CORE-GP 1020Management and Leadership (M&L) Section 002 Fall 2018

CORE-GP 1020Management and Leadership (M&L) Section 002 Fall 2018

Class Information

• Meeting Days/Times: Mondays, 6:45pm-9:30pm; September 4 to December 14, 2018
• Location: Meyer Hall, 4 Washington Place, Room 102

Instructor Information

• Instructor: Laura Sabattini, Ph.D (
• Email:
• Office Hours: Before class and by appointment (email is the best way to reach me during the week).
• Teaching Assistant: TBD
• Email:
• Writing Tutor: TBD
• Email:

Course Description

Management and Leadership is designed to empower you with the skills you will need to make meaningful change in the world—whether you care about bike lanes, criminal justice, prenatal care, community development, urban planning, social investment, or something else. Whatever your passion, you can only have an impact by leading and managing organizational processes. In this course, you will enhance the technical, interpersonal, conceptual, and political skills needed to run effective and efficient organizations embedded in diverse communities, policy arenas, sectors, and industries. In class, we will engage in a collective analysis of specific problems that leaders and managers face—first, diagnosing them and then, identifying solutions—to explore how organizations can meet and exceed their performance objectives. As part of that process, you’ll encounter a variety of practical and essential topics and tools, including mission, strategy, goals, structure, teams, diversity and inclusion, motivation, and negotiation.

Required Course Materials

1. Bolman, L. G, & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing Organizations Artistry, Choice and Leadership, 6th Edition, Jossey-Bass. ISBN-978-1-119-28182-5 (paperback, also available as an E-Book.). Hereafter referred to as Reframing.
2. Rath, T., & Conchie, B. (2009). Strengths Based Leadership. Gallup Press, 2009. ISBN-10:1595620257; ISBN-13:978-1-59562-025-5. Hereafter referred to as Strengths. NOTE: This book must be purchased new as each book contains a unique code for the assessment.
3. Coursepacks: Two course packs are available for this class, one includes additional readings and one include the case studies that we’ll use for team activities. Hereafter referred to as “Coursepack” and “Case Coursepack” respectively. Please make sure to purchase the materials associated with this section (# 002) [ADD LINK].

Other Materials

• To keep costs down, NYU Classes will have links to readings you can access and print from the NYU library or PDF of readings organized by week.
• Some class materials will also be distributed via e-mail. Thus, it is important that you actively use your NYU e-mail account, or have appropriate forwarding set up on NYU Home (
• M&L Plus ( This document provides additional courses and optional readings so that you can explore the topics we cover in more depth

Learning Objectives and Skill Development

The course combines conceptual and experiential approaches and is divided into four modules:

1. Teams and teamwork
2. Interpersonal dynamics
3. Designing and aligning organizations
4. Leading change

Readings will introduce key concepts and useful ways of thinking about common situations in complex organizations. Case studies, exercises, and in-class discussions provide opportunities to apply theories, concepts, and research findings to particular situations to hone your managerial and leadership skills. The written assignments require you to consolidate your insight and practice your analytical and communication skills.

There are three learning objectives that cut across each class:

1. Analytical Thinking and its supporting skillset:
2. Identify, analyze, and address underlying problems and opportunities
3. Recognize, analyze, and manage complex relationships
4. Reframe the way you approach people and situations
5. Leveraging diversity and its supporting skillset:
6. Identify, understand, and use different types of diversity
7. Explore how to create, participate in, and coach diverse teams
8. Develop skills to address the challenges and opportunities of diversity
9. Communication and its supporting skillset:
10. Recognize the importance of clear communication with stakeholders
11. Prepare effective, clear, organized written reports and presentations
12. Conduct effective meetings and facilitate group/team discussions

Class Teams

You will be assigned to a team early in the semester and work with the team throughout the semester. You will have lots of opportunities to discuss and debate issues including the cases, readings, and exercises. You are expected to do all of the assigned readings on your own before class

Assignments and Grading Policy

Grades include individual and group elements and are calculated based on the components listed below. WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: All written assignments should be single spaced, 1-inch margins, and 12-point Time New Roman font.

