Migisi Tribal Council: Leadership - Case Study Example

Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 Statement of the Problem: 2 State the problem(s) facing the manager/key person: 2 Causes of the Problem: 3 Figure1: Migisi Tribal Council Structure 5 Decision Criteria and Alternative Solutions: 5 Recommended Solution, Implementation and Justification: 6 Executive Summary This report deals with the non – profit organization of Migisi Tribal Council. The main issue of the company is that the company lacks right leadership and also lacks the employees the professionalism at work. There is a high level of bureaucratic and too self serving. The recommendations that have been made in this report is to help improve the situation of the company by incorporating better leadership styles. This includes Warren Bennie’s style of leadership which is a relatively modern style and will prove to be very beneficial for the organization. Statement of the Problem: Migisi Tribal Council’s major issue is the high levels of being bureaucratic and too self serving. However the Council requires a strong support from the First Nations. If the First Nations do leave the council, the effects of this could be devastating and could bring down the entire council. The major issue of MTC, is the over confidence and the self serving nature which is taking over the working of the council and can lead to a huge reduction in terms of the finances and the human resources. State the problem(s) facing the manager/key person: One of the major issues that is faced by the managers and the key person, Andrew Ross is that he is responsible for the communication and resolving the issues between the First Nation and the staff at Migisi Tribal Council, Inc. Also there are a number of issues that are present in the First nations; however these have never been leaked out due to the pride and political reasons. Migisi Tribal Council, Inc has a low number of staff however this staff has very specific and specialized job requirements. This provides for low staff turnover and also leads to lesser need for training and development. The major link between the symptoms and the root cause is the fact the MTC is not market focused and hence it affects the organization culture as well. The long term issues that might affect the organization are the fact that it does not have any specific importance or concentration of the high value added activities. Also the fact that the organization operates without a set of policies and principles created higher number of issues for the organization. Hence the major aspect that the managers need to concentrate on is an improvement of the current organization culture. Causes of the Problem: Migisi Tribal Council, Inc is an organization with stringent rules, guidelines and policies that have been developed for the working of the business however these have not been put into complete practice. The staff is provided with complete autonomy, with a lot of trust that is present among all the workers within the organization. The senior management is provided with the ability to decide and make decisions that will ensure the work is done. This is beneficial in a way that employees are able to work on their own style and methods with the only constraint of ensuring that the work is completed by hook or by crook. This is very beneficial for the company in terms that the employees are motivated and happier to work at the jobs, however, the freedom provided to the employees has also in a number of ways led to the misuse of the power and converted MTC to become highly bureaucratic and too self serving. Although the one requirement for all employees is to maintain a strong linkage to the First Nation Clients and learn from the mistakes made (Cawsey & Deszca, 2007). MTC staff is required to be in line with the rules and regulations of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND). This is a department in Canada which holds responsibilities for policies which relate to the First Nations of Canada and also the three northern territories. The use of Indian has been made in reference to the department which mainly refers to the Status Indians as per the Indian Act. This department is also responsible for the Inuit and Métis in Canada. This is overlooked by the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. The issue that MTC faces is that the employees need to be in track with the regulation that is set down by the department along with considering the needs of First Nation clients. This has not been the case, as employees are not given any kind of reprimanding for any mistake made by them. This leads to the lack of responsibility in the employees and also leads to the errors being repeated again. The issue needs to be looked into by the managers or the key people involved in the organization (Cawsey & Deszca, 2007). Also it is essential to understand that the business is a non – profit organization and a lot of the funding for the organization is got from the department of Indian and Northern Development. It is for the managers to control the employees and bring about a more mannered and professional. This is one of the major features and traits that is lacking in the employees, mainly because of the freedom that is provided to the employees. It is up to the managers to improve this condition by bringing in more focus and discipline into the entire group. Figure1: Migisi Tribal Council Structure Decision Criteria and Alternative Solutions: The use of a more authoritative leadership will prove to be very beneficial in this case. Andrew Ross needs to bring about a more professional staff into the business to help improve the condition in the organization. Also a change in the number of members with different contracts or also to involve newer members in the group will prove to be very useful for the company. There are a number of cons of introducing the authoritative leadership (Evan, 2009). Warren Bennis called the father of modern leadership in the Fortune Magazine. Bennis has created a strong image in the contemporary leadership styles and no study of leadership will be complete without his study as well. According to him, leaders pull rather than push, and have the ability to empower and trust others to act. Also with a clear vision in their minds, they rightly communicate the vision to all the teams (Crosby, 1997). Leaders also work through teams and not based on hierarchies. Also it has been noted that leaders have stringer self confidence and self esteem, along with a positive attitude. It is also to be noted that leaders have a good grasp of self and they understand their strengths, develop their skills and also have a clear idea of how to use their talents. This also allows for a more positive attitude to be contributed to all within the organization. Bennis refers to this as an “An attitude of positive other regards” (Bennis, 1999). He has also mentioned of four main qualities that are required and possessed by leaders, these are mainly, Vision, Trust, Communication and management of self. Bennis argues that these qualities must be instilled in everyone within the organization and thus every person in the organization should be a leader (Cawsey & Deszca, 2007). He also argues that it is the duty of the leader to ensure that people enjoy what they do, and this is in a number of ways the major duty of a good leader. If this is followed by Ross the company could easily be improved (Evan, 2009). Recommended Solution, Implementation and Justification: Mr. Ross can be the ideal solution finder for this issue. This can be solved with a lot of care, confidence and only with the ability to meet up and understand the needs of the first nation clients. Emotional intelligence is a very essential part of the how leaders meet the significant challenges that are faced. Emotional intelligence is one of the most difficult leadership role and very few people have the ability and capability to fulfill it. It is also to be noted that the emotional intelligence to a great extent also is a competitive edge and people who have the ability to carry it off tend to be winners in the ‘talent war’, and turn out to be few of the best leaders. This will bring Ross into being an excellent leader and the organization in the right track to meet the needs of the First nation clients and also make complete use of the DIAND’s funding in a way which will be profitable to all. Bibliography Bennis, W., 1999, ‘Managing people is like Herding Cats: Warren Bennis on Leadership’, 25 May 1999, Executive Excellence Publishing Cawsey, T.F., & Deszca, G., 2007, ‘Toolkit for Organizational Change’, 14th June 2007, Sage Publication Inc Crosby, P.B., 1997, ‘The Absolutes of Leadership (Warren Bennis Executive Briefing)’, 15 July 1997, Jossey – Bass Evans, M.H., 2009, ‘Leadership’, Accessed on 20 February 2009, Retrieved from http://www.exinfm.com/training/pdfiles/course18.pdf Read More