Deck 11: The Situation

Question 1

Consider the factors from the Situational Leadership theory outlined in Figure 12.4. Apply these factors ot Jacobs and Windber.

Answer 1

Leaders follow various approaches to lead organizational change. Based on the situation, leaders sometimes use the emotional approach too. The emotional approaches are broadly of two types: Charismatic and Transformational Leadership. 
The current case is about the founder of a successful software firm. He can be categorized as a charismatic leader. Charismatic leaders have a passion and have a great vision of the future. He is passionate about programming and has the vision to be the first person to write a program which could make the personal computers available to the public. To realize his dream, he used to set ambitious deadlines and work hard towards them. Charismatic leaders inspire their followers though their vision, commitment and the followers look up to them. Followers too inspired by the leaders try to work hard and achieve more. Employees of the firm worked very hard inspired by the passion, vision and skills of him. He can be called a charismatic leader for sure.

Question 2

Given the description of the leadership situation facing the airplane crash survivors described in Chapter 1, how would leader-member exchange, the normative decision model, the situational leadership theory, the contingency model, and the path-goal theory prescribe that a leader should act?

Answer 2

The story of plane crash discuss about the tragedy, courage, leadership- follower relationship etc. This is a very drastic situation where an effective leadership and followership has saved the life of the survivors of the plane crash. Not only in organizations but also in the real life an effective leadership-followership relationship can help the achievement of success.
The applicability of the leadership theories on the air plane crash situation has been discussed as follows.
Leader member exchange : According to this theory of leadership there should be a two way relationship between the leader and the follower. This leadership theory specifies that leaders and followers should be committed, accountable towards each other. According to the air crash situation, it reflects an effective leader member exchange. The healthy survivors went to seek help where the others worked for their food and travel requirements.
The normative decision model : This theory describes about the effectiveness of the decision making process. When there is a crisis situation like the air crash group decision making may not work well as there is a shortage of time. The panic situation can hinder the effectiveness of the group decision making. Hence, this theory insists an optimal decision has to be taken by an optimal decision maker.
The situational leadership theory : According to this model the leaders can consider the crisis situation and can take leadership decision or strategy. Here in this situation, this theory insists that the dominant and a healthy survivor can take decision or strategy in order to rescue themselves.
The contingency model : This model emphasis on the motivation and the quality leadership. This theory is well applicable in this situation. The healthy survivors can motivate the injured survivors and can take strategies in order to get rescued.
The path goal theory : This theory emphasis on motivating the employees and reaching the goal effectively. This theory insists that the healthy survivors can motivate the injured survivors. Once they gain the mental or physical stability, they can work together to get rescued.

Question 3

Consider the followers/employees of Gates. What are some of the unique characteristics of Gates's followers that might identify him as charismatic or transformational?

Answer 3

Leaders follow various approaches to lead organizational change. Based on the situation, leaders sometimes use the emotional approach too. The emotional approaches are broadly of two types: Charismatic and Transformational Leadership.
The current case is about the founder of a successful software firm. He can be categorized as a charismatic leader. Charismatic leaders have a passion and have a great vision of the future. He is passionate about programming and has the vision to be the first person to write a program which could make the personal computers available to the public. To realize his dream, he used to set ambitious deadlines and work hard towards them. Charismatic leaders inspire their followers though their vision, commitment and the followers look up to them. Followers too inspired by the leaders try to work hard and achieve more. Employees of the firm worked very hard inspired by the passion, vision and skills of him. He can be called a charismatic leader for sure. The unique characteristics of him to classify him as a charismatic leader are his vision to achieve those which have been never done in the past, his commitment towards his vision, his skill sets and the way he leads his team.

Question 4

Can leaders be flexible in how they interact with others? Do you believe leaders can change their behavior? Their personalities?