Discussion: Leading a Virtual Organization: Critical Decisions

Leaders are responsible for making decisions that have long-term ramifications; thus, making the appropriate decisions can be stressful and leaders’ decisions may vary. They often enhance employee performance using effective means for employee engagement. Leaders are also sometimes responsible for building trust among their team members as well as being role models who exemplify ethical behavior and commitment to the organizational values. These responsibilities are challenging for some leaders. An additional challenge for some leaders is understanding the work their teams perform. For this Discussion, you will consider the scenario of an executive business leader, Dr. Craig Marsh, who faces similar challenges. You will put yourself in his position and will answer questions common to real-world situations.

To prepare for this Discussion, review the “Leading a Virtual Organization” videos and Case Study Guide and consider the case of business executive Dr. Craig Marsh. Consider how Dr. Marsh built within his organization a culture of employee engagement, one that is conducive to optimal performance management, and a leadership structure appropriate to achieve his goals. Further, consider how Dr. Marsh took into account the perspectives of researchers and practitioners before creating his strategy.

By Day 3

Post your analysis of the case study, specifically the factors related to effective leadership within a global, virtual organization. In your analysis, be sure to address the following questions:

• What aspects of the academic and practitioner literature did you find particularly applicable to Dr. Marsh’s scenario?
• Whose seminal work would you adopt to help you form your strategy to change the organizational culture of this virtual organization?
• If you were in Dr. Marsh’s position, what is one additional strategy you might have employed to more effectively lead or develop this virtual, globally dispersed team? Provide a rationale for your selected strategy.

Be sure to support your work with a minimum of two specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources and one or more additional scholarly sources.

Refer to the Week 7 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this rubric to assess your work.

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

• Chapter 14, “Team Leadership” (pp. 363–396)
• Chapter 16, “Culture and Leadership” (pp. 427–467)

Chatman, J. (2014). Culture change at Genentech: Accelerating strategic and financial accomplishments. California Management Review, 56(2), 113–129. doi:10.1525/cmr.2014.56.2.113

Moldovan, O., & Macarie, F. C. (2014). How to change the informal side? A comparative analysis of organizational culture transformation models. Managerial Challenges of the Contemporary Society, 7(2), 40–45.

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