This paper examines leadership styles through the lens of two contrasting case studies drawn from Northouse (2012). The first case follows Mark Young, a painting department head who evolves from an autocratic, task-oriented leader into a democratic, relationship-oriented one, earning a Blake and Mouton grid score of (9,9). The second case analyzes Susan Parks, an autocratic store manager whose task-driven approach risks employee dissatisfaction and turnover. The paper also includes a personal leadership style self-assessment, yielding a (5,5) middle-of-the-road profile, and concludes with actionable recommendations for improving both democratic and autocratic leadership approaches, as well as personal strategies for developing stronger relational and communication skills.
This paper analyzes two contrasting leadership case studies drawn from Northouse (2012), applies relevant leadership frameworks to evaluate each leader's style and effectiveness, and concludes with a personal self-assessment and practical recommendations for leadership improvement.
Mark Young, a professional painter who previously worked as an independent contractor, lands a job as head of the painting department in a large health facility. He starts out as a task-oriented leader, geared toward goal attainment at the expense of the personal and work-related needs of his employees. With time, however, Mark relaxes his leadership style and begins to interact more with his subordinates — both at the professional and personal levels. He enjoys seeing his employees develop professionally, because such personal development drives the success of the department as a whole. He aids in that development by delegating some of his duties to subordinates. The department's performance has improved substantially since Mark took over, and a fair share of this improvement can rightly be attributed to his interactive style of leadership.
Based on this passage, Mark is best described as a democratic leader. He exhibits a democratic style of leadership in which, although he exercises control and has the final say, he readily invites the contributions, views, and opinions of his subordinates; and through delegation, accords them ample opportunities to showcase their skill and creativity (Daft, 2014). The outside-the-workplace outings appear designed to: (i) obtain first-hand information on what employees want, how they want the department to be run, and their honest views on key decisions affecting the department; and (ii) build and maintain a positive leader-follower relationship.
Mark did not begin as a democratic leader, however. His leadership style evolved from an autocratic one — based on giving orders and ignoring the views and opinions of subordinates. He moved from being task-oriented to being people-oriented, using people, rather than power, to drive success.
Overall, Mark is best regarded as a relationship-oriented leader — one who focuses on addressing the needs of his employees both within and outside the workplace in order to build and maintain healthy interpersonal relationships. His strategy is to create a satisfied and motivated workforce and then use that positive attitude to drive success. He focuses not only on building positive relationships between himself and his employees, but also among employees themselves, which is why he takes them on interactive, outside-the-workplace outings in groups. Importantly, he does not compromise performance for relationship maintenance; the department's performance has been outstanding, reaching 92% according to customer ratings. On Blake and Mouton's leadership grid, he would receive a score of (9, 9) — a team manager who simultaneously emphasizes strong interpersonal relationships and exceptional performance.
Susan Parks is the manager of an equipment store dealing in running shoes and other sporting accessories. Her employees describe her as a no-nonsense manager focused on maintaining the organization's pattern of growth and positive reputation. Most of her employees feel that she never has time to interact with them, let alone listen to their concerns, views, and opinions. Rumor has it that she rarely has time for herself and often eats her lunch standing up. To most people, she is so driven by performance and a desire to get the job done that she has no time to find out what her subordinates want, what they expect from their leader, or what their views are on key issues affecting the store. Susan's life is seen to revolve around getting the job done, addressing the needs of customers, and caring for her family — her employees are not part of her to-do list, and most of them find her difficult to deal and relate with. All the same, some employees find her leadership style admirable because it creates the sense that she knows exactly what she wants, and the store runs in an efficient, organized manner whenever she is in control.
This passage portrays Susan as an autocratic, task-oriented leader focused on getting the job done through power and directive tactics (Daft, 2014). She does not see the need to involve her subordinates in the decision-making process, and there is no evidence to suggest that she emphasizes their professional development. To her, employees are there to take orders, and the organization moves forward because people observe boundaries. She is the boss, and subordinates simply have to respect that by doing what she expects of them (Daft, 2014).
This leadership style has generated strong reactions from her employees. Given the high level of competition in the marketplace, companies are increasingly using employee incentives and benefits — including a role in decision-making — in order to retain staff. As long as employees at competing firms are being granted this kind of recognition, Susan's employees are likely to expect the same of their leader.
In this regard, Susan needs to change her leadership approach if she is to retain her employees and avoid the unnecessary costs of employee turnover, which would strain the very profits she has worked so hard to maintain. She ought to adapt her style to reflect changing labor force trends, particularly because many of her employees are college students — individuals who tend to be more susceptible to peer influence than older adults, who expect greater understanding from their employer, and who believe they possess the qualifications and knowledge to handle their work without being micromanaged. Shifting to a more inclusive and interactive leadership style would make her a more effective leader, and employees would feel more satisfied because they feel valued and appreciated (Daft, 2014).
The leadership style questionnaire yielded a task score of 43 and a relationship score of 38. These results appear quite accurate, particularly given that many peers describe this writer as a "workaholic with no social life." This score implies that, in a leadership position, the focus would rest more on getting the job done — having everyone play their respective roles effectively — and less on building positive interpersonal relationships or using job satisfaction to drive results. On Blake and Mouton's leadership grid, this corresponds to a score of (5, 5) — a middle-of-the-road manager who places moderate emphasis on both results and people. However, moderate performance is effectively mediocre given today's competitive marketplace, and both task and relationship skills will need to be strengthened in order to become a truly effective leader.
"Balancing delegation with boundaries and urgency"
"Steps for Susan to adopt people-oriented leadership"
"Communication skills plan for relational leadership growth"
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