An understanding of one's own approaches to leadership, motivation, collaboration, and ethical situations is important to the evolution of an effective leader. An introspective lens can help emerging leaders better understand and hone these important skills.
Preparation
Use the Western Medical Enterprises Questionnaire [DOCX] to complete this assessment.
Imagine that over the past few months you have participated in several organizational projects and met many new people. The opportunities to collaborate and demonstrate your emerging skills as a leader prompted you to think about applying for a new position. After exploring online job postings, you prepared a resume and submitted the application to Western Medical Enterprises. A few days later you received the following email:
Dear applicant,
Thank you for your interest in employment at Western Medical Enterprises. We have received your application packet. The next step for all potential employees is to provide a narrative response to the questions in the attached document. Please return your completed document to me by replying to this email.
Once we receive your responses, we will review them and notify you of the next steps.
Good luck!
Sincerely,
Thomas Hardy
Human Resources Recruiter
Western Medical Enterprises
Respond to the scenario by completing the Western Medical Enterprises Questionnaire [DOCX]. Be sure to follow the prompts in the document and, when complete, submit it for this assignment.
You will use one of the following to complete Section 2 of the questionnaire:
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Apply qualities, skills, and practices used by effective health care leaders.
- Analyze one's own leadership qualities and actions relative to a specific experience, using personal core values of one's profession.
- Competency 2: Apply practices that facilitate effective interprofessional collaboration.
- Analyze one's own leadership and motivational techniques used to foster collaboration among stakeholders.
- Competency 3: Apply ethical codes and diversity best practices in health care organizations.
- Analyze actions taken in response to an ethical dilemma, using an ethical code.
- Competency 4: Produce clear, coherent, and professional written work, in accordance with Capella writing standards.
- Convey clear meaning in active voice, with minimal issues in grammar, usage, word choice, spelling, or mechanical errors.
Running head: SELF-ASSESSMENT OF LEADERSHIP, COLLABORATION, AND ETHICS 1
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Self-Assessment of Leadership, Collaboration, and Ethics
Learner’s Name
Capella University
Collaboration, Communication, and Case Analysis for Master's Learners
Self-Assessment of Leadership, Collaboration, and Ethics
December, 2019
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF LEADERSHIP, COLLABORATION, AND ETHICS 2
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Self-Assessment of Leadership, Collaboration, and Ethics
A leader is responsible for promoting collaboration and fostering trust among team
members. Trust among team members reflects mutual confidence in each other’s experience and
expertise, thereby encouraging interdependence. Collaboration within the team helps achieve
organizational goals. The first section of this assessment will address the importance of
leadership, styles of leadership, styles of decision-making, forms of communication, and
importance of collaboration. The second section will address the relevance of ethics. The
sections will discuss collaboration and ethics in a way that represents answers to a questionnaire
provided by Western Medical Enterprises.
Section 1: Leadership and Collaboration Experience
Three years ago, I started working with ABC Laboratories Inc. as a marketing manager
for its Houston branch. ABC Laboratories Inc. is a pharmaceutical company with its
headquarters in New York City. The company has 24 branches across the United States of
America. I was leading a team of eleven members when a new project was initiated. This project
involved marketing a new drug for influenza that was introduced by the laboratory’s research
and development department. The objective of the new project was to understand the product
and the target market and create a marketing plan within three months. As the leader of the
marketing team, I was responsible for communicating the objective of the new project to the
team. It was important to highlight the various processes that would be followed. The team was
informed the project would require not only collaboration within the marketing team but also
collaboration with professionals from other departments such as sales, finance, and research and
development.
Commented [BC1]: For numbers less than three syllables they should be written out per APA guidelines. Twenty-four (24).
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF LEADERSHIP, COLLABORATION, AND ETHICS 3
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To meet the objective of the new project, I decided to follow the democratic style of
leadership. My team comprised members from different age groups and ethnic backgrounds. I
wanted to involve each one of them and benefit from their experiences, creativity, and
professional expertise. The democratic style of leadership encourages team members to be more
participative and provide suggestions when required. I was responsible for ensuring there were
no deviations and hiccups in the course of the project. Following the democratic style of
leadership created an open-door policy for communication with the team members, encouraging
the exchange of ideas and feedback (Kaleem et al., 2016). This not only motivated team
members but also helped them develop a sense of ownership towards the project because their
inputs were genuinely considered during decision-making. This, in turn, decreased absenteeism
and employee turnover and improved the team’s efficiency in meeting project objectives.
