Leadership Development: Case for Study
Student’s Name:
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- 1. Ben Samuels can be considered as a leader who is people-oriented by displaying respect to subordinates and people, showing trust and acceptance, giving encouragement and time. According to the case study, Ben was liked by the employees. He gave the employees permission to participate in company social activities. Ben displayed respect by knowing the employees by their names. He always tried to help the employees with their special problems. In addition, Ben placed trust in his supervisors by handing them the authority of decision-making and letting them handle the plant development.
According to the case study, Phil Jones’s leadership is not people-oriented. He does not show support or concern for the subordinates’ feelings and needs. Phil is portrayed as slightly harsh and ruthless with the way he handles the employees. He shows no remorse in firing underperforming subordinates after giving them two weeks’ duration to improve their performance.
Ben Samuels is an employee-centered type of leader whose leadership skills place to focus on the employees’ needs. He believed in the importance of proper treatment of employees so that they stay loyal to the company. He does little or nothing to monitor the working progress of his employees. In addition, Ben did not plan or set company goals, and he also left the company decision making to his employees by believing that his employees are capable and trustworthy in handling these tasks.
The case study depicts Phil Jones’s leadership as a task-oriented. His employees are inclined to consult him before any decision regarding the success of the company is made. He is a leader who is vigorous with conducting planning and monitoring his employees’ performance towards the future success of the company.
- 2. Based on the case study, the most effective leader is Ben Samuels. This is because Ben’s leadership is democratic, while Phil’s is autocratic. Ben’s leadership will maintain a specific quantity and quality of production due to the job satisfaction environment created in the company. Phil’s leadership has no specific amount or quality of product production as the employees are only inclined to effectively work better under Phil’s presence, but when he is not around, the productivity will be less.
I would prefer to work for a leader who exhibits both styles, which is a “high-high” leader. I believe that this type of trait is, in particular of more important if the tasks available are interdependent and need coordination. In working for consolidated products, I will need input from both the manager and other employees of the company. The feedback from them should be positive, and any suggestions from them should be communicated in a non-judgmental manner. In addition to working for this type of leader, I would need raw materials delivered on time to facilitate my task completion within the deadline.
- 3. Being Phil Jones’ President would require encouraging Phil to air his behavioral leadership and adjust to being a “Naughty-high” leader. Phil would be advised to show the same levels of concern for employees as he displays a high level of concern when it comes to result. The general importance of this “high-high” leadership as a desirable quality is because leaders are able to meet both needs of the employees and company goals to achieve success.