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Now, reflect upon and analyze what Rosabeth Moss Kanter has to say and how that does or does not coincide with what Yukl says about gender-based discrimination. Do you agree? Why or why not.

This week brought about some interesting points of discussion and examination for me. Mrs. Kanter discussed some things that I think are important to note. First, she mentions that there is a breakdown in the ability to move up any corporate ladder when there is always a change that a woman might take time and leave for her family. She mentioned that there is some perspective issues that do not allow women the fair chance to see promotions or pay increases. She goes onto discuss the fact that, culturally, we may see a shift in that perspective once men decide that they too, want to become more family driven and leisurely. Do to those facts and perceptions, currently there is some breakdown in the ability of women to get as high of a position stature in high risk jobs. An article I reviewed states that "The working parent who laments the degeneration of society while complaining that younger employees “lack work ethic” fails to understand this: Societal problems, which include all the problems found within our organizations, are rooted in the family" (Hyatt, 2014). This is the shift, I believe that she was making hints toward. This may be happening sooner than we can think. Second, she mentioned early on that there is this informal, behind the scenes discussion that takes place when someone or a company is looking to move someone into a leadership role. I think the old saying "it's not what you know, it's who you know" applies here. Almost every leader I've seen promoted within my current company has been part of the "good ol boys" club. Everyone is always talking about how they were stationed with this guy or how they know such and such. I think that the behind the scenes meetings she's talking about are the number one way that companies promote from within. Unless there is some need to look outside the company, why would they? The best way to find out about who the company has available is to ask around. People talk and unfortunately for some, they seal their fate to early. This decision could also be formed do to social similiarities too. I see and saw this too. If people can relate to you and then share things in common, how much easier is it for you to work with them?

This week was interesting to better understand the challenges that people, especially women face in the work environment and more importantly in the upper leadership roles. Transparently, if we are able to look past the family settings and look past the social stature that money brings with it, we may, like Rosabeth says, be able to select the best leaders regardless of gender or any other defining category they may be in.







Hyatt, M. (2014, January 1). How Leadership at Home Affects the Rest of Life. Michael Hyatt. Retrieved July 24, 2014, from http://michaelhyatt.com/how-leadership-at-home-affects-the-rest-of-life.html

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Thinking about my leadership skill set and core values this week helped me to better understand what is important to me and what beliefs may help serve me better as a leader. Until graduate school, I had never really taken the time to examine me, as a perspective leader and I didn't have the ability to look at situations from other people's perspective. Since then, and in this class in particular, I am now able to better understand how I'm effective as a potential manager. Relating this question back to the reading this week, I have a strong belief in God. The relationship I have with God helps shape my ethical and moral compass. This moral compass allows me the opportunity to make sound decisions in business as well as in life. This ability allows me to not hold any prejudice or unwillingness to work with others. Another core value I associate to myself would be hard work/discipline.  Discipline allows me to stay focused on the important tasks at work and the hard work allows me to use that focus to complete the task. Sometimes, leaders are not always focused on what they can do for others an they tend to only finish what they need to get done. I think I have the ability to assist people with their issues, whether that be in the workplace or not. After last week's reading, it is important for anyone who is a leadership role to make sure people know the main objective of a project (or whatever task) and that they can trust you. if you couple that with transparency and my hard work, I can say that I provide a skill set that other leaders may not. according to a source, an effective and good leader can "have integrity and character to complement your ability to get things done. It’s easy to do the right thing when you have an audience, but it takes courage and strength of character to do the right thing when you’re alone. Stay true to your values even when everyone around you is floundering, or when popular opinion goes against what you know in your heart to be right" (Smith, 2013). I believe that my skill set directly relates to that belief.To be an effective leader, I now know that I can reflect on myself by using criticism from others and then think back to the knowledge I've gained through my studies this far. The ability to look into yourself is something that is invaluable and unique. It makes good leaders, great leaders. To summarize, consider this quote about successful leaders, "An optimistic leader has hopeful expectations for the future and embraces challenges. It is more than simply being positive in that leaders understand difficulty occurs and at times failure however, these challenges are not seen as permanent nor do they personalize them.  Optimism builds resilience" (5 Things, 2014). To better myself in the future, I will always apply the art of looking into oneself. The fact that I can do that, sets my aside from other leaders in my field currently.

5 Things Successful Nurse Leaders Do. (2014, April 15). . Retrieved July 10, 2014, from http://www.vibrantradianthealth.com/5-things-successful-nurse-leaders-do

Smith, M. (2013, September 13). The 7 Characteristics That Set Great Leaders Apart.TLNT. Retrieved July 11, 2014, from http://www.tlnt.com/2013/09/11/the-7-characteristics-that-truly-sets-great-leaders-apart/

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Reflect on what you have read and viewed and what it means when we say that leaders must create a “cause” or "meaning." Relate this to the theory of leading change. Use examples and apply the work of others where necessary.

