Introduction


            Interdependencies exist among several factors of an organization. As major determinants of organizational success, these are the structure, style of management, shared values, staff, strategy, skills and systems (, 2000, ). When one element is changed, the whole organization is affected. The dynamic nature of the people within an organization dictates the organizational environment and employee performance.  Thus, managing people’s behaviour within an organization is a real challenge (, 2002, . ).


Case Background


Based on the given scenario, the company lacks strategic planning and communication. Strategic planning is defined as the development of necessary procedures and operations to achieve organizational success (, ). In lieu, we can assess the case of the manufacturing company through a chaos and complexity theory. Organizational chaos theory refers to deterministic processes that can generate complex behavioural patterns in organizations. Identifying and managing chaos or lack of structure or order in an organization have managerial impacts (, ). We can consider the appointment of Ada and the attitude and the questionable decision-making of the managing director, , as chaotic. Combined, both underpins the professional jealousy, poor discipline among the employees, lack of teamwork and less productive workforce as evidences of complexities in the organization.


            Leadership-wise, both Roddy and Ada proved to be less effective. There are four types of leaders – the dominant boss, the ambitious professional, the informal influencer and the reluctant leader.  Roddy falls under the dominant boss category and Ada as the ambitious professional while both are informal influencers and reluctant leaders.  Leadership can be distinguished as explicit and implicit and formal and informal. Explicit leadership is base on leader’s actual behaviour (overt) that are measured and evaluated and implicit leadership theory is founded on conceptual structure, definition and expectation of the people on how a leader should behave (covert). Based on explicit and implicit leadership theories (ILT), we can analyze the personality of Roddy and Ada. Assessing the implicit leadership theory always incorporates explicit elements (, 2005, ). ILT is also known as attribution theory whereas if the leader is perceived to be charismatic, the perception is actually an attribution of charisma (, 2004, ). We can claim that Roddy is a strong-minded leader. His decisions are more important to him than the quality of his decision-making. In effect, Roddy implicitly create a tyrant leader in Ada. Ada’s autocratic treatment of her work and her subordinates leads to objections to her credibility and professional jealousy among her workmates as well as putting the company’s reputation at stake.


            There are other ways to examine the leadership structure in the manufacturing company through transactional and transformational leadership theories (, n.d., ). Transactional leaders are viewed as the traditional manger who is concern with day-to-day operations of the company while the transformational leaders are those who are able to inspire, influence and empower others with long-term visions (, 2001, ). Roddy and Ada are both transactional leaders. They are both task-oriented that underpins the dependence of their subordinates. In effect, the sense of altruism within the workplace was not developed and employees exhibited irrational judgments toward both Roddy and Ada (, 2006, ).   


            Expert power model also exists in organizations since there are specific skills necessary for a particular organization. Acquiring power expertise necessitates physical, mental and interpersonal skills in order to maintain the skill level, to ensure dependence relationship between the organization and the individual and to maintain personal control. As such, the position given to Ada requires an expertise that she does not possess (, 2000, ). Ada falls short of the expectations of her subordinate, same way with Roddy. Her questionable expertise does not give her the legitimacy to exercise power among her subordinates and Roddy did not even bother to institutionalize Ada’s skills; thus, power remains with Ada of doing things on her way and not from an organizational perspective. She never met with her subordinates, there were no established workflow and standards and she did not address corrective measures while Roddy did not employ appointment standards in the first place.


            Different motivational theories also explain the behaviour of the employees. These are content theories, cognitive-choice theories and self-regulation theories. The first theory emphasizes the role of personality, values and motives (, 1995, ). Job characteristics theory and self theory employs the need-motive-value approach. As a single psychological motive, job characteristic theory concerns the effect of characteristics or the work with motivation. Only organizational members with strong personal needs are more likely to develop strong internal motivation and won’t take advantage of the opportunities. Further, self theory deals with the fundamental needs to maintain and enhance the phenomenal self ( ). The cognitive-choice theories focus on the cognitive processes that involve choice. Vroom’s valence-instrumentality- expectancy theory and Weiner’s three-dimensional attribution theory (locus, stability and controllability) are examples of this. The former emphasizes that successful performance is the direct result of effort and the latter explains that motivation is the influence of attributions on behavior (, , 2001, ). Self-regulation theories are goal-oriented. Such theories answer implementation problems within the organization. As entity or incremental theories, an organization analyzes goals based on autonomy needs, conflict and self-actualization ( and , 2000, ).


            To assess, the leaders, managers, teams, and employees of the company has psychological ineffectiveness. The lack of workplace motivation is based on several factors such as: the reward system (appointment), poor communication, lack of sense of ownership, employee participation and the gap between the top management and employees. The organization has to overcome particular implementation problems. The company tried to compensate failure to designate a well-skilled individual in the position; hence, Roddy resorted at various control strategies through appointing Ada as the IT Service Manager and employing ‘I-am-the-boss-here’ attitude. The effects are psychological as employees start to feel their effort is not being recognized, lost of trust to the leaders and the employees might have a notion that the company is really incapable to hire well-skilled workers; therefore, the company might experience turnover in the months or years to come. Ada, on the other hand, grabs the opportunity without any efforts of self-assessment and, in return, the perception that she did not really fit the job role was proven. While also the employees proved that they lack initiative as workers since they let the characteristics of Roddy and Ada and their strong personal motives dictate their productivity and efficiency. Instead of setting their goals in a more productive way, they dwell into objecting at Roddy’s decision, finding faults at Ada’s expense and professional jealousy.


Recommendation


            Strategic planning can be viewed as a systematic approach. As  put it, contingency theory is a subset of systems theory that provides a clear linkage towards strategic planning.  The theory determines which managerial practices and techniques are appropriate for “specific situations”. Three characteristics of contingency theory are: an open system wherein organization interacts with social, political and economic systems, practical research that leads to effective management and multivariate and capacity analysis (2000, ). Contingency is applicable for organzaitional and leadership perspectives.


            The company should have a well-established open system of interaction and communication to build connections and rapport (, ). The company must also inhibit a strong standard of human resource processes such as hiring process and people empowerment.  Furthermore, Roddy and Ada must adjust their leadership styles to the maturity level of their subordinates. While since both leaders lack positive interventions towards their subordinates, from being transactional leaders, the two must be converted into transformational leaders that provide vision and sense of mission, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized considerations (, 2006, ). Organizational characteristics, in addition, must be aligned with self-concepts because organizational psychology overlaps with personnel psychology. These conditions spring to training needs identification, employee performance and job satisfaction, group processes and dynamics, career development and organizational decision-making (, 2001, ).


Conclusion


            There are so many factors to consider in assessing the leadership and employee behaviours – management style, communication, commitment to standards, empowered employees, customer relations and motivation among others. These are evidently lacking in our company and succeeding over organizational failures and shortcomings are not an overnight process. Organizational changes also involve a top-to-bottom approach for a more effective leadership. Along the process, attitudes and personalities that must be strategically aligned with the overall purpose of the company. The leaders and mangers must be keep guarded on their decisions, capabilities and knowledge as this has profound effect on motivation of the employees. In our case, Roddy and Ada must not neglect the fact that they are being closely watched by their subordinates; in essence, they must act as real leaders for their subordinates to follow. Roddy and Ada must be of good examples to their subordinates.


References


 



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