ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

CASE STUDY ANALYSIS

Assignment 01

By

FHA.Shibly
FGS/06/19/03/2009/28

Department of Industrial Management,

Faculty of Science,

University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

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 CASE STUDY ANALYSIS

Book Name :- Organizational Behavior

Authors :- Stephan P.Robbins,timothy A.judge and Seema Sanghi

Title :- Leadership

Page Number :- 442

Case Title :- Moving from colleague to supervisor

QUESTION – 01

A lot of new managers err in selecting the right leadership styleswhen they move into
management.Why do you think this happens?

Yes.Many managers do this error.Before that we have to understand about leadership and its
applications.It helps to understand clearly this case.

Leadership

Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an
effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education,
training, and experience.

To inspire your workers into higher levels of teamwork, there are certain things you must be,
know, and, do. These do not come naturally, but are acquired through continual work and study.
Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills; they are
not resting on their laurels.

Leadership Styles Overview

When developing your leadership skills, one must soon confront an important practical question,
"What leadership styles work best for me and my organization?" To answer this question, it's
best to understand that there are many from which to choose and as part of your leadership
development effort, you should consider developing as many leadership styles as possible.

Three Classic Leadership Styles

One dimension of has to do with control and one's perception of how much control one should
give to people. The laissez faire style implies low control, the autocratic style high control and
the participative lies somewhere in between.

The Laissez Faire Leadership Style

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The style is largely a "hands off" view that tends to minimize the amount of direction and face
time required. Works well if you have highly trained and highly motivated direct reports.

The Autocratic Leadership Style

The autocratic style has its advocates, but it is falling out of favor in many countries. Some
people have argued that the style is popular with today's CEO's, who have much in common with
feudal lords in Medieval Europe.

The Participative Leadership Style

It's hard to order and demand someone to be creative, perform as a team, solve complex
problems, improve quality, and provide outstanding customer service. The style presents a happy
medium between over controlling (micromanaging) and not being engaged and tends to be seen
in organizations that must innovate to prosper.

Situational Leadership

Situational Leadership. In the 1950s, management theorists from Ohio State University and the
University of Michigan published a series of studies to determine whether leaders should be
more task or relationship (people) oriented. The importance of the research cannot be over
estimated since leaders tend to have a dominant style; a leadership style they use in a wide
variety of situations.

Surprisingly, the research discovered that there is no one best style: leaders must adjust their
leadership style to the situation as well as to the people being led.

The Emergent Leadership Style

Contrary to the belief of many, groups do not automatically accept a new "boss" as leader. We
see a number of ineffective managers who didn't know the behaviors to use when one taking
over a new group.

The Transactional Leadership Style

The approach emphasizes getting things done within the umbrella of the status quo; almost in
opposition to the goals of the transformational leadership. It's considered to be a "by the book"
approach in which the person works within the rules. As such, it's commonly seen in large,
bureaucratic organizations.

The Transformational Leadership Style

The primary focus of this leadership style is to make change happen in:

• Our Self,

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 • Others,
• Groups, and
• Organizations

ERRORS

01.Preoccupation, or Lack of Concentration

By making a decision when you are preoccupied, it is unlikely that you gave it the thought it
deserved. Among the various issues that can arise in this scenario, many would consider it quite
rude to deal with your team members in this manner. If someone seeks you out, they deserve
your undivided attention.

02. Not Enough Rest

Many individuals in leadership positions spend numerous extra hours at work and, in many
cases, are on call continuously. Mistakes made due to fatigue may not have fatal consequences,
but they will certainly affect careers and the health of the agency as a whole.

03. Taking a Bad Position

This certainly does not mean that leaders must be infallible. It does mean that when they take a
bad position, they should admit it and then modify it. Refusing to change because an agency has
handled an issue a certain way in the past and needs to be consistent is an unreasonable
philosophy. Positions can be consistent but also poor; leaders should strive for better.

04. Failure to Watch the Hands—of a Problem Employee

Every organization has its bad apples. It is amazing how one problem employee can disrupt an
organization and take up inordinate amounts of a leader’s time. Problem employees are experts
at creating assignments and work for leaders. Fortunately, effective leaders can read these
employees like a book. No matter how creative their methods may be, their goals are clear. They
have no desire to be productive, and they expect to receive an unfair advantage within the
organization.

05. improper Use of Handcuffs

It is very easy to become frustrated and hand out discipline to officers who make mistakes

06. No Search or Poor Search

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Question - 02

What does this say about leadership and leadership training?

According to this case study,we should know about leadership training and who are the
employees want training to enhance their skills.Otherwise,so many errors will be occurred.

