OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I: Core Assignment
Kristina Cates
1/24/18
OGL 200: - A “broad survey of leadership theory and
Introduction to research as currently practiced in formal
Organizational organizations” (syllabus)
Leadership
- Includes effective leadership behavior, leadership
traits, dyadic relations, ethics, and intercultural
leadership
- Yukl, Gary (2013). Leadership in Organizations,
8th Edition
- “Manager’s Workshop” Simulations
- Various NYT articles for discussion purposes, such
as discussing budget cuts at the W.H.O. and their
effect on Ebola response.
OGL 220: - Examines “the interdisciplinary nature of
Behavioral behavioral dynamics, drawing on theories,
Dynamics in strategies, and skills” (syllabus)
Organizations
- Hamilton, V. M. (2007). Human Relations: The
Art and Science of Building Effective
Relationships.
- Hutchens, David. (1999) “Shadows of the
- Positive Influence tactics such as “rational
persuasion, apprising, inspirational appeal,
consultation, exchange, and collaboration”
- Visionary leadership and leading through
change or conflict: optimism and effective
communication skills are necessary.
- This course provided simulations, discussions
and case studies to analyze. It helped me to
connect the idea of “best leadership practices”
to actual leadership scenarios.
- Fiedler’s Contingency Model of Leadership,
which states that successful leadership “relies
on the right combination of leadership style
and situational control”. (Hamilton, pg. 400).
- Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership
- Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which explains
that physiological and safety needs must be
met before an individual can begin to think
 Neanderthal”
- Byrne, Ruth and Johnson-Laird, Phillip. “Mental
Models: A Gentle Introduction”
OGL 240: - Class link does not work anymore, so I can’t
Introduction to verify which sources were required, but I believe
Project it was the HBR Guide to Project Management
Management
- This class gave a basic, step-by-step overview of
running a project – how to pick a team, set the
scope, create a schedule, manage stakeholders’
expectations and measure success when the
project ends.
OGL 260: risk - Focus of the class was to provide “a foundational
Allocation in knowledge of financial management that drives
Organizations resource allocations within organizations”
about belongingness, esteem, or self-
actualization.
- I enjoyed this class, and it’s focus on human
behavior. I feel that the detailed study of how
we relate to each other, and how we process
information, is sort of the building blocks of
empathy: it gives us the tools and language to
be able to imagine another person’s
experience.
- Begin by defining the project parameters and
the desired outcome to help avoid scope
creep. Build “status checks” into the project
timeline in order ensure the team is still
working toward the goal.
- Being a project manager is as much about
facilitating and motivating as it is scheduling
and budget considerations
- A “premortem” is a risk analysis process that
allows a team to imagine all the possible
things that can go wrong during executing.
- This was a wonderful, nuts-and-bolts class on
project management, and it gave me an
excellent opportunity to see how my skills in
project management in the nonprofit field
travel across sectors.
- The Five Principles that form the foundation of
finance are:
 Cash Flow is What Matters
/ Foundations - Keown, Martin, Petty (2014) “Foundations of  Money Has a Time Value
of Finance Finance”  Risk Requires a Reward
 Market Prices are Generally Right
 Conflict of Interest Causes Agency
Problems

- The real rate of interest represents the rate of

increase in your actual purchasing power, after
adjusting for inflation.

- I learned how to understand and calculate

interest, as well as learning more about risk
analysis and capital budgeting.
OGL 300: - Focus of the class was the exploration of theories - This class was instructive on the different
Theory and and critical questions that arise from the study of theories about leaders and leadership.
Practice of leadership.
Leadership OR - There were a number of self-assessments and
PAF 410: - Case studies were used to help give a taste of the questionnaires, such as the Least Preferred
Building practical application of the learned theories. Coworker (LPC) Measure and the Situational
Leadership Approach, as well as a section focused on the
Skills - Northouse, Peter. Leadership: Theory and intricacies of team leadership.
Practice. 6th ed
- The text defines a team as “a specific type of
group composed of members who are
interdependent, who share common goals,
and who must coordinate their activities to
accomplish these goals” (Northouse, 2013, pg.
287).

- Theories are interesting, as they allow you to

see the archetypes of the leaders you have
 had or been in the past, but I found the
questionnaires to be the most impactful. They
allowed me to consider myself and my
approach.

OGL 321: - This class went past project planning and went - SWOT Analysis, or the identification of:
Project into “the application or execution of a variety of 1. Strengths
Leadership, analytical tools in project management” 2. Weaknesses
Strategy and 3. Opportunities
(Syllabus)
Scope 4. Threats
- HBR Project Management Simulation: Scope,
- Also discusses the tensions between top and
Resources, Schedule
bottom, indicating that “a fundamental
- “Bringing the PMBOK Guide to Life: A Companion tension inherent in managing projects arises
for the Practicing Project Manager” (2009) from how project objectives are set from the
beginning: either from the top down when
- Cleden, David. “Managing Project Uncertainty” executives dictate what a project should
(2009) accomplish, or from the bottom up when
project team members formulate project
objectives based on their understanding of the
amount of work required to achieve target
outcomes.”

