DB Responses: Empowerment or Leadership
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EmpowermentDBResponses.docxResponse #1 A.Carson
Step 1: The Problem
The case has many problems, first Jennifer’s inability to divide the work amongst the group, her lack of mentoring her team members, and the team’s accountability. Thomas Reid once said, “The chain is only as strong as its weakest link”. In this case, the team is not the weakest link it is Jennifer, because of her inability to manage her old peers. Kinicki (2021) mentions Jennifer’s workdays became longer, with 15 hour days and no personal time on the weekends. The problem with this is Jennifer is not pushing her old peers to complete their tasks on time and in the proper manner. Another problem is the team is okay with a relaxed work ethic since they never get in trouble for it.
It is the manager’s job to ensure their employees are up to date and properly trained. Jennifer did not define the requirements her team needed to meet on the new project. The team’s lack of knowledge on their project caused them to have a lack of accountability because they knew Jennifer would fix any issues. Boni & Sammut (2019) highlighted the qualities of being a leader, thus including the ability to have a distinct voice, the ability to engage others, and adaptive capacity. These are things that Jennifer lacked in the passage, causing her to have issues with her team.
Step 2: Potential Causes
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte said: "if you want something done, do it yourself”. That quote does apply to many situations however the workplace is not one. Jennifer is highly regarded and the top-performing she knew she was the best, causing her to not allow any of her peers to show their potential. One can conclude that Jennifer is used to doing everything herself because her peers were so relaxed with their work ethic. Another cause for the problem is Jennifer did not have any leadership training, causing her to not adapt well to her new role. Her staff knew her work ethic and they knew she would work hard for perfection so they did not have to step up, causing there own downfall.
Step 3: Recommendations
Being a new manager is sometimes hard and I have learned that from my personal experiences. I was like Jennifer at a point in time, completing all tasks by myself and never dividing the workload. The first recommendation I would make for Jennifer is to trust her team with a task she knows the individuals are strong. Another recommendation is defining how she wants the project done, and chastising anyone who does not follow the rules. Psalm 119:105 your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Smith). This scripture can urge Jennifer to understand just like when God says things to his people they follow she must do the same. She must set forth the foundation for her employees. Finding her voice as a new leader is important because it will set the tone and allow the team to know she is the leader first and a peer second. Also, I’d advise Jennifer to seek a management training course so she can understand how to transition from her previous role to her current role.
References
Boni, A. & Sammut, S. (2019). The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Leadership Lessons From Two Companies-Amgen and Theranos. Journal of Commercial Biotechnology. Vol 24. “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly”: Leadership Lessons From two Companies – Amgen and Theranos - ProQuest
Kinicki, A. (2021). Organizational Behavior: A Practical, Problem-Solving Approach. McGraw Hill. 3rd Edition.
Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved October 26, 2021. Napoleon Bonaparte - If you want a thing done well, do it... (brainyquote.com)
Reid, T. (1785). Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man.
Smith, S. (2021). Open Bible. OpenBibleInfo. What Does the Bible Say About Change? (openbible.info)
Read Less
Response #2 K. Mariam
Step 1: Define the Problem
Elon Reeve Musk is an entrepreneur and business magnate of our generation. He is the founder and CEO of Space X and manages multiple other companies. Whenever I think of Elon Musk, this quote
comes to mind from Apple’s now-iconic “Think Different” campaign. “Here is to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things
differently. They are not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you cannot do is ignore them. Because they
change things. They push the human race forward. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who
do.” Elon Musk is truly one of our generation’s exceptional and inspirational leaders. According to Kinicki, “Leadership is a process whereby individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal”
(Kinicki, 2006). Based on our case study, Musk has a keen ability to express his ideas and get people excited about them and has garnered praise for his visionary leadership. He has also been criticized for his
“unachievable” and “unrealistic” goals. For this reason and because of some of Musk’s personality traits, his companies have lost money and their reputations. Looking at figure 13.6 in our textbook, it seems that
the problem in Elon Musk’s case would fall under personal factors. In situational factors, his personality and leadership style can also be blamed for some of the problems his companies are facing.
Step 2: Identify the Causes of the problem.
According to our case study, Elon Musk seems to be an overconfident/ stubborn leader. He rarely takes ‘No’ for an answer. Even though this is not necessarily a bad trait, kept unchecked, it can create a
disengaged and unhappy workforce. Such a trait was clearly demonstrated in the manufacturing and production of the Model 3. Model 3 was the car that is designed for the masses but faced production
problems. The main reason is Musk’s ambitious goal of using robots to assemble cars. He went against the advice of many of his engineers which caused many of them to leave the company.
The second cause might be mental health. During his appearance on Saturday Night Live, Elno Musk revealed that he has Asperger’s syndrome. Asperger's disorder is a “pervasive developmental disorder that
shares similar features of social impairment disorder, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors with the autistic disorder” (Khouzam, El-Gabalawi, Pirwani (2004)). This syndrome is associated with having very
obsessive interests and having difficulty in social interactions. Elon himself has said that he experiences highs and lows. This can explain his many foolish arguments with different people including Thailand
cave rescuer, Amazon’s Jeff Bezo and many more. He also seems very sensitive to criticism.
Step 3: Make recommendations for solving the problem
In order to solve these problems, we have to start by facing the facts and going directly to the source. As a recommendation, Elon Musk must work on his emotional stability and his leadership skills. He must
start by taking responsibility for his actions. In order to be a great leader, he must lead by example. If Elon Musk wants Tesla to be successful, he must embrace transformational leadership. Transformational
leaders “transform their followers to peruse organizational goals over self-interest” ( Kinicki, 2006). In its authentic form, this kind of leadership enhances the motivation, morale, and performance of employees
in a variety of ways. Having mentors and coaches that can train and guide him in this effort would be most useful.
Biblical Integration
When we read about King David and King Saul, we learn what God considers to be a good leader. In 1 Samuel 15, we read about King Saul’s disobedience to God’s clear instruction. We also see King Saul’s
rebellion and arrogance costing him dearly. He was rejected by God and his kingdom was given to David. God said, “I have found David Son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him
to do” (Acts 13:22). As the scripture clearly states, God was pleased with David for one main reason which is David was a great follower of God. He was obedient and loved and trust the Lord with all his heart.
In order for us to be great leaders, we must first be great followers.
Reference
Khouzam, H. R., El-Gabalawi, F., Pirwani, N., & Priest, F. (2004). Asperger's disorder: a review of its diagnosis and treatment. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 45(3), 184-191. http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fscholarly-journals%2Faspergers-disorder-review-diagnosis-treatment%2Fdocview%2F71897935%2Fse-2
King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1769)
Kinicki, A. (2006). ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR: A PRACTICAL PROBLEM SOLVING APPRACH. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 3rd ed.
Kinicki, A. (2006). ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR: A PRACTICAL PROBLEM SOLVING APPRACH: LEADERSHIP MATTERS. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 3rd ed., p.543.
