Leslie is a middle-level production manager at the California branch of ALT Corp. ALT Corp. is an automobile manufacturing company that specializes in the manufacture of heavy motor vehicles. Leslie's job is to supervise his assembly line employees. Leslie has worked in this position for over four years, and he strongly believes that a supportive leadership style is most suitable in his context. Which of the following, if true, would weaken Leslie's approach to leadership in this case?
A) The company is planning to lay off some employees in the near future.
B) The company has stopped the production of most of its older models as it wants to focus on the most profitable models.
C) The assembly line jobs are routine and highly structured by nature.
D) The recent round of OSHA inspections revealed that many assembly line employees were not complying with stipulated safety measures.
E) The company's workforce is comprised primarily of employees of the baby boomer generation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fact that the company is planning to lay off some employees in the near future does not weaken Leslie's supportive approach to leadership. The fact that the company has stopped the production of most of its older models as it wants to focus on the most profitable models does not weaken Leslie's supportive approach to leadership; it may strengthen his approach as the employees, being familiar with the process for assembling these models, would require less directions and supervision. The fact that assembly line jobs are routine and highly structured by nature strengthens Leslie's supportive approach to leadership. The fact that the recent round of OSHA inspections revealed that many assembly line employees were not complying with stipulated safety measures weakens Leslie's supportive approach. This is because the assembly line employees seem to require someone who would ensure their compliance with safety regulations. The fact that the company's workforce is comprised primarily of employees of the baby boomer generation strengthens Leslie's approach as this generation of employees would be highly experienced in their jobs.

Leslie Is a Middle-Level Production Manager at the California Branch