Individual Components (IND) – 60%

• Participation, attendance, and professionalism, including board posts (15%)
• Assessments and exercises (including strengths assessments) (10%)
• Self- and peer evaluation (5%)
• Final exam (30%)

Group Components (GROUP) – 40%

For each of the group assignments, please include a cover page with the names of everyone who contributed to the memo and the role they played in the memo. If a group member did not contribute, do not include that person’s name and s/he will not receive credit for this assignment. Everyone whose name does appear on the assignment will receive the same grade.

• Team Prospectus and Debrief Documents (5%)
• Case Summaries, Exercises, and Strategy Memos (15%)
• Congruence model analysis (15%)
• Congruence model presentation (5%)

Participation, Attendance, and Professionalism (IND):

Attendance, participation, and professionalism are key to the success of this course. All class sessions will involve active discussion based on the readings and cases, with an emphasis both on theoretical questions and practical implications. You should be prepared to share your analysis and contribute insights and recommendations using the language and tools provided in the reading materials. Class participation is evaluated based on students’ ability to integrate readings, concepts, personal insights, as well as on relevance, thoughtfulness, and active listening skills when other students are speaking or presenting. In addition, students are required to contribute a certain number of forum posts (see below). These provide an additional opportunity to share thoughts, continue conversations started in class, and other reflections from class activities (see below). Finally, professionalism is calculated based on attendance, lateness, and number of course assignments (e.g., write ups, reflections) completed on time. If you will be absent or delayed (e.g., train delays, family emergencies), please email me and the teaching colleague.

Forum Posts:

To get full participation credit, students must contribute at least 3 (original) posts AND at least 3 responses to other students’ posts (i.e., comments or reactions to other board posts). Forum posts topics can include readings, news articles related to what we covered in class, or insights from case studies and class discussions, for example a comment that you did not have the chance to share in class. I recommend distributing the posts throughout the semester.

Assessments and Exercise (IND):

During the semester you will be asked to complete several assessments including, but not limited to: Strengths-Based Leadership, Frame Leadership Orientations, and Conflict Style; and participate in several exercises and activities.

Self and Peer Evaluation (IND):

At the end of the semester, you will be asked to reflect on what you have learned during the course about yourself as a manager, leader, and team member (the assessment will be available on the class website the week of November 19 and is due Dec 3, 2018). In addition, you will ask to review your classmates’ participation and your own during the group activities using a more detailed rubric provided in class (Due by Dec 10, 2018).

Final Exam (IND):

The final exam will cover topics from the readings, course discussions, and your team work. If you do all the readings, engage in class discussions, and reflect on the material we covered, you will be prepared. The final exam will be take-home – you have one week to return it. It will be sent the last week of class.

Team Prospectus and Debrief Documents (GROUP):

Each team will be asked to complete a proposal (prospectus) outlining how you plan to work together, e.g., roles communication guidelines, responsibilities, etc. (due September 24, 2018). Two short summaries to debrief and reflect on whether the initial structure is working (October 9 and November 12 on the schedule, more information will be provided in class).

Summaries, Exercises, and Strategy Memo (GROUP):

Throughout the course, you will participate in activities to help you develop key career and leadership skills (e.g., networking). In addition, each team will work on two short case summaries (due October 1, 2018 and Oct 29, 2018, respectively) and one (more in depth) STRATEGY MEMO applying course principles and practices (due on Wednesday, November 7, 2018). Additional information about these assignments will be provided in class.

Congruence Model Analysis (GROUP):

You will discuss and select one team member’s case—either a performance gap or an opportunity gap that s/he 1) observed or experienced, has some authority/ownership over, and has enough information to conduct a root cause analysis, 2) is interesting and motivating for the team to tackle, 3) is measurable, 4) could impact the team member and his/her organization, and 5) has a clear timeline. The organization/people can be anonymized. Each team will start working on their analysis in class and submit an outline of the key elements of their model. A final congruence analysis is due by December 10, 2018. More information is provided in the schedule of assignment and additional guidelines will be shared in class.

Henry and Lucy Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at NYU

Academic accommodations are available for students with disabilities. Please visit the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) website and click on the Reasonable Accommodations and How to Register tab or call or email CSD at (212-998-4980 or ) for information. Students who are requesting academic accommodations are strongly advised to reach out to the Moses Center as early as possible in the semester for assistance.

