Jon Merrill | Curriculum ePortfolio

Home > Academic Accomplishments > Reflective Leadership: Theoretical Analysis Paper

Reflective Leadership: Theoretical Analysis Paper

ELPS 419
ldrshp.JPG

 

            Based on the program learning outcomes, I define reflective leadership as the ability to understand various leadership theories and practices and then being able to critically evaluate this knowledge to identify how these practices support or deter ethical organization. The final piece of reflective leadership is being able to apply this synthesized knowledge to practical situations. This artifact incorporated all three of these stages. I used Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory and the Style Approach to contextualize the provided case study. Using deductive reasoning, I articulated several practical examples within the case study that supported my argument for using these two theories: reflecting my growth in being able to understand theory in a practical situation. The next two steps were definitely more challenging - in evaluating both LMX and style approach I articulated how power was used to oppress follower populations within the case study. Through examining the flow and source of power within these theories, I deconstructed and linked them to the creation of an unethical organization. The final component of this paper was reconstruction and application. Collaboration was key component within the reconstruction phase and informed my suggestion for addressing the problem posed in the case study. In sum, in this artifact I demonstrated my ability to understand various leadership theories, as well as the ability to deconstruct and reconstruct them in order to use them to create a more ethical and just organization.

Author: Jonathan Merrill
Last modified: 4/27/2015 7:05 PM (EDT)