Reference no: EM133531123

Scenario 1

For the monthly team building meeting for mid-level managers at Grotto Inc. the head of the Human Resource Department has hired a management consultant to facilitate a self-reflection exercise on personality and leadership. You and your colleagues were all asked to individually complete a questionnaire and bring the results to the meeting. The atmosphere at the meeting is tense because Thom and Maria were recently promoted despite being in the company for only a couple of years. Thom and Maria are both external hires and are often praised for their ability to get employees to work together and stimulate innovative work processes in their units. Some of the longer-tenured mid-level managers, however, have questioned the decision to promote Thom and Maria since they only have little knowledge about the specifics and the nuances of the manufacturing process. As the meeting unfolds you are reflecting on the following questions:

Question

1. Why are self-assessments of individuals' personalities a relevant tool for discussing a person's ability to lead and be effective as a leader?

2. What personality factors are linked to better leadership outcomes, and why?

3. Why were Thom and Maria promoted? Are some leadership skills more important than others when advancing from mid-level management to executive management positions?

Scenario 2

ActNow! is a non-profit promoting environmentally sustainable consumer behavior in retail. Taking over as the new head of the organization from Maddy Pierce you have had several exit interviews with Maddy to learn from her experiences. Maddy told you that when faced with challenging tasks such as crafting nationwide campaigns she would draw on a select committee consisting of John, Tina and Lori. Why? Because she could count on them to go the extra mile and she would keep them in the loop about upcoming campaigns so that they would be ready to take on such special tasks. The campaign office consists of an additional two select committees that mainly work the nuts and bolts of the campaigns once they have been designed by John, Tina, and Lori.

Question

4. Explain the distinction between in and out groups in Leader-Member Exchange Theory.

5. Based on the case description, were there in and out groups under Maddy's leadership? If so, which are they?

6. Taking over the role as leader of ActNow! would you take action to change the relationship status between you and the workgroups? If so, why?

Scenario 3

An unforeseen decrease in sales numbers at Grotto Inc. has led the executive management to change sales projections. As a consequence, a reorganization has been planned for your department - the innovation and product development team - that will see your team merged with the sales and marketing division. You have been asked to draft a strategic plan for the merger. The plan should include a vision for the new department to embrace the values of the existing departments. As one of two people in the new management team, you have volunteered to address the staff at the upcoming annual retreat. You believe that the retreat offers a great opportunity to communicate the new vision, clarify its meaning and significance, and connect it to the core job tasks completed by staff on an everyday basis.

Question

7. Define the concept of charisma. Is charisma learnable or an innate characteristic of a few select people? Provide an argument for your position.

8. Describe the two elements of an effective vision statement.

9. Outline a vision for the new department consisting of product developers, marketing personnel, and sales representatives. Explain why you believe your vision will be effective at appealing to and motivating staff.

10. Discuss why it might prove difficult for you to motivate all the different groups of staff through a single coherent vision for the new department (hint: consider potential differences in what motivates the different groups of staff). Will you have to complement a transformational leadership strategy with other types of leadership behaviors? If so, what other leadership behaviors might prove useful? If not, why is transformational leadership sufficient in this context?