Leadership and Training

"Leadership is influencing people to get things done to a standard and quality above their norm.
And doing it willingly."

• As an element in social interaction, leadership is a complex activity involving:

• a process of influence
• actors who are both leaders and followers a range of possible outcomes – the
achievement of goals, but also the commitment of individuals to such goals, the
enhancement of group cohesion and the reinforcement of change of organizational
culture

Leadership Training

While leadership is easy to explain, leadership is not so easy to practise. Leadership is about
behaviour first, skills second. Good leaders are followed chiefly because people trust and respect
them, rather than the skills they possess. Leadership is different to management. Management
relies more on planning, organisational and communications skills. Leadership relies on
management skills too, but more so on qualities such as integrity, honesty, humility, courage,
commitment, sincerity, passion, confidence, positivity, wisdom, determination, compassion,
sensitivity, and a degree of personal charisma.

Some people are born more naturally to leadership than others. Most people don't seek to be a
leader. Those who want to be a leader can develop leadership ability. And many qualities of
effective leadership, like confidence and charisma, continue to grow from experience in the
leadership role.

Leadership can be performed with different styles. Some leaders have one style, which is right
for certain situations and wrong for others. Some leaders can adapt and use different leadership
styles for given situations.

People new to leadership (and supervision and management) often feel under pressure to lead in
a particularly dominant way. Sometimes this pressure on a new leader to impose their authority
on the team comes from above. Dominant leadership is rarely appropriate however, especially
for mature teams. Misreading this situation, and attempting to be overly dominant, can then
cause problems for a new leader. Resistance from the team becomes a problem, and a cycle of
negative behaviours and reducing performance begins. Much of leadership is counter-intuitive.
Leadership is often more about serving than leading. Besides which, individuals and teams tend
not to resist or push against something in which they have a strong involvement/ownership/sense
of control. People tend to respond well to thanks, encouragement, recognition, inclusiveness, etc.

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Tough, overly dominant leadership gives teams a lot to push against and resist. It also prevents a
sense of ownership and self-control among the people being led. And it also inhibits the positive
rewards and incentives (thanks, recognition, encouragement, etc) vital for teams and individuals
to cope with change, and to enjoy themselves. Leaders of course need to be able to make tough
decisions when required, but most importantly leaders should concentrate on enabling the team
to thrive, which is actually a 'serving' role, not the dominant 'leading' role commonly associated
with leadership.

QUESTION – 03

Which leadership theories,if any could help new leaders deal with this type of transition?

Interest in leadership increased during the early part of the twentieth century. Early leadership
theories focused on what qualities distinguished between leaders and followers, while subsequent
theories looked at other variables such as situational factors and skill level. While many different
leadership theories have emerged, most can be classified as one of eight major types:
1. “Great Man” Theories:
Great Man theories assume that the capacity for leadership is inherent – that great leaders are
born, not made. These theories often portray great leaders as heroic, mythic, and destined to rise
to leadership when needed. The term “Great Man” was used because, at the time, leadership was
thought of primarily as a male quality, especially in terms of military leadership.

2. Trait Theories:
Similar in some ways to “Great Man” theories, trait theory assumes that people inherit certain
qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership. Trait theories often identify
particular personality or behavioral characteristics shared by leaders. But if particular traits are
key features of leadership, how do we explain people who possess those qualities but are not
leaders? This question is one of the difficulties in using trait theories to explain leadership.

3. Contingency Theories:
Contingency theories of leadership focus on particular variables related to the environment that
might determine which particular style of leadership is best suited for the situation. According to
this theory, no leadership style is best in all situations. Success depends upon a number of
variables, including the leadership style, qualities of the followers, and aspects of the situation.

4. Situational Theories:
Situational theories propose that leaders choose the best course of action based upon situational
variable. Different styles of leadership may be more appropriate for certain types of decision-
making.

5. Behavioral Theories:
Behavioral theories of leadership are based upon the belief that great leaders are made, not born.
Rooted in behaviorism, this leadership theory focuses on the actions of leaders, not on mental

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qualities or internal states. According to this theory, people can learn to become leaders through
teaching and observation.

6. Participative Theories:
Participative leadership theories suggest that the ideal leadership style is one that takes the input
of others into account. These leaders encourage participation and contributions from group
members and help group members feel more relevant and committed to the decision-making
process. In participative theories, however, the leader retains the right to allow the input of
others.

7. Management Theories:
Management theories (also known as “Transactional theories”) focus on the role of supervision,
organization, and group performance. These theories base leadership on a system of reward and
punishment. Managerial theories are often used in business; when employees are successful, they
are rewarded; when they fail, they are reprimanded or punished.

