Homework answers / question archive / BUSI 682 DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS OVERVIEW As you read the chapters assigned to each module, no doubt you will find some concepts more interesting and applicable to your personal or work situation than others

BUSI 682 DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS OVERVIEW As you read the chapters assigned to each module, no doubt you will find some concepts more interesting and applicable to your personal or work situation than others

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BUSI 682 DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS OVERVIEW As you read the chapters assigned to each module, no doubt you will find some concepts more interesting and applicable to your personal or work situation than others. Select one topic to discuss in detail. • • • • Discussion: Leadership and Strategy Discussion: Communications and Culture Discussion: Influencing and Negotiating Discussion: Teams and Learning INSTRUCTIONS Please be sure to include the exact Key Concept you selected in your Discussion subject line. After you have successfully picked the concept that interests you the most, research at least five (5) recent scholarly articles that relate to the concept on which you wish to focus your research. Articles may be found in reputable professional and scholarly journals that deal with the content of our course. Popular general reading magazines and online sources such as Wikipedia are not permissible. I highly recommend you use the Liberty University Library resources. Librarians are available to assist you in all matters pertaining to conducting your research, including what constitutes a scholarly article. After reading the articles, select the one article that you wish to discuss. The Discussion is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of the assigned Modules. You must adhere precisely to the following headings and format: Key Concept and Why You Are Interested In It After reading the textbook, specifically state why you are interested in conducting further research on this topic, i.e., academic curiosity, application to a current issue related to employment, or any other professional rationale. Please be sure to include a substantive reason, not simply a phrase. Explanation Of The Key Concept This is a clear and concise overview of the essentials relevant to understanding this key concept. Major Article Summary Using your own words, provide a clear and concise summary of the article, including the Page 1 of 3 BUSI 682 major points and conclusions. Discussion (In your own words, discuss each of the following points) 1. How the cited work relates to your above explanation AND how it relates specifically to the content of this module. This part of your Discussion provides evidence that you have extended your understanding of this topic beyond the textbook readings. 2. How the cited work relates to the other 4 works you researched. This part of your Discussion provides evidence that you have refined your research topic to a coherent and specialized aspect of the topic, rather than a random selection of works on the topic. The idea here is to prove you have focused your research and that all works cited are related in some manner to each other – rather than simply a collection of the first 5 results from your Internet search. Annotated References A minimum of 5 scholarly business references (not textbooks, Wikipedia, or other popular reading magazines), in APA format (APA current edition), and must contain persistent links so others may have instant access. In the event formatting is lost or corrupted when posting the Discussion, be sure to attach the Word document to your posting, as evidence your work was completed in the proper format. The annotations are designed to help your classmates in their understanding of the topic. • • • An annotated bibliography is a list of the journals and resources you used. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and an evaluative paragraph, “the” annotation. • An annotation should: • Be approximately 150 words and is more than just several sentences summarizing the source/reference. • Present why the author is qualified to speak on the stated subject. • Summarize the source/reference. • Explain to the reader why the reference is important to the project management profession. • Communicate to the reader how the reference relates to the subject being discussed. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited. Please do not simply cut and paste from your sources, as this constitutes plagiarism. I have found that most of the time this occurs as an innocent oversight on the part of the student. Regardless of the reason, in the event of plagiarism, the student will receive zero points for the entire Module (this includes Discussion, Discussion responses, and participation). Please note that points will be awarded in each aspect of the assignment if the assignment meets or exceeds graduate-level content and writing standards. Page 2 of 3 BUSI 682 REPLIES Additionally, each student will be required to post a written response to two (2) other students' Discussion threads. Replies are due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of the assigned Modules. Except Modules 8, which is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday. Page 3 of 3 Influencing and Negotiating The most skillful project leaders have perfected the skill of being comfortable while being uncomfortable. Fast, cheap, good—you can have any two. We often ask participants in our leading global projects seminars this question, “What are the most important challenges you experience in your role as a leader of global projects?” The following are consistently mentioned. How can I better understand global counterparts and communicate effectively across cultures? How can I get real support from the steering committee? How can I motivate individuals to be enthusiastic about the project? What approaches can I use to influence others in a matrix organization when I am dealing with different cultures and functions and have little or no authority over those whom I am trying to influence? By far, the greatest challenge is the latter – influencing across functions and cultures. Our answer to this influencing question is as follows. First, we must understand how power and influence can be used effectively by leaders of global projects. Second, most project leaders would benefit from further developing and enhancing their negotiation skills, and related ability to deal with conflict, since an important component of influence without authority is negotiating and mediating conflict. Before we delve into influencing, negotiating, and dealing with conflict, we need to be clear on just what we mean by influence and how it differs from persuasion or manipulation. Manipulation is the dark side of influence or persuasion. We can use skillful persuasion and influencing tactics, but if we are manipulating we are by definition creating an unfair advantage. Taken to an extreme, the use of formal authority can easily cross the line into the realm of manipulation. Persuasion and influencing are highly related, but it is important to understand the subtle differences. Persuasion involves enticing someone into action largely through logic and reason. Influencing takes one further step in that those we are influencing feel a compelling force to take certain actions or behave in particular ways. In other words, I can persuade you to do some work on my project, perhaps by laying out the logic, but you may feel more cajoled than compelled. Influencing is more than making a persuasive speech. It involves truly understanding the world of the person being influenced and what that person really wants and needs, and then fulfilling those wants and needs. We return frequently throughout the book to this common theme of understanding others by looking through their lenses. Every individual in any organization has the ability to influence others and has a certain amount of power in the organization. The amount of power a person has is a total of the formal power that is given by the position the individual has in the organization plus the amount of informal power individualist has earned. Informal power is based on one's knowledge, expertise, reputation, networks, and interpersonal skills. Formal power is given to an individual by virtue of their position in the organization. By exercising formal power an individual has the ability to reward, punish, and to “tell people what to do.” We saw a sign recently in the lobby of a small business. It read, “The boss is always the boss.” That sign clearly states the “power” of the boss. In working with hundreds of project leaders in our seminars, we have come to the simple conclusion that most project leaders do not have the luxury of resorting to formal authority. In most cases, the boss is always the boss, but the project leader is