| Course | MAN-3760 Leadership Communication |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Module 2 application and analysis paper: leadership theories |
| Length | About 510 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MAN 3760 Module 2
Three Lenses on One Leader: Trait, Situational and Transformational Theories Applied to a Station Manager
Student Name
Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership, Thomas Edison State University
MAN-3760: Leadership Communication
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Three Lenses on One Leader: Trait, Situational and Transformational Theories Applied to a Station Manager
The Leader
Our station manager, Denise, runs operations for about 140 employees across three shifts. Crew members describe her as the best manager the station has had. This paper uses three theories from Hackman and Johnson (2013) to explain why.
The Trait Approach
Trait theories hold that leaders possess characteristics that set them apart, such as intelligence, confidence, determination, integrity and sociability. Denise shows several: she knows every aircraft type's loading procedure, she makes decisions calmly in delays and she keeps her word. The trait approach explains why crew members find her credible. It does not explain how she communicates differently with different people, which is where most of her influence comes from.
Situational Leadership
Situational leadership holds that leaders should adjust their behavior to followers' readiness, giving more direction to those new to a task and more support or autonomy to those who are experienced. Denise does this consistently. With new handlers she gives step-by-step instructions and checks back often. With veterans she explains the goal for a difficult turnaround and lets them work out the details. The approach explains her flexibility. It says less about the deeper changes she has made in how the crew thinks about its work.
Transformational Leadership
A transformational leader moves people past their own narrow interest, communicates a compelling vision, stimulate followers intellectually and attend to them as individuals. Bass and Riggio (2006) describe these behaviors and the research linking them to followers' commitment and performance. After a handler was injured last year by a belt loader, Denise held briefings on every shift. She told the story of the injury without blaming anyone, explained what had gone wrong in the process, asked crews for ideas and committed to act on them. Three crew suggestions became station procedure. Since then, near-miss reports have tripled, which crews describe as a sign that they now see safety as their own responsibility rather than the company's. De Vries et al. (2010) found that leaders' communication styles were closely tied to charismatic leadership, which fits how much of Denise's influence came through those briefings.
What the Theories Miss
None of the three theories captures the role of the station's union contract, which limits how Denise can assign work, or the pressure from airlines for on-time departures. Hackman and Johnson stress that leadership communication happens within a context, and Denise's success depends partly on reading that context well.
Lessons for My Own Leadership
From the trait approach I take the importance of keeping my word. From situational leadership I take the habit of adjusting instructions to experience, which I already do partly. From transformational leadership I take the practice of telling the story behind a change, which connects to my Module 1 goal of explaining reasons.
Conclusion
Each theory explains part of Denise's leadership: traits give her credibility, situational adjustment makes her effective with different handlers and transformational communication changed how the crew thinks about safety. Together they explain more than any one alone.
References
Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum.
de Vries, R. E., Bakker-Pieper, A., & Oostenveld, W. (2010). Leadership = communication? The relations of leaders' communication styles with leadership styles, knowledge sharing and leadership outcomes. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(3), 367-380. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-009-9140-2
Hackman, M. Z., & Johnson, C. E. (2013). Leadership: A communication perspective (6th ed.). Waveland Press.
MAN 3760 Module 2 instructions, in plain terms
MAN-3760 has three application and analysis papers, worth 15 percent of the grade together, which ask you to apply module concepts to real situations. In the leadership theories module, expect to apply several theories to a leader you know or have observed and analyze what each explains. Choose a leader whose communication you have seen directly. Describe specific behaviors and events, apply each theory to them and say what each theory leaves out. End with what you take from the analysis for your own leadership. Apply three or more theories, saying for each what it explains about the leader and what it misses. Use events you observed directly, since theories are tested best against specific behavior.
How the MAN 3760 Module 2 example is put together
The paper introduces the leader briefly. Three sections apply the trait approach, situational leadership and transformational leadership to specific behaviors, each ending with what the theory explains and what it does not. The transformational section uses a single event, a ramp injury and the briefings that followed, as its evidence. A section identifies what all three theories miss, and a section draws lessons for the writer's own leadership before the conclusion. The single event used for transformational leadership, the briefings after an injury, gives the paper its strongest evidence. The section on what the theories miss shows the writer reading context, which the text emphasizes.
MAN 3760 Module 2 rubric: what earns full marks
MAN-3760 application papers are judged on a correct grasp of the theories, specific application to an observed leader, analysis of each theory's strengths and limits and clear, cited writing. Papers that use concrete events as evidence, and that compare theories rather than only describing them, show analytical skill. Identifying what the theories miss, such as context, demonstrates critical thinking. Lessons for the writer's own leadership connect the analysis to practice. Mentors also credit papers that reach a conclusion about which theory explains the most, with reasons. A heading for each theory and correct APA references complete a strong paper. A conclusion naming the most useful theory, with reasons, completes the analysis.
MAN 3760 Module 2 help: mistakes that cost marks
Points are lost when theories are described but not applied, by choosing a leader they know only from news reports or by forcing every theory to fit perfectly. Others describe the leader's personality without describing communication. Use events you witnessed. Apply each theory to specific behaviors. Say where each theory falls short. Draw a lesson you can use. Keep descriptions of the leader short and focused on communication: what the leader said, how and to whom. Avoid praising the leader without evidence. If the leader you choose has obvious weaknesses, include them; an honest portrait makes the theories easier to test. A free first sample on your own MAN-3760 Module 2 paper is available on request.
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MAN 3760 Module 2 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MAN 3760 Module 2 sample paper?
A ground-handling station manager analyzed through trait, situational and transformational theories is the application paper above.
What is situational leadership?
An approach in which leaders adjust direction and support to followers' readiness for a task.
What are the components of transformational leadership?
Inspiring followers, communicating a vision, stimulating them intellectually and attending to them as individuals.
What does the trait approach explain?
Why some leaders are seen as credible, through characteristics such as confidence, integrity and determination.
Why apply more than one theory?
Each theory explains part of a leader's behavior, and comparing them shows what each misses.