Decision-making is a major element of leadership, and I chose the analytical and the
behavioral styles of decision-making. Following the analytical style, I ensured that I collected
and analyzed all project-related data to make decisions. Although time consuming, this decision-
making style helps cover possible loopholes when considering a course of action. The behavioral
style helped me foster trust in the team as I consulted the team members before finalizing any
decision (Azeska, Starc, & Kevereski, 2017). This helped assuage concerns members might have
had and helped them stay up-to-date with the project’s progress. Although the project was
successful, in hindsight, I would have employed the behavioral style of decision-making a lot
more than the analytical style. This would have reduced the time I spent during the planning
phase, which would have helped the team achieve the objectives of the project in a shorter time
span (Azeska et al., 2017).
Commented [BC2]: The first time the reference is used you need to write out all authors up to five (5). Then you use the first author last name, et al., for future citations in the paper. (Kaleem, Asad, & Khan, 2016).
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF LEADERSHIP, COLLABORATION, AND ETHICS 4
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Communication is essential for the successful completion of any project. Effective
communication ensures that team members are aware of objectives and there is no redundancy in
the course of action. It was important to ensure communication between the marketing team
members was clear. It was also essential communication between the marketing team and the
teams from other departments was clear and objective. Transparency in communicating project
requirements promoted coordination between the team members. As a leader, I was assertive
while communicating. Consequently, I could express my ideas and provide feedback in an
honest and direct manner while also respecting my team members’ suggestions and opinions
(Bocar, 2017). This was consistent with my chosen style of leadership and decision-making. I
also made sure all channels of communication, formal or informal, were open, ensuring clarity in
the tasks needing to be performed. Team members were assured they could approach me to
discuss any problems or grievances, which made them feel more valuable to the organization.
This made the team feel more confident in my position as a leader.
The right blend of communication and leadership styles was reflected in the commitment
the team had to completing the project efficiently and effectively. As a leader, I was responsible
for ensuring effective collaboration between team members from different ethnic backgrounds,
age groups, and specializations. Such collaboration was important for knowledge sharing and
fostering mutual trust, which led to the successful achievement of targets and objectives. To
encourage team members to perform better both individually and as a team, a team-based reward
system was introduced. In this reward system, all monetary or nonmonetary incentives were
linked to the achievement of team goals. This encourages team members to collaborate, develop
confidence in each other’s skills, and delegate tasks based on the expertise of team members.
This leads to the achievement of project objectives and enables team members to rely on each
Commented [BC3]: Do not use the word ‘that’ when not needed in the sentence. Using the word ‘that’ in the sentence is similar to speaking the word ‘um’ when talking. Higher level writing should limit this word.
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF LEADERSHIP, COLLABORATION, AND ETHICS 5
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other’s work. High interdependence, within the team and with other departments, and an
environment requiring cooperation promote collaboration (Gomez-Mejia & Franco-Santos,
2015). Using the team-based reward system, I was able to develop a concept of “we” rather than
“me” in my team. This approach was initially resisted because the team was concerned about
below-average performers bringing down the entire team’s incentives. However, through one-on-
one conversations, workshops, mentoring, and outbound training, I was able to make the entire
team believe in each other’s strengths and encourage them to help one another. My experience in
this project made me realize the importance of understanding the team’s requirements and
ensuring their involvement in achieving a project’s objectives.
Section 2: Ethics Experience
As a health care executive, I have faced ethical challenges that can directly impact the
lives of patients and their families. To handle these challenges effectively, I refer to the code of
ethics devised by James Childress and Tom Beauchamp in Principles of Biomedical Ethics. This
code of ethics outlines principles designed to help professionals in health care settings handle
ethical challenges with integrity and honesty. The code of ethics document presents four
principles: autonomy, justice, beneficence, and nonmaleficence. When two or more of these
ethical principles conflict with one another, an ethical dilemma arises. When I face an ethical
dilemma in my professional life, I use the LEADS framework, which stands for lead self, engage
others, achieve results, develop coalitions, and systems transformation, to make a fair decision
(Levitt, 2014). The LEADS framework describes the abilities, skills, and knowledge an ethical
leader requires at all levels in an organization.
