Seat No.: ________ Enrolment No.

___________

GUJARAT TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

MBA – SEMESTER –IV-EXAMINATION – SUMMER-2022

Subject Code: 4549298 Date: 16-07-2022

Subject Name: Leadership
Time: 10:30 AM TO 01:30 PM Total Marks: 70
Instructions:
1. Attempt all questions.
2. Make suitable assumptions wherever necessary.
3. Figures to the right indicate full marks.

Q.1 Define the following terms briefly : 14

(a) Team Leadership
(b) Transactional Leadership
(c) Charismatic Leadership
(d) Transformational Leadership
(e) Spiritual Leadership
(f) Learning Organizations
(g) Servant Leadership

Q.2 (a) Briefly explain the Leader- Member Exchange Theory and discuss the 07
relevance of its core features in today’s context of Team Structures in
organisations.

(b) Explain what is Leadership . Name a Leader for each of the following 07
Leadership categories and briefly explain their contribution to their
respective fields as a result of which you consider them as Leaders of
eminence :
a) Innovation Leader
b) Women Leader
c) Business Leader

OR
(b) Explain what is Ethical Leadership. List the values emphasized in 07
theories of Ethical Leadership and explain how these values can bring
excellent leadership results in the case of :
a) Social Leaders , and
b) Business Leaders

Q.3 (a) Change can be either Transitional or Transformational. While 07

transformations are less frequent, transitions are an everyday affair that
Leaders must manage.
Discuss, with relevant illustrations, the important steps that Leaders
must take to manage transitions effectively .

(b) As is being discussed at various platforms, we as organizations are 07

striving for excellence amidst a VUCA situation ( V-Volatility, U-
Uncertainty , C- Complexity and A – Ambiguity ) .
In this context , discuss the importance of Coaching FOR Leaders and
Coaching BY Leaders . Explain giving relevant examples.

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OR
Q.3 (a) Discuss the determinants of Team Performance in organizations. Also 07
list out the various kinds of teams generally found in most organization
and explain what leadership skills and behaviours shall help such teams
be effective .

(b) Conflicts within teams and organizations can be functional as well as 07

dysfunctional . In both cases, communication is said to play an
important role in resolving them.
Explain giving suitable examples , what communication behaviours of
leaders can retard negative results of dysfunctional conflicts and attract
positive results from functional conflicts.

Q.4 (a) Describe the characteristics of Learning organizations. Discuss the roles 07
of leaders and leadership approaches that can contribute to the success of
Learning organizations.

(b) Despite all the care that one may take, situations of crisis are unavoidable 07
in any organization. The role of Leaders becomes most crucial here.
Discuss the following :
a) The causes/nature of crises that may be on account of internal
factors and external factors
b) The characteristics and behaviours of leaders who can be more
effective in crises

OR
Q.4 (a) Discuss an all round perspective of developing Leadership Skills for 07
effective succession planning as well as for improving the leadership
skills of those holding leader positions in organizations .

(b) Discuss the five important basis of power that leaders are likely to exert 07
for leading their organizations. Give your insight on when and how
should leaders exert which basis of power for efficient management of
organizations in both phases ; i) Transitional Phase and ii)
Transformational Phase.

Q.5 CASE STUDY:

Shubh Electronics , a mega store for electronic goods has been known
for more than five decades now for the quality and reliability of its
goods. Across generations, people find this as the most trustworthy
store in town. Shubh Electronics is equally respected by its own
employees for its ROWE programme i.e. Results Only Work
Environment . Best Electronics , unlike other mega stores , allows its
employees to decide when and where they want to work . Employees
are evaluated on the results of their work and not on the time they put in
at the office / store designated to them. As a result, it not only changed
how people work, it also changed the culture of the company and
yielded some significant performance improvement. The employees
processed 15-18 percent more orders per unit time than those processed
in any normal store. The store also saw a reduction of 8 percent in
employee turnover leading to saving in hiring costs . According to the
CEO – Mr Swapneel , these improvements in turnover were nationwide
and at all levels.
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Almost two years now and the rich performance history of last two
decades came to a standstill with the entry of a new CEO – Mr
Nagrajan . Mr Nagrajan did away with ROWE as he considered it a big
flaw from the leadership point of view as it took away all management
control and used delegation instead as the only method of making
decisions. The company spokesman further added : “ We believe in
employee flexibility but it needs to come in context of a
conversation….. about what the results are and how the work gets done.
It ceases to become a matter of right.”
Gradually, discontent and dissatisfaction spread amidst the employees .
There was a growing concern among employees regarding their
inability to balance work and life with this new change in policy. As for
traditional managers , they were happy as they were kind of regaining
their lost control and power. There is an apprehension amongst the
employees who are believers of the ROWE programme that this act of
cutting the ROWE may actually negatively affect the employee
turnover, trust, and the company’s ability to groom future leaders.

A core group of team managers who believed in the ROWE programme

and have been witness to the employee morale during the term of the
earlier CEO Mr Swapneel and now Mr Nagrajan, decide to make a
representation before the CEO and respectfully present a professional
opinion which would curtail some level of flexibility of employees and
help retain the control and power of managers following the concept of
Leader-Member Exchange such that each employee is the member of
the In-Group of any one Leader in the organization. They also were to
present the Leadership Development module to train all leaders on how
to develop high – quality LMX with their respective followers. In
addition, they also decided to make a presentation on the organizational
culture that will emerge as a resultant of such actions and how such
cultural variables shall benefit the organization by sustaining consistent
growth in productivity and maintain low employee turnover rates for
gaining competitive advantage in the marketplace.

(a) Based on the facts of the case above, describe the Leadership traits of Mr 07
Swapneel and Mr Nagrajan.

(b) As described in the case , a Core group of team managers was to make 07
a presentation to the CEO Mr Nagrajan which would also talk about the
Leadership Development Module. Describe the content and process of
Leadership Development Programme for traditional managers so that
they may develop high quality LMX and strike a balance between
flexibility and control at workplace for all their in-group members and
for out – group members as well.
OR
Q.5 (a) Compare and contrast the organizational culture established by Mr 07
Swapneel and Mr Nagrajan.
(b) If you were part of the core group of managers scheduled to make a 07
presentation to Mr Nagrajan as discussed in the case, what aspects of
Situational Leadership and what aspects of Servant Leadership would
you include in your presentation so as to convince Mr Nagrajan to agree
to your proposal, given his belief system that managers must have the
privilege of all controls with them.

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