SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Year 2006/7 Term 2A
OBHR 219:
CONTEMPORARY THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP
Instructor:
Dr. David V. Day
Professor of Organisational Behaviour
Tel:
Email:
Office:
6828 0798
davidday@smu.edu.sg
LKC 5041
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This special topics elective course will pick up where most leadership courses end. We will
go beyond traditional leadership theories to examine recent research and theory on various
leadership topics. We will be reading from primary source outlets (e.g., journal articles,
edited book chapters) on cutting edge topics in leadership and its development. Beginning
with an examination of leaders and their impact (e.g., impact on followers as well as on
performance) we will focus on topics such as destructive leadership, change leadership,
leadership development, team learning, and meaning-making. The capstone experience in the
course will involve designing and presenting a leadership development program for a
financial services company based on a case study that we will read.
There are three basic learning objectives of the course: (a) To help develop critical thinking
and reasoning skills about leadership research and theory; (b) to improve reading
comprehension skills in “making sense” of scholarly research; and (c) to challenge your
existing thinking about the meaning, practice, and development of leadership. An
overarching objective is to encourage participants’ “ownership” and control of their
educational experience as a way to enhance deep learning about the topics covered in the
readings and discussion.
PREREQUISITES
MGMT001 Leadership and Team Building
STUDENT EVALUATION COMPONENTS
Individual Participation/ Active Learning (30 percent of final grade)
Participation is a central part of the learning process for you and your classmates. When you
contribute, you help others learn. Your participation mark reflects your contribution to your
classmates’ learning. This includes attendance, full preparation prior to class including reading
assigned materials and completion of mini assignments, and active participation in class
discussions and group activities.
Please note that there are only six (6) meetings for this class. For the purposes of allowing
students some flexibility with BOSS, I will not count attendance in the first class towards the
participation grade. If you miss the first class but wish to join the course you are responsible for
contacting me to discuss this prior to course enrollment.
If you are considering taking this course but are unsure about its content or my teaching style
please contact me before the class begins.
Individual Reflection Papers (25 percent of final grade)
Each week for weeks 2-5, you will turn in a two page reflection paper based on the assigned
readings for that week. Additional guidelines will be provided in class.
Team Leadership Development Program Project Case (45 percent of final grade)
Based on a case study on leadership development at Goldman Sachs, each class team will develop
a leadership program designed for that organization. This will include a business case for
leadership development at Goldman Sachs, as well as a detailed description of the program’s
philosophy, conceptual framework, and operational strategy. This deliverable will consist of a
team written report (25% of grade) and a team oral presentation (20% of grade). Both will be
delivered on the last day of class.
ACADEMIC HONESTY AND INTEGRITY
Students are responsible for honest completion and representation of their work. No exceptions.
CLASS ETIQUETTE, MOBILE PHONES, AND LAPTOPS
Please respect other members of this class by not disrupting class. If you arrive to class late, need
to leave early, or take a break during class, please do your best to minimize disruptions while
arriving/leaving. And it is always best to alert the Prof beforehand whenever possible.
Mobile phones are not allowed in this class. Use of mobile phones in class will result in a
reduction in your active learning (participation) grade.
2
CLASS SCHEDULE
Week
No.
Topic
Readings
1
LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE
None. Simulation exercise.
2
LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
How individuals, groups, and
organizations develop
Worley & Lawler (2006)
Van Velsor & McCauley (2004)
Day (2000)
Byrne & Rees (2006), Ch. 2
Groysberg & Snook (2005), HBS case study
3
DESTRUCTIVE LEADERSHIP
The limits of personal leadership
Meyerson (1996)
Hayward & Hambrick (1997)
Spreier, Fontaine, & Malloy (2006)
Collins (2005)
4
LEADERSHIP AND TEAM
LEARNING
Developing team-based
leadership
Kayes (2004)
Edmonson, Bohmer, & Pisano (2001a)
Edmonson, Bohmer, & Pisano (2001b)
Day, Gronn, & Salas (2004)
5
LEADERSHIP AND
MEANING-MAKING
Making sense and creating value
Drath & Palus (1994)
Palus et al. (2003)
Rooke & Torbert (2005)
McGregor & Little (1998)
6
LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
PRESENTATIONS
None. Presentations.
CHANGES TO SYLLABUS
The syllabus and/or course schedule may be modified. Changes will be announced in class.
3
REQUIRED READINGS (AVAILABLE AS SMU COURSPACK)
Byrne, J.-A. C. & Rees, R. T. 2006. The successful leadership development program:
How to build it and how to keep it going (Chapter 2). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Collins, J. 2005, July/August. Level 5 leadership: The triumph of humility and fierce
resolve. Harvard Business Review, 83(7): 136-146.
Day, D. V. 2000. Leadership development: A review in context. Leadership Quarterly,
11: 581-613.
Day, D. V., Gronn, P., & Salas, E. 2004. Leadership capacity in teams. Leadership
Quarterly, 15: 857-880.
Drath, W. H. & Palus, C. J. 1994. Making common sense: Leadership as meaningmaking in a community of practice. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.
Edmondson, A., Bohmer, R., & Pisano, G. 2001a, October. Speeding up team learning.
Harvard Business Review, 79(9): 125-132.
Edmondson, A. C., Bohmer, R. M., & Pisano, G. P. 2001b. Disrupted routines: Team
learning and new technology implementation in hospitals. Administrative Science
Quarterly, 46(4): 685-716.
Groysberg, B. & Snook, S. 2005. Leadership development and Goldman Sachs. Harvard
Business School Case.
Hayward, M. L. A. & Hambrick, D. C. 1997. Explaining premiums paid for large
acquisitions: Evidence of CEO hubris. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42: 103-127.
Kayes, D. C. 2004. The 1996 Mount Everest climbing disaster: The breakdown of
learning in teams. Human Relations, 57(10): 1263-1284.
McGregor, I. & Little, B. R. 1998. Personal projects, happiness, and meaning: On doing
well and being yourself. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74: 494-512.
Meyerson, M. 1996. Everything I thought I knew about leadership is wrong, Fast
Company: 71-72, 75, 78-80.
Palus, C. J., Horth, D. M., Selvin, A. M., & Pulley, M. L. (2003). Exploration for
development: Developing leadership by making shared sense of complex challenges.
Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 55(1), 26-40.
Rooke, D. & Torbert, W. R. 2005, April. Seven transformations of leadership. Harvard
Business Review, 83(4): 66-76.
Spreier, S. W., Fontaine, M. H., & Malloy, R. L. 2006, June. Leadership run amok: The
destructive potential of overachievers. Harvard Business Review, 84(6): 72-82.
Van Velsor, E. & McCauley, C. D. 2004. Our view of leadership development. In C. D.
McCauley & E. Van Velsor (Eds.), The Center for Creative Leadership handbook of
leadership development, 2nd ed.: 1-22. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Worley, C. G., & Lawler III, E. E. (2006, Fall). Designing organizations that are built to
change. MIT Sloan Management Review, 48(1), 19-23.
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