Due date for the forums= 31/12/2021
Leadership and Management
Scenario
When you joined Workplace Solutions Consulting three years ago, you were required to participate in an intensive interview process. After going through preliminary interviews with individuals of the same rank/title and a manager-level person in your division, you then met with the Director of the Consulting division. Everyone you met thus far from the organization seemed smart, outgoing, and friendly. Apparently the interview process had gone well as you were then scheduled to meet with company executives and officers. First, the VP of Customer Service, then the CFO, and finally the CEO of Workplace Solutions Consulting. The VP of Customer Service seemed highly meticulous in her interview questions, asking for detail behind every answer to her questions. She posed scenario questions to you regarding situations in which she was involved with tasks assigned on a daily basis.
Then you met with the CFO. He was a graduate of one of the nation’s military academies (it was apparent from the office decorations and diplomas). His questions carried implication regarding your self-organization. Do you make daily lists? How do you prioritize your lists? How do you keep your calendar? He even asked to see your daily planner.
Finally it was time to meet with the CEO. After the interviews with the VP and the CFO, you could only imagine what you were getting into with the company’s top leader. When you sat down with the person who had built this incredible company, imagine your surprise when he turned out to be the most pleasant, genuine, thoughtful, and enthusiastic individual you had ever met. He explained that his job as CEO was to ensure that every employee had what they needed to succeed. He told me that if you were hired, he would be working for you. You could not sign up fast enough to join his company!
Forum Question
What a variety of leadership styles, roles, and traits—and all in one interview process! Which interviewer do you think you would work best with? Why do you prefer the leadership styles, roles, and traits they demonstrated? What combination of leadership style, role, and trait would be best for the following business situations?
A company with routine and unskilled job functions.
A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation).
A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology.
A company preparing for an IPO.
Please explain your thoughts for each situation.
- 52 Replies
This is a two-parts questions.
Question Part 1: Which interviewer do you think you would work best with? Why do you prefer the leadership styles, roles, and traits they demonstrated?
Based on the scenario above, allow me to state my opinion on the leadership styles adopted by the interviewers:
VP: She is a Task-Oriented Leader. She is a leader who focuses about getting the task done and can be autocratic. During the interview, she tested how the candidate tackle on tasks she involved on daily basis.
CFO: He is an Autocratic leader, often known as authoritarian leadership, is where leaders have complete power over their people (for instance, during the interview he even goes to the extent of checking candidate’s daily planner).
CEO: He adopted Servant Leadership. He is supportive leader, friendly and shows concerns for the employee.
Having said the above, based on my behavior, I prefer to work with the VP. I prefer leaders who are able to clearly define tasks for employees to accomplish, identify the roles required to perform the task, establish frameworks, plan, organize, and oversee team’s work.
One of the benefits of task-oriented leadership is that they ensure that deadlines are met, and this aligned with my behavior whereby I prefer to accomplish tasks on agreed time.
Task-oriented leaders are known to have these skills to be successful.
- Prioritization: They have the ability to prioritize task based on the impact and urgency.
- Time-management: These leaders are excellent in creating schedules and ensuring employees completing tasks based on the schedule.
- Strategy: They are able to thoroughly plan to guide the team to achieve goals on time.
- Delegation: These leaders are able to identity skills and strength of team members in order to delegate appropriate task.
- Communication: To ensure that their staff understand their obligations, task-oriented leaders are equipped with an effective communication skills.
Question part 2:
What combination of leadership style, role, and trait would be best for the following business situations?1. Situation: A company with routine and unskilled job functions.
Autocratic Leadership is ideal for this situation. Leader has complete control over his or her employees. The advantage of autocratic rule is that it is extremely efficient. Work is completed and decisions are made fast. Although autocratic leadership has a number of downsides, it can be useful in routine and unskilled jobs where the benefits of control may outweigh the disadvantages.
2. Situation: A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation).
Bureaucratic Leadership suitable for this situation. These type leaders work “by the book.” They strictly adhere to the rules and regulations and guarantee that their employees follow the processes strictly. Bureaucratic leaders frequently rise up the ranks due to their ability to follow and enforce rules.
For jobs with substantial safety concerns, this is an appropriate leadership style (such as toxic waste handling, heavy equipment operation or at dangerous heights).3. Situation: A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology.
Democratic/Participative Leadership desirable for this situation. Democratic leaders make the final decisions, but they consult with team members during the process. They promote innovation, and team members are frequently involved in initiatives and decisions.
There are numerous advantages to democratic leadership. Since team members are more involved in decision making process, they have a higher level of job satisfaction and productivity. This approach also aids in the development of employees’ abilities. Team members believe they have power over their fate, thus they are motivated to work hard for reasons other than monetary gain.The approach can be most suitable when working as a team is essential, and when quality is more important than efficiency or productivity. As the situation stated there is an existing market, the company’s product quality needs to surpass the competitors’ product in the market.
Tim Cook, the current Apple CEO, practices and advocates democratic leadership. Cook believes it is critical to have senior management consensus on significant business decisions. Furthermore, since taking the helm, Cook has given the new product development team more autonomy, reducing the CEO’s direct involvement in the development process. (Research-Methodology, 2021)
4. Situation: A company preparing for an IPO.
In short, Initial Public Offering (IPO) is the process where a private company that owned by a small number of shareholders goes public and it is listed on an exchange where it can be owned by a large number of investors.
