Organizational behavior
Developing a Leadership Strategy: The Case of the Toy Research Society
The Toy Research Society (TRS), a nonprofit organization, has been in existence for more than 70 years. The organization’s mission has remained the same during this time, but the membership, the use of the Society by nonmembers and the competitive landscape have changed substantially. Driven primarily by a board of directors and regional volunteer leaders, the Society has never had a formal leadership development philosophy. Now, the long-time president has retired, and TRS leaders are reflecting on how to prepare for the future, especially with increased calls for leadership role clarity and more delegation of work to members. As a member, you have the opportunity to develop the needed leadership strategy.
As a member of the TRS committee charged with designing a leadership architecture, your assignment is to:
1. Identify the Society’s strategic direction (using the Organizational Diagnostic Worksheet).
a. Understand the Society’s future goals and priorities.
b. b. Understand the Society’s competition.
2. Design an appropriate leadership development philosophy and reflect that philosophy in the leadership architecture (using the Organizational Diagnostic Worksheet and the Leadership Development Philosophy Preliminary Architecture Tools Guide Worksheet).
a. Diagnose the Society’s leadership development needs.
i. Coordinate organizational members’ efforts. ii. Facilitate and encourage organizational goal attainment.
b. Use appropriate tools to design the architecture.
3. Map your leadership architecture recommendations (using the Leadership Architecture Map Worksheet).
a. Create a leadership architecture map.
b. Essay/Assessment
4. Surmise in an essay/summation that highlights how your plan addresses the aforementioned three topics and goals.
Case overview
Since 1939, the Toy Research Society (TRS), a nonprofit organization mainly supported by member dues and
The Toy Research Society (TRS), a nonprofit organization, has been in existence for more than 70 years. The organization’s mission has remained the same during this time, but the membership, the use of the Society by nonmembers and the competitive landscape have changed substantially. Driven primarily by a board of directors and regional volunteer leaders, the Society has never had a formal leadership development philosophy. Now, the long-time president has retired, and TRS leaders are reflecting on how to prepare for the future, especially with increased calls for leadership role clarity and more delegation of work to members. As a member, you have the opportunity to develop the needed leadership strategy.
As a member of the TRS committee charged with designing a leadership architecture, your assignment is to:
1. Identify the Society’s strategic direction (using the Organizational Diagnostic Worksheet).
a. Understand the Society’s future goals and priorities.
b. b. Understand the Society’s competition.
2. Design an appropriate leadership development philosophy and reflect that philosophy in the leadership architecture (using the Organizational Diagnostic Worksheet and the Leadership Development Philosophy Preliminary Architecture Tools Guide Worksheet).
a. Diagnose the Society’s leadership development needs.
i. Coordinate organizational members’ efforts. ii. Facilitate and encourage organizational goal attainment.
b. Use appropriate tools to design the architecture.
3. Map your leadership architecture recommendations (using the Leadership Architecture Map Worksheet).
a. Create a leadership architecture map.
b. Essay/Assessment
4. Surmise in an essay/summation that highlights how your plan addresses the aforementioned three topics and goals.
Case overview
Since 1939, the Toy Research Society (TRS), a nonprofit organization mainly supported by member dues and