2- Leadership

Objectives:

In order to promote meaningful input and in-depth reflection on leadership as both a concept and practice, the following questions have been developed to stimulate your thinking and springboard inner dialogue. You are encouraged to develop individual perspectives and insights in response to issues related to organizational behavior based on a given case.

The aim of the paper is threefold:

• Introduce participants to a business case in order to understand organizational dynamics.
• Develop critical thinking skills by questioning the underlying dynamics of an organization.
• Identify real organizational issues confronting leaders today.
• Provide the context for deeper reflection on current leadership issues and trends based on individual perspectives and experiences.

Instructions:

➢ Answer all three questions contained in this paper.
➢ Use of citations and references is encouraged but not mandatory for this assignment.
➢ Use the case as a basis for helping you construct your response to each case.
➢ The expected overall length of the assignment is 2,000 words with 10% of word flexibility – i.e. 1,800-2,200 words.

Questions:

1. Travis has asked for random but specific feedback from his employees about his leadership style so he could improve himself. Assuming you work at Uber and were asked to attend a one-on-one feedback session with him. What would you ask and tell him, and why? How do you see Travis Kalanick as a leader at Uber?

2. Imagine you were an organizational consultant or advisor brought in by Uber to perform an analysis of the company’s culture with the aim of taking it to the next level. You had conducted some preliminary investigation about the company and were ready to meet with their senior management. What questions would you ask and which aspects of the company culture would you bring to the table for discussion, and why?

3. When you reflect on the case, what have you learned about organizational behavior? How has the case helped you to understand the dynamics of organizations in terms of individuals, teams, and organizational systems? You may answer this question as freely as you want.

Grading Considerations:

✓ Ability to understand and appreciate the given case demonstrated through a critical engagement and discussion of the underlying issues based on practical insights.
✓ Depth of thoughts, ideas, and perspectives with clear examples in response to each
question using clear language and a personal voice (as opposed to textbook answer).