NYU’s Calendar Policy on Religious Holidays

NYU’s Calendar Policy on Religious Holidays states that members of any religious group may, without penalty, absent themselves from classes when required in compliance with their religious obligations. Please notify me in advance of religious holidays that might coincide with exams to schedule mutually acceptable alternatives.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a vital component of Wagner and NYU. All students enrolled in this class are required to read and abide by Wagner’s Academic Code. All Wagner students have already read and signed theWagner Academic Oath. Plagiarism of any form will not be tolerated and students in this class are expected toreport violations to me.If any student in this class is unsure about what is expected of you and how to abide by the academic code, you should consult with me.

Class Schedule

Module 1: Teams and Teamwork

Week 1: Your Leadership Approach – Sept 10

Topics / Readings/Assignments
(to be completed before class) / In-Class Activities
Review course
Managing and Leading
Management theory and practice
Multi-frame thinking / ASSESSMENTS
­Leadership Orientation Self-Assessment Survey:
­Strengths-Based Leadership (Questionnaire from Strengths-Based Leadership book)
­Leadership Style: PDF in NYU Classes
­Myers Briggs online (
Written Assignment: N/A / Introductions and Discussion
Management & Leadership
Learning Objective / Your Leadership Approach
a. / Understand your strengths and weaknesses as leader, manager, and individual contributor.
b. / Examine your own beliefs about leadership, team, and teamwork.

Week 2: Leading Teams and Teamwork – Sept 17

Topics / Readings/Assignments
(to be completed before class) / In-Class Activities
Management vs. Leadership
Intro to Team Design and Processes / ASSESSMENTS
­Inclusive Leadership Quiz ( also on NYU Classes
REFRAMING: Chapter 1 and 2
NYU CLASSES
­Inclusion Matters (also available online
­Gomez-Ibañez, J. A. (1986). Learning by the case method. Case Program, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
­Groysberg & Slind (2012). Leadership is a Conversation.
­Phillips, K. W. (2014). How diversity works. Scientific American (also available online, link below)
COURSEPACK
­Gabarro & Potter (2004). Managing your Boss.
­Goleman & Boyatzis (2008). Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership.
Written Assignment (in class): Team names, team description, roles, and guidelines. / Discussion:
Inclusive leadership
Positive Psychology and Emotional Intelligence
Case Study:
Team strategy discussion
Learning Objective / Leading Teams and Teamwork
a. / Examine benefits and challenges of teamwork.
b. / Understand the stages of team development.
c. / Identify best strategies and approaches for team design.
d. / Examine team processes, relationships, and responsibilities.

Week 3: Leading Teams and Teamwork – Sept 24

Topics / Readings/Assignments
(to be completed before class) / In-Class Activities
Team/Group Processes (cont’d)
Team Effectiveness
Goals and Strategy / REFRAMING: Chapter 5
NYU CLASSES
­Hackman (1987). The design of work teams. In J. Lorsch (Ed.), The Handbook of Organizational Behavior (pp. 315-342). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall
COURSEPACK
­Druskat & Wolff (2001). Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups.
­Detert & Burris (2016). Can your employees really speak freely? Haas & Mortensen (2016). The Secrets of Great Teamwork.
­Polzer (2003). Leadings Teams.
CASE COURSEPACK
­CASE 1: Roberto, M.A. & Carioggia, G.M. (2003). Mount Everest—1996. Harvard Business School Case 9-303-061
Written Group Assignments (before class): “Official” team prospectus due / Discussion:
Positive Psychology and Emotional Intelligence (cont’d)
Strategy & Goals
Case Study: In-class Practice Summary and Mt Everest Discussion
Learning Objective / Building and coaching teams; teamwork
a. / Discuss and practice Inclusive leadership behaviors.
b. / Discuss and practice mentoring and coaching behaviors.
c. / Consider effective decision-making and other elements of team effectiveness.

