A Case Analysis: Initial Assessment
Tiffany Brown
South University
June 12, 2019
A Case Analysis: Initial Assessment
The Purpose for Intervention
Prison X is facing a lot of problems; there is a substantial gap between the prison warden and his team. The team feels that they are overworked, undercompensated, underappreciated, and unfulfilled. They normally complain about the leadership style of their leader. The team describe the prison warden as uninvolved, cold, distant, and apathetic. The management team is now leaving the organization to seek employment elsewhere due to these issues. However, John Trevor, unassuming, and a pleasant gentleman is so surprised to hear of his management team's dissatisfactions. Trevor describes his team as an exemplary team of caring/helpful professionals. He expresses serious concerns on the security and the safety of the prison, inmates, and other employees should there be a mass departure of the team. The purpose of the intervention is to assess the above situation and come up with strategies to lessen these issues.
The Key Facts
The management team has issues with John Trevor's leadership style, as they describe Trevor as uninvolved, cold, distant, and apathetic. The team members are also unsatisfied with the organization as they feel they are overworked, undercompensated, underappreciated, and unfulfilled.
Analysis
Effective leadership style, employees' satisfaction, and effective communication are so significant for the health of any organization. As a consultant, I am going to analyse the specific issues, challenges, and needs that may be affecting Prison X and its culture. I will also provide effective strategies to solve these issues.
Leadership style is the approach and manner of providing implementation plans, direction, and motivating people. The execution of any organizational duties and its success depend on effective leadership style. Leadership style is significant not only for managing and absorbing workers' uncertainties on the future but for involving the staffs, increasing the overall job satisfaction, and deepening the organizational commitment. It is normally regarded as the most significant factor in the failure and success of an organization. It influences employee productivity, morale, job satisfaction, reliance, stress, and organizational commitment (Yukl & Yukl, 2002). When the leadership style is effective, it influences growth and development, creates a trusting atmosphere, which can improve general performance. A successful institution depends on a good leader.
It is significant to look at the different types of leadership styles.
· Autocratic leadership – autocratic/authoritarian leaders centralize decision-making and power in himself/herself.
· Democratic leadership – democratic/participative leaders decentralises authority
· The Laissez fair leadership – This type of a leader passes on their duties for decision-making to his/her subordinates.
· Paternalistic leadership style – the leader assumes that his/her roles are paternal or fatherly.
In this scenario, the management team describes the prison warden as uninvolved, cold, distant, and apathetic. Let's analyse each of these characteristics, cold is a feature that involves a lack of emotional connection or physical emotion. It is also an adjective that depends on the eye and thinking of the beholder. What may be considered unemotional or cold in one culture may not be considered so by another. Therefore, the fact the prison warden has chosen to be cold to the dynamic of the workplace has less or nothing to do with leadership style. And so much to do with personal defence tool, especially in an unfriendly environment like prison. The prison warden will, therefore, have to communicate effectively to his team any reason for his behaviour to avoid further issues.
The team has also described the prison warden as uninvolved. The prison warden has decided to be uninvolved to the task that the team is currently undertaking since he thinks that they are independent, experienced, and capable, which means that they don't need real supervision (Bryman, 1996). However, this decision has proved not to work, therefore, he needs to be involved with his team no matter how mature and capable they have proved to be.
The team has also described the prison warden as distance. When a leader is leading his followers at a distance, it means that there may be a few chances of communication, and the chances of miscommunication may grow considerably. The prison warden should, therefore, communicate frequently, being involved with the team frequently to avoid this problem.
The management team has also described the prison warden as apathetic. A person who is apathetic is someone who does not show interest or emotions. Not having interest means not possessing external or internal motivation to accomplish anything (Hollander & Offermann, 1990). Lack of motivation diminishes any potential leadership skills. The following strategies can help to solve this issue; the prison warden should take his time to communicate his accomplishment to the team, outline his plans of action, keep the team focused, stay positive, and ask the team discovery questions. These will show that prison warden cares about the team.
The management team also feel they are overworked, undercompensated, underappreciated, and unfulfilled. This means that the team is not satisfied with their work, salaries, and the overall organization. Staffs' satisfaction plays a substantial aspect of the success of any organization (Lawler III, 1973). The organization can correct the above issues by doing the following; introduce reward and recognition, increase members' engagement, develop the potential and skills of the team members, provide a positive and a conducive environment, assess and measure the job satisfaction.
References
Bryman, A. (1996). Leadership in organizations. Handbook of organization studies, 276, 292.
Hollander, E. P., & Offermann, L. R. (1990). Power and leadership in organizations: Relationships in transition. American psychologist, 45(2), 179.
Lawler III, E. E. (1973). Motivation in work organizations. Brooks/Cole Publishing Co., Monterey, California
Yukl, G. A., & Yukl, G. (2002). Leadership in organizations. 5th Edition, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River.