UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2011/2012
YEAR III EXAMINATION FOR THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
BIT 3101 LEADERSHIP AND TEAM BUILDING
DATE: APRIL 2012 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One and Any other Two Questions
QUESTION ONE
After years of overreaching leadership, flagging attendance, and sinking employee morale, the Buffalo
Zoo struggled to update its vision and find its place in the world. Part of finding that place was the
selection of Donna Fernandes as the zoo’s new president.
At first, senior staff was cynical about the arrival of Ms. Fernandes. The Buffalo Zoo’s former
executives had been unable to follow through on creating and executing a master plan or working
effectively with the board to raise money for the organisation .The staff soon learned that Ms.
Fernandes was a charismatic leader capable of using her power to set realistic goals and establish plans
that were both actionable and empowering to employees.
Good leadership requires vision, charisma, and the ability to use power effectively, and Donna
Fernandes possesses the right qualities to lead the Buffalo Zoo. Ms. Fernandes has been described as
“energetic,” “smart,” and “willing to get in the trenches”- traits that endear her to her colleagues. Ms.
Fernande’s ability to build relationships with her staff and board has prepared the zoo for a bright and
promising future.
a) Identify four forms of interpersonal power that Donna Fernandes embody? How do the
employees at zoo respond to her use of power? [6Marks]
b)What is “empowerment,” and how does Ms. Fernandes seek to empower others? [4Marks]
c) In what ways does Ms. Fernandes utilize “expert knowledge” at the Buffalo Zoo and how does
such knowledge help her lead the organisation? [4Marks]
d) Compare and contrast the distributive and integrative bargaining paradigms. [5Marks]
e) Briefly explain the barriers to communication. [6Marks]
f) Discuss the leadership roles as stipulated by Henry Fayol. [5Marks]
QUESTION TWO
Political analyst and the media have compared Barrack Obama to historical figures such as Abraham
Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bill Clinton. In January 2005, the 43 year old Obama, a
Democrat, became the only African American in the U.S. Senate.
Obama has knack for rousing people’s attention. Many say that he is extremely charismatic, and his
speech at 2004 Democratic National Convention was an example of that quality. On July 27th, Obama
took the podium and began speaking his idea of a country without racism and fear, a country not led by
politicians born into wealth. Speaking on his background, which exemplifies diversity in many ways.
Obama has been described by political analysts as very self-aware, as evidence by his ability to tie his
own experiences into an engaging political speech in which he portrayed himself as an ordinary
citizen, speaking for general public.
a)What traits might Barrack Obama possesses that contribute to his strong leadership ability? Does
Obama’s case support a trait perspective of leadership? Why or why not? [10Marks]
b) From behavioural perspective of leadership, what does Obama do to strengthen his success as a
leader? [4Marks]
c) Obama’s popularity and success is a result of “nature,” “nurture,” or both? What factors can
you think of to support your answer? [6Marks]
QUESTION THREE
Though it may seem fairly obvious that receiving praise and recognition from one’s company is
motivating experience, sadly many companies are failing miserably when it comes to say “thanks” to
their employees. According to Curt Coffman global practice leader at Gallup, 71% of U.S. workers are
“disengaged” essentially means that they could care less about their organization. Employees
recognition programs, which became more popular as the U.S. economy shifted from industrial to
knowledge based, can be effective way to motivate employees and make them feel valued.
Gallup’s poll found that 61% of employees stated they haven’t received a sincere “thanks you” from
management in the past year. Finding such as these are troubling, as verbal rewards are inexpensive for
companies to hand out but also quick and easy to distribute.
a)If praising employees for doing good job seems to be fairly easy and obvious motivational tools.
Why do you think companies and managers don’t often do it? [6Marks]
b) As a manager, what steps would you take to motivate your employees after observing them
perform well? [6Marks]
c) Are there any downsides to giving employees too much verbal praise? What might these
downsides be and how could you alleviate them as a manager? [8Marks]
QUESTION FOUR
a)Give five ways in which self managed teams differ from traditional teams. [10Marks]
b)Discuss the characteristics of high-performance cultures. [10Marks]
QUESTION FIVE
a) Using appropriate examples, discuss how coalition can be used as a tool for achieving influence.
[5Marks]
b) Explain the factors a leader should consider while planning a message in order to achieve
communication effectiveness [10Marks]
c) Explain any four characteristics of transformational leadership. [5Marks]