8. Relationship Theories:
Relationship theories (also known as “Transformational theories”) focus upon the connections
formed between leaders and followers. These leaders motivate and inspire people by helping
group members see the importance and higher good of the task. Transformational leaders are
focused on the performance of group members, but also want each person to fulfill his or her
potential. These leaders often have high ethical and moral standards.

Based on this case study,those three employees have been promoted sudnly as they mentioned
“God only knows what they talked about behind my back”

It is very important to handle these kind of incidents in any organization.

I suggested to use below theories to deal this type of transition.Because we have to consider the
employees those will be promoted their recent activities towards the company’s success.

• Trait Theories:

• Contingency Theories:

• Situational Theories:

• Participative Theories

• Relationship Theories

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QUESTION – 04

Do you think it’s easier or harder to be promoted internally into a formal leadership
position than to come into it as an outsider?Explain.

Many companies scramble to advertise job openings in leadership positions, searching for the
perfect candidate to fill their positions. Many times they are overlooking highly qualified people,
right within their own organization. By creating an internal leadership development program,
you can have workers ready to step into leadership roles, promoting from within and saving your
company money and time over hiring from the street.

The costs in adding a new employee to the payroll can be more than most companies ever
imagined. Consider the payroll dollars that are spent on advertising, recruiting, interviewing, and
other human resources jobs that are related to filling an open position. During those hours spent
hiring a single person to fill one job, your human resources department could be conducting
leadership training classes that would reach a number of people already employed by the
company, creating a pool of people ready to be promoted within your organization.

By hiring from within, you will also increase employee morale and productivity. If they know
that there is opportunity for advancement when they work hard and complete the tasks assigned
to them, they will go above and beyond to get noticed. When employees are happy, they are
more likely to be engaged at work and will provide you with the level of commitment needed.
Retention levels will improve, and less time will be spent training new employees to fill open
positions.

At times, companies will avoid developing a leadership program, simply because there is a bit of
overhead involved in setting up these programs. While there may be training and development
costs, in most cases, the savings when compared to the money spent on recruiting, hiring, and
training new employees is well worth the minimal expense. Take a look at the overall costs
before making a decision to hire externally.

Leadership development is something that many companies take for granted. By implementing
leadership programs within the workplace, you will create a more stable and productive working
environment, plus free up valuable resources to take care of more important jobs. By promoting
from within, you are doing both your company and your employees a great service.

I think that internal promotion is more efficience than external one.Because,internal employees
already know anout the company’s values,strength and weaknesses.

• The problem is that people rise to leadership in our society by a tendency towards
extroversion, which means a tendency to ignore what is going on inside themselves.
Leaders rise to power in our society by operating very competently and effectively in the

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 external world, sometimes at the cost of internal awareness.

• These approaches typically tout an inherently solipsistic model, where leaders experiment
with various recipes and roles for personal success. Self-actualization and self-
improvement are the underlying mantras. The implication, of course, is that individual
aspiration and success will translate into broader corporate achievements.

• Many of the executives that provided leadership during the great economic expansion of
the 20th Century’s last decades are retired, leaving a leadership void. In most
organizations the hierarchical structures of the past have been replaced with the flatter
and more agile organizations of today. We have reengineered, downsized and right-sized
to the point where many organizations been completely changed and re-shaped. In fact,
mid-level management – the old grooming ground for future leaders – has been
decimated, leaving a void in the leadership learning path.

• Internal promotion will be answred for below questions,

 A clear mission statement – Why do we exist? What is our organizational

purpose?
 A compelling vision – What clearly describes our future desired state?
What fulfills the mission?
 A solid strategy – What is the logic and tactics that ensure the mission and
vision will be achieved?
 A reevaluation or restatement of organizational values – What are the
values the organization will both espouse and live by? Which values will
satisfy all stakeholders’ needs? What culture do we want to create?
 A greater focus on sustainability, growth and talent – What do we need to
be doing today for our survival? What do we need to be doing to ensure
future growth? What talent do we need both to survive and ensure future
growth?
 A strong emphasis on creativity, innovation and implementation – What
products, services or other deliverables will support personal and
organizational growth? How do you take these from a dream to reality?
 A possible structure change – How do we best organize to bring about the
changes needed to facilitate new organizational demands, as well as
desired strategies and needs

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 References

Websites

http://changingminds.org
http://ezinearticles.com
http://www.nwlink.com
http://www.legacee.com

Books

Kouzes, James M. & Posner, Barry Z. (1987). The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco: Jossey

Organizational Behavior ,Stephan P.Robbins,timothy A.judge and Seema Sanghi,(2009),

13th Edition

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