Everyone participating in the IPO, including the management team, auditors, accountants, underwriting banks, lawyers, and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) experts, meets to discuss the offering and set the filing date. Throughout the underwriting process, similar meetings take place. (Corporate Finance Institute, 2021)In my opinion, since IPO process involves lots of change and collaboration tasks to be accomplished by multiple departments, I believe combination of both Transformational leadership and Task-Oriented leadership needed for this situation.
Transformational leadership is a style of leadership in which a leader motivates and inspires his or her team to make beneficial changes in the organization. This type of leadership can boost team morale, encourage rapid innovation, improve dispute resolution, reduce attrition, and build a sense of ownership among employees.
Task-Oriented Leadership can be autocratic and only focus about getting the task done. They identify the work and the responsibilities that are required, establish frameworks, and plan, organize, and monitor work. Other important jobs that these leaders accomplish include setting and maintaining performance standards.
The benefit of task-oriented leadership is that it ensures that deadlines are met, and it’s especially important for the company in preparing for IPO.References:
Corporate Finance Institute. (2021, March 28). Initial Public Offering (IPO). https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/deals/ipo-initial-public-offering/
Indeed Editorial Team. (2020, December 4). Task-Oriented Leadership: Definition and Examples. Indeed Career Guide. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/task-oriented-leadership
Luk, A. (n.d.). 05. Leadership Styles – Managers and Leaders. MGMT 5223: Collaborative Project – Fall 2012. https://sites.google.com/site/managersandleaders/team-12/leadership-styles
Research-Methodology. (2021, February 15). Apple Leadership: a brief overview. Business Research Methodology. https://research-methodology.net/apple-leadership-and-apple-organizational-structure/
- This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by
Pavala Malar Nadan A/L Mariappan ..
I kind of like the task-oriented leader in the past when I was a junior. However, after more than a decade in the industry, I often see this style somehow overlaps with micromanaging. Not sure if it is just in the company that I have worked for. But yeah… for me, whichever style the leader is, empathy should be taken into consideration because we are all human 🙂
Yes agree micromanaging not suitable for most employees. If leaders does it excessively, it might annoys the employees, damages employees’ trust and eventually leads to high employees turnover rate. However, sometimes micromanagement needed in case if there is complex operations in which instructions must be properly presented and a steep learning curve is expected.
A task oriented leadership style may not be good in situations that demands creativity and innovation. A greater autonomy amongst employees can encourage employees to think outside the box to produce solutions that may seem impractical but can differentiate against the competition.
Wow Nadan – very well explained answer. Thank you for giving me a guidance on how I should give my answer. Amazing!
Thank you Ida, glad the information helps.
Among the interviews, I would rather choose the CEO!
He is such a charismatic leader. Charismatic leader relies on charm and personality to communicate goals and encourage performance. These leaders are particularly adept at inspiring team members to accomplish a shared objective, often through a rallying speech or their infectious enthusiasm.• Charismatic leader is ideal for companies with employees who may need to talk through a challenging situation.
• Charismatic leaders would benefit cause-driven organizations such as non-profits, political campaigns, and newly created organizations.
• People will feel at peace and inspired to progress through a challenging transition or mission because of the relational aspect they bring to the business.
What combination of leadership style, role, and trait would be best for the following business situations?
A company with routine and unskilled job functions. – Autocratic leadership is a type of transactional leadership in which a leader wields a great deal of influence over his or her subordinates. People on the team are given minimal opportunity to make proposals, even if they are in the best interests of the team or business. However, for some repetitive and unskilled professions, when the benefits of control exceed the problems, this technique can be beneficial.
A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation). – Bureaucratic leaders work “by the book,” ensuring that their employees adhere to strict processes. This is an excellent choice for a job that involves significant safety risks (such as dealing with machines, dangerous substances, or at heights) or huge sums of money (such as cash handling).
A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology. – Democratic Leadership or Participative Leadership. Although a democratic leader will make the final decision, he or she invites other members of the team to contribute to the decision-making process. This not only improves job satisfaction by including employees or team members in the process, but it also aids in the development of people’s skills. Employees and team members feel in charge of their own future and are so motivated to work hard for reasons other than monetary gain. Because involvement takes time, this technique may take longer than an autocratic approach, but the end product is frequently superior. It’s best suited to situations where collaboration is critical and quality takes precedence above speed to market or productivity.
A company preparing for an IPO. – Transformational Leadership. This type of leader is a great leader that motivates his or her team by sharing a common vision for the future. Transformational leaders are highly visible and communicate frequently. They don’t always lead from the front since they prefer to transfer authority to their teams. While their zeal is contagious, they may require the assistance of “detail people.” Both transactional and transformative leadership are required in many organizations. Transactional leaders (or managers) make sure that normal tasks are completed on time, while transformational leaders oversee efforts that create new value.
In my opinion, this forum question quite challenging, but after completing the forum question, it gave me a satisfaction that I have learnt new knowledge. I learnt about types of leadership styles that I can utilize in my work place to manage my team. I also learnt that we need to switch leadership style based on the work situation to meet the objective.
Indeed…. This course shows us that no specific leadership style for all. It depends on situation and how the leader react on it and play their roles.
