LED560 Leadership and Strategy
Module 1 – Discussion
The Strategic Compass
Week 1: What is the difference between “Strategic Leadership” and “Strategic Management”? Using an actual organization in which you now work – or have worked previously – give several examples as to how the processes differ.
Week 2: How does the Five Compass Model (see Wilson’s 1996 article included in the Background readings) inform our understanding of “Strategic Leadership” generally, and the role of top leadership in setting the long-term strategic direction of an organization more specifically?
LED560 Leadership and Strategy
Module 2 – Discussion
The Socio-Political Compass
Week 1: Do some research in the library/ internet, and choose a Fortune 500 company that is of interest to you. Then, identify 3-4 key external environmental forces that you believe are most influential to your organization’s success. Why are the 3-4 forces you’ve identified most salient? Be specific.
Week 2: How should your company respond to the environmental threats and opportunities you have identified? Be specific!
LED560 Leadership and Strategy
Module 3 – Discussion
The Action Compass
Week 1: Visit the following page: http://www.slideshare.net/garyma_sharma/popular-strategy-diagrams and read about the Grand Strategy Selection Matrix, or GSSM.
Note: The GSSM should not be confused with the Grand Strategy Matrix (GSM) (http://mba-lectures.com/management/strategic-management/1129/grand-strategy-matrix.html) which we will explore further in Week 2 of this Discussion (see below). (be sure that you take note of the differences in the X and Y axes of both tools).
Then, apply the Grand Strategy Selection Matrix to the company you selected for your SLP, discussing the rationale for your choice of:
Overcome weaknesses vs. maximize strengths; and
Direction of resources (i.e., internally vs. externally focused).
Which quadrant does your chosen company fit within? What grand strategy (or strategies) would you choose? Why? Be specific.
Week 2:Now, apply the GSM to your organization. Is your choice of grand strategy different from the results from your use of the GSSM (in Week 1 above)? Discuss.
LED560 Leadership and Strategy
Module 4 – Discussion
The Culture and Moral Compasses
Week 1 In the Module 3 Discussion, you used the Grand Strategy Selection Matrix (GSSM) to determine your selected organization’s grand strategy. After describing several of the most salient/notable characteristics of the culture of the organization you have selected for the SLP, respond to the following (Week 1):
Does the organization’s culture “fit” the grand strategy you selected in the Module 2 Discussion? Explain.
Even if the culture fits the strategy well, is there anything you would change in order to better ensure the success of the grand strategy you selected in the Module 2 Discussion?
Assuming that the culture does not fit the strategy well, what specifically would you change, and how would you go about doing so?
Week 2 In the Module 2 Discussion, you used the GSSM to choose a grand strategy for your target (SLP) organization. In Week 2 of the Module 4 Discussion, respond to the following:
Describe your organization’s stated values.
Discuss how well your organization’s values align with the grand strategy you chose in the Module 2 Discussion (using the GSSM).
Discuss the implications that an organization’s values have for strategic choice.
LED560 Leadership and Strategy
Module 4 – Reflective Discussion
In the Module 4 Reflective Discussion, I would like for you to reflect on the course by addressing the following:
What concepts were most interesting to you?
What concepts and ideas will be most useful to you?
How do you believe you will use the concepts you have learned in LED560?
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