The Case:

Part A

Alan has been the owner and manager of a small auto repair shop for seven years. The auto shop has a
steady and loyal clientele who appreciate the fact that they receive quick, reliable service at a fair price.
Alan employs seven mechanics and two office workers. Gil and Hans are the two oldest mechanics, and
they are the easiest to supervise. When Alan assigns work to them (mostly high-precision, specialist
jobs), they do it quickly and hardly ever make a mistake. Bart and Herbie are also skilled mechanics. Bart
specializes in repairing motorcycles, and Herbie is a whiz at troubleshooting engine problems. Three
younger workers do the jobs that call for lower-level skills, under Alan’s more careful guidance. Kirk has
a degree in Industrial Arts, but he couldn’t get a job in his specialty without moving to another city, and
he seems to have resigned himself to auto repair work. LaMont enjoys working on sports cars and is
getting to be quite an expert at operating the electronic diagnostic machines. Joanie does general
mechanical work and does it well. Alan takes care of customers when they drop off their cars in the
morning, then he plans the work schedule and assigns the mechanics to work on particular cars. Most of
the work is done by individual mechanics, but occasionally a job requires two mechanics to work
together. The work of repairing cars and conducting routine maintenance on them is well-defined; there
are standard procedures and standard times to perform each type of repair task. Mechanics receive
feedback about the quality of their work from testing the car and from customers (who will complain if
something is not fixed properly). Alan does not spend much time actually directing or supervising the
repair work. He leaves the mechanics alone unless they are having a problem and need technical advice.
He almost never tells someone to do something in a directive way. Instead, he suggests various ways to
deal with a problem, or he shows them how he would have handled it. When not busy with
administrative responsibilities, Alan enjoys working alongside his mechanics, where he is available to
answer any questions about the work. Alan’s style of leadership suits his easy-going personality. Alan
also encourages his employees to participate in making decisions such as what new equipment to
purchase or how to improve quality. They know that Alan is sincere in asking for their opinions and is
not just doing it as a manipulative strategy to minimize their opposition to decisions that have already
been made. Alan’s fairness and openness have earned him the continuing respect and trust of his
employees.
Leadership is the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done
and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared
objectives. (Yukl, n.d, p. 7). From the context of the definition, it speaks about the vitality of good
leadership in an organization’s success. The shift towards recognizing the importance of human capital
in industrial age has led companies, and organizations, to change their paradigms about people
management. Researchers has put a lot of effort develop and determine theories regarding leadership,
organizational commitment, and job satisfaction (Cheng, 2003 as cited in in IOSR Journal of Business and
Management, 2017) to fully understand and implement organizational effectiveness.

In fact, in a study made in the literature of Wallace & Weese concludes that ineffective leadership is
found to be “the major cause of declining industrial productivity and a downward positioning of North
American corporations on a global scale” as cited in IOSR Journal of Business Management.

However, how can an organization tell, if they select the “right” person for the leadership role? Although
it’s relatively easy in hindsight to look at how effective an organizational leader was based on her or his
accomplishments, determining whether or not someone will be an effective leader prior to their
ascension is a difficult task.

Fortunately, numerous scholars in the field of business has come up with a variety of ways to define and
explain leadership.

The first major approach to leadership is referred to as the trait approach to leadership because the
approach looks for a series of physical, mental, or personality traits that effective leaders possess that
neither non-leaders nor ineffective leaders possess. (Wrench, 2012; Carter, 2012a) This approach of
leadership is still very much present up until this day. Examining the case, Alan the owner and manager
of the Auto repair shop seems to be the type of person who is perceptive, he is able to delegate tasks
effectively because he knows his people, their strengths, expertise and skill level. It is also observed that
he is diplomatic, which can be seen in the way he communicates with his members, not directive and
yet still effective. It is also seen that he is open to new ideas. Instead of always making the decisions, he
listen to the perspectives of others. Alan is also dependable, always willing to share his knowledge to
others.

Alan’s profile suggests that he has the trait of an effective leader, which sets him apart from the rest.
However, basing his leadership solely on his traits will not guarantee success. In fact, one of the
fundamental problems with the trait approach to leadership is that research has provided a never-
ending list of personality traits that are associated with leadership, so no clear or replicable list of
traits exists. Another limitation of these theory is that it is just focused on the individual leader. As trait
approaches became more passé, new approaches to leadership began emerging that theorized that
leadership was contingent on a variety of situational factors (e.g., task to be completed, leader-follower
relationships/interactions, follower motivation/commitment, etc.). These new theories of leadership are
commonly referred to as the situational approaches. (Wrench, 2012; Carter, 2012b)

According to Dr. Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard’s theory of leadership, it is established with the basic
notion that not all followers need the same task or relationship-based leadership, so the type of
leadership a leader should utilize with a follower depends on the follower’s readiness.