Module 2: Interpersonal Dynamics

Week 4: Decision Making – Oct 1

Topics / Readings/Assignments
(to be completed before class) / In-Class Activities
Team Effectiveness (cont’d)
Decision Making & Bias / REFRAMING: Chapter 8
NYU CLASSES
­Banaji, M., Bazerman, M. H., & Chugh, D. (2003). How (un)ethical are you? Harvard Business Review,[A1] 81(12), 56-64. Also
­Brockner, J. (2006). Why It’s So Hard to Be Fair. Harvard Business Review, March, pp. 122-129.
­Kahneman, D., Lovallo, D., & Sibony, O. (2011). Before you make that big decision. Harvard Business Review, 89(6), 50-60.
­Catalyst (2014, 2015). How to combat unconscious bias as an individual and as a leader.
­Dovidio, J. F., & Gaertner, S. L. (2005). Color blind or just plain blind. The Nonprofit Quarterly, 12(4). Online:
­Roberto (2002). Lessons from Everest, the Intersection of Cognitive Bias, Psychological Safety and System Complexity (also at library).
CASE COURSEPACK
­CASE 1: Roberto, M.A. & Carioggia, G.M. (2003). Mount Everest—1996 (cont’d from last week)
Written Group Assignment (due before class):CASE 1 Summary 1 [2-4 pages]
­Why did this tragedy occur?
­What should they have done to avoid these types of issues?
­What can we learn from this for our organizations?
­Use insights from course readings and discussion. / N/A
Learning Objective / Decision Making
a. / Improve your decision-making skills.
b. / Basics of systematic and unconscious biases.
c. / Consider workplace, bias, and exclusion across different dimensions of diversity.

Week 5: Power and Influence – Oct 9

Note: This class is on a Tuesday.

Topics / Readings/Assignments
(to be completed before class) / In-Class Activities
Decision Making & Bias (cont’d)
Power and Influence
Power and Communication / REFRAMING: Chapter 9-10
NYU CLASSES
­Catalyst (2016). Conversation ground-rules.
­Cialdini, R. B. (2003). The Power of Persuasion. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 1(2), 18-27 (
­Ibarra (2016). 5 Misconceptions about networking.
COURSEPACK
­McGinn, K.L. & Long Lingo, E. (2001). Power and influence: Achieving your objectives in organizations. Harvard Business School Note 9-801-425
CASE COURSEPACK
­CASE 2: McGinn, K. and Gendron, A. (2001). Reverend Jeffrey Brown: Cops, Kids, and Ministers. Harvard Business School Case.
Individual Assignment: CASE 2
Read the case before the start of class and come prepared to answer the following questions.
­What are the root causes of the crisis?
­Map out Rev Brown’s sources of power in relation to past and future achievements.
­Consider the power dynamics in the coalitional leadership structure. What are the costs and benefits to this approach, given the objectives of the coalition?
Written Group Assignment (due before class): Team debrief 1. / Case Study
Team discussion
Activity:
Low- and High- Power behaviors

Learning Objective / Decision Making
a. / Identify types and sources of power.
b. / Map the power structure in your team, organization, and/or coalition.
c. / Understand links between individual and organizational power and inclusion.

Week 6: Negotiation – Oct. 15

Topics / Readings/Assignments
(to be completed before class) / In-Class Activities
Power, Politics, and Communication (Cont’d)
BATNA Negotiation and Conflict Management / REFRAMING: Chapter 9-10 (Cont’d)
NYU CLASSES
­Neale, M. (2004). Are You Giving Away the Store? Strategies for Savvy Negotiation. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2(3), 33-39.
­Kray, L.J. & Thompson, L. (2004). Gender stereotypes and negotiation performance. Research in organizational behavior, v 26, p. 103-182.
­Deborah Cameron (2007). What Language Barrier?
­Carolyn O'Hara (2014). How to negotiate with someone more powerful than you.
CASE COURSEPACK
­CASE 3. Amabile, T. M. & Schatzel, E. A. (2003). The Satera team at Imatron Systems, Inc. (A). Harvard Business School Case 9-803-141
Individual Assignment: Case 3
Read the case before the start of class and come prepared to answer the following questions:
­What is the context, key issue(s)?
­Why is this group/department/organization facing these issues? Identify root causes.
­Recommendations / next steps
­How should your recommendations be implemented? What are the priorities? / Activity:
Negotiation

Learning Objective / Negotiation
a. / Understand the basics of negotiation.
b. / Learn how to create value for yourself and others.
c. / Understand variations in negotiation approach and outcomes (by context, demographics, etc.).

Week 7: Motivation – Oct 22

Topics / Readings/Assignments