Steve's leadership failures and solutions at ACME Manufacturing

Leadership in Organizations

Case: ACME Manufacturing Company Chapter 2

What specific things did Steve do wrong, and what should have been done in each instance?

The biggest mistake that Steve made was a lack of planning. This became a major problem for him throughout the day. As, he was constantly reminded about: meetings and other events that he needs to be aware of. This is troubling, because it means that Steve will go into various strategy sessions unprepared. (Yukl, 2005, pp. 22 -- 49) (Butler, 2000, pp. 64 -- 75)

At the same time, this is hurting his ability to provide effective leadership. Where, he is unaware of the progress that his employees are making on a host of projects. Then, once some kind of issue arises surrounding the overall scope of the work being provided, is when Steve will want to know what the status is. This is clearly a sign, that a lack of effective planning has resulted in Steve, being unprepared for the challenges that he will have from his position. Once this occurs, it means that he will go from one task to the next, while not being able to effectively accomplish any of his objectives. Over the course of time, this can become a major issue for Steve, as his declining productivity will face increased amounts of scrutiny. (Yukl, 2005, pp. 22 -- 49) (Butler, 2000, pp. 64 -- 75)

At the same time, the lack of follow up is causing Steve to look like he is incompetent. This is troubling, because the actions that Steve is taking when: he is interacting with customers and colleagues will reflect poorly on his leadership abilities. With him appearing as: disorganized and lazy, which will have an impact upon the motivation of team members. This is because the actions that Steve is taking are: a reflection of the environment inside the organization itself. Once this occurs, it means that productivity will decline. Therefore, some kind of drastic action is required to prevent these common perceptions from affecting Steve's team. (Yukl, 2005, pp. 22 -- 49) (Butler, 2000, pp. 64 -- 75)

What should Steve do to become more effective as a manager?

The first thing that Steve needs to do is practice effective time management and organization. This will help to keep him on top of the various tasks that he needs to accomplish. Next, he must prioritize what tasks need to be completed right away. This would allow Steve, to be able to delegate these jobs to other members of his team. Once this occurs, this will help him to have more time and to stay on top of his different responsibilities. (Yukl, 2005, pp. 22 -- 49) (Butler, 2000, pp. 64 -- 75)

At which point, he can be able to follow up with the members of his team about: the status of different projects and when they will be completed. Steve could then communicate what is happening with the customer, helping to improve collaboration and coordination. This will help to enhance productivity and the quality of products that are being delivered to customers. (Yukl, 2005, pp. 22 -- 49) (Butler, 2000, pp. 64 -- 75)

Conclusion

The biggest issues that Steve is dealing with are: a lack of effective planning and follow through. This is problematic, because it causing Steve to squander more of his time, which is leaving him unprepared for meetings and he is wasting company resources. To effectively deal with these challenges, Steve needs to begin some kind of effective scheduling for the different projects. This will free up his time, so that he can study other proposals and ideas. While simultaneously, helping him to effectively delegate certain tasks to his own team members. This will increase productivity and the quality of the product that is being provided to customers.

Case: Echo Electronics Chapter 4

What actions could Paul have taken to prevent the problem?

The most important, action that Paul could have taken to effectively prevent the problem was to create various alliances with key staff members and managers. The reason why is because, you are changing the operating procedures that are being utilized. Whenever you are introducing any kind of transformations to a work environment, you will have to deal with resistance to these changes. As the employees are hesitant about what they will mean and how they could impact their lives in the future (which is: bringing increased amounts of uncertainty). Once this occurs, many staff members will oppose such changes. Due to the fact that they are: fearing the unknown. This is when any kind of changes will be reluctantly embraced. At which point, productivity will decline and the staff will have a host of different reasons as to why they do not like the new procedures. (Nelson, 2007, pp. 301 -- 329)

If Paul had formed various alliances with staff members and select managers, he would have been able to address these issues. This is because he is seeking out, their input and ideas about how the new technology can be implemented during the manufacturing process. Over the course of time, this approach will eliminate any kind of resistance to these changes (due to the fact that everyone can see the benefits). This will give them a reason for wanting to learn about: the new machines and how they can become a part of the production strategy. Once this happened, it would have meant that there was no disruption in the manufacturing process. (Nelson, 2007, pp. 301 -- 329)

What steps should Paul take now to deal with the problem?

