion:

1. Write an inspiring vision statement for an organization where you work or have worked. If the company has one, you may use it or revise it. Explain why you think it has an inspirational appeal.
2. Think of a time when a major change initiative at an organization you were or are affiliated with succeeded or failed. Identify possible reasons for the success or failure, and tie them to the three phases of the force-field model – unfreezing, changing, and refreezing.

These activities are graded using the discussion rubric. Post your response in the discussion by replying to this post. Your response should be a minimum of 300 words, grammatically sound, and free from spelling errors. Additionally, please make sure you are using at least one outside reference source, correctly cited and referenced, as part of the discussion. Be sure to comment or respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings. You can upload a document(s) to support your position if you wish.