- I learned to process uncertainty through first

attempting to adapt, but then being able to
reorient if adaptation is not possible (Cleden,
pg. 38). SWOT Analyses and Risk Management
were the most impactful sections to me.

BIS 345: - This class introduced me to “how organizations - Virtue Theory model: Aristotle, humans are
Organizational and individuals within organizations develop, social creatures and cannot be understood
Ethics adopt, adapt, and sustain values and ethics” and
gave me an understanding of “multiple,
fundamental ethical theories” as well as the
ability to analyze “ethical systems of thought”
(Syllabus)
- Donaldson, Thomas. “Ethical Issues in Business: A
Philosophical Approach”, (8th Edition)
BIS 343: Social - Focus was on social processes and human
Processes in interactions in different organizational platforms.
Organizations
- Teamwork, team participation, team leadership,
and “psychological contracts” among teams.
- Thompson, Leigh. “Making the Team: A Guide for
Managers”, 5th edition. (2013)
apart from their larger communities
- Kant: “reason is the faculty that can aid in the
discovery of correct moral principles”
(Donaldson, pg. 6)
- Stakeholder theory: theory of organizational
management and business ethics that
addresses morals and values in managing an
organization, that managers primarily have a
duty to maximize shareholders' interests in the
way that is still permitted by law or social
values (Edward Freeman, 1988)
- I enjoyed exploring the ethical theory behind
human behavior, and through the discussions
and paper submissions I was allowed to
reexamine some past events in my
professional life and learn new lessons.
- Types of teams in organizations, such as:
1. Manager-led teams
2. Self-managing teams
3. Self-directing teams
4. Self-governing teams
- Avoiding “escalation of commitment to a
losing course of action” (or as I like to say,
“identifying the cut-bait point”) (Thompson,
pg. 181)
- The team building process, including the

BIS 350: - Class objective was to provide us with models
Diversity and and tools we can apply to appreciate culture,
Organizations discuss cross-cultural issues, develop cultural
competence, and address the concept of cultural
pluralism, multiculturalism, cross-cultural
communication, interpersonal and small group
interactions, and the impact of diversity on
informal and formal organizations.
- Mor Burak, M. Managing Diversity: Towards a
Global Inclusive Workforce. (3rd Ed.) (2014).
- Harro, B. (2010). Defining Cycle of Socialization,
Readings for Diversity and Social Justice
- Thomas, K.M. (2004). Conflict, Perceptions of
Justice, Privilege, and Diversity. Chapter 7 in
Diversity Dynamics in the Workplace.
identification of the task, people, and
processes necessary (Thompson, pg. 77)
- Avoiding decision making pitfalls such as
“Groupthink”, and “the Abilene Paradox” by
confronting the issue in a team setting,
conducting a private vote, utilizing the
scientific method (favorite part), and providing
a formal forum for controversial views
(Thompson, pg. 183-185)
- This class had a number of interesting and
thought-provoking sources that supported the
discussions each week. I very much enjoyed t
his class, as it related very closely to my study
during my AmeriCorps tenure.
- There are four costs associated with conflict in
organizations:
1. Direct Costs (Financial Costs)
2. Productivity Costs (Time Loss)
3. Continuity Costs (Loss of Ongoing
Relationships)
4. Emotional Costs (Emotional Pain
Suffered During Conflict)
- Diversity Management Paradigms:
a) Human Resource Paradigm (People
tend to hire those that look like them,
resulting in a homogenous culture.
Approaches to address: Diversity
Enlargement, Diversity Sensitivity,
 Cultural Audits, Diversity Management
b) Multicultural Organization Paradigm
(Monolithic Organizations, Plural
Organizations, Multicultural
Organizations)

OGL 355: - Emphasis of class was on situational analysis, - To do an external analysis (in order to identify
Leading strategy formulation, strategy implementation, threats and opportunities), leaders must:
Organizational and strategy evaluation. 1. Analyze the current situation
Innovation and 2. Decide on strategy
Change OR PAF - Coulter, M. “Strategic Management in Action” 3. Put strategy into action
311: (2013) 4. Evaluate strategy, change if necessary
Leadership and
Change (SB) - “Types of Innovations: Management Study HQ”. - External analysis is based on the idea that
(2013) organizations are open systems (meaning they
interact with and respond to their
environment

- Miles and Snow’s Adaptive Strategies are

based on the strategies organizations use to
adapt to their uncertain competitive
environments. They identified four strategic
postures: prospector, defender, analyzer, and
reactor (Coulter, pg. 131).