In the case study presented, it was noticeable that Alan uses the same leadership style for everyone. In
the leadership style that was identified by Hersey and Blanchard in their theory, Alan uses a delegating
type of leadership to his group members. The leader takes a hands-off approach to their direct reports.
Members of the team are generally asked to make a majority of the decisions and are responsible for
the outcomes which occur. Alan’s role is merely to take tasks that are given and then distribute them to
appropriate team members.

Following the context of situational leadership theory, Alan should choose what type of leader he plans
to be and the key factors which Alan should use to determine the type of leader he will be is the
maturity and skill level of his direct reports. In the given case study, Alan’s group members differ in
maturity and skill level, taking Gill and Hans for example, they are Alan’s most tenured workers, given
that Gill and Hans are both highly skilled, willing to complete any task, and willing to accept the
responsibility for the outcomes of the repairs a delegating leader will suit them. However, it may not be
the case for the other members, particularly for Kirk, LaMont and Joanie. Alan’s younger workers’
maturity level is that they are willing to complete a task, but do not have the necessary skills yet to get
the job done. The Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership theory suggests that a coaching type of
leadership is what three of them needs. Coaching type of leadership works for followers who have a
high need for direction and a high need of support. Followers who are unable to perform or lack the
confidence to perform the task but are committed to the task and/or organization need a coaching
leader (Wrench, 2012; Carter, 2012c). In this case, Alan needs to have more direct control over the Kirk,
LaMont and Joanie in attempt to accomplish the task, but the Alan should also provide a lot of
encouragement along the way.
The third leadership approach which is the most popular among organizational theorist, the
Transformational approach which is introduced by Macgregor Burns. This is when the leader utilizes
communication in an effort to increase follower morale, motivation, and performance to accomplish
organizational goals. (Wrench, 2012; Carter, 2012d) According to the theorist, as cited in Wrench and
Carter’s work. Bernie Bass proposed a more complete understanding of transformational leadership and
noted three factors of transformational leadership: charismatic and inspirational leadership, intellectual
stimulation, and individualized consideration. Among these three traits, Alan can be identified as a
leader who use individualized consideration or seeing followers as individuals in need of individual
development. Transformational leaders evaluate “followers’ potential both to perform their present job
and to hold future positions of greater responsibility. The leader sets examples and assigns tasks on an
individual basis to followers to help significantly alter their abilities and motivations as well as to satisfy
immediate organizational needs. The goal of this individualized consideration is to help individual
followers maximize their potential, which maximizes the leader’s use of her or his resources at the same
time. Alan’s fairness and openness have earned him the continuing respect and trust of his employees,
and in return employees are being effective and efficient in their jobs.
 Part B:

