HRIR 4100W (REVISED 1.14.12)
CAPSTONE IN HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 1:45-3:25 CSOM 2-224
Instructor: Connie Wanberg, Ph.D.
Email: wanbe001@umn.edu
Phone: work 612-624-4804 cell 651-338-6029
My Office: 4-300M Carlson School of Management
Office Hours: Call, email, or stop by my office, with or without an appointment
TA: Karyn Dossinger, 3-300C Carlson School of Management, 612-626-5871, dossi001@umn.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is a writing intensive capstone course for undergraduates majoring in HR. I have three important
objectives associated with this course. My goal is for class members to…
1. Leave the class with a solid understanding of what is currently known about effective leadership. What is
leadership? Why is it important? Can it be developed and how? We will accomplish this goal through
course materials, reading and discussing existing research on leadership, and hearing from guest speakers.
Your understanding of leadership will evolve over the course.
2. Become aware of your leadership potential. We will accomplish this through taking multiple personality and
leadership assessments, and via other course exercises such as writing assignments that will ask you to
engage in introspection about your personal values, strengths, and characteristics.
3. Improve your ability to articulate your ideas in writing. This is a writing intensive class. The assigned
writing in this course will give you the opportunity to not only think about leadership, but practice
communicating your thoughts through written form. This is not a business communications class, yet the
more basic forms of writing we will do will help you in more specific business writing communication
needs.
COURSE MATERIALS
1. University Bookstore:
a. Textbook: Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience by Hughes, Ginnett, and
Curphy (McGraw-Hill): Available from the University Bookstore.
b. Reading packet
c. Ivey case study
d. StrengthQuest (Gallup Organization): If you have already taken this and you STILL HAVE YOUR
PRINTOUT, you can use your old results. Or, take it again if you wish.
2. A few readings posted on Moodle.
3. Reflected Best Self (Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship)—will be discussed in class and given to
you to distribute through email.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Your grade will be based on the following components, with additional small assignments added if appropriate.
1.
4-5 beginning of class quizzes (10-15 points each) and a take home exam (30-50 points). Points will be
posted on Moodle. Missed quizzes must be made up one day before or after the missed class by contacting
the TA, Karyn Dossinger dossi001@umn.edu. The make up quiz may be different from the in-class quiz. You
may not talk to others about the quiz contents.
2.
Leadership Papers: These should be typed and double spaced. 25-30 points each unless otherwise
indicated.
a) Leadership is the Most Important Topic In the World Today. 5 points. This assignment is meant to “ease” you
into the class, give you some feedback and practice.
b) What is Leadership? In this short paper, I would like you to define and describe what it means to be a
leader. This paper should thoroughly contemplate the meaning of leadership, involving information
along with reflection and critical thinking on your part. To develop an understanding of leadership, you
will draw upon what we have discussed in class so far as well as other academic and practitioner
writings on the topic (e.g., your textbook, popular books on leadership, Internet sites devoted to
leadership, and research articles). Cite at least three of the sources you consulted in your essay. After
writing your essay, read it over and think about what you have said—have you said it clearly and are
there any changes you would make to it? Does your essay reflect critical thinking, and depth of
understanding of the material? Have you tried to use examples and evidence to support your points? Are
you engaging the reader—is your essay INTERESTING to read? Have you checked it over for
mechanical problems such as grammar or punctuation?
Your first crack at this paper (try to turn it in as FINAL as possible) will be reviewed by your peers and
will not be graded. Instead, you will have the opportunity to see and get
feedback about mistakes you tend to make with writing. You will revise this
paper and turn it in again. Your revised paper is final and will be graded
according to the strengths and errors it has. Note--everyone’s description of
leadership will be different.
[3-4 pages. DUE FEBRUARY 8 and 20.]
c) Leadership Example. In this short paper, I would like you to write a paper about a living or historical
leader. This will be a descriptive essay (describing the leader), complimented by your analysis about
this person’s leadership and integration of course material. First, provide a rich description of the leader.
Who is this person and how have they been a leader? What challenges has this leader faced and how
have they handled them? It may be useful to acknowledge areas in which this person has limitations and
if information is available, how serious these limitations are or how the leader counters these limitations.
To develop an understanding of this leader, draw upon multiple sources about the person. Next, describe
how this individual fits in with different theories of leadership we have discussed or otherwise integrate
thoughts or material from the course or textbook to help examine the leader. Finally, evaluate to what
extent this person represents a role model for leadership behavior you would like to exemplify in your
life. For example, what did you learn about leadership from this person’s story? For ideas of leaders to
evaluate, you might consider current or past presidents or CEOs, or take a look at the following web site,
which portrays “America’s Best Leaders in 2009” as chosen by Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for
Public Leadership: http://www.usnews.com/sections/news/best-leaders/index.html (Your leader does not
need to come from this list!) or google top leaders 2011, etc. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/onleadership/2011-top-american-leaders/2011/11/28/gIQAKQQ36N_gallery.html#photo=1
[5– 6 pages. DUE MARCH 9].
d) Your Leadership Strengths. In this component of the LRWA, I would like you to prepare an analysis of
what you have learned about yourself as a potential leader during this course. Draw upon the
assessments we have taken in class and your personal reflections. Describe your leadership strengths and
potential areas that you may need to watch out for (possible “derailers”). Develop an action plan to
shore up your key weaknesses and to take advantage of your key strengths. [3 – 4 pages; DUE APRIL
18]
e)
3.