To deal with the problem, Paul needs to seek out specific factors as to why employees are having challenges. The best way that this can be accomplished is through the use of anonymous surveys. This is when you will have employees specifically state what problems they see with the current strategy. They will then, be asked for ideas about how to deal with these issues. This is important, because it will tell Paul what specific factors are contributing to the situation. (Nelson, 2007, pp. 301 -- 329)

Once Paul has this information, he can begin addressing these issues one by one. This can be accomplished through the production managers, having various meeting with employees to: highlight why these changes are important. He would then, seek out those individuals who are supporting these changes and begin to ask for their advice about how they are being seen. If this kind of strategy can be utilized, it will help Paul to address the employees' issues. While at the same time, it is allowing him to increase productivity dramatically. This will help Echo Electronics to lower their costs and increase their profit margins. (Nelson, 2007, pp. 301 -- 329)

Conclusion

What made Astro Airlines so successful was: the leadership of Burton and the management style that he embraced. As, he was: giving employees greater benefits and was motivating them to go the extra mile for customers. This approach allowed the company to be able to maintain a lower cost structure. Over the course of time, this helped Burton to be able to identify changes that are occurring and quickly adjust to them. This made the company more competitive in comparison with the major carriers. During a time when there were: strikes, the cost of fuel was skyrocketing and consumer demand was shifting. This allowed the Astro Airlines to adapt to these changes. The results of the philosophy, was that company was able seize a significant amount of market share from competitors. One of the biggest reasons, why this strategy was so successful is because of: the vision and management style that Burton was using. This helped the airline to adapt to these shifts and create a new business model that worked effectively in the era of deregulation.

Case: Southwest Engineering Services Chapter 11

Describe the leadership behaviors Ron used and their influence on the attitudes and behavior of the team members.

There are two types of leadership styles that Ron is using to influence team members to include: autocratic and delegative behaviors. Autocratic leadership is when the manager will be able to have total control over the activities of employees. In general, there are strict guidelines that are established for everyone to follow. If someone breaks these rules, there are generally severe consequences for these actions. The way that Ron is using this leadership style is based on: him having the final authority for all decisions and the ability to enforce strict guidelines for the project. This is important, because this aspect of his leadership style helped to enforce discipline. As a result, the standards for: quality and the completion of the project were accomplished early (because of the guidelines that were in place). (Harris, 2002, pg. 428) (Yukl, 2005, pp. 318 -- 347)

Delegative leadership is when the supervisor is giving employees greater amounts of flexibility in: determining how they will complete various tasks. This is designed to improve collaboration and the quality of the product that is being delivered. However, the manager ultimately has the final decision on any kind of actions that have been taken. The way that Ron was utilizing this approach, is by allowing employees to have greater amounts of flexibility in: deciding the way to accomplish their tasks. This helped to improve innovation and communication among the various team members. As a result, the combination of the two different approaches helped Ron to be able to impose strict guidelines. While at the same time, giving staff members the creativity to do their very best. In many ways, one could argue that this approach is what made the project so successful. (Harris, 2002, pg. 428) (Yukl, 2005, pp. 318 -- 347)

Compare this cross-functional project team to a self-managed operations team by identifying similarities and differences in the leadership roles.

The cross function project can work in different areas, on a wide variety of tasks. This is when you are bringing together different individuals from: various areas of expertise to work on an assignment. While, the self-managed operation, is one where each individual is responsible for completing the different tasks independently. The similarities between the two different approaches are similar in that, they are giving the individual greater amounts of flexibility in determine how the project will be accomplished. The differences are: that one philosophy is seeking to take talented individuals from different backgrounds and have them work together to accomplish the goals of the organization. While the other approach, is focused on achieving similar kinds of goals only with: an emphasis on giving the individual greater amounts freedom to accomplish the various tasks independently. (Harris, 2002, pg. 428) (Yukl, 2005, pp. 318 -- 347)

Conclusion

Clearly, what made Ron so successful is: the leadership styles that he embraced. As, he incorporated: autocratic and delegative behaviors into his approach. At the same time, he utilized strong individual talents (through: the cross functional philosophy) to effectively create an innovative product. These different elements are important, because they are showing how Ron would take a number of leadership styles and combine them into one strategy. This is how he was able to motivate everyone, while ensuring that the team followed the strict guidelines for the project.