I think I would work best with the CEO. The enthusiastic and attributes of the CEO described shows that he has a combination of transformational and servant leadership styles. With these two leadership styles integrated into the organization, in normal times, the organization will most probably foster a warm, friendly, and supporting climate, which would definitely have very low turnover; other times, or especially at times of crisis, the CEO’s transformational leadership style would be useful in the innovation and improvement of the management and overall organization. I would definitely prefer this kind of leadership style especially in this current pandemic where digital transformation and change is inevitable in an organization. The combination of servant and transformational leadership possess the attributes that is able to guide the organization through these changes, while being an inspiration and supportive to the fellow employees in the firm.
– A company with routine and unskilled job functions: Autocratic leadership
A company with routine and unskilled job functions needs a skillful manager to run the business using the top down approach, so that the job functions and decision making are controlled from the single source of that skillful leader. With this, the company would need to be supported by leaders with autocratic leadership style. Autocratic leaders are usually focused on results and efficiency, and tend to make decisions on their own expecting the employees to follow instructions. This leadership style is suitable in this situation where employees need much guidelines and supervision.
– A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation): Bureaucratic leadership
In this situation where it involves dangerous job functions, bureaucratic leadership style is useful to get employees to focus on fixed duties get employees to focus on fixed duties within the hierarchy so that each employees can carefully concentrate on their set of responsibilities. Work environment with such dangerous job functions require following strict rules and regulations for safety purposes, therefore bureaucratic leadership style would be the most suitable leadership style in this case.
– A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology: Democratic/Participative leadership
The democratic/participative leadership style which focuses more on human intellect and organizational culture is more suitable for this situation due to its requirements on innovative and ground-breaking ideas and concepts. With such leadership style, employees are able to be involved in process of innovation and business decisions in the organization, adding value to the company’s effort and feeling empowered to do better.
– A company preparing for an Initial Public Offering (IPO): Transformational leadership
Simply because IPO is a form of business transformation to further expand the company. IPO is mainly used by companies as a way to generate the capital needed for expansion, for funding of research and development, or even to pay off existing debt. The process to becoming an IPO is not easy as it can be expensive and time-consuming, therefore having a leader with effective transformational leadership to lead the process is crucial. Transformational leaders usually has a clear eye on the organization’s vision and mission, whom proceeds to analyze the circumstances and required actions needed to achieve the goals. They are the ones who are capable of inspiring and bringing the people of the organization together and guide everyone through the IPO process.
we are same for company with routine and unskilled job functions – autocratic & company preparing IPO – transformational leadership.
I think CEO is nice but can be tricky. He treats employee friendly but there are motives behind. When you are hired, it is totally different story.
I would choose to be interviewed under the CEO from the scenario above. I love to work with democrative leadership. As a democrative leadership, he will lead job satisfaction and motivate the employees. Furthermore, he creates a positive working environment and allows inspiration in the organization.
A company with routine and unskilled job functions – Autocratic leadership style: the leader himself is the best. Employees cannot criticize the leader on how or why the decision is being made. The positive thing about this leadership style is that the leader might have the best performance in the team and lead to speedy decision-making and great productivity under the leader’s control.
A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation) – Bureaucratic leadership style: This leader always adheres to the organizational rules and policies. Thus, the leader will make sure the employees strictly follow the rules and regulations.
A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology – Transformational leadership style: Such leaders encourage the employees to be innovative and creative. Also, the leaders will inspire and motivate the employees by promoting a consistent vision and a set of values to their employees. An example of transformational leadership company – Apple CEO Steve Jobs (https://applecorporate.weebly.com/leadership.html)
A company preparing for an IPO – Transactional leadership style: We know that preparing IPO creates more irregular work than usual. Thus, to motivate employees to do more, the leader will actively monitor the progress and take action to prevent more mistakes at the end. In addition, the leader will motivate the employees by giving rewards such as providing employees shares options to the employees once the IPO is listed.
The example given (Steve Jobs) is good who is a role model in the market and bring huge impact and contribution to the markets and our daily life with his leadership in Apple.
Based on the given scenario, I have identified below leaderships that exist in Workplace Solutions Consulting:
VP of Customer Service: Transactional Leader
CFO: Autocratic Leader
CEO: Servant Leader
As for me, I would like to work with the CEO. By nature I am already task-oriented hence the organization does not need to micro manage my work. I just need a leader who is positive, motivating, provides me recognition where it’s due and makes me feel like I am a part of his team.
Based on the given situations, here are my thoughts:
Situation: A company with routine and unskilled job functions.
Type of Leaders: Autocratic Leadership
Reason: Autocratic leaders are incredibly efficient. The organization will achieve faster decision and outcome under this type of leadership. Employees will be able to focus their attention and energy on the given tasks or jobs.
Situation: A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation).
Type of Leaders: Bureaucratic Leadership
Reason: Organization with such situation will benefit from having a leader who will always follow the rules aka bureaucratic leaders. Since the company involves in risky business, this kind of leaders will imposed employees to follow the strict routines together with the given guidelines and standard operating procedures so that injuries and risks can be reduced.
Situation: A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology.