Persuasive paper on women or under-represented individuals in leadership: Make a claim, such as
“Women in Leadership Positions: Must they Work Harder?” or “The ethnic shift in demographics will
impact the United States leadership profile in the years to come” or “Women have (or do not have)
different leadership styles than men” or “Society does not notice the gender or minority status of a
leader: Anyone is able to be a leader” or “There are still many barriers present to women and minority
leadership in the world (or in the U.S.).” Present arguments and evidence to support your claim.
Acknowledge the opposition and rebut this position. [3 – 4 pages; DUE APRIL 25]
Participation (expected: can only hurt your grade if it is evaluated as weak)
Your class participation is valued, important, and necessary. You should come to class prepared and ready to
comment on and discuss the assigned readings. The reading is an extremely important part of the course. I
will want to know your thoughts on what you have read.
Participation will be evaluated as weak, as expected, or particularly outstanding and will be based on the
following:
a. In-class participation (e.g., Do you contribute ideas and thoughts to class discussion? Is it apparent
from class discussion that you have completed the readings? Do you listen to and comment on other
students ideas in class? Are your comments particularly value added, as opposed to just speaking up to
say something?)
b. In-class reflection writing or leading discussion as requested.
c. Students are asked to notify me of any absences in advance. Furthermore, one week following a missed
session, students will turn in a one page reaction article to the reading or exercise of the missed week.
This can take the form of a statement of learning, a critique of the reading, or an essay detailing
thoughts, questions, or ideas that were generated from the reading. This will resolve the missed inclass participation, however, unexcused absences may nevertheless result in a weak participation rating.
d. Texting and excessive talking in class to fellow students while the instructor or others are addressing the
class will result in a weak participation rating.
Paper Criteria.
Each paper will be graded as weak, strong, or outstanding on the following criteria. These criteria may be
modified slightly based on the specific assignment, but these are the essential, classic, criteria that you will be
graded on and that you should think about as you review your work.






Content matches that outlined in the assignment.
Content reflects accuracy and depth of understanding of the material. Integrates caveats and
specific clarifications as necessary to reflect higher order thinking.
Choice and use of evidence and examples.
Clarity and coherence of ideas; Follows a clear structure.
Engaging to the reader.
Mechanical correctness (grammar, punctuation, spelling).
An example rubric I might use follows.
Weak or Potential for
Improvement
1-2
Content matches that
outlined in the
assignment. For
example, a nice job of
integration of course
material if requested.
Engaging to the reader.
For example, for the
leadership description
paper, your leader
“comes alive” for the
reader.
Content reflects
accuracy and depth of
understanding of
material. Choice and
use of evidence and
examples.
Content reflects critical
thinking and good
analysis. Integrates
caveats and specific
clarifications as
necessary to reflect
higher order thinking.
Clarity and coherence of
ideas. Writing clear;
Structure of paper is
clear; Nice flow of
paper. Effective choice
of how to set up the
essay.
Mechanical correctness
(grammar, punctuation,
spelling).
Citations are consistent
and appropriate.
Adequate number of
and credible citations
used.
Strong
Outstanding
3-4
5
Writing and Improving Your Writing. As I mentioned earlier in the syllabus, you will write an initial paper early
on in the course. You will get feedback on the paper from the instructor and your peers without it being graded
so that you can observe mistakes you are making. Then, your first component of the LRWA you will have
evaluated by your peers before you turn it in to me for a grade. This will allow you to clear up at least some
things that are confusing, or catch some grammatical errors or problems with structure. Following these initial
writing chances and discussions in class, you will move into turning in your papers for evaluation at the time of
due date without a formal peer review or chance to improve. This way of doing things also allows me to discuss
mistakes you are making when you are READY to learn them, after you’ve made the mistake, so you know it
applies to you. This is better than my giving you a bunch of information on writing on the first day of class. An
important disclaimer: I am not an editor. In your early drafts where I review your work without grading, I will
point out errors you make such as problems with noun/verb agreement. You are responsible for checking your
work for this problem throughout your document. Do not assume I have marked it in every place.
Sharing your papers: I like to share examples of parts of student papers. For example, if you write a good lead
paragraph I might show the rest of the class.
Take care to avoid plagiarism. Take great care to avoid plagiarism.
