Course: Leadership
Presented to: Prof. Dr. Aly ElMossellamy
Presented by: Pervine Elsayed Elashry
Date: 31/3/2023
Assignment: Case study 2.2 A remarkable turnaround
Questions:
1) How would you describe Carol’s leadership trait?
From the case, it shows that Carol is characterized with a personality that possess a lot of a leader traits.
Intelligence,
Carol’s intelligence was shown when she spent her time familiarizing herself with the employees and the
operations of the company, she was able to get acquainted with the work in 6 months and was able to increase
sales to 3 billion $. Also, it was shown in her ability in problem-solving situations and her cognitive capabilities
in the success of the company.
Self-Confidence,
Carol took the challenge to manage the company knowing the position of the company within the other two
stores in the market. Her familiarization with the operation of the company and the city-wide analysis she made
at the beginning gave her more confidence that she could develop the company.
She was confident that she could leverage the company’s performance after the death of her husband, this is
shown in the cost spent in the advertisement department.
Furthermore, she was confident of the capability and her assessment of the potential market for their product
and service, carol has set a short term and a long-term goal for the company.
Determination
Carol was determined to succeed in achieving her goals even after she was diagnosed with cancer. She continued
to manage the company even though she was suffering from the treatment of her illness.
Integrity
Carol cared deeply about others and was fair and considered.
Sociability
Carol created a family-like atmosphere at the company and she even sponsored sports teams.
Employees loved her and said that she is a model of strength, goodness and quality.
2) How big a part did carol’s traits play in the expansion of the company?
The characteristic of Carol was shown in the company's growth. She was able to grow the company from only
five employees to twenty employees. She generated sales to 3 billion dollars from only 200,000 dollars in five
years. The turnover of staff was very few during her leadership which proves that her vision and mission and
the decisions made were accepted by all staff members.
3) Would Carol be a leader in other business contexts?
Yes, she would be successful in any business context she might face.
She has passed by two major disasters in her life and was able to confront her problems and grew the company.
She has the qualities of a leadership in addition to her management degree that allows her to handle a business
environment. We could say that now she possesses two assets that are major to any leadership success; the
experience along with the education.
Assignment: Case Study 2.3 Recruiting for the Bank
1) Based on ideas described in the trait approach, do you think Pat is looking for the
right characteristics in the people he hires?
As stated in the case, Pat is looking for:
Strong interpersonal skills:
to be confident,
to show poise, and initiative.
Fiduciary responsibilities:
proper ethics,
importance of confidentiality.
Additional skills:
analytical and technical skills
experience in working with computers.
to exhibit a good work ethic,
to show commitment and a willingness to do their job even in difficult circumstances.
I believe that Pat pointed out the required traits quiet well, however he might add a situational case that
might clear the hiring process more effectively and get deeper look into the recruiters’ ability.
2) Could it be that the retention problem raised by upper management is unrelated to
Pat’s recruitment criteria?
There could be a lot of other reasons for the retention problem faced by the managers such as:
- Long working hours
- Low salaries
- Better work environment
I think that along with investigating the recruitment process of Pat, upper management should also ask the
retention workers for the reasons they have left for. And from these two analyses, there could be a change
in the whole strategy of recruitment and work environment.
3) If you were Pat, would you change your approach to recruiting?
The only modification that Pat could do, is to search for new criteria to identify commitment and loyalty of
the students.
Or he could dig deeper into the job description to identify the missing element in his recruitment traits search.
Article 1: Followership: The theoretical foundation of a contemporary construct. (2007). Journal of
Leadership and Organizational Studies 14(1), 50-60.
Questions that apply to this article:
1.
2.
3.
Why do you think that followership research is a more recent area of study compared to
leadership?
The growing interest in followership is driven by their success in the organization. Traditionally the
focus was on the leader’s behavior, however with the complexity of organizations now a days more
interest and focus was made on followers because they have proven to achieve goals and managing
innovations.
In addition, with the global and cultural change in the work environment, researchers shifted their
interest to study the followers because of their success and their ability of creating a team-oriented
organization.
In the section of the article titled “Idealized Leader Overshadows Followers” is the leader
described in this section doing management functions or leadership functions?
Based on the information provided in the article, the leader is doing leadership functions rather
than management functions. This is because the leader is described as being idealized and
charismatic whose inspiring and motivating followers to achieve their goals.
Whereas management functions involve planning, organizing, and controlling resources to achieve
specific objectives, day to day operations.
Describe an active follower. What do they do, how do they interact with leaders and what does
the leader do to facilitate active followership?
Active follower is described to be a team member who actively offers input, asks questions, helps
to identify and mitigate risk, has personal responsibility, and communicates their needs and goals.
An active follower is someone who is engaged in their role as a follower and takes initiative to
contribute to the success of the team or organization. They are committed to the vision and goals
of the leader, and actively work towards achieving them. An active follower is not just passive and
compliant, but offers creative ideas and solutions to problems.
Active followers interact with leaders by communicating openly and honestly, providing feedback
on the leader's actions and decisions, and offering suggestions for improvement. They also seek
clarification when needed and are willing to ask questions and challenge assumptions.
Leaders can facilitate active followership by creating a culture of openness and trust, where
feedback and ideas are welcomed and valued. They can also provide opportunities for followers to
develop skills and take on additional responsibilities, which increases their engagement and
motivation. Finally, leaders can encourage followers to take ownership and accountability for their
work, which fosters a sense of ownership and commitment to the team's success.
Article 2: McCabe, K. O. and Fleeson, W. (2012). What is extraversion for? Integrating trait and
motivational perspectives and identifying the purpose of extraversion. Psychological Science 23(12), 14981505.
Questions that apply to this article:
1.
How does this article combine the research into traits with psychological domains of motivation
and social cognition?
Extraversion is a personality trait characterized by outgoingness, energetic behavior, and a preference
for social interaction. This personality trait has been studied in psychology and is associated with various
positive outcomes, such as better psychological well-being and social functioning.
Extraversion specifically may be the means by which people try to have fun and connect with others,
among other goals. Our findings also show that in this process of pursuing these goals and increasing
state extraversion, people’s levels of positive affect also increase.
The article combines research on personality traits with psychological domains of motivation and social
cognition to better understand the purpose of extraversion. By explaining how extraversion relates to
different aspects of motivation, such as approach motivation, reward sensitivity, and positive affect,
researchers can gain a better understanding of why highly extraverted individuals tend to engage in
more social behavior.
Additionally, by examining how extraversion affects social cognition processes, such as how people
perceive and interpret social information, researchers can gain insights into how extraversion influences
social behavior and relationships.
Overall, the article integrates research into traits, motivation, and social cognition to explore the
purpose of extraversion and provide a comprehensive understanding of this personality trait.
2.
What is the fundamental weakness of the Big Five model that is discussed in the article, and how
is this weakness related to the trait approach in leadership?
The major limitation of this study is that it may not predict behavior in all situations.
It is important to consider situational factors and the complexity of human behavior in different contexts.
3.
Judge et al. described in their meta-analysis that extraversion has the highest correlation with
leadership of all of the five factors. What does this article say about extraversion that adds to
Judge’s information about extraversion and leadership?
The article further explains how extraversion relates to social interaction and communication, as well
as the impact on decision making. Extraversion may be the means by which people try to have fun and connect
with other people, among other goals. It also shows that in the process of pursuing these goals and increasing
state extraversion, people’s level of positive affect also increases.