Back to course 'BUS401: Management Leadership'

Topic outline

  • Unit 4: Leading Without Formal Authority

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    While many students of this course will go on to manage teams, organizations, and companies, everyone will have opportunities to lead without being granted any actual authority (called "legitimate power"). To leverage these opportunities, you must know what types of power exist and when to use them. For example, having expert power allows someone to step-up, because they have the most knowledge about a specific subject. 

    Leading without authority goes beyond power; the ability to influence without manipulation, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills are all important aspects of gaining power and leadership without having direct authority over a group or team. After studying these topics, you will be able to recognize when a leader takes over a situation and to determine who may be the best leader for a given situation.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 20 hours.

    • After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

      • evaluate the primary methods used by leaders to exert power over their subordinates;
      • assess the methods used by leaders to exert influence over subordinates;
      • analyze the role of emotional intelligence in leadership;
      • describe the key interpersonal skills in leadership; and
      • evaluate the positive and negative elements of leadership without formal authority.

    • 4.1: Power

      • 4.1.1: Sources of Power

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          Sources of Power Page
          Students must
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          Read this short segment on power. Which form of power do you believe is the most effective overall? Why?

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          Finding Real Leadership Power Page
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          Read the article. When might power not equate to effective leadership? When is it possible to lead without specific power?

      • 4.1.2: Forms of Exerting Leadership

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          A Leader's Influence Page
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          By the end of this article, you should be able to differentiate between the various methods of influencing others and the role of each of these methods in effective leadership.

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          Mediation URL
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          Managers must often deal with conflict. One approach to leading a team through conflict is to serve as mediator. In this reading, you will learn what mediation is. Why is mediation an available method of conflict resolution for most managers, where something like arbitration would not be?

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          Leadership and Conflict Management: Business Ethics Page
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          Watch this video to get a sense of why conflict management is important. Note that conflict management is not always conflict resolution. Good leaders know how to foster productive conflict and reduce conflict which is distracting to the team's purposes.

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          Actions Speak Louder than Words: Adaptive Non-Verbal Communication is a Key Leadership Skill for Collaborative Teams Page
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          Close your eyes and think of a great leader. What does this person look like? What does this person sound like? What is their dress? How do they carry themselves? Despite what you may have observed from movies, television, and other media, Locke's research suggests that "there is no one single 'best' way to look and act like a leader". Read on to discover more of Locke's findings for one's non-verbal presentation and leadership.

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          Nike Improving the Environment and Communities the Open Source Way Page
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          Read the article and explain why or why not organizations are responsible to the community they operate in. Aside from Nike, can you think of other companies that are demonstrating leadership in your community? Look into at least one other company and describe its efforts to make a positive impact in some way other than its primary business venture. Post your findings to the Discussion Forum.

    • 4.2: Influence

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        Advice from 5 Joomla Project Leaders Page
        Students must
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        Review the article and critique the section on advising someone new in a leadership position. Would you support the comments or add additional thoughts?

    • 4.3: Emotional Intelligence (EI)

      • Emotional Intelligence is not the same as understanding or empathy. Rather, it is the ability to identify, understand, and manage your emotions and, if applicable, a group's emotions.
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        Emotional Leadership Page
        Students must
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        Read this article. How are emotional leadership and emotional intelligence related?

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        How Emotion and Mood Influence Behavior Page
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        Emotion and mood can affect temperament, personality, disposition, motivation, and initial perspectives and reactions. Hence, it is essential to the workplace's productivity and culture that managers balance the mood of the groups they lead.

    • 4.4: Interpersonal Skills

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        Should Open-Source Leaders Go Native? Page
        Students must
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        By the end of this article, you should be able to explain "going native" means and why it might be an effective leadership communication strategy.

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        Aggressive Personality Types URL
        Students must
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        Read this article. What is the place of aggressiveness in leadership? Is there any place for aggression? What is the difference?

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        Working with Individuals URL
        Students must
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        As you read, decide for yourself whether or not you think the Myers-Briggs Temperament Sorter should be used during initial employee interviews as an "early warning system" for potential personality or emotional problems before hiring an applicant. What would be a better way to determine whether an applicant is a good fit for your team?

    • Unit 4 Assessment

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        Unit 4 Assessment Quiz
        Students must
        Mark as done

        Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.

        • This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
        • You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
        • You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.