Plagiarism as defined by the APA writing manual:
Quotation marks should be used to indicate the exact words of another. Summarizing a passage or rearranging the order of a
sentence and changing some of the words is paraphrasing. Each time a source is paraphrased, a credit for the source needs to
be included in the text. The key element of this principle is that an author does not present the work of another as if it were
his or her own work. This can extend to ideas as well as written words. (APA Publication Manual 292-95)
WRITING SUPPORT
Writing support is available to you for those of you who feel you could use some extra help. Free help
is available by appointment through Student Writing Support (SWS) online and in 15 Nicholson Hall,
and on a walk-in basis in 9 Appleby Hall. For more information, go to writing.umn.edu/sws or call
612.625.1893. In addition, SWS offers a number of web-based resources on topics such as
documenting sources, planning and completing a writing project, and addressing punctuation and
grammar questions. See http://writing.umn.edu/sws/quick_help.htm
CSOM GRADING POLICY
Following is the expected final grade distributions for this course per CSOM grading policy:
3000 (non-core),4000, 5000-level courses: Target median grade is 3.3 +/- .2 (or about a B+).
STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Students who are not able to fully participate in any of the various aspects of the course due to any special needs are
encouraged to discuss such issues with me within the first few weeks of the course.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE: ALWAYS CHECK MOODLE FOR UP TO DATE ASSIGNMENTS
AND SCHEDULE
Week 1 January 18: Introduction
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Assignment: Read Chapter 1
Week 2 January 23 - January 25: What is Leadership and Why is It Important/Leadership Trait Theory
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essay.
January 23: Read Chapter 2 and Chapter 4--only pages 84-95. Turn in 2 copies of leadership
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January 25: Read Chapter 7
Week 3 January 30 - February 1 Leadership Behaviors and the Role of the Situation
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January 30: Read Chapter 8 up to page 277 plus Chapter 11. Quiz at start of class on material
covered so far in this class.
o
February 1: Guest Speaker Kevin Wilde, VP, Org Effectiveness and CLO, General Mills
Week 4 February 6 - February 8: Power and Influence
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February 6: Read Chapter 5
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February 8: LRWA Part I is due--bring three copies to distribute for peer review.
Week 5 February 13 - February 15 Power and Influence/Leadership Development
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February 13--Read Chapter 6 and bring 2 copies of peer comments.
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February 15 1. Quiz at start of class on all material covered since last class (not chapter
3). Read Chapter 3.
Week 6 February 20 - February 22: Leadership Development Continued
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February 20 Read rest of chapter 8, pages 292+. Revision of LRWA Part I is due for grading.
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February 22 Quiz on material since last quiz: Employee development.
Week 7 February 27 - February 29: Leadership Skills
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Read pages 320-361
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Note: In the next few classes, we are focusing on YOU and your leadership skills. At the same
time, as an HR professional this will help you grow insights about how you can help your
employees understand and improve their leadership potential.
o
February 27 Guest speaker from Gallup. Take and bring results of Strength Quest Assessment. Bring
the most detailed listing of your five themes that you can find when you look at the web site. Click "Brief Theme
Report" and you will see a brief listing of your five themes. However, if you click below that on "signature
themes," you will get a more detailed (and thus more helpful) description of each of your themes. Please also
review the "student action items" and "professional action items" if you locate them easily on the web site. Also
bring Results of Reflected Best Self (RBS) results. Last part of class: Consider what insights you got from the RBS
and how consistent the feedback was with the Strength Quest. Discuss insights from reading.
o
See Moodle for additional information
Week 8 March 5 - March 9 Leadership Skills
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March 5: Giving Effective Feedback
March 9: Current & Past Leaders. LRWA Part II Due. Be prepared to describe your leader.
Read: Stone (May 16-22, 2011). Everybody needs a Sheryl Sandberg. Bloomberg Businessweek. This reading is
in your course packet.
Week 9 March 12 - March 14 SPRING BREAK
Week 10 March 19 - March 21: A Focus on Followers
o
This week we will cover chapter 10. Please be prepared to define group think and look at the symptoms
of group think on page 451. It may be helpful to bring your book to class. Also, you can just skim the section about
Ginnett's Team Leadership model starting on page 457 and going to 468-- I don't think the book does a good job of
presenting this model. I will cover the necessary parts in class.
Week 11: March 26 - March 28 A bit more on HR's role in developing leadership (see Moodle)
Week 12-14 April 2-April 4 HBR Week/Case/Guest Speaker (see Moodle)
Week 15 April 23 - April 25 Women and Underrepresented Individuals in Leadership (see Moodle)
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April 25 Persuasive Paper Due on Topic of Women or Underrepresented Individuals in Leadership
Week 16 April 30 - May 2 Wrapping up! (see Moodle)
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May 2 Take home exam on semester course material--exam due at time of final.