Type of Leaders: Transformational Leadership
Reason: In this situation when the products is new and ground-breaking, organization needs a transformational leaders. Given that the team is comprised of highly skilled individuals, this type of leaders will brings in excitement into the project team and people in the organization. Leader’s energy and excitement in the product often infect the employees too and in turn employees will feel more motivated to work, meeting the deadlines and leads to increase in productivity. Transformational leaders refused to stay idle. He/She will always find new initiatives hence the working environment and the products will always feel fresh and exciting.
Situation: A company preparing for an IPO.
Type of Leaders: Task-Oriented Leadership with Participative Leadership
Reason: Listing a company in Bursa is no easy tasks. A lot of people involved and a lot of tasks need to be checked [1]. Based on this, the organization needs task-oriented leader. This type of leader will make sure all the checkboxes are ticked and ready for the IPO submission. And since this will be a highly stressful situations, leaders that also exhibit a participative leadership will help the whole process to go easier. In situation like this, I predict that there will be a lot of tasks that needs an input from another team or vendor. Participative leader can use his or her position in the company to request for the tasks to be completed faster and will also be able to use the company’s resources in aiding the IPO process.
Reference:
[1] Pavala Malar Nadan’s post above
[2] https://sites.google.com/site/managersandleaders/team-12/leadership-styles“organization does not need to micro-manage my work”. Well said, Ida.
Great answer, and quoting from Nadan’s input, that shows your thoughtful and respect others opinion.
Which interviewer do you think you would work best with? Why do you prefer the leadership styles, roles, and traits they demonstrated?
• My preference would be to work with the CFO as my working style is similar to his. For me I can work most efficiently when all are well-organized and planned in detailed ahead of time
• There is not enough information on the CFO to describe his exact leadership style but based on his Military background, he may possess a combination of both Servant leadership as well as Transactional.
• Transactional Leadership: Providing clear directions and holding subordinates accountable for their actions. This leadership style is effective in the chain of command work structure. To me this is a productive way to get work done.
• Servant Leadership: Extreme dedication to the service of others before themselves. It is effective because leaders embody the characteristics of empathy and acceptance, a sense of community and a calling to serve others.
What combination of leadership style, role, and trait would be best for the following business situations?
1) A company with routine and unskilled job functions.
Autocratic Leadership: Due to lower-level skills job, focus is on greater productivity under leader’s supervision.
2) A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation).
Bureaucratic leadership: Due to higher risk in work environment, leaders need to strictly adhere to the organizational rules and policies. Also, they make sure that the employees/team also strictly follows the rules and procedures.
3) A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology.
Transformational Leadership: In an environment that supports innovation, leaders can encourage creativity, adaptability and problem-solving.
4) A company preparing for an IPO.
Transformational Leadership: Employees need to adapt and change their ways of working as a listed company will have a stricter rules and compliance to adhere to, Leaders can inspire and push them to meet their goals.
I agreed with you, My choice to work best with CFO, as I also focus on task oriented, this is very important no matter you handle company or your personal life.😇
I would definitely work with the CEO. In my opinion, the CEO is using Coach-Style Leadership. This type of leadership focuses on identifying and nurturing individual strengths. Like a sports team’s coach, the leader who has this quality focus on strategies that will enable his team to work better together, improve employees’ strengths by giving them new tasks to try, offering them guidance, or meeting to discuss constructive feedback. They might also encourage one or more team members to expand on their strengths by learning new skills from other teammates.
A company with routine and unskilled job functions
For this situation, autocratic leadership is suitable to manage routine and unskilled job functions. Autocratic leadership is where a leader exerts high levels of power over his or her employees or team members. In this leadership style, the leader makes decisions without taking input from anyone who reports to them. People within the team are given few opportunities for making suggestions, even if these would be in the team’s or organization’s interest. The leader himself gets the things done. The advantage of this style is that it leads to speedy decision-making and greater productivity under a leader’s supervision
A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation).
Bureaucratic leadership is a very appropriate style for work involving dangerous job functions or serious safety risks work. The Bureaucratic leader works “by the book”, ensuring that their staff follow procedures exactly.
<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; color: inherit;”>
<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; color: inherit;”>A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology.
Transformational Leadership is suitable for this scenario because of their nature to transform, improve, explore, and change business cases. A person with this leadership style is a true leader who inspires his or her team with a shared vision of the future. Transformational leaders are highly visible and spend a lot of time communicating with their teams. They also constantly push the employees outside of their comfort zone
A company preparing for an IPO
Preparing for IPO is a massive and challenging task which includes creating new systems, identifying and address talent gaps, managing the regulatory reviews and building credibility with analysts and investors while running the business at a high level.
Task-oriented leadership should be suitable for this role because this type of leadership focuses on achieving goals, delegating assignments, setting clear processes and issuing deadlines to ensure all team members remain focused and deliver their part of the project within the designated time. Managers who are task-oriented develop a structured workplace with clearly defined priorities and schedules
What a variety of leadership styles, roles, and traits—and all in one interview process! Which interviewer do you think you would work best with? Why do you prefer the leadership styles, roles, and traits they demonstrated?
From my experience, I enjoy working under managers that are a mixture of delegative and participative, which has limited resemblance of situational type of leadership. This is because when the task is assigned to me, I know that I am also given limited authority, accountability and ownership to deliver, as long as no major issue occurs. If I met with challenges or difficulties, I know that I would get the support I need to resolve the matter.