The fundamental aim of the health care sector is to sustain or improve the overall quality
of life and create a health care system that is affordable, efficient, and accessible. As a marketing
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF LEADERSHIP, COLLABORATION, AND ETHICS 6
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manager, I recently faced an ethical dilemma regarding a new drug that was introduced by our
company to treat the influenza outbreak in the United States of America. This drug showed
promising results in its testing stages and was approved for sale. The drug was a combination of
three compounds that could treat influenza and was priced at $1,500 for (5) pills. For the
effective treatment of influenza, an individual would likely need to consume at least fifteen pills.
An assessment of the local target market revealed that 62% of the patients affected by influenza
were from low-income households. These individuals found it difficult to afford such an
expensive drug.
Justice, an ethical principle, emphasizes that medicinal resources and medical facilities
should be fairly and equally distributed among all individuals who require it. Similarly, the
principle of nonmaleficence emphasizes a health care executive should act keeping a patient’s
welfare in mind and actively work toward preventing harm to the patient (Levitt, 2014). On
understanding the target audience, I realized marketing an expensive product to a mostly low-
income population went against the ethical principles of the health care profession. During an
internal survey, we noticed the drug was distributed unequally. Individuals from high-income
households could easily afford the drug. However, individuals from low-income households,
who were mainly affected by the disease, could not afford the drug and became critically ill. The
ethical principles of justice and nonmaleficence conflicted with the project’s initial objectives
and posed an ethical dilemma.
The main issue with this drug was its affordability. To resolve this, I set up a committee
comprised of members from the research and development, sales, and finance teams. The
committee’s purpose was clearly communicated. The committee devised processes to make the
drug more affordable and to increase its potency so a smaller dosage could be effective. After
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF LEADERSHIP, COLLABORATION, AND ETHICS 7
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carefully considering ethical principles, the committee agreed to outsource the research and
development of the drug to another organization. This organization was able to develop the drug
at a much lower cost. Another method we implemented to reduce the drug’s cost was to use a
cheaper, but equally effective, alternative to one of the compounds used in the drug. Thus, the
cost of the drug was reduced to $750 for 10 pills, which was affordable for low-income
households. Since the influenza outbreak was massive, these drugs were sold throughout the
country and generated large profits for the company. I was able to efficiently resolve the ethical
dilemma by following the LEADS framework.
Conclusion
The leader of a team of diverse individuals must understand the right leadership styles,
decision-making techniques, and forms of communication. This helps in motivating the team and
making them feel connected to organizational goals. While motivation is an important
responsibility of a leader, it is also important to ensure actions are ethical. A leader is not just
responsible for the morale of the team he or she manages; the leader also has a responsibility to
the stakeholders of the organization, whether internal or external. Following a defined
framework of ethics sets an example for the team and the rest of the organization about the
importance of ethical decision-making.
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF LEADERSHIP, COLLABORATION, AND ETHICS 8
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References
Azeska, A., Starc, J., & Kevereski, L. (2017). Styles of decision making and management and
dimensions of personality of school principals. International Journal of Cognitive
Research in Science, Engineering and Education, 5(2).
https://doi.org/10.5937/IJCRSEE1702047A
Bocar, A. C. (2017). Aggressive, passive, and assertive: Which communication style is
commonly used by college students? SSRN Electronic Journal.
https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2956807
Gomez-Mejia, L. R., & Franco-Santos, M. (2015). Creating a culture of collaboration, innovation
and performance through team-based incentive. In Berger, L., & Berger, D. (Eds), The
Compensation Handbook (p. 199–203). Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280309572_Team-
based_incentives_Creating_a_Culture_of_Collaboration_Innovation_and_Performance
Kaleem, Y., Asad, S., & Khan, H. (2016). Leadership styles & using appropriate styles in
different circumstances. Retrieved from
https://researchgate.net/publication/323797001_Leadership_Styles_Using_Appropriate_S
tyles_in_Different_Circumstances
Levitt, D. (2014). Ethical decision-making in a caring environment: The four principles and
LEADS. Healthcare Management Forum, 27(2), 105–107.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hcmf.2014.03.013
