Discussion: Motivation Theory: Supporting and Contrasting Theories
When you want to build a ship, do not begin by gathering wood, cutting boards, and distributing work, but rather awaken within men the desire for the vast and endless sea.

Antoine de Saint-Exupry, The Little Prince (1943)

People around the world are different. They belong to different families and different cultures. Therefore, it is understandable that what motivates one person may not motivate another. As a DBA independent scholar at Walden University, your source of motivation as an employee or student may be different than your classmates sources. Previously, you may not have consciously considered what motivates you or those around you. However, considering your personal and your colleagues experiences with motivationalong with insight provided by research on motivation and leadershipmay help you to better motivate yourself and others. As a global change agent, you might find the motivation theory and supporting theories helpful as you gain insight into this theory and its relevancy to you and others. Perhaps you can begin by asking yourself, How will I recognize my motivation for developing leadership skills so that board members will evaluate me for an executive leadership role?

To prepare for this Discussion, consider the scope of motivation theories (e.g., inspirational motivation and the path-goal and expectancy theories) and the various components of motivation. Share with your colleagues how at least three aspects of motivation (i.e., the will to lead, express dominance, and commit to the social good of the organization) are essential in developing leadership skills (Northouse, 2019, pp. 53-54).

By Day 3
Post your analysis of three aspects of motivation (i.e., the will to lead, express dominance, and commit to the social good of the organization) that are essential in developing leadership skills and your personal experience recognizing motivation exhibited by an employee within the workplace. In your analysis, do the following:

Describe three aspects of motivation that support leadership skills and an example of how a work colleague, employee, or leader exhibited these aspects of motivation.
Explain how each of these aspects of your analysis relates to the motivation and leadership theory.
Be sure to support your work with a minimum of two specific citations from this weeks Learning Resources and one or more additional scholarly sources.

Refer to the Week 4 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this rubric to assess your work.

Read a selection of your colleagues postings.

By Day 5
Respond to two or more of your colleagues postings in one or more of the following ways:

Offer insight on the strengths and weaknesses of your colleagues analysis.
Compare your analysis of motivation to your colleagues analysis, and explain what the results suggest about the nature of motivation.
Please note that, for each response, you must include a minimum of one appropriately cited scholarly reference.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what insights you gained as a result of reading the comments your colleagues made.

Assignment: Taxonomy of Leadership Theories
Leadership attracts significant attention from researchers in a variety of fields. Researchers have developed a variety of theories to explain the nature and practice of leadership. Of course, no one theory exists in a vacuum. Each theory draws on the work of previous researchers. Moreover, researchers routinely revise older theories based on research completed after the initial theories were developed. For instance, research on charismatic and transformational leadership draws on earlier research on trait theory. In addition, trait theorists develop new theories that address the role of situation in leadership. These new theories are a direct result of the subsequent development of situational theory. As a possible contributor to the field of leadership research, you should have an understanding of and appreciation for the breadth and depth of leadership research and the relationships among the various theories.

To prepare for this Assignment, review this weeks Learning Resources and select four leadership theories. Search the Walden Library for additional peer-reviewed, scholarly resources about your selected leadership theories. You should use both the articles in the Learning Resources and additional scholarly resources in your evaluation.

By Day 7
Submit an evaluation of at least four leadership theories in the form of a properly formatted, APA-compliant taxonomy table. For each of the theories you select, you should include the following:

The name of the theory
The year the theory was introduced
The theorist/author
Key components of the theory
For each theory presented, be sure to include a minimum of two references to peer-reviewed, scholarly resources, as well as appropriate in-text citations.

Note: Be sure to use the Leadership Theory Taxonomy Template to complete this Assignment. Also, refer to the Week 3 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this rubric to assess your work.

Submission and Grading Information
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