I may not preform well and having difficulties cooperatively if I am working under micro managing leadership.
In regards of Leadership traits, a leader with good people skills, understanding their peoples and needs, decisive, emotional stable can be a good manager to work with.I could not be sure on how will this type of leadership will perform during interview, as my experiences on interviews are mostly done by a different personnel, with a standard format, most of the time.
What combination of leadership style, role, and trait would be best for the following business situations?
I will follow Situational Leadership (Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory) which consist of 4 styles
1) Telling (S1) – tell what to do, how to do it
2) Selling (S2) – share the idea, influence
3) Participating (S3) – less manage, more contribute
4) Delegating (S4) – hands off, laisses faire
For managing group with 4 maturity levels;
A) M1 – Lack of skills and willingness
B) M2 – Lack of Skill but has willingness
C) M3 – Lack of willingness but has skill
D) M4 – Has both skill and willingness
A company with routine and unskilled job functions.
- This is a M1 group level, require S1 leadership style.
A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation).
- This is a M4 group level, require S4 leadership style.
A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology.
- This is a M2 group level, require S2 leadership style.
A company preparing for an IPO.
- This is a M3 group level, require S3 leadership style.
I like your style in answering this question. Like doing coding, I need to match back the code with the description that has already defined before the problem statement 😂
Very good answer!
I would work best with the CEO. Based on the information provided in the scenario, I am in the opinion that the CEO is practicing the Servant Leadership style. The servant leadership style in where the leader role is to “serve” the employees by removing the obstacles and creating the opportunities for the employees to excel and achieve their objectives and goals. The employee however would need to be proactive in determining their goals that they want to achieve and how they would like to complete their task. I believe the CEO will provide a greater autonomy for his employees to complete the given task and this is directly increase creativity and innovation in the workplace. Based on the information provided in the scenario, the CEO sounds like a person that would value out of the box ideas and solutions.
1. A company with routine and unskilled job functions
For such an organization, the leadership style that is suitable is autocratic. Given the name of the job of being unskilled, we must imagine the competency levels of the workforce that would be hired. Such employees are not expected to make their own decision or come out with solutions on their own. Hence, they would require clear direction on what needs to be done and how to do it.
2. A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation)
For such an organization, the leadership style that is suitable is bureaucratic. When handling toxic waste for example there is rules and regulations that needs to be followed and no short cuts can be taken. Periodic maintenance heavy equipment is also mandatory to be done even when the machines are not broken down. All this requires a leader that instills disciple or by the book to follow all the require rules and procedures.
3. A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology
For such an organization, the leadership style that is suitable is transformational. Transformational leaders have big vision thinking. This type of leadership also promotes creativity and innovation in the organization by advocating openness in the workplace allowing being to share their thoughts and opinions freely. They also need to motivate their employees to think outside the box and come out with solutions that other have not thought of.
4. A company preparing for an IPO
For such an organization, the leadership style that is suitable is task oriented. As when a company is preparing for an IPO there is a lot of paperwork that needs to be completed as well as regulations that needs to comply with. The task that goes into preparation needs to be completed as per stipulated by the regulatory bodies. Any errors might led to the delay in the listing of the company or being rejected by the regulatory body.
Which interviewer do you think you would work best with? Why do you prefer the leadership styles, roles, and traits they demonstrated? What combination of leadership style, role, and trait would be best for the following business situations?
I would work best with the CEO as they demonstrated a transformational leadership style which would be the style I am most agreeable with. This is because transformational leaders motivate by increasing self-efficacy in employees, by facilitating social identification within a group, and by linking organizational values to employees’ values. This allows employees such as myself to feel more determined in their work and feel empowered.
A company with routine and unskilled job functions.
For some routine and unskilled jobs, however, an autocratic style can remain effective, where the advantages of control outweigh the disadvantages. The advantage of this style is that it leads to speedy decision-making and greater productivity under a leader’s supervision.
A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation).
Bureaucratic leaders work “by the book”, ensuring that their staff follows procedures exactly. Leaders strictly adhere to the organizational rules and policies. Also, they make sure that the employees/team also strictly follows the rules and procedures. Promotions take place based on employees’ ability to adhere to organizational rules. Hence, this is a very appropriate style for work involving serious safety risks
A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology.
A democratic or participative leadership style would be suitable because this type of leadership drives discussion and participation, it’s an excellent style for organizations focused on creativity and innovation—such as the technology industry.
A company preparing for an IPO.
Task-oriented leadership focuses on achieving goals. Task-oriented leaders delegate assignments, set clear processes and issue deadlines to ensure all team members remain focused and deliver their part of the project within the designated time. Managers who use this style develop a structured workplace with clearly defined priorities and schedules.This would assist the company in preparing for an IPO
- This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by Subatra Krishnasamy.
- This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by
I prefer to work with the CEO because he has leadership behavior like the directive leader and supportive leader. He shares his job roles as CEO and experiences which give vision and direction to work in the company. He creates a good perception and motivates people to work for these companies because his job is to make sure all his staff succeeds in their career. The leadership style is Charismatic because he can listen to people, is confident, has positive body language, and has maturity in leadership.
