WEAA Case – Leadership Theory Analysis

 

            When it comes to developing a successful team at WEAA, Corin Fiske definitely has her work cut out for her. Since her introduction to the organization, she has had to face an onslaught of challenges ranging from inexperienced or argumentative workers to significant annual operating losses. Though there are many operational elements that need to be addressed, Corin’s primary concern lies in developing a team capable of performing their duties and supporting organizational objectives. This can be accomplished, but Corin will need to adopt several different leadership approaches in order to do so. These leadership approaches include situational approach, path-goal theory, and transformational leadership – each of which must be used as part of a successive plan towards team development. If executed appropriately, Corin will not only develop a team capable of achieving organizational objectives, but will also develop herself into a Level 5 leader capable of making WEAA great.

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            Upon joining the team at WEAA, Corin Fiske was met with a multitude of challenges. Prior to her arrival, the radio station struggled with creating a productive and profitable business model. In fact, recent years have seen an annual operating loss of nearly $200,000. Contributing to this loss is the fact that “The membership director position has been open for over a year and consequently the station has not had a formal fund raising drive in at least two years” (Foster, pg. 111). In addition to this gap in directorship, the station has experienced a large amount of management turnover – losing four general managers in nearly four years. This inconsistent level of management has led to a laissez-fair approach to running the station. As a result, the overall quality of station operations has suffered. Because nobody has invested in the development of WEAA workers, many of the hosts lack a commitment to the goals of the station. The other station workers (volunteers) lack formal training in broadcasting standards. This not only leads to poor performance, but creates an element of conflict when Corin points out areas of opportunity such as employee punctuality and program content. Each of these factors is a challenge in itself, but Corin faces a much larger problem. She must find a way to promote unity in the WEAA organization. This is, of course, accomplished through effective leadership and will require Corin to be flexible and adaptive in her leadership approach.

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            As mentioned previously, one of the largest challenges that Corin Fiske faces at WEAA lies in the need for unity among station workers. In order for the people at WEAA to achieve positive results, they must operate as an actual team. By definition, “A team is a type of organizational group that is composed of members who are interdependent, who share common goals, and who must coordinate their activities to accomplish these goals.” (Northouse, pg. 364) The development of this team will rely upon Corin’s ability to act as an effective leader. Leadership is defined as “a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.” (Northouse, pg. 7) The process required to actually make this happen, however, is dynamic and dependent on various situational factors. As indicated by this definition, Corin must find a way to influence and motivate the employees of WEAA and must also work with them to define their common goal. Ideally, this goal would align with the existing goals established by the upper management of WEAA. However, it may first be necessary to work through a series of smaller goals that focus on the development of team members and their capability to achieve larger organizational initiatives. It is more than likely that each of these smaller elements will require varying approaches to leadership that work in succession to develop the team.

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            According to the article Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve by Jim Collins, organizations that wish to reach greatness must be guided by those he describes as “Level 5 Leaders”. These leaders share common characteristics that they developed while progressing through the other four foundational levels. Level 5 leaders are highly capable, contribute to team endeavors, are competent managers, are effective leaders, and “Build[s] enduring greatness through a paradoxical combination of personal humility plus professional will.” (Collins, pg. 5) Thanks to Corin’s past experiences in the field of broadcasting, she has demonstrated her personal capability and her ability to contribute to team goals. She has also established credit as a competent manager by not only leading professional teams but by organizing volunteer efforts and leading educational curricula. However, the transition to the WEAA team has highlighted the areas where Corin needs to continue her leadership development. Becoming an effective leader will be a critical part of Corin’s path to success with WEAA. Though Corin has previously demonstrated her ability to lead others, being an effective leader means that she will need to “catalyze[s] commitment to and vigorous pursuit of a clear and compelling vision” (Collins, pg. 5) Currently, the WEAA lacks unity. As a result, the team has no shared sense of purpose and lack a sense of commitment to organizational performance.  In order for Corin to elevate the performance of the team and develop effectiveness in leadership, she will need to engage the team in three primary forms of leadership: situational leadership, path-goal theory, and transformational leadership.

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            With regard to situational leadership, “the premise of the theory is that different situations demand different kinds of leadership. From this perspective, to be an effective leader requires that a person adapt his or her style to the demands of different situations.” (Northouse, pg. 94) The primary consideration here is that a leader must be able to identify each team member’s unique level of motivation and capability for achieving a task. Then, the leader must choose either a directive or a supportive approach to interactions with those members. Situational leadership assumes that as individuals progress in their development, they need less directive leadership and more supportive leadership. At WEAA, Corin faces the challenge of leading a team with varying levels of ability. This means that Corin must be willing and able to transition between directive leadership behaviors (telling people what to do and how to do it) and supportive leadership behaviors (engaging in two-way dialogue and offering emotional support during goal achievement). Depending on the development level of each employee, Corin must decide whether to direct, coach, support, or delegate responsibilities. There is, however, a basic level of opportunity for all station employees as it relates to understanding public radio broadcast standards. Though more developed employees may find it mildly insulting, it would be wise for Corin to begin by directing all employees on these standards. This will establish group norm behaviors and will act as a baseline for continued worker development. Once this initial element is addressed, Corin can work to identify the unique abilities of each of her followers. Ideally, the more highly developed workers could bear delegated responsibilities designed to reduce Corin’s personal workload.  These highly developed workers may also be able to support some of the neglected tasks of the station including the development of community relationships. Many of the radio hosts already have the resources to support this kind of initiative – they just need a bit of leadership support in making it happen. This delegation of tasks would enable Corin to spend more time evaluating and responding to additional worker needs and developing future talent.

