Leadership: Theory & Practice (MGTS7619)

This is an Individual assessment designed to help you identify your core values. The assessment consists of three individual but interrelated tasks (Tasks 1, 2, & 3; up to 5 marks each) that need to be completed in Weeks 3, 4, and 5; one task each week. This will be a very enjoyable and character-building process that will deliver lots of learning.

Task & Submission

• Complete Tasks 1, 2, and 3. The tasks begin during the seminar, but you will have time to complete and submit your tasks by 5 pm Friday the same week. 
• You will submit your work via Blackboard (weekly submission during weeks 3, 4, and 5).

Why this assessment?

From a learning point of view, a key focus of this course is to challenge students to identify strategies to develop their own brand of leadership. This requires a critical and honest evaluation of the values that you think are most important to you. It is not enough to contribute every now and again throughout the semester. Businesses don’t run that way. You need to be working towards creating an impact through weekly activities that you undertake. So, you also need to provide evidence of how you maintained a strong weekly work ethic to make your learning journey value to you. This is an issue of productivity – a measure of how much time you spent on the development of your knowledge (self-exploration) and its possible application to your professional development (self-actualisation) that will inevitably lead to meaningful results in terms of actual leadership impact.

AI Statement:

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

This is an individual assessment.

The test will consist of (a) 50 Multi-choice questions, and (b) 3 short answer questions.

The test reflects the topics covered in the course from week 1 to week 7. Questions will be based on the topics covered in the textbook, UQx BUSLEAD modules, and seminars; so it will be vital for students to attend the seminars and complete their readings each week.

AI Statement:

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

The Embodying Values Presentation assessment is an account of an attempt to enact a life priority. The activity is an embodiment exercise. During weeks 3-5, you will decide on a shortlist of implicit criteria that underlay the creation of a better world. Then, you will choose two and try to act in accordance with it (the Embodying Values activities). At the end of the semester, you will deliver a presentation reflecting on your experience in doing the Embodying Values activities, and how the activities contribute to your Transformational and Authentic leadership capacity. You are also required to peer-review two other presentations.

See below for more details.

Tasks & Submission

This is an individual assessment item and consists of three distinct elements:

Part 1, Embodying Values activity (weeks 6-11):

Push yourself to perform two acts over two weeks (between weeks 6 and 11) to embody two values that you identify during Weeks 3, 4, and 5. The acts should take you beyond your usual repertoire of daily behaviours and work to the significant benefit of another or of others. For example, you might check out one of the sites for helping people (e.g., kids with cancer, refugees, Rosies, St Vinnies, volunteer at your local school, visit a senior centre, fix and serve meals, volunteer at a hospital).

• The activities that you undertake to embody the identified values must not be retrospective. That is, the activities should be thoughtfully considered and selected after you identify your values during Weeks 3 to 5.
• Please note that activities such as 'making donations' do not constitute an embodying practice in themselves (for the purpose of this course). Therefore, they should be complemented with an additional activity.

Part 2, Presentation (weeks 12-13):

You will deliver a presentation in class based on your Embodying Values activity. The presentation is a report on your experience of the 'Embodying Values activity' and how the activities contribute to your transformational and/or authentic leadership.

In your presentation, you should cover criteria 1, 2, and 3 as outlined in the marking rubric.

Please note that the quality of both the content and delivery is important. An effective leader should be able to professionally communicate ideas based on reliable and clear content. For this reason, I have allocated marks to both the content and presentation (see the marking rubric).

• Submit a PowerPoint (PPT) file of your presentation via Blackboard.
• Deliver a presentation during the seminar (either in Week 12 or 13). Students will be assigned randomly to either week. Please make sure that your presentation meets the following requirements:
• 7 minutes max duration. (This may vary depending on the number of enrolments. You will be advised in advance if any changes are applied.)
• Limit the number of slides you use (I recommend no more than 10)
• Minimum of five academic journal articles. Draw on quality reference materials and cite them on your slides. Please note that this is not a presentation on a research study. However, your reflection should show the benefit of having read intelligently in order to give you useful concepts and vocabulary. Use APA (7th ed.) style for referencing.
• Focus on professional communication (eye contact, pace, projection, etc.). Your presentation should be engaging and inspiring too.

Part 3, Peer review (by the end of week 13):

You will assess two other presentations. Groups of three will be randomly created in Blackboard. You will assess each of your Group members’ Presentations.

Why peer-review? The skill to provide honest and constructive feedback on others' performance is a key skill for leaders. Engaging in the peer-review task helps you cultivate critical analytical skills and the ability to articulate constructive feedback, which is indispensable for effective leadership. Through this process, you not only enhance your evaluative capabilities but also refine your communication skills, laying the groundwork for becoming adept leaders capable of fostering growth and improvement in collaborative environments.

• Use the PROFORMA document that is available on Blackboard (in the Assessment 3 folder) to complete your peer review.
• Submit your peer review document via Blackboard.
• Failure to attend the presentation on the due date will incur a penalty.

Note: If you are unable to conduct a peer review for either of the two presenters due to the peers’ failure to submit their presentation materials, please note in your peer review document: “The presentation materials were not submitted within the designated timeframe." 

Please Note: The presentation will be recorded for marking purposes per UQ Policy.

AI Statement:

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.