His nature shows that he is personality type B like being more creative, being more patient and we are comfortable speaking with him. He is a role model for positive behaviors and an effective leader because he can influence people and is very transparent.
At the same time, the VP asks everything in detail and shows that he is doing micromanaging. The CEO wants to all your action regarding the daily operation. His question seems to be extra careful and he seems did not trust me. They did not create a positive perception for me to work with them.
What combination of leadership style, role, and trait would be best for the following business situations?
A company with routine and unskilled job functions.
The Situation Leaders II style is suitable to manage these routine and unskilled functions. The leaders must be directing the staff to learn and upgrade them to be a knowledge workers. They must set a goal that needs to be achieved to improve the company’s performance. Without any goal setting and direction, the staff will not improve in the job and it will affect the company performance. At the same time, the leader should be able to coach and be a mentor for the staff to achieve these. They need to act based on the situation. For example, if the staff provides feedback, they need to listen and provide guidance the solve the issue. They cannot be always aggressive and push the staff to meet the target. They have to motivate and make them realize the importance of being a skilled worker. If the leaders are demand on their work from the staff, the staff may leave the company. He may not be skillful but he is hardworking and genuine to the company. It will be lost for the company to let go of this type of person, so the leader should follow the situation leadership II. They have to manage the staff based on the situation.
A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation).
The autocratic Leadership style is suitable because only the leader should play a role to do the decision-making. The Leader or Manager must evaluate the risk and benefit before deciding so that they are no errors which accidents or create a negative impact on the environment. They also have a Standard Operation Procedure and it must be strictly followed by the staff. It is better to do micromanaging to make sure the safety of the staff and improve communication among the staff. Staff can handle crises effectively and they may have less stress because the manager is responsible for his decision. The decision make can be done fast and improve productivity.
A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology.
The transformation Leadership style is suitable because the company is disrupting an existing market and they need to set up new goals and targets to capture the current market. These will be aligned with all the staff to have the same goal and target. The leaders have to motivate them to work to create a better company. By doing this, the staff will not get panic about the changes and quickly adapt to the current situation. Transformation leaders create and manage the changes which help to reduce turnover and staff able to work towards to new vision. These leaders should get feedback from staff and find a strategic way to solve and maintain the work ethic among the staff.
A company preparing for an IPO.
When a company wants to prepare for Initial Public Offering. The Manager is responsible to manage the change and the productivity of the company also should increase. The transformation leadership style is important to manage the change and make sure all the employee is aligned with the same goal and vision. To make sure productivity increases, transactional leadership is suitable because It is focused on results, efficiency, and performance rather than people and relationships. Transactional leadership is often seen as the opposite of transformational leadership.
Answer Part I:
The leadership style that is being possessed by the VP of customer service is the autocratic leadership style. She was detailing the scenarios in the interview which suggests that she believes in the accomplishment of the task and acting in the appropriate manner in the particular situations that are being confronted by the employees.
The leadership style that is being possessed by the CFO is the authoritative leadership style where he loves to keep his employee under discipline so that they can act under the authority of the CFO. He would love to give you direction for the tasks and would expect that you should complete the tasks as per his direction and within the time period being allotted by him to you.
The leadership style that is being possessed by the CEO of the company is the democratic leadership style where the CEO of the company likes to help the employees to achieve their goals while the goals of the organization are being achieved.
I would like to work with the CEO of the company as he is not only a democratic leader but a participative leader as well. He would not only help me in achieving my goals but would also train me while participating with me in my job. He would be a guiding person to me and based on his experience and position, his guidance would be the best for me.
Answer Part II:
<b style=””>Business Situation: A company with routine and unskilled job functions
Leadership Style: Autocratic
Role: Assigning and monitoring tasks
Trait:
Should be strict with the rules and regulationsExplanation: Routine and unskilled jobs functions are highly task-oriented and they are required to be performed in the same manner as they are being performed for a long time. Thus, autocratic leadership would be best suitable in this situation as Autocratic leadership is a leadership style characterized by individual control over all decisions and little input from group members.
<b style=””>Business Situation: A company with dangerous job functions (Toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation)
Leadership Style: Coaching
Role: Explaining the ways to handle dangerous jobs and provide training to the employees while being on the job
Trait: Should have good communication and teaching aptitude
Explanation: When the job function is dangerous then the leader would be required to guide the employees so that they can perform their tasks appropriately and therefore, the coaching style of leadership would be the appropriate one in this situation.
Business Situation : A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology
Leadership Style: Democratic
Role:
Directing employees for market research and bringing in the creative ideas associated with the technologyTrait: Should be motivating, creative, and innovative
Explanation: When the company is preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology then it is required to accumulate as many ideas from the employees as possible. Thus, the leader is required to be democratic as such leaders provide ample space to the employees for innovation.
Business Situation : A company preparing for an IPO
Leadership Style: Democratic
Role: Should analyze the market and formulate the strategy so as to adjust as per the trends in the market
Trait :Should have skills to infer the situation. Should have forecasting skills
Explanation: A company preparing for an IPO should have a democratic leader as they are new in the market and are required to implement various changes in their products at various stages of the business. The employees of such businesses should be innovative and creative while performing their tasks. A democratic leader can be the one who can allow the employees to be creative at their job.
- This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by Karen Xaviour.
