According to the “Markwell FE College” case study, from the organizational behaviour percept, it is mainly covers three topics, in terms of Leadership and Management, Managing conflict and People and Change. Therefore, the author will critically analysis this case based on those three topics and how it is applied in this case. Likewise, indetify and measure the gaps in this case provided as well. At the end, recommendations for addressing the issues with suggested ownership for the improvement of each problem in the order of priority.
The scenario
In “Markwell FE College” case, in the past the central administration and records department was the most sociable and efficiency run office within “Markwell FE College”. However, in recent summer holidays, something happened. The newly appointed college director – Paul Rennie, had made some important decisions which affected a number of employees in a significant fashion, and it led the group and organizational problems as well. These problems considerably influenced this college in the short and long term run. In this organization, from the author’s point of view, there are at least 4 people management issues are touched as followed, the listed 3 topics are selected for further detail analysis and the rest is generally displayed.
The aim of this paper presents a critically analysis of the “Markwell FE College” case, since currently this college is being experiencing to restructuring the underlying central records system. However, by utilising this new system, there are some negative issues occurred; in order to properly solve these problems, and build cohesive and efficiency driven force within this organization in the short and long term, the author adopted some authority theories and carefully applied them within this case study.
3.1 Leadership and management
Laurie J. Mullins (1996, p246) noted that ‘leadership is vitally important at all levels within the company, from main board to the shopfloor. Leadership is the moral and intellectual ability to visualise and work for what is best for the company and its employees…The most vital thing the leader dose is to creat team spirit around him and near him, not in a schoolboy sense, but in realistic terms of mature adults…To be effective leadership has to be seen, and it is best seen in action’. The definition and interpretation about leadership’s meaning are vairous, there is no clear or agreed definition about what is exactly leadership mean. Therefore, to generalise about leadship, the essence point which Laurie J. Mullins (1996, p246) claimed that ‘a leadership is a relationship through which one person influences the behaviour or actions of other people’.
In general, the reserachers divided three kinds of theories about leadship, such as
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Trait theories: Trait spotting – Selection (further details explaination see appendice 1). 15
- Behavioral theories: Style counseling - Training & Development
Based on the Michigan and Ohio State studies, Katz, Maccoby and Morse (1950, p716) labelled two dimensions of leadship behaviour: ‘consideration (employee-cented behaviour: focusing on relationships and employee needs) and initiating structure (job-centred behaviour: focusing on getting the job done). Therefore, the Michigan and Ohio perspectives offer leaders ‘one best way’ to handle followers, by adopting the ‘high-consideration, high-structure’ ideal’.
- Situational / contingency theories: Context fitting or style fitting
However, departing from ‘one best way’, Robert Tannenbaum and Warren Schmidt (1958, p718) claimed that ‘the autocratic-democratic choice as continuum, from ‘boss - centred leadership’ at one extrme to ‘subordinate – centred leadership’ at the other’. Further detail information shows on appendice 2. (slide 21)
In the “Markwell Fe College” case, the college director - Paul Rennie considerably exams the initiating structure and boss – centred leadership. The author takes the following reasons into accout for further analysis:
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First, when Paul disturbed by the certral records office staff’s party, he used the top-down power to talk to Louise Falconer and other participants. His words very stressful and unkind. From the positive side, he pointed out a good current problem exsiting in the central administration and records office – too many unstaffs crowed in this office, this ‘open house’ situation may bring security problem to those confidential documents. However, as a perfessional leader, he should knows how to balance between the treating way towards the individual subordinates. Such as he can use some humor language to clearly express what he really wants his staff to obey or to do. Likewise, he may tell Louise to set up some limitation rules in her office.
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Second, when Paul decided to restructing the central records system, he asked Dr. Fay Moore to fully responsible to implement this new plan. At the same time, when the new system sets up, he just hold a meeting to announce it and told Louise and her staff to start to operate it. And during his short meeting nobody asked any questions, he thought that is a encourge sign. In fact, according to the situational leadship, Paul shall expalin decisions and provide opportunity for clarification. For example, before remaintance the records system, he should hold a meeting with both Dr. Moore and Louise. From Louise side he needs to know what she needs the new systems contribute to her office, and for Dr. Moore, he should restructured the new system based on Louise requirements.
