| Course | C200 Managing Organizations and Leading People |
|---|---|
| Task | Task 2 |
| Paper type | Organization and leadership evaluation |
| Length | About 1,100 words, 3 pages |
| Format | APA 7 |
| School | Western Governors University (WGU) |
| Program | MBA |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for C200 Task 2
Record Volume, Revolving Door: An Organization and Leadership Evaluation of a Composite Distribution Center's General Manager Through Transformational Leadership Theory and a SWOT Analysis
Student Name
School of Business, Western Governors University
C200: Managing Organizations and Leading People, Task 2
Course Instructor
Month Day, Year
Record Volume, Revolving Door: An Organization and Leadership Evaluation of a Composite Distribution Center's General Manager Through Transformational Leadership Theory and a SWOT Analysis
The Organization
Northgate Distribution, a fictional name for a regional grocery distribution center where I have worked for six years, is one of five warehouses owned by a mid-sized supermarket chain. It runs three shifts, employs about 260 people and ships dry grocery, dairy and frozen products to 60 stores across three states. Its performance is measured on cases shipped per labor hour, order accuracy, on-time delivery and safety. Over the past two years, Northgate has led the chain in cases per labor hour and on-time delivery. It has also had the highest turnover of hourly associates in the chain, about 58% annually, and its recordable injury rate has risen for two years in a row.
The general manager, whom I will call Diane Kessler, took over three years ago after leading a warehouse for a large retailer. She reports to the chain's vice president of logistics, and five operations managers and supervisors, including me, report to her.
Three Leadership Practices
First, Diane sets clear, demanding performance targets and communicates them constantly. Every shift starts with a board showing yesterday's cases per hour, accuracy and misses by department, and she walks the floor twice a shift to discuss the numbers. Everyone at Northgate knows what winning looks like, and that clarity is a major reason for the site's productivity.
Second, she rewards results quickly and visibly. Top selectors receive gift cards and recognition at the monthly meeting, and supervisors whose departments hit their targets receive a quarterly bonus. This contingent reward system is well understood and seen as fair in its own terms.
Third, she makes decisions centrally and quickly. Diane decides schedules, overtime and major process changes herself, often overnight, and announces them in the morning meeting. When the chain added 12 stores last year, she redesigned the slotting of the whole dry grocery area in a week. The speed is impressive, but associates and supervisors are rarely consulted, and several changes, such as mandatory weekend overtime during the holidays, were announced with two days' notice.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths: Northgate's productivity and on-time delivery are the best in the chain; its performance measures are clear and visible; and its leader has deep operational expertise and credibility with the vice president. These strengths give Northgate first claim on new store volume and capital investment.
Weaknesses: annual turnover near 58% means the site is constantly training new associates, which costs time and money and raises injury risk, since new selectors are more likely to be hurt. A century of turnover research points to the same causes found here: people leave when the job, their treatment and their supervisor give them reasons to go and when better alternatives are close by (Hom et al., 2017). Decisions made without input leave associates feeling unheard, and exit interviews cite schedules and lack of respect more often than pay. Bench strength is thin: few supervisors have been developed for promotion because Diane makes most decisions herself.
Opportunities: the chain plans to add automation to one warehouse in the next three years, and Northgate's productivity makes it a strong candidate if it can show it can retain and train the skilled technicians automation requires. A new regional labor market, as a competitor's warehouse closes nearby, offers experienced workers.
Threats: two large e-commerce fulfillment centers have opened within 20 miles, paying $2 to $3 more per hour, which pulls away experienced associates. Rising injuries could bring regulatory scrutiny and higher workers' compensation costs. If turnover continues, productivity gains may not be sustainable.
Evaluation Through Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership describes leaders who move followers beyond self-interest through four behaviors: idealized influence, acting as a role model followers trust; inspirational motivation, communicating a compelling vision; intellectual stimulation, inviting followers to challenge how things are done and bring their own fixes; and individualized consideration, attending to each follower's needs and growth (Bass & Riggio, 2006). The theory contrasts it with transactional leadership, which exchanges rewards for performance. A meta-analysis found that transformational leadership had an overall validity of .44 across outcomes that included how satisfied and motivated followers were and how effective leaders were judged to be, while contingent reward, a transactional behavior, also had a strong relationship of .39; the two were highly correlated, and each predicted outcomes beyond the other (Judge & Piccolo, 2004).
Measured against this theory, Diane is a strong transactional leader. Her clear targets and quick rewards are contingent reward in its purest form, and the research explains why they produce results. Her record also shows idealized influence in operational terms: associates respect her expertise and her willingness to be on the floor.
She is weaker on the other three transformational behaviors. Her vision is expressed almost entirely in numbers, with little sense of why the work matters to stores, customers or associates, which limits inspirational motivation. Centralized, overnight decisions leave little room for intellectual stimulation, so supervisors and associates are not invited to solve problems they understand best. Individualized consideration is largely missing: mandatory overtime announced with short notice treats associates as interchangeable, and exit interviews point to feeling unheard. The theory suggests that transactional leadership produces compliance and short-term performance, while transformational behaviors build the commitment that keeps people in their jobs. Northgate's combination of high productivity and high turnover is what this analysis would predict.