- This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by
For the interviews, I will work best with the CFO, who has held a semi-structure interview, with open-ended questions and topics. By going through the interview, I can show my true characteristic and strengths other than my professionalism.
The leadership styles is very collaborative and the CEO is a good communicator. He shared his role and vision in the company and also, he take his employee as an asset of the company and value them by saying “if you were hired, he would be working for you”.
For below situation:
A company with routine and unskilled job functions.
Pacesetting and Coaching styles. A driven leader will push their employees to achieve better performance and also provide the feedback and coaching for the team.
A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation).
Autocratic and Affiliative styles. Due to the nature of the jobs, the leader need to be a commander of the team so that the employees can strictly follow the rules and regulation. The leaders also need to ensure the safety of his/her employees by taking “people come first” concept.
A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology.
Laissez-Faire and Coaching styles. With involvement of the people into the decision making process, employees are motivated. Giving the coaching to the team also empowered them for better performance.
A company preparing for an IPO.
Collaborative and Coaching style. Leaders have to be collaborative with the team when facing the challengers of the market. They also need to be agile and innovative to adapt the rapid changes of the stock market.
well said..
Question Part 1: Which interviewer do you think you would work best with? Why do you prefer the leadership styles, roles, and traits they demonstrated?
VP : Democratic or Participative leadership it is characterized by consultation with the subordinates and their participation in the formulation of plans and policies. He encourages participation in decision-making. He leads the subordinates mainly through persuasion and example rather than fear and force.
CEO : Pacesetting & Affiliative leadership pacesetting leader shows through example This works most effectively when the team is already switched-on and highly trained, and the leader needs quick results and affiliative leader works to create emotional ties that bring a feeling of bonding and belonging to the company this works best in times of stress, when teammates need to heal or needs to rebuild trust.
CFO: Relationship Management The ability to develop these relationships is, therefore, a vital component of a successful CFO leadership style. Getting people on board with new ideas is key to making changes that can lead to business growth. This means working not only with your team but with others across the organization and with colleagues at all levels as well as board members, taking a proactive and positive approach to nurturing relationships that work.
Among all i choose to select to be CEO to be motivated by a desire to shape strategy and exert influence beyond the organization. You’ll develop a methodical framework to go after what you really want. Less dreaming, more doing and more confidence in your talents, skills and experience, which translates into higher earning potential.
There are different ways in which leaders approach people to motivate them. If the approach emphasizes rewards, the leader uses positive leadership. If the approach emphasizes penalties, the leader is applying negative leadership. Negative leaders should be called bosses rather than leaders.
The three management styles – autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire.
Advantages of a Democratic Leadership Style:
1. It works well when trying to solve a complex concern.
Leaders know how to solve problems, but they may not be able to solve all problems. By allowing everyone to work on a solution using their own education and experience, innovation is encouraged, making it possible to address complex and critical concerns.2. It encourages creativity.
The democratic leadership style is more of a hands-off approach. Instead of micro-managing the situation, leaders use this style to encourage individualized creativity. For many teams, this creates higher levels of productivity and insightful inputs because each team member is encouraged to use their strengths to benefit everyone. It also allows employees to develop a plan that helps them be able to evaluate their own performance.3. It strengthens the relationships of a team.
People who work with a leader that practices the democratic leadership style tend to form closer, more supportive bonds with one another compared to leaders using other leadership styles. Team members are naturally connected to one another because their ideas, and their feedback, are important to everyone.4. It is a leadership style that anyone can practice.
Any leader in any industry has opportunities to implement the democratic leadership style. Even leaders who don’t use this style naturally can begin to use its techniques to shift their perspectives over time. Team members tend to prefer this leadership style because it makes them feel like they are a valued member of the organization.5. It encourages honesty within the workplace.
The democratic leadership style does not work unless the leader using it is honest. Leaders must be able to communicate the situation accurately to ensure the decisions and feedback being generated are based on real information. Even when leaders have the final say, the honesty required for this style forces each leader to share their ideas on an equal level for discussion. By staying open and honest, leaders encourage their team members to have the same traits.6. It improves job satisfaction.
When team members feel like they have an equal role in running the team, then there is a sense of empowerment that comes with that responsibility. The democratic leadership style encourages workers to be more than just a machine or a “warm body.” It allows people to feel like they really are an important part of the organization.7. It encourages stronger commitment levels.
For the average worker, if they do not feel passionate about a request or task, then their commitment levels to it will be minimal. They have no ownership over the task, so they have no ties to completing it to the best of their ability. When workers feel like their contributions are taken seriously and are important, then stronger commitment levels appear because there is more ownership to the task that is required. If people are given the chance to be creative, then they invest themselves into the outcomes that can be achieved.8. It increases team knowledge.
Diverse opinions and ideas are important for the creative process. They are also important for the team’s overall knowledge base.What combination of leadership style, role, and trait would be best for the following business situations?
Question part 2: What combination of leadership style, role, and trait would be best for the following business situations?
1. Situation: A company with routine and unskilled job functions.
Transformational leadership Style would be the best suited and If any organization used the word “pivot” a lot during the pandemic, you might be a transformational leader. These leaders are focused on motivating and inspiring teams to innovate and achieve a shared vision.“ Several years into my experience as a Vistage member, I realized I was creative in helping other people solve their problems,” Baines said. “I found myself growing from an autocratic to a transformational leader.”
