Leadership and Collaboration

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.

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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