BLHV 252 01: Power and Politics Fall 2016 Tuesdays 8:00 10:30 PM Instructor: George A. Reese Training and Organizational Development Georgetown University Human Recourses 202 687 1729 reeseg@georgetown.edu Course Description: Understanding power and its dynamics is a key challenge for leaders. Topics that will be examined include identifying sources of power and influence in organizations, how to build a base of power, how to develop coalitions, and different strategies and tactics of power and influence. In addition, the course will examine the role of emotional intelligence in successfully managing the politics of relationships. Learning Objectives: Students will demonstrate a basic understanding of the fundamentals of leadership power and influence; Students will be able to identify major sources of power and influence; Students will demonstrate an understanding of the importance of coalition building in developing power and influence; Students will recognize the role emotional intelligence plays in successful management of ourselves and the coalitions we develop; Students will explain how to apply these concepts into a personal philosophy and future practice. Required Readings: Cohen, Allan R. and David L. Bradford. Influence without Authority (2005) John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0 471 46330 2 Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence (2005) Random House. ISBN 055338371X Additional Readings Distributed by Instructor: Herminia Ibarra, Jennifer M. Suesse, (1997) Building Coalitions, Harvard Business School
David A. Garvin and Michael A. Roberto, Change Through Persuasion (2005) Harvard Business Review Jim Collins Level 5 Leadership (2001) Harvard Business Review Daniel Goleman, What Makes a Leader? (1998) Harvard Business Review There will also be a variety of articles distributed in class. Course Requirements: For this course you will be evaluated on the following assignments: Power and Influence paper: (15 percent) Due September 27 Using the sources of power and influence described in class relate examples for each source. These can be from personal experience or observation. Describe the effectiveness of the source of power or influence. Explain how another source could have been more effective. Coalition Paper: (20 percent) Due October 18 Coalitions are very effective in combining sources of power and influence to affect an agenda or create change in an organization. Using Block s matrix on trust and agreement, describe members of your organization and where they would fit along Block s matrix. Where would you place yourself in this matrix? How could you use a coalition effectively in your organization to solve a problem or create change? Emotional Intelligence Paper: (20 percent) Due November 15 In general, why is emotional intelligence important in our leaders, and for our own growth and development? There are a couple of ways you can look at this: 1) Consider the current political situation in Washington between the White House and the Congress, and the Democrats and Republicans. How will emotional intelligence help or hinder their relationship(s) and the progress (if any) between them in the near future? or 2) Think of someone you know (real or fictional) that has poor social/emotional skills. How do these cause problems in their lives? How could increasing awareness or developing more emotional intelligence skills help them? I include fictional persons because I know how easy it is for me to use Michael Scott from The Office to illustrate poor emotional intelligence, so you might have a favorite character that helps you see 'it' as well. Please don't use anyone or anything from "Hoosiers" because you'll be using that movie as the basis for your final paper. Final Paper: (30 percent) Due no later than December 23 Hoosiers as a model for Power and Politics For this final assignment, I would like you to use the film Hoosiers as a model for the concepts of power, influence, coalition building, and emotional intelligence. Describe how effective (or
ineffective) stakeholders in the story used these concepts. I know it was a Hollywood drama, but what parts of the story were realistic as they apply to organizations? In real life, what could we learn from this model? Contributions: (15 percent) Class participation is a very important part of the learning process in this course. You will be evaluated on your contributions as part of that participation. A contribution is a comment or reflection from you that possesses one or more of the following properties: Offers a different and unique, but relevant insight to the issue; Moves the discussion forward to generate a deeper, richer appreciation of the concept or issue; Transcends the I feel syndrome. That is, it includes references to the readings, cases, or exercises and identifies possible tradeoffs or dilemmas associated with ethical decision making. Additional Requirements: In addition to our regular class meetings you will be required to view the movie Hoosiers prior to the November 22nd class. I have a copy and the library does as well. (120 minutes) Grading: Undergraduate course grades include: A, A, B+, B, B, C+, C, C, D+, D, and F. A 100 93 A 92 90 B+ 89 87 B 86 83 B 82 80 C+ 79 77 C 76 73 C 72 70 D+ 69 67 D 66 60 F 59 and below
Class Calendar: The following schedule is subject to change. September 6 Introduction and overview to course, readings, and assignments. September 13 Sources of Power September 20 Sources of Influence September 27 Power and Influence paper due Fundamentals of Leadership October 4 Coalitions October 11 Coalitions October 18 Coalitions paper due October 25 Emotional Intelligence November 1 Reversal Theory and Emotional Intelligence November 8 Emotional Intelligence in our leaders November 15 Emotional Intelligence paper due November 22 Hoosiers a model for Power and Politics? November 29 Hoosiers December 6 Final class Final Paper due no later than December 23 Late Assignments: The expectation is that assignments should be turned in (hard copy or electronic copy) on the due date; however, I am aware of the reality of students with full time jobs, families, and other obligations. I want your best effort and best work, not something incomplete, or something you wouldn t be proud to turn in. Please discuss with me if extra time is needed to complete an assignment. Late assignments that haven t been discussed with me and haven t been turned in by the next class following the due date will be lowered one full letter grade. Attendance: Please review the BALS Student Handbook in the section, Class attendance/absence (http://scs.georgetown.edu/academic affairs/student handbooks). You are required to attend all classes, except for documented emergencies or university permitted absences. Three (3) absences may result in a failing grade for the course. You are responsible, and will be held accountable, for any work missed due to an absence, late arrival or early exit. Georgetown Honor System: All students are expected to follow Georgetown's honor code unconditionally. We assume you have read the honor code material located at www.georgetown.edu/honor, and in particular have read the following documents: Honor Council Pamphlet, What is Plagiarism, Sanctioning Guidelines, and Expedited Sanctioning Process. Papers in this course will all be submitted to turnitin.com for checking. Submitting material in fulfillment of the requirements of this course means that you have abided by the Georgetown honor pledge:
In the pursuit of the high ideals and rigorous standards of academic life, I commit myself to respect and uphold the Georgetown Honor System: To be honest in any academic endeavor, and to conduct myself honorably, as a responsible member of the Georgetown community, as we live and work together. Plagiarism: In accord with university policy, all incidents of suspected plagiarism or other Honor Code violations will be reported to the Honor Council without fail. If the Honor Council finds that a student has plagiarized or has violated the Honor Code in any other way, the student will receive a grade of F for the course. Turnitin.com: Students acknowledge that by taking this course all required papers can be submitted for a Textual Similarity Review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the terms of use agreement posted on the Turnitin.com site. Students with Disabilities Policy: Students with documented disabilities have the right to specific accommodations that do not fundamentally alter the nature of the course. If you are a student with a documented disability who requires accommodations or if you think you may have a disability and want to inquire about accommodations, please contact the Academic Resource Center (Leavey Center, Suite 335; 202 687 8354; arc@georgetown.edu; http://ldss.georgetown.edu/index.cfm before the start of classes to allow their office time to review the documentation and make recommendations for appropriate accommodations. If accommodations are recommended, you will be given a letter from ARC to share with your professors. You are personally responsible for completing this process officially and in a timely manner. Neither accommodations nor exceptions to policies can be permitted to students who have not completed this process in advance.