A Transformational leadership gives a big-picture to the thinker Work with trusted teams that don’t require constant supervision and Know how to provide encouragement and inspire others to achieve shared goals.
2. Situation: A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation).
Authoritarian leadership:
An autocratic leader centralizes power and decision-making in himself. He gives orders, assigns tasks and duties without consulting the employees. The leader takes full authority and assumes full responsibility.
Autocratic leadership helps Subordinates act as he directs. He neither cares for their opinions nor permits them to influence the decision. He believes that because of his authority he alone can decide what is best in a given situation. This leadership is based upon close supervision, clear-cut direction and commanding order of the superior. It facilitates quick decisions, prompt action and unity of direction. It depends on a lesser degree of delegation. The employees work as hard as is necessary to avoid punishment.
3. Situation: A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology.
Democratic leadership or participative leadership or shared leadership is one of the leadership styles that allows equal participation of everyone in a decision-making process. Democratic Leadership involves not only the leaders but also their employees in every decision-making process. Even though the leaders give the final word- team members participate equally during brainstorming and find a solution to a problem.
Benefits of Democratic Leadership Style
It helps in solving complex problems.It is a leadership style that anyone can practice in any industry.
Democratic leaders receive a more diverse set of ideas and concepts.
It enhances job satisfaction.
It encourages honesty amongst workers.
This leadership style connects people to their work.
It enhances team knowledge.It encourages more substantial commitment levels.
This style promotes the free flow of ideas.
A leader who uses this style is considered more competent.4. Situation: A company preparing for an IPO.
Companies raise capital for growth, innovation, and expansions. They get the ability to take risks against the financial cushioning of the IPOs. An Initial Public Offering is launched for the main purpose of getting funds, which can lead to a lower cost of capital for both debt and equity.
This provides an opportunity for the general public to buy shares of a company.
1. Reducing debts and Funding Research : Companies have debt generally in the form of bank loans. Companies aim to reduce their debt loads through the use of money from IPO. This results in a lower cost of capital for debt.
2. Improvement in liquidity: IPO provides a way for private investors to convert their ownership in the company to other means such as currency. An IPO allows founders or owners of the company to monetize their investments.
3. Diversification and mergers: The money from the IPO is used by companies to even fund mergers. Since a successful IPO brings credibility to the company, it paves an opportunity for mergers. Companies also use the IPO money to invest in similar businesses, thus making the main or core company more successful.
4. Visibility and credibility: A company going public carves a space for itself in media thus reaching the public at large. This branding of the company’s image will act as leverage for a future transaction.
When an IPO is successful, business analysts, investors, and financial advisors study the company in detail and further help it get more business by promotional activities and bits of advice to the public.
As a company is in continuous need of money for growth, an IPO puts it in a better position to raise finances from other sources such as government and private lenders.
I think will work best with CEO. His leadership style is Servant Leadership. This leadership style is when a manager put their employee as the most important customers. In the realm of servant leadership, values are crucial, and those who lead within this network do so with a kind heart. Because of their goals and ethics, servant leaders can rise to power. It will make employee feel close to the manager and it will produce high productivity for the organization. Southwest Airlines is one of the most prominent servant leadership examples in the world. CEO in Southwest Airlines believes that taking care of employees is a company’s top priority (Modern 2017). With this leadership style, by putting employee first, it will be empowered to take the same mentality to the customer. “The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first…” ( Robert K. Greenleaf)
A company with routine and unskilled job functions – (Autocratic Leadership)
This leadership is a type of transactional leadership in which a leader has a great deal of influence over his or her subordinates. People on the team are given minimal opportunity to make proposals, even if they are in the best interests of the team or business. Many individuals despise being handled in this manner. As a result, authoritarian leadership frequently results in excessive absenteeism and personnel turnover.
A company with dangerous job functions (toxic waste handling or heavy equipment operation) – Bureaucratic Leadership
Bureaucratic Leader work by the book where they ensure their employee follow procedures exactly when it related to safety risk job function. Leaders are detail oriented and there is a system of rules that outlines the right and responsibilities of employee. This leadership style required very strong and courageous leader to maintain the well-structured framework.
A company preparing to disrupt an existing market with ground-breaking technology. – Disruptive Leadership
Disruptive Leader is someone who looks for better solutions and ways to establish new processes and want to make an impact to the business as whole. They figure out how to break free from their own limiting beliefs and attitudes. This allows them to sharpen their focus, innovate more effectively, and stay one step ahead of potential competitors. They expect and even demand that their teams think and act in the same manner that they do.
A company preparing for an IPO – Task oriented
Task oriented leader focusing on achieving goals. They can develop a structured workplace with clearly schedules. Few skills that they can leader can develop are prioritization, time-management, strategy, communicate and delegation. It is suitable for a IPO company where the company handling stock launch, public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors.
Agree with you Aina on working together with the CEO same as me.
Just to add on, I would like to work with the CEO of the company as he is not only a democratic leader but a participative leader as well. He would not only help us in achieving our goals but would also train us while participating with us in the job. He would be a guiding person to us and based on his experience and position, his guidance would be the best for us.
Indeed bob. Thank you for your additional info Bob.
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