- This class helped prepare me to think

strategically, and how to implement those
various strategies when the environment calls
for it. It also helped me to identify signs of
declining performance and gives renewal
strategies for addressing it.
BIS 357: - Course allowed for the investigation of
Assessment in organizational assessments, a “systemic process
Organizations for obtaining valid information about the
performance of an organization and the factors
that affect performance” (Syllabus)
- Lusthaus, Charles, ed. Organizational assessment:
A framework for improving performance. (2002)
- Collins, Jim. Good to Great-Quickie Book
Summary. (2012).
- Southwest Airlines, Berkshire Hathaway and IBM
(Harvard Business Publishing Cases Studies)
OGL 360: - This was a course with the aim of improving my
Assessment of leadership effectiveness, as well as the
- Organizational Assessment Models for
Enterprise Transformation: lists the various
assessment tools, their description, and what
the assessment criteria measures best.
a) The Baldrige award’s main focus as an
assessment is Quality and Performance
Excellence
b) The Good-To-Great assessment
methodology delineates the categories
of leadership quality, technological
advances and strategic advances when
assessing companies.
c) The LESAT assessment tool is designed
to both measure the current state and
envision a future state.
d) The four dimensions of the Shingo
Assessment Model include: Results,
Enterprise Alignment, Continuous
Process Improvement and Cultural
Enablers
- The “Three Circles” theory that includes: 1)
Understanding what your company is and can
be best at and 2) Knowing what drives positive
cash flow a company needs to maintain its
growth and 3) Knowing what you’re
passionate about, are key elements of the
Hedgehog Concept
- The Five Practices of Effective Leadership are:
 Model the Way
Leadership “capabilities self-esteem of others on your team
Effectiveness or unit” (Syllabus)
- Contrasted the ideas of leadership success and
leadership effectiveness
- Learned to utilize leadership assessment
inventories
- Kouzes and Posner, The Leadership Challenge,
5th edition
- Homer's Odyssey (an illustrated synopsis)
- Horwitz, Tony. Blue Latitudes
- Van Gennep. “Rites of Passage”
- Woolf, Virginia. “A Room of One’s One”
- Mauss, Marcel. “The Gift”
COM 430: - This course sought to help me develop a
Leadership in “practical knowledge of communication
 Inspire a Shared Vision
 Challenge the Process
 Enable Others to Act
 Encourage the Heart
- From Module #2: Captain Cook’s entire career
could be said to embody the principle of
“Challenge the Process”. During his years as an
explorer he was defined by the risks he took to
challenge assumptions and experiment. When
he was exploring Australia, for instance, he
proved that New Guinea and what was then
known as New Holland (Australia) were two
separate land masses by discovering the Torres
Straits.
- The Odyssey: In terms of leadership strategy
and The Five Practices, Odysseus’s failure is
twofold – he failed to foster personal power by
ignoring the input of his crew and he failed to
consider their wellbeing when he did so
(Kouzes & Posner, 2012, pg. 22).
- The varied reading sources and discussions
really helped to give a round perspective to
the idea of leadership effectiveness. It made
me view myself, as well as historical and
literary figures, with new eyes. It also gave
very concrete steps that could be taken in the
pursuit of effectiveness.
- “Power is . . . the capacity to translate
intention into reality and sustain it. Leadership
Group processes, principles, power, conflict, and
Communicatio leadership strategies (Syllabus)
n currency” (Hackman & Johnson, 2013, p. 137).
- Hackman, M. Z., & Johnson, C. E. (2013).
Leadership: A communication perspective (6th
ed.).
TWC 347: - Introduction to strategies, techniques, and
Written genres for developing and presenting information
Communicatio for business and other workplace audiences
n for Managers (Syllabus).
(L)
- Stresses designing documents that are intended
for busy people—including the features of page
layout and visual elements which allow easy
access to information
- Schwom, Barbara. Business Communication:
Polishing Your Professional Presence
is the wise use of this power. . . . Vision is the
commodity of leaders, and power is their
- McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y
(authoritarian v. participative.
- Five Aproaches to Leadership:
a) Trait Approach
b) Behavior Approach
c) Contingency Approach
d) Situational Approach
e) Functional Approach
- This course gave me a theoretical perspective
on leadership approaches and provided me
with several opportunities to complete
questionnaires and assessments that gave me
insight into my own leadership style.
- The course allowed for practice in various
forms of written communications, such as:
 Memos
 proposal papers
 letters
 presentations
- Business writing attempts to present the
information in a visually uncomplicated way,
has an element of relationship management
(indirect versus direct approaches, for
example) and is sensitive to context and
 audience.

- This class has helped me to modify the

elements of a document with more precision,
and how to consider the goal of
communication (as well as possible barriers to
the reader successfully decoding my message
(Schwom, pg. 6)