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            In addition to the steps outlined by the situational approach, Corin should consider implementing concepts from the path-goal theory. The goal of this theory is “to enhance follower performance and follower satisfaction by focusing on follower motivation.” (Northouse, pg. 116) Effective leaders can support the path-goal approach by offering clear coaching and direction, eliminating obstacles to success, and making the job more satisfying. Within the WEAA organization, motivation cannot be linked to a monetary incentive because it is financially unfeasible. As we discussed earlier, the station already operates with an annual loss of nearly $200,000. Instead, Corin must understand the intrinsic rewards that WEAA employees get from their volunteer positions and must work to support those. Many of the station workers joined with a goal of developing and/or supporting their local community. These individuals may be motivated with delegated leadership of community event planning. Other station workers gain satisfaction from having a forum to share their thoughts with the world. These individuals (once trained on proper broadcasting standards) may be motivated by positions hosting radio segments. There are also those people who are simply looking to develop their personal experience for a future career. By engaging those people in production and operating tasks, they may get exactly what they are hoping for: experience. By using this path-goal theory, Corin will develop a team of individuals who feel rewarded for their efforts at work. This sense of reward will often equate to a rise in personal commitment and an increase in overall quality of work. Increased satisfaction typically leads to reduced turnover (a challenge at WEAA) and works to support the long-term development of station employees. Having a larger number of skilled workers means having more support in reaching large organizational goals.

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            In addition to the benefits offered by path-goal theory, Corin has an opportunity to develop her team by way of a transformational leadership approach. Unlike the frequently transactional approach of directive leadership (situational approach), transformational leadership relies on the relationships and exchanges between leaders and followers. Much like path-goal theory, transformational leadership works by focusing on the element of motivation. “Authentic transformational leadership positively affects followers’ moral identities and moral emotions (e.g., empathy and guilt) and this, in turn, leads to moral decision making and moral action by the followers.” (Northouse, pg. 164) Transformational leaders must exhibit certain factors in order to be completely successful in creating a group of motivated and purpose-driven followers. First, they must act as a strong role model for their followers (Idealized Influence). Corin’s personal ability in the field of broadcasting gives her capability in this regard. Second, they must communicate a high level of expectation for their followers – encouraging them to work beyond their own self-interest (Inspiration). By adopting the path-goal theory, Corin will already be on her way towards this. Third, leaders must support the ability of followers to try new approaches when addressing organizational needs (Intellectual Stimulation). As Corin works to develop employee skill through the situational approach, she is creating a pool of workers who may ultimately be able to assume delegated responsibilities. Delegation is a terrific opportunity to support this innovative approach to problem solving. Fourth, leaders must actively listen to the needs of their workers and coach appropriately (Individualized Consideration). This element is also supported by the situational approach that Corin should begin with – determining the individual abilities and motivations of each worker. By adopting this approach to leadership, Corin will be able to not only meet the minimum expectations of the station, but her team will be able to exceed them.

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            These three leadership styles (situational, path-goal, transformational) work well as a combined approach for Corin’s development of station performance. More specifically, each of these approaches helps to develop capability for the next. While the initial situational approach is focused on follower ability, it sets the stage for follower motivation with path-goal theory which is more heavily focused on leader behaviors. The motivational focus of path-goal theory then couples with individualized focus of situational approach and prepares the leader to engage in transformational leadership behaviors. The primary challenge of these three methods lies in their shifting focus between the needs of followers and leaders. Unfortunately, this continual shift may confuse WEAA workers and may potentially result in conflict or misunderstanding.

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            Looking at all of the challenges Corin is facing with WEAA, the most significant is related to individual members of the team. The laissez-fair attitude of past management has created an atmosphere of low effort minimal commitment to company objectives. As Corin begins to adopt her role as a change agent, she is likely to experience resistance from some of the station employees. Long-term workers will probably not appreciate the directive approach to leadership that Corin must utilize as part of the situational approach. But, given time, the path-goal and transformational leadership styles will work to repair the conflict caused by change. With more individualized consideration, employees will begin to feel supported and more committed to WEAA organizational goals. Ongoing employee development will also help Corin be more effective because she will have capable team members who may accept delegated work. By creating a team of supported, motivated and capable employees, Corin is laying the foundation for future operational success. And, by working to increase her focus on the individual needs and development of her followers, Corin will elevate her standing on the approach to Level 5 leadership. Effective leadership will be another valuable skill that Corin will be able to utilize as she leads WEAA towards greatness.

 

References:

 

Northouse, P. (2015) Leadership: Theory and Practice – Seventh Edition

 

Collins, J. (2001) Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve

 

Harvard Business Review Radio Station WEAA: Leading in a Challenging Situation