- Last but not least, during running the new system, complaints happened, and after Paul understanded what the main reasons caused that, he completely ignored them. Accordingly, when complaints dramatically went up, he called Louise to his office to blamed her inproperly utilize the new system, and when Louise gave the explaination to him, he just lost his temper and told her that he decided to transfer Bill Whyte to take her position. Paul avoids to solve problems, and lack of good communication skills with subordinates. Actually, he may need to provide training to the records office staff, to let them to properly to use the new system. Moreover, when problem happened, he needs to listen to some suggestions from Louise or her staff, since they are the key persons who are really working in the records office.
Problems in short term run to the college:
From the author’s point of view, generally, if Paul still interpreted leadship style as current, it may enhance more stress and conflicts within this college. Such as records office staffs can not concentrate to deal with their routine jobs, more compliants may happened continously. Thus, hold a meeting with the central office staffs, give the opportinity to them to speak out and try to find the properly solution immediately.
Problems in long term run to the college:
In a long term, the central records office staff may still can not implement the new system very well, since the essential training is not under Paul’s consideration. At the same time, if Bill Whyte really transferred to central records office, it may leads Louise and Paul’s conflict degree increase rapidly. And these conflicts mays involve in other departments within this college. Therefore, as a good leader for right now and in the future, Paul should has the ability to perceive, integrate, understand and reflectively manage one’s own and other people’s feelings, try to apply win – win strategy within his organization.
3.2 Managing conflict
According to Lynette J. Hoy, ‘Conflict is a natural disagreement resulting from individuals or groups that differ in attitudes, beliefs, values or needs. It can also originate from past rivalries and personality differences. Other causes of conflict include trying to negotiate before the timing is right or before needed information is available’. (). Conflict is inevitable within organisations. As long as organizations are composed of and operated by human beings, there will be conflict. When such conflict is recognized, acknowledged and managed in a proper manner, organizational benefits will accrue.
Normally, there are 4 types of conflict within organisations:
- Individual conflict - grievance; ethical
- Group conflict - industrial action
- Institutionalised conflict - dept. v. dept.
- Emergent conflict - formal with informal groups or subordinates with superiors
There is a clealy evidence interpreted emergent conflict in this case. As a leader, Paul made the conflict with Louise at several stages:
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Firstly, at the lunch time party, he performed negative attitude to blame her straightly. Since there are so many people presented at that occasion, this may led Louise lose face, and decrease her overall performance in other people’s heart. Robert J. Edelmann (1993) argued that ‘misperceptions and misunderstanding are sometimes found stimulated the conflicts. Conflicts are seldom clearcut. Each party has their own perception and understanding of the event and these may differ markedly from each other. Two factors are involved in any realistic assessment of events; first, a careful analysis of the situation is required and, second, it is important to try to understand the view point of the other person’. Hence, Paul may he need to made some efforts to build and maintain co-operative working relationship between himself and Louise.
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Furthermore, before starting to use the new syetem, Paul just hold a meeting to informed the records office staffs, although nobody raise any question, consequently, the potencial conflict may already occurred. Meanwhile during running the new system, when some complaints happened, Paul took it easy and did not listen to any ideas or suggestions from Louise or her staffs. Although there is some positive effects (generating creative ideas for innovation), the negative effects ( resistance to teamwork, loss of confidence, lowered self-esteem) prevails as well. As Robert J. Edelmann (1993) argued ‘the magnitude of such effects depends on the nature of the conflict, the importance to the person and the duration’. Therefore, Paul may needs to have a good communication with Louise, try to reduce the conflicts with her, in this way, the new system may work as an effective and efficiency tool to this college.
Problems in short term run to the college:
From the author’s point of view, generally, if Paul still interpreted leadship style as current, it
Problems in long term run to the college:
3.3 People and change
There are
Problems in short term run to the college:
From the author’s point of view, generally, if Paul still interpreted leadship style as current, it
Problems in long term run to the college:
In conclusion, quality of products and services lays a solid foundation to the success of organisation. And the quality management in practice in Jinbei General Motors is addressed above; it is dramatically contributes to Jinbei General Motors’s quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost a lot. However, some disadvantages in Jinbei General Motors’s quality management are existing within this organisation, if Jinbei General Motors consistently apply the PDCA (plan, do, check and act) theory all the time and overcome the disadvantages mentioned on the above, then Jinbei General Motors definitely will be a winner in the intensively competitive environment and has a perspective future.
5.1 Leadership and management
5.2 Managing conflict
5.3 People and change
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Lynette J. Hoy, Strategies for Successful Relationships: Managing Conflict. [online]. Available from World Wide Web: , (Accessed 16th December 2003);
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.
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select;
Presented By: Yang Yao Page