There was a time when John Wood was just another, able and upcoming Microsoft executive. Now he is a social entrepreneur, fighting illiteracy through a nonprofit called Room to Read. So far, the organization has built over 100 schools and 1,000 libraries in Cambodia, India, Nepal, Vietnam, and Laos. Self-reflect and identify one or two social projects that you would like to become involved in. Use the Internet to research the social project(s) that you are interested in. Be prepared to discuss.

WEEK 10 DISCUSSION 1

Attribute of Organizations Please respond to the following: From the first vignette, Employee Autonomy: A Little Freedom Goes a Long Way , assess the advantages and disadvantages of providing employees with autonomy in their jobs. Select the most enjoyable job that you have had, and think of ways in which that employer could have increased the autonomy of that job. As organizations restructure and cut back on staff, a burden is placed on the employees that remain. Imagine that you work for an organization that has just cut back on staff and you, a remaining employee, are feeling overburdened with the extra work. Propose ways that the organization could address the shortage that would still result in cost savings but also allow employees to feel less burdened.

WEEK 10 DISCUSSION 2 Leading the Whole Organization Strategically Please respond to the following: From the second vignette, Finding the Leader in You: Jim Sinegal”s Strategy at Costco is to Not Follow the Crowd, analyze the strategies that Costco uses to ensure success. Determine whether or not Costco”s strategy for its stakeholders is applicable to other companies. Support your reasoning. From the e-Activity, evaluate the importance of being involved in a social project. Describe the project(s) that you have selected and examine how being involved with these projects would help you as the leader of an organization.