This week I took some time to reflect on what I thought of the article and how a cause or meaning might effect my happiness and ability in the workplace. I found myself asking the age old question "am I doing what I love"? After all, isn't that how most of us selected what we are doing? I think there has been a shift away from what we might love to do and more toward the "what job pays me the most" culture. With that in mind, it was easy for me to understand why someone in a leadership role might have to come up with creative ways to engage their employees and to give them some incentive. I came up with a small idea that might be feasible for a manager. Let's use "Wendy". A manager could inspire meaning in Wendy by giving her some incentive on a weekly, monthly, and annual level. The leader could tell her that for maintaining her clients happiness and loyalty, she can gain a weekly early shove from work and monthly, she can gain one extra day off. If Wendy is able to do that for 10/12 months, she will receive a bonus at the year's end. That way Wendy understands that the company needs her help and that she is important to them. I think sometimes there is a systematic breakdown in the company letting the worker feel important and needed. This could solve that issue. A source I reviewed put that idea this way "This can be important in instances where areas that need improvement have been pointed out previously, such as during a performance appraisal. Positive reinforcement lets the employee know she is making progress and that management is recognizing her efforts (Joesph, 2013). The small details can pay the biggest rewards.

Secondly, there has to be some idea of leadership change in an atmosphere that has been deprived of quality work and worker dedication to their position. When a leader starts work in at a new company, they have to use strategic methods of change and motivation that fit the need of the employee, the company, and the overall mission of the job. With that being said, the employee has to have a sense of attachment or motivation. In another article I read, they talk about love in the workplace. They focus their attention on the happiness of someone at work. They state "Within the management domain, the word 'love' evokes this concept of this soft, fuzzy thing that you really can't take seriously at work," she said. "But companionate love is one of the basic emotions of human experience. Given how much time we spend at work, it's actually ignorant to think it wouldn't be a part of our work lives" (Huppke, 2014). I found that to be interesting. It wasn't the love of the individuals job that they were focused on, it was the focus of loving the company and the overall general direction the company was going. Motivation and cause are important in keeping the workforce happy and driven. That ability to help people find purpose is the main assertion of any good leader. To do that would mean success at your management level.


Huppke, R. (2014, January 20). Don't be afraid of love in the workplace. Chicago Tribune.

Joesph, C. (2013, January 1). Why Is Positive Reinforcement Important in the Workplace?. Small Business. Retrieved July 9, 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/positive-reinforcement-important-workplace-11566.html

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What was the point of the research?After completing the reading, it was clear to me that the point of the research was to help the reader understand the breakdown in leadership communication through electronic means. It became clear that there is a breakdown of participation and follower-ship when a management level  employee was communicating with their subordinates via electronic communication methods, i.e., email or video conferencing. Additionally, there was findings that directly related satisfaction and intellectual stimulation. 

What were the hypotheses?The authors hypothesis included (first study) that "both laissez-faire and management by exception styles may be especially relevant to a remote leadership environment" (Kelloway, 2012). In the second study their hypothesis was "that individuals that were exposed to e-mail messages containing a charismatic or intellectually stimulating message would express higher levels of performance on a laboratory  task than individuals who received e-mail instructions that did not contain these aspects of transformational leadership"(Kelloway, 2012).

What was the research method used?A vignette approach in which groups of students each read one vignette, with one type of leadership message embedded. Using the outcome, they were able to determine the divergent validity. In the second study "data was collected from 105 undergraduate psychology students at a Canadian university. Each participation received two bonus points towards their course grade in return for participation"(Kelloway, 2012). This included a problem solving exercise and reading a short scenario to collect data.

Were the results supportive of the research goals?In case one, they found that there was a direct relation to satisfaction and interpersonal justice. The data being so detailed and number orientated, it was hard to determine if there was any actual substantial findings for this case study. Personally, I believe that they did actually find some correlation between the research points they looked into. Case two; they found that there was no change in the way readers responded to the e-mails. They basically found what they predicted, people reacted to the e-mail based on the content. This would lead me to conclude that people respond to the information that they read, even in an e-mail.

Of what value was the research?I think there was substantial value to the research. With the ever changing business plans of companies and the need to utilize technology more, there has to be value to this research. Basically what I'm taking away from this week is that there is not always an upside to communicating with your employees via electronic communication or inter personal methods. There is value in being able to physically interact with your employees. Each research piece presented to us this week laid out that people respond better when their leader is with them in the "fight". How can someone be included as a leader when they're video conferencing and e-mailing. Just as the example talked about the CEO, there were negative downsides from his reaction to the people coming and going to early.There was no positive from being scolded over an e-mail platform. In my additional research, they mention giving your team some space to see them grow. They state "Give your team some space, trust them, and you might be impressed by what they’re able to achieve (Hendricks, 2014). What i think he means there is that people need space as in room to work, not physical space. People and employees need to know that their leader is just as involved as they are in any situation. That cannot happen in an electronic environment.

Hendricks, D. (2014, January 27). 6 Ways To Empower Your Employees With Transformational Leadership. Forbes. Retrieved July 2, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/drewhendricks/2014/01/27/6-ways-to-empower-your-employees-with-transformational-leadership/

Kelloway, K., Barling, J., Kelley, E., Comtois, J., & Gatien, B. Remote Transformational Leadership. . Retrieved July 1, 2014, from https://erau.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-14787878-dt-content-rid-25229761_4/institution/Worldwide_Online/MSLD_Courses/MSLD_511/Word/Remote_transformational_leadership.pdf