Leadership Scenario - Case Study Example

Leadership and Motivation of the of the Leadership and Motivation Introduction The management of modern organizations often makes a number of demands on supervisors. Each supervisor or manager however has certain personal and learned attributes and behaviors that determine his thinking, leadership skills and management style. He knows he has to motivate his subordinates by leading from the front and also take into account their personal characteristics, through which he could get the best efforts from them with the least coaching and effort.

By making the best use of their work skills and his managerial skills, he can achieve the targets set for his department and contribute to the overall success and profitability of the enterprise. This paper will discuss the case study at hand, commenting on the skills of the workers Alex, Jean and Stephanie and their supervisors Dan and Jonathan at the department store they all work for.Discussion Looking at the lunch meeting between Alex and Stephanie discussing their particular work situations and the attitudes of their supervisors, it is clear that Stephanie is in a much better position than Alex.

Her boss Jonathan who is a 10 year veteran at the store is regarded as a popular leader and manager to work for. He has an innate understanding of both the nature of the work and the nature of the workers, meaning that he gives more importance to the employee centered theory of leadership. He takes care to see that the employees under his supervision are not bored by the sameness of job tasks, preferring to rotate the tasks they perform on a weekly basis. This not only leads to greater employee appreciation and satisfaction but also a greater and wider understanding of the overall operation of a supermarket store.

There is evidence of this in the jobs he gives Stephanie to perform- test marketing culinary recipes and selling truffles. On the other hand, Dan appears to be a strictly job centered supervisor, preferring that Alex conform carefully to the requirements of the job and nothing more. He seldom has a good word for anyone, and encourages employees to even cut short their lunch breaks, much to Alex’s chagrin. In consequence the average employee squirms under his control and the job appears boring.

On the other hand, a bit of tact and apple polishing has been known to work to Jean’s advantage, even though she has been on the job for just three months. Although this is distasteful to Alex, he would do well to emulate Jean if he wants to make the best of his present situation. Alex subscribes to the Equity Theory of Motivation. He is demoralized and his work attitude shows it. He expects to leave or be fired any day, but his need to meet tuition expenses makes him stay on the job. Jonathan is a far different manager.

He is open and participative compared to Dan’s need to be in constant control. Jonathan subscribes to the Expectancy Theory of Motivation (Werther & Davis, 272). His positive attitude and free spirited approach towards control not only makes him more well-liked but respected as well. His employees are free to determine how they will achieve the goals and are motivated once they see that they are achieving the set targets and objectives. Conclusion From the stated case, we can see how the attitudes and work ethics of supervisors have a domino effect on all their subordinates.

We cannot help sympathize with Alex as we admire how well Jonathan handles his subordinates at the store. ReferencesWerther, W.B & Davis, K. (1995): Human Resources and Personnel Management, 5th ed. McGraw Hill Educational Books.