Future Challenges Project
This project should synthesize and apply your knowledge of leadership to a contemporary
social issue. You will work in small teams (3–4 members) to select and analyze one
significant policy challenge from the Seven Revolutions Project, undertaken by the Center
for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): http://csis.org/program/seven-revolutions. The
seven key policy challenges for current and future leaders are population, resource
management, technology, information and knowledge, economics, security, and governance.
Begin by scanning the student resources available at:
http://csis.org/files/publication/7revs_student_guide_june2010.pdf. As a team, consider
which of the seven topics you care most deeply about and use the suggested web resources
and bibliographic material on the website to do further reading. As a group, your task is to
The aims of this project are to help you:
• Learn about a significant human welfare issue that interests you
• Practice strategic thinking about long-term trends
Project timeline:
• Initial proposal is due ______. Turn in a 2-page typed paper that identifies the topic
you are researching and the research questions that will guide your study. Explain
what reading you will need to do and what key words will guide your search. Do you
plan to do site visits or interview people for the project? What are the leadership
challenges you foresee at this early stage? How will you divide the work among your
team members? Propose a realistic timeline for collecting your data.
• Research report is due ______. Turn in an annotated bibliography of all the sources
you are using for the paper, using correct MLA or APA formatting.
• Oral presentations begin ______. Use no more than seven PowerPoint slides for your
15-min presentation. In your conclusion, how will you motivate your listeners to
action? Prepare some “doable” response options for the class.
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
• Final paper is due ______. The paper should be outlined as follows: Explanation of
the key policy challenge and its local manifestation; your research questions; your
findings; an evaluation of the steps taken so far by officials and community members
to address this issue; what leadership approach(es) you recommend using (e.g., path
goal, transformational, etc.) and why; a practical implementation plan (e.g., how you
would coalesce a group around this issue); and possible objections to your plan and
how to address them.