Discussion 2: Leadership Perspectives

Leaders believe in creating change out of a spirit of community, building a collaborative vision through dialogue, and developing a vision that integrates personal and professional beliefs.

The concepts of leadership, advocacy, and change are intertwined. Leaders are expected to be innovators, risk takers, and strategic thinkers. They also need to be advocates at the local, state, and national levels, and they need to motivate and lead members, followers, and communities to do the same. Advocacy enables, empowers, and encourages members to become involved in change. 

To prepare:

Think about different leadership, change, and advocacy  perspectives as they relate to the agency you selected for your Capstone  Project. 

By Day 4

Post a brief description of your agency the United Nations Environmental Protection. Describe at least three distinctions in how the leadership perspective might differ from either the change or advocacy perspectives as they relate to your agency. Explain the implications of these differences on the actions you might take and on the potential results as they relate to the agency. Be specific, and provide examples to illustrate your points. 

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.

Required Readings

Homan, M. S. (2016). Promoting community change: Making it happen in the real world (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.

· Chapter 6, “People—The Most Valuable Resource” (pp. 153–178)

· Chapter 7, “Power” (pp. 179–205)

Packard, T. (2009). Leadership and performance in human services organizations. In R. J. Patti, (Ed.), The handbook of human services management (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

The Handbook of Human Services Management, 2nd Edition by Patti, R. Copyright 2008 by Sage College. Reprinted by permission of Sage College via the Copyright Clearance Center.

Perumal, N. (2015). We continue to “manage”: A transformational leadership perspective on social work management in the NPO sector in South Africa? International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice, 3(2), 63–70. Retrieved from http://www.hrpub.org/download/20150620

/IJRH2-19290349.pdf

Optional Resources

Avolio, B. J., Walumbwa, F. O., & Weber, T. J. (2009). Leadership: Current theories, research, and future directions. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 421–449. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163621

Hegtvedt, K. A., & Johnson, C. (2009). Power and justice: Toward an understanding of legitimacy. American Behavioral Scientist, 53(3), 376–399. doi:10.1177/0002764209338798

Kuhnert, K. W., & Lewis, P. (1987). Transactional and transformational leadership: A constructive/developmental analysis. Academy of Management Review, 12(4), 648–657. doi:10.2307/258070

Laureate Education (Producer). (2009c). Leadership [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.