BUS 520 Assignment 3 - Power, Politics and Culture

ASSIGNMENT 3

POSITION PAPER: POWER, POLITICS, AND CULTURE

Due Week 8, worth 250 points

Power and politics greatly influence an organization’s culture. In business, the culture can make or break an organization’s productivity. In this assignment, you’ll analyze the ways power and politics have influenced an organization’s culture. You’ll apply best practices you learned in course resources and your own research to make recommendations for improving this organization’s culture.

PREPARATION

Using the same organization from the first two assignments, imagine the CEO has now requested your task force investigate the influence of power and politics on the corporate culture. You have been asked to prepare a position paper that presents and supports your recommendations to improve the culture.

Prepare for this assignment by delving into the organization's culture and identi-fying the resources you, the task force leader, will use to create your research-supported position paper. Use at least two quality resources such as the course textbook, company website, business websites (CNBC, Bloomberg, etc.), resources from the Strayer Library, and/or outside sources.

Note: Wikipedia and web-based blogs do not qualify as credible resources.

INSTRUCTIONS

Develop your position paper, addressing the following components:

1. Influence of Politics and Power

Explain how politics and power-play may have influenced the organization’s culture.

2. Sources of Power

Explore the sources of power and describe how management could use this influence to benefit your department and improve organizational performance.

3. Leadership Behavior and Culture

Make recommendations that support how the study of power and politics could influence leadership behavior and improve the organization’s culture.

4. Leadership Influence

Discuss the importance and complexity of leadership behavior. How does it influence organizational structure and performance?

5. Executive Summary

Prepare an executive summary that presents your recommendations for ways in which the organization could build a stronger culture. Note: An executive summary is a condensed version of your full report. It should summarize briefly all the main points in concise paragraphs. It should be written clearly and should use language appropriate for the audience.

PROFESSIONAL AND APA FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS

Your assignment must follow these general APA formatting requirements:

Be typed (five to seven pages recommended, excluding cover and reference pages), double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12) with one-inch margins on all sides

Include a References List

Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date

Include in-text citations following APA style, using attributive tags and signal verbs

Cite at least two credible sources

POINTS: 250

Criteria

1. Influence of Politics and Power

Weight: 20%

ASSIGNMENT 3: POSITION PAPER: POWER, POLITICS, AND CULTURE

Unacceptable Fair Proficient Exemplary

Below 70% F 70-79% C 80-89% B 90-100% A

Does not Partially Satisfactorily Completely

explain how explains how explains how explains how

politics and politics and politics and politics and

power-play power-play may power-play may power-play may

may have have influenced have influenced have influenced

influenced the the organiza- the organiza- the organiza-

organization’s tion’s culture. tion’s culture. tion’s culture.

culture. Identifies some Identifies some Accurately

issues but core issues and identifies the

does not fully connects them core issues and

explore them or to the impact strongly con-

make a strong on the culture. nects them to

connection to The explana- the impact on

their impact. tion uses culture. The

Uses little research explanation is

research support well-supported

support. by research.

2. Sources of Does not identi- Partially identi- Satisfactorily Completely

Power fy the sources fies the sourc- identifies the identifies the

of power or es of power sources of sources of

Weight: 20% describe how and describes power and power and

management how manage- describes how describes how

could use this ment could use management management

influence to this influence could use this could use this

enhance organi- to enhance influence to influence to

zational perfor- organizational enhance organi- enhance organi-

mance. There is performance. zational perfor- zational perfor-

no reference to Not all key mance. Most mance. Uses

research concepts are key concepts relevant key

identified and are accurately concepts and

there is a loose identified and makes valid

connection to there is a con- connections to

performance. nection to enhanced

There is little enhanced per- performance

research formance with that are

support. research well-supported

support. by research

3. Leadership Does not identi- Partially recom- Satisfactorily Provides excel-

Behavior and fy the sources mends how the identifies the lent recommen-

Culture of power or study of power sources of dations as to

describe how and politics power and how the study of

Weight: 20% management could influence describes how power and poli-

could use this leadership management tics could influ-

influence to behavior and could use this ence leadership

enhance organi- impact the influence to behavior and

zational perfor- organization’s enhance organi- impact the orga-

mance. There is culture, but the zational perfor- nization’s

no reference to recommenda- mance. Most culture. Recom-

research tions are unclear key concepts mendations are

or unrealistic. are accurately credible and

There is no clear identified and relevant with a

connection to there is a con- strong connec-

the impact on nection to tion to the

culture. There is enhanced per- impact on

little or no formance with culture backed

research research by well-support-

support. support. ed research.

4. Leadership Does not Partially recom- Satisfactorily Provides excel-

Influence recommend mends how the recommends lent recommen-

how the study study of power how the study dations as to

Weight: 20% of power and and politics of power and how the study

politics could could influence politics could of power and

influence lead- leadership influence lead- politics could

ership behavior behavior and ership behavior influence lead-

and impact the impact the and impact the ership behavior

organization’s organization’s organization’s and impact the

culture. There is culture, but the culture. Recom- organization’s

no reference to recommenda- mendations are culture. Recom-

research. tions are clear and mendations are

unclear or mostly realistic; credible and

unrealistic. there is a con- relevant with a

There is no nection to the strong connec-

clear connec- impact on tion to the

tion to the culture. impact on

impact on Research sup- culture

culture. There port is evident. backed by

is little or no well-supported

research research.

support.

5. Executive Does not Partially Satisfactorily Thoroughly

Summary discuss how the discusses how discusses how discusses how

importance and the importance the importance the importance

Weight: 10% complexity of and complexity and complexity and complexity

leadership of leadership of leadership of leadership

behavior behavior influ- behavior behavior

influences ences organiza- influences influences

organizational tional structure organizational organizational

structure and and perfor- structure and structure and

performance. mance. Some performance. performance.

There is no key concepts Most key con- Relevant key

reference to are missing cepts are pre- concepts are

research. and there is sented with presented with

little or no research strong research

research support. support.

support.

6. Write Writing does not Writing is satis- Writing could Writing is excel-

Professionally meet minimum factory. Profes- be improved, lent. Tone is

Using Quality standards. Tone sional tone is but meets professional

Resources is not profes- developing. acceptable and sophisticat-

sional. Commu- Shows moder- standards. Tone ed. Shows logic,

Weight: 10% nication is ate logic, clari- is professional. clarity, and

wholly lacking ty, and/or con- Shows logic, consistent

in logic, clarity, sistent format- clarity, and formatting.

and/or consis- ting. May con- consistent Contains no

tent formatting. tain more than formatting. May spelling,

Contains many a few spelling, contain few or mechanical, or

spelling, grammar, no spelling, grammatical

mechanical, mechanical, mechanical, errors. Is free of

formatting, formatting, or and/or gram- formatting and

citation, and/or citation errors. matical errors. citation errors.

grammatical There may be

errors. Does not meet minor format- Exceeds

the required ting or citation number of

References are number of errors. required refer-

not provided. references; ences; all refer-

some or all Meets the ences are

references are number of high-quality

of poor quality. required refer- choices

ences; all refer-

ences are

high-quality

choices