1
MHR 894.71
Teams and Leaders in High Performance Organizations
Phyllis Schlesinger
Senior Lecturer in Management and Human Resources
pschlesinger@insight.rr.com schlesinger_16@cob.osu.edu
Course Overview
Today’s high performance organizations require leaders who are quick to adapt and to
work with others to make change. Leaders need to know how to work with and manage
people, to understand and influence team behavior, and to align teams behind a common
purpose. They need to understand organizational change: developing a vision for an
organization, aligning the organization behind that vision, and enabling people to achieve
that vision. In addition, leaders need to be able to interpret the interpersonal aspects of
behavior such as influence strategies. Finally, leaders need to understand themselves,
their capacities for risk, their strengths and weaknesses, and their willingness to learn.
This course will focus on these ideas.
Class Participation
In this course we will explore these ideas using a combination of cases, class discussions,
and readings. Therefore, your participation in class discussion is essential. You each
bring a wealth of resources to class, and your varied perspectives are essential to the
class' understanding of cases. You are expected (indeed, obligated) to come to class
well-prepared and ready to present ideas based on analysis. An ability to present and
defend your ideas verbally is an asset to your managerial career; class participation gives
you a forum for honing these skills.
Preparation involves studying both the cases and the companion readings. Case
preparation generally involves reading over the case, then the reading, and then preparing
the case carefully with the readings in mind. You will find yourself developing your own
ideas and generalizations; please feel free to share these insights with the class.
Participation in class is based on several criteria. Regular class attendance is a minimum
requirement for a passing participation grade. In-class comments should show analytic
preparation and knowledge of the case and text material, and should contribute to
furthering the class discussion rather than merely restating others' comments. Students
should demonstrate a willingness to listen to others' points of view in a courteous fashion,
and to discuss points with other class members, not just with the instructor. Your
participation should regularly show that you are prepared and able to initiate
contributions. At mid-semester you will give me a self-assessment of your participation;
I will respond to it with appropriate feedback.
Mid-term Paper
Each of you can choose a case to analyze and use as your mid-term paper. You may
choose any case between the start of class and the case on May 18. The variation in
available cases enables you to choose material in which you are particularly interested
MHR 894.71
Phyllis Schlesinger
2
and adjust your time accordingly. A thoughtful, insightful analysis and action plan is
expected. A copy of your paper is due at class time. Please limit your analysis to about 5
pages, plus exhibits.
Final Paper
This course may be one of your last courses at OSU. This paper enables you to reflect on
your experiences here (and before) and to anticipate your future (or present) at work. The
paper has two parts. First is a brief (2-3 pages) initial diagnostic paper in which you
describe as best as you can a significant leadership experience you have had. This should
include a description of the experience, your assumptions about leadership and
management, and how one affected the other. The diagnosis will be turned in during the
first weeks of class but not graded. The final paper takes this diagnosis and builds on it.
It is a reflection paper, in which you reflect on your time in this course. It is an analysis
and assessment of HOW your assumptions, ideas, and beliefs have changed (or not),
WHY they have changed (or not) and WHAT your plan is for making your way as a
leader in your new organization. No more than 10 pages, double-spaced, please. Some
questions for you to consider include:
 What have you learned about the way you typically approach management issues,
or the assumptions you seem to bring to organizational dilemmas?
 What have you learned about your future as a manager?
 What have you learned about your strengths and your areas for improvement?
 What will you have to think actively about doing, and what will you do
automatically?
 What will you have to do to integrate and lead change in your new role?
 You may think of other questions to examine.
You’ll need to keep track of your reflections in some kind of journal so that you can track
your reactions, thoughts, comments, and critiques of the readings and class discussion.
Having this record will enable you to make references and remember what happened at
the beginning of the term. This paper is due on May 31.
Grading will be based on the following:
Class Participation 40%
Mid-term Paper
25%
Final Paper
35%
March 28
Introductions
March 30
Erik Peterson (A)(B)
Readings:
Kotter , “What Do Leaders Really Do?”
Goffee and Jones, “Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?”
Framework for Analyzing Work Groups
MHR 894.71
Phyllis Schlesinger
3
Action Planning and Implementation: A Manager’s Checklist
Assignment Questions:
1. Prepare a detailed analysis of the problems facing Petersen. Which
problems should be his highest priority? Why? Prepare a plan of the
actions you would take if you were he.
2. Assuming you were Petersen, prepare an agenda for your meeting with
Jenkins.
April 4
Taran Swann (A)
Readings:
Stauffer, “10 Myths About Post-Heroic Leadership – and Why
They’re Wrong”,
Assignment Questions:
1. Describe the culture at Nickelodeon Latin America (be specific)
2. How did Swan go about building that culture?
3. Describe Swan’s leadership style? What impact has it had on the
culture?
4. What are the challenges Swan faces at the end of the case? What
action should she take? Should she assign an interim director?
