Part Four ? Focus on the Situation developmental Questions 1. Given the descript
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Part Four?Focus on the Situation developmental
Questions
1. Given the description of the leadership situation facing the airplane crash survivors described in Chapter 1, how would leader–member ex- change, the normative decision model, the situational leadership the- ory, the contingency model, and the path–goal theory prescribe that a leader should act?
2. Can leaders be flexible in how they interact with others? Do you be- lieve leaders can change their behavior? Their personalities?
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3. Think of a leadership situation with which you are familiar. Apply each of the theories in this chapter to the situation. Which theory best fits the interaction of the leader, followers, and situation in your example? Does any theory allow you to predict a likely or preferred outcome for a current challenge?
Minicase
Big Changes for a Small Hospital
As F. Nicholas Jacobs toured the Windber Medical Center facility, he was dismayed by the industrial pink-painted walls, the circa-1970 furniture, and the snow leaking through the windows of the conference room. Em- ployeesearned 30 percent less than their counterparts in the area, and turnover was steep. As Windber’s newest president, Jacobs knew he was the facility’s last hope—if he couldn’t successfully turn around the aging facility, it would mean closing the doors forever.
Coming to Windber Medical Center in 1997, Jacobs was keenly aware that the hospital could be the next in a series of small hospitals that had fallen victim to a struggling economy. Determined to see that not happen, he began by making connections with the employees of the hospital and the community at large. Jacobs’s first step was to interview the employees to find out firsthand what they wanted for the Windber community and the medical center. He also looked to members of local community groups like the local library, the Agency on Aging, and local politicians and asked these groups what they wanted from their local medical facility. When Jacobs realized that octogenarians made up a larger percentage of the population in Windber, Pennsylvania, than in all of Dade County, Florida
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Chapter 13?Contingency Theories of Leadership?555
he made it a priority to provide more options to seniors for improving their health and quality of life. He set forth a vision of a medical center that was more of a community center—a center that would allow mem- bers of the community to exercise in a state-of-the-art facility while having access to professionals to answer health-related questions. Jacobs realized that keeping people in the community both physically and mentally healthy also meant keeping the hospital financially healthy. He made the center’s new preventative care philosophy clear to the public: “Work out at our hospital so you can stay out of our hospital.”
Jacobs’s efforts have paid off—in an era when small hospitals are clos- ing left and right, Windber Medical Center is thriving. Under Jacobs’s leadership Windber has established an affiliation with the Planetree treat- mentsystem, which integrates meditation, massage, music, and other ho- listic methods into traditional health care. Windber’s wellness center, which offers fitness training, yoga, and acupuncture, among other treat- ments, opened in January 2000 and now generates over $500,000 annually. Gone are the pink walls and dated furniture—replaced with fountains, plants, and modern artwork. Jacobs recruited a former hotel manager to oversee food service. And despite the dismissal of about 32 employees (those used to a more traditional hospital setting had a tough time in the new environment), the staff has nearly doubled to 450 employees, and pay has improved. Windber has raised more than $50 million in public and private funding and has forged research partnerships with the Walter Reed Army Health System and the University of Pittsburgh, among oth- ers. The Windber Research Institute, Windber’s heart disease reversal pro- gram, has treated about 250 patients.
1. Consider the factors from the situational leadership theory outlined in Figure 13.4. Apply these factors to Jacobs and Windber.
2. How do you think Jacobs would score on the least preferred co-worker (LPC) scale? Why?
3. Based on the success of Windber, in what rang
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3. Based on the success of Windber, in what range would you guess the overall situational favorability might fall for Jacobs on the continuum illustrated in Figure 13.6?
Sources: http://www.careerjournaleurope.com/columnists/inthelead/20030827 inthelead.html; http://www.haponline.org/ihc/hospitalshealthsystems/models2.asp; http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04013/260747.stm.
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a Process Not a High Participating Low k Delegsting ocon the Leader Now relationshi Subject Inde What is the task to lactor is readiness Ch the otherExplanation / Answer
According to leader-member exchange model, the leader will work to develop special relationships with all followers, should offer each follower an opportunity for new roles ,responsibilities, and challenges, should nurture high-quality exchanges with all followers, and should focus on ways to build trust and respect with all subordinates. The normative decision model is directed solely at determining how much input subordinates should have in the decision-making process. Precisely because the normative decision model is limited only to decision making and is not a grand, all-encompassing theory. Although leaders often have different interactional styles when dealing with individual followers, is there an optimum way for leaders to adjust their behavior with different followers and thereby increase their likelihood of success? And if there is, what factor should the leader base his behavior on – the follower’s intelligence? Personality traits? Values? Preferences? Technical competence? A model called situational leadership offers answers to these questions. According to contingency model the leadership effectiveness is primarily determined by selecting the right kind of leader for a certain situation or changing the situation to fit the particular leader’s style. The leadership effectiveness depends on both the leader’s style and the favorableness of the leadership situation. Following the path-goal theory, the leader will provide or ensure the availability of valued rewards for followers (the goal) and then help them find the best way of getting there. Along the way, the leader will help the followers identify and remove roadblocks an avoid dead ends, also will provide emotional support as needed. The leader’s actions should strengthen follower’s beliefs that if they exert a certain level of effort, they will be more likely to accomplish the task.
2. Can leaders be flexible in how they interact with others? Do you believe leaders can change their behavior? Their personalities?
I believe a good leader must be flexible. Many leaders are not strong in the ability to be flexible, but must learn to be flexible. Leaders need to welcome and encourage change and learn to adapt. Welcoming change and therefore being flexible indicates to co-workers that the leader is open to accepting what it takes to get the task done. A good leader need to acquire the ability to change their behavior. Keeping an open door policy can enhance interacting with co-workers and help address many of the demands, but knowing how to delegate, prioritize and work outside their own comfort zone is a must. Many leaders find changing their behavior difficult, but it is a skill that can be develop. I believe changing personality is very hard, or impossible, this is also according to psychologists. However some people do possess the ability to develop better quality leadership skills.
One of the leadership situation that I can think of is organizing the Christmas party for our group of friends. I believe the theory that best fits of my example is Situational Leadership Model. For a current challenge, applying Path-Goal Theory, will have a preferred outcome, even so according to this theory the preferred outcome will come with a higher effort.
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