The leadership team case study
The attempt of the following analysis is to Identify the leadership styles at pick times, and find where the areas of opportunity for the team are. The leadership team is form by the general manager, with over 40 years of experience in the industry, senior operation’s manager, with over 20 years in the business, a shift manager and two supervisors.
During the pick times, the general manager, oversees the entire operation, including vehicle availability and maintenance.
The senior operation’s manager is the team leader for the customer contact points, rental counter, return counter and exit gates. The supervisor is the team leader for the service station and the cars movement in the facility. The operation counts during pick times with 5 to 6 rent line sales associates, 4 customer service team members and 6 service agents in charge of cleaning the cars and move them. The senior shift manager Is who Is clearly In charge of the customer’s experience; by leading the rental team and customer service team.
Customers come to the location by company provided shuttle busses; bus loads are drop off at the rental counter, where rental agents will assist Walt ten necessary paper work to rent a ventricle. Rental agents will eclat want car goes to each customer. The customer service team will assist the customer with erections where the car is located, where to return the car and inspect the car to ensure it is to the customer’s standard.
During the “rush” of the day, there are bus load of fifteen to twenty customers, which they get in line, by noon usually there are not enough clean cars, and the rental agent start leaving the counter and looking for a car in the service facility. This slows down the service even more.
During pick times, they both react with and aversive style, every action or inaction is threatened by a write up; without understanding that the lack of clear direction or proper placement is the trigger for people to not fulfill what they expect. Regardless of how their leadership is practiced, visionary leadership transcends the contractual nature of work relationships, effectively engaging followers emotions for performance beyond expected standards” (Yammering, Danseuses and Kennedy, 2001 , IPPP) When the general manager addresses a team member, he does it in a direct style, his approach is what X managers believe, described by McGregor (1960); where most people must be coerced, controlled, directed, or threatened with punishment to get hem to put forth adequate effort to achieve organizational objectives.
The senior operation’s manager has a more empowering approach, the understanding of the new role of a leader has shifted to role of accountability, by supporting, coaching and cheerleaders, fostering a new partnership between the leader and the people the leader supports and depends upon (Blanchard, 2001). However during high stress situations, her leadership style will shift from delegating to directing and aversive, a very colloquial “let see what sticks”.
Some of the lack of leadership ability in the action, is the result of how much the company has grown in a short period of time. They gave long time employees the opportunity to take on leadership roles without a proper frame work.
A frame work will define the qualities required of people in leadership positions and help to inform the leadership development process.
Many companies use matrix like charisma, intellectual stimulation, courage, and respect for others (Bolder, Gosling, Marathon, and Dimension, 2003) Many times when addressing the leadership short coming of the location, the general manager is very quick to talk about the front line team member’s poor attitude and lack of commitment: “Many leaders who don’t have the respect of their team blame the lack of respect usually either on their team’s poor attitude and unwillingness to follow direction or on the company leaders’ poor direction” (Wright, 2009).
The opportunity is for the general manager to take an active leadership approach with his managers and evaluate what is the role of each manager in the location, and how they support the overall customer service experience. Reticence Blanchard, K. (2001).
Situational Leadership II – The Article. The Ken Blanchard Companies Bolder, R. , Gosling, J. , Marathon, A. And Dimension, P (2003). A review of leadership theory and competency frameworks.
