Question: Analyze this situation using the Hersey–Blanchard model and the Vroom–Jago model. What do these models suggest as the appropriate leadership or decision style Cole could use in this situation? Explain.
11 Oct 2022,7:35 PM
Case Analysis adapted from Daft’s “The Leadership Experience”
Alliance Air Corporation
Cole Meyers is the manager of a production department in Alliance Air Corporation, a firm that manufactures HVAC equipment. After reading an article that stressed the benefits of participative management, Cole believes that these benefits could be realized in his department if the workers are allowed to participate in making some decisions that affect them. The workers are not unionized. Cole selected two decisions for his experiment in participative management.
The first decision involved vacation schedules. Each summer the workers are given two weeks' vacation, but no more than two workers can go on vacation at the same time. In prior years, Cole made this decision himself. He would first ask the workers to indicate their preferred dates, and he considered how the work would be affected if different people were out at the same time. It was important to plan a vacation schedule that would ensure adequate staffing for all of the essential operations performed by the department. When more than two workers wanted the same time period and they had similar skills, he usually gave preference to the workers with the highest productivity.
The second decision involved production standards. Sales had been increasing steadily over the past few years, and the company recently installed some new equipment to increase productivity. The new equipment would allow Cole's department to produce more with the same number of workers. The company had a pay incentive system in which workers received a piece rate for each unit produced above a standard amount. Separate standards existed for each type of product, based on an industrial engineering study conducted a few years earlier. Top management wanted to readjust the production standards to reflect the fact that the new HVAC equipment made it possible for the workers to earn more without working any harder. The savings from higher productivity were needed to help pay for the new HVAC equipment.
Cole called a meeting of his 25 workers just before the end of the workday. He explained that he wanted them to discuss the two issues and make recommendations. Cole figured that the workers might be inhibited about participating in the discussion if he were present, so he left them alone to discuss the issues. Besides, Cole had an appointment to meet with the HVAC installation manager. Installation problems had increased after the new HVAC equipment was installed, and the industrial engineers were studying the problem in an attempt to determine why quality had gotten worse rather than better.
When Cole returned to his department just at quitting time, he was surprised to learn that the workers recommended keeping the standards the same. He had assumed they knew the pay incentives were no longer fair and would set a higher standard. The unofficial representative for the group, an unofficial leader of the 25 team members, explained that their base pay had not kept up with inflation and the higher incentive pay restored their real income to its prior level.
On the vacation issue, the group was deadlocked. Several of the workers wanted to take their vacations during the same two-week period and could not agree on who should go. Some workers argued that they should have priority because they had more seniority, whereas others argued that priority should be based on productivity, as in the past. Since it was quitting time, the group concluded that Cole should have to resolve the dispute himself. After all, wasn't that what he was being paid for?
Questions
- Analyze this situation using the Hersey–Blanchard model and the Vroom–Jago model. What do these models suggest as the appropriate leadership or decision style Cole could use in this situation? Explain.
- Evaluate Cole Meyers' leadership style before and during his experiment in participative management.
- If you were Cole Meyers, what would you do now? Why? Be sure to explain.
Expert answer
The Hersey–Blanchard model suggests that the appropriate leadership style for a situation is contingent on the leader's ability to assess the maturity of the followers. In this case, it would be appropriate for Cole to use a directive leadership style, as the followers are not yet fully mature. The Vroom–Jago model suggests that the appropriate decision style for a situation is contingent on the leader's ability to assess the level of risk involved in making a decision. In this case, it would be appropriate for Cole to use a conservative decision style, as the risk involved in making a decision is high.
The least preferred co-worker (LPC) theory suggests that the leader's style is contingent on the leader's relationship with the follower. In this case, it would be appropriate for Cole to use a task-oriented leadership style, as the follower is not someone with whom Cole has a close relationship. The path–goal theory suggests that the appropriate leadership style for a situation is contingent on the leader's ability to assess the followers' needs and the situational factors. In this case, it would be appropriate for Cole to use an empowering leadership style, as the followers need direction and support and the situational factors are conducive to empowerment.
The situational leadership theory suggests that the appropriate leadership style for a situation is contingent on the leader's ability to assess the readiness of the followers. In this case, it would be appropriate for Cole to use a directing leadership style, as the followers are not yet ready to take on responsibility for their own work.
In conclusion, the most appropriate leadership style for Cole to use in this situation is a directive leadership style, as the followers are not yet fully mature and need direction from the leader. The most appropriate decision style for Cole to use in this situation is a conservative decision style, as the risk involved in making a decision is high. The most appropriate leadership style for Cole to use with the follower who is least preferred co-worker is a task-oriented leadership style, as the follower is not someone with whom Cole has a close relationship. The
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