Recommendations
To keep Northgate's performance while reducing turnover, Diane could add transformational behaviors without abandoning what works. She could connect the daily numbers to purpose, for example by sharing store feedback on accuracy during the holidays. She could give supervisors ownership of specific problems, such as the injury rate in the frozen department, with authority to test solutions. She could create a scheduling policy that posts overtime at least a week in advance and seeks volunteers first. And she could hold quarterly listening sessions with associates on each shift. Progress would be measured by turnover, first-90-day retention, injury rate and a short engagement survey, alongside the existing productivity measures.
Conclusion
Diane Kessler has made Northgate the most productive warehouse in the chain through clear targets, fast rewards and decisive action. Evaluated through transformational leadership, those strengths are transactional, and the missing transformational behaviors help explain the site's turnover and injuries. The SWOT analysis shows that sustaining Northgate's advantage, especially if it is to win automation investment, depends on retaining and developing people, which is where transformational leadership would make the greatest difference.
References
Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Hom, P. W., Lee, T. W., Shaw, J. D., & Hausknecht, J. P. (2017). One hundred years of employee turnover theory and research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 530-545. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000103
Judge, T. A., & Piccolo, R. F. (2004). Transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic test of their relative validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 755-768. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.5.755
What the C200 Task 2 instructions ask
The second C200 task asks you to evaluate an organization and one of its leaders. You will usually describe the organization, identify the leader's practices, complete a SWOT analysis, evaluate the leader through a theory and recommend improvements. Many students write about their own workplace, using a fictional name. Evaluators look for practices described with specific examples, a SWOT analysis with items that are internal or external as appropriate, a theory applied behavior by behavior and recommendations that follow from the gaps the evaluation found. A description of the leader that praises or criticizes without a theory, or recommendations that ignore what the organization does well, rarely clears the evaluation aspects. Using a different theory from Task 1 shows range, if your instructions allow it.
How this C200 Task 2 example is built
The evaluation opens with the warehouse, its owner and its results. Three leadership practices are described with daily examples, such as the productivity board and quick public recognition. In the SWOT analysis, every item is tied to this warehouse, and what the site controls is kept apart from what the market does to it. The theory section defines transformational leadership's four behaviors and evaluates the manager on each, with evidence. Recommendations explain how to connect daily numbers to purpose and how to coach individuals, while keeping the targets that drive performance. The conclusion weighs results against turnover and states what would change if the recommendations were adopted. Each section names its source.
Where the C200 Task 2 rubric puts the marks
C200 Task 2 aspects are scored competent, approaching competence or not evident. An organization aspect asks for a clear description. A practices aspect rewards leadership practices illustrated with examples. A SWOT aspect looks for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats placed correctly. A theory aspect wants the leader evaluated against each element of the theory. A recommendations aspect asks for improvements that follow from the evaluation. Evaluators notice balance, since a leader who drives results while losing staff shows both strengths and weaknesses, and they expect the theory and any research on turnover to be cited. Specific examples, rather than general impressions, make the evaluation convincing. Clear headings for each part make the evaluation easy to follow.
C200 Task 2 help: what sends it back
C200 Task 2 papers lose marks when the SWOT analysis mixes internal and external items. Put what the warehouse controls under strengths and weaknesses, and what the market or owner does to it under opportunities and threats. The theory may be summarized without being applied, so evaluate the leader on each element. Practices are sometimes vague, such as communicates well; describe what the leader actually does. Recommendations can ignore what works, when evaluators favor changes that build on strengths. Some writers are harsh or flattering; aim for fair judgment supported by evidence. Last, protect privacy by using fictional names if you write about your own employer, and say so. Cite the theory's original source.
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C200 Task 2 questions, answered
Must C200 Task 2 use a different theory from Task 1?
Check your instructions. Many students choose a different theory to show range. The sample uses transformational leadership after using servant leadership in Task 1. Apply it behavior by behavior.
Can C200 Task 2 be about my manager?
Yes, many students evaluate a leader they know. Use a fictional name for the organization and the leader, as the sample does, and describe practices with specific examples.
Is the C200 organization real?
No. Northgate Distribution and its general manager are made up to illustrate the task. The leadership theory and SWOT method applied are standard and cited. Use fictional names for your own workplace.
How detailed should the C200 SWOT be?
Specific enough that each item applies only to this organization. The sample lists items such as the chain's best on-time delivery and high turnover rather than general statements.
Where can I find a free C200 Task 2 sample paper?
The warehouse leadership evaluation, SWOT included, is printed above with notes. Describe the organization you plan to evaluate, and your first custom C200 Task 2 paper costs nothing.