April 6
Slade Company Plating Department
1. What is the situation at the Slade Company?
2. What actions, if any, would you recommend Porter take?
April 11
Mt. Everest - 1996
Diagnostic Paper DUE
Readings:
Note on Process Observation
Managing Interpersonal Feedback
Katzenbach and Smith, “The Discipline of Teams”
Assignment Questions:
1. Why did this tragedy occur? What is the root cause of this disaster?
2. Are tragedies like this inevitable in a place like Everest?
3. What is your evaluation of Scott Fisher and Rob Hall as leaders? Did
they make some poor decisions? If so, why?
4. What are the lessons from this case for managers?
April 13
NO CLASS
April 18
The Army Crew Team
1. Why does the varsity team lose to the JV team?
2. What should Coach P. have done differently earlier in the season to
resolve this problem? At exactly what point should he have intervened
differently?
MHR 894.71
Phyllis Schlesinger
4
3. At the end of the case, what action should Coach P. take on Tuesday?
Why do you recommend this action? How should he implement this
action? BE SPECIFIC
4. How would you compare the Army Crew team to other types of
teams? What lessons can we learn from the Crew Team?
April 20
Wolfgang Keller at Konigsbrau Helas (A)
Readings:
Managing Interpersonal Conflict
Understanding Communication in One-to-One Relationships
Assignment Questions:
1. What is your analysis of the situation facing Keller at Konigsbrau?
2. What actions would you recommend he take concerning Petrou?
April 25
Wolfgang Keller at Konigsbrau Helas (Day 2)
Readings:
Bradford and Cohen “Influence Without Authority”
Kotter, “Power, Dependence, and Effective Management”
April 27
Thurgood Marshall High School (A)
Assignment Questions:
1. What are the problems facing Kane?
2. What actions would you recommend he take to solve these problems?
Be specific.
May 2
Matt Leeds
May 4
Leading Change at Simmons (A)
Readings:
Note on Leading Change 9-488-047
Moving Ideas into Action: Mastering the Art of Change 9-388-002
Change Tool Kit (to be distributed)
Assignment Questions:
1. What do you think of the change program at Simmons?
2. How effective do you think it will be? Why?
3. What changes, if any, would you make? Why?
May 9
Teaming for Time: the 6 a.m. Delivery Project at the Boston Globe
Assignment Questions:
1. What is your assessment of the situation facing Anne at the Globe?
2. Prepare an action plan for Anne. Be specific.
May 11
John Smithers
1. What is your assessment of the situation facing John at Sigtek?
2. Prepare an action plan for John. Be specific.
MHR 894.71
Phyllis Schlesinger
5
May 16
NYPD NEW
1. What is your assessment of the situation facing Bratton at NYPD?
2. How do you evaluate his actions?
May 18
Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical
Center (Multimedia case plus written case)
Readings:
Nohria and Berkley, “Whatever Happened to the Take-Charge
Manager?”
Assignment Questions:
1. How would you describe the situation Levy inherited at the BIDMC?
What challenges does he face? Why did previous turnaround efforts
fail?
2. How did Levy get started in his new job? In particular, what were his
objectives and what did he accomplish:
- Prior to his first day at work?
- On his first day?
- During his first week?
3. What if anything was distinctive about the way Levy went about
formulating, announcing, and implementing the recovery plan? What
is your evaluation of his approach to staffing the task forces?
4. What is your prognosis going forward? What has he accomplished in
his first two months, and what challenges remain? What is your
assessment of hs management style? How should he proceed?
May 23
Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical
Center (cont.)
Assignment Questions:
1. What were Levy’s priorities in March, April, May, and June? How, if
at all, did they differ from his priorities during his first two months?
2. What is your evaluation of Levy’s approach to:
a. the board
b. the COO
c. the Chiefs?
3. What challenges did CareGroup present for Levy and the BIDMC?
How did he responde and why?
4. How did Levy tackle the problem of the “curious inability to decide?”
5. In describing his leadership style, Levy speaks of the CEO as teacher.
How has he defined that role? Why has he chosen to focus on it?
What skills does it require? In what settings is it likely to be useful?
May 25
GE’s Two Decade Transformation: Jack Welch’s Leadership
Reading:
Collingwood and Coutu, “Jack on Jack: the HBR Interview”
Assignment Questions:
MHR 894.71
Phyllis Schlesinger
6
1. How difficult a challenge did Welch face in 1981? How effectively did
he take charge?
2. What is Welch’s objective in the series of initiatives he launched in the
late 1980’s and 1990’s?
3. How does such a large, complex, diversified conglomerate defy the
critics and continue to grow so profitably?
4. What is your evaluation of Welch’s management approach?
May 30
Shaping Spaarbeleg: The Real and Unreal
Assignment Questions:
1. What is your assessment of Van der Werf's performance at
Spaarbeleg? Be ready to demonstrate your reasoning.
2. What generalizations can you make about leadership styles and skills,
reflecting on the work in this course??
June 1
MHR 894.71
Final Paper DUE
Phyllis Schlesinger