Alan looked anxiously out of his office window. The sky was very dark over the nearby hills, and the
storm seemed to be advancing rapidly toward the valley where his auto repair shop was located. Just to
be on the safe side, Alan went out and rolled up the windows of the customer’s cars in the parking lot.
He noticed the creek was already running high, the result of melting snow during the warm spring days.
Before he could get back into the shop, a sudden downpour of huge drops of rain soaked his clothing.
Some of the mechanics laughingly teased him for “not having enough sense to come in out of the rain.”
After 15 minutes of the pelting rain, Alan realized that this was no ordinary rainstorm. He went out to
look at the creek again and found that it had already risen to almost the height of its banks. Alan figured
it wouldn’t be long before the muddy water would flood the parking lot and come swirling around the
shop doors. He ran back into the shop and announced in a loud voice that the creek was going to flood.
He told three of his mechanics to drop everything and start moving the cars. The cars that were parked
next to the creek needed to be driven, pushed, or towed up to the high ground across the road. Alan
told the other mechanics to put the tools away and help move all the boxes of parts and supplies off the
floor and into the storage racks in the storeroom and the office. Alan had everybody’s attention, but
nobody seemed to be moving. If anything, the mechanics seemed to be amused. Kirk strolled over to
Alan with a tolerant smile on his face. “Come on, Alan,” he said. “There’s no sweat. The water’s never
been more than an inch deep in the parking lot. We’ve never had any inside . . .” Alan interrupted him,
looking him right in the eye, and said in an assertive way, “Listen Kirk, and listen good! You and the rest
of the crew are going to do what I say, and you’re going to do it now! We can talk later about whether it
was a good idea.” This time, the mechanics dropped everything and began preparing for a flash flood.
Alan barked instructions as he helped them move everything that could be damaged by water. All of the
boxes were off the floor before the first trickle of water came under the door. By the time the water was
ankle-deep, all the cars inside the shop had been jacked up and were sitting on cement blocks. At its
peak, the water was 10 inches deep in the shop, but by then the rain had stopped and the sun was
already shining. The water level began to recede slowly, but it didn’t drop below the shop-floor level
until after 9 p.m. At 10 p.m. the mechanics voluntarily returned to the shop to help with the cleanup,
which was not completed until 3 a.m. Alan personally thanked each one and gave them all the next
morning off. The next afternoon, Alan gave an informal “speech” during the coffee break. He gave the
mechanics all the credit for avoiding thousands of dollars of property damage. He even went to the
trouble of pointing out particular contributions each of them had made. For instance, he thanked
LaMont for his quick thinking in throwing the master switch before the water reached the electric
outlets. He thanked Kirk for the idea of jacking up all the disabled cars inside the shop. And so on until
everyone’s contribution, no matter how minor, had been recognized. At 5 o’clock, everyone left but Gil,
the oldest mechanic. He decided to stay and chat with Alan. “You really surprised us yesterday!” Gil told
Alan. “We could hardly believe it was you.” “Whaddaya mean?” Alan asked, pretending to be offended.
“You sounded like my old drill sergeant!” Gil chuckled. “Usually, you’re so mild mannered we forget
you’re the boss!” “May be I’m a little too mild mannered,” Alan replied. “When I told you guys to
prepare for the flood you all laughed at me.”
Leadership captures the essentials of being able and prepared to inspire others. Effective leadership is
based upon ideas—both original and borrowed—that are effectively communicated to others in a way
that engages them enough to act as the leader wants them to act. (Ward, 2020).

On the first case, Alan’s leadership trait and style were examined. The qualities that makes him a
qualified leader has been highlighted and directly correlates it with his style of leadership. On the
second case, what will be measured is his effectiveness as a leader, which is what Fiedler’s Contingency
Theory is all about. Fiedler’s Contingency Theory isn’t the only contingency theory. Contingency theory is
a general theory which says that there is no one singular best way to structure your organization and
lead your team. Instead, the best way to do this will be contingent on the situation. So, contingency
theories examine how best to run your team or organization given different situations. Another way to
say this is that the best leadership style will be contingent on the situation, as cited in Export Program
Management’s chapter about Fiedler’s Contingency Theory of Leadership.

Fiedler’s Contingency Theory of Leadership states that your effectiveness as a leader is determined by
how well your leadership style matches the situation. It is important to realize that in Fiedler’s
Contingency Theory your leadership style is fixed. You cannot change your style to suit the situation.
Instead, you must put leaders into situations that match their style. There are two important factors in
Fiedler’s Contingency Theory: leadership style and situational favorableness. In this theory, there are
only two types of leader in the situation: Task-oriented leaders, those who tend to be good at organizing
teams and projects and getting things done. Relationship-oriented leaders those who tend to be good at
building good relationships and managing conflict to get things done.

In the case given, it is observed that during the flood, Alan is a relationship-oriented leader based on
Fiedler’s Contingency Theory of Leadership. In the scenario, it is perceived that trust will be high since he
already worked with the team for years, know each of the team members well, and they trust Alan. Task
structure is high. Even though automotive repairs are complex, task structure is high as the team knows
what they have to do daily. Position power is high. Alan has ability to hire and fire and reward and
punish as is required. From Fiedler’s perspective, task-oriented leaders are the most effective in the
situation.
Since Alan is a relationship-based oriented leader, it was observed that there is a tendency that his
followers will not take his orders seriously since they are used to his diplomatic ways, where he allowed
them to work on their pace and to act in whatever way they think is right in the given situation. In this
case, Alan was the only one who able to perceive and assess the potential damage on the situation, no
one is in his boat, so when he started to fire out commands, his employees were reluctant to follow
because they are not used to Alan being directive. Whereas if Alan had been more of a task-oriented
leader, carrying orders and quick acknowledgement on the part of the employees would have been
easier.

Although Alan’s effectiveness as a leader does not fit in urgent situations like the flood. His leadership
stands out the most after the flood, where he had given his employees a day off to compensate them for
staying out late to help and for commending everyone’s effort and hard work during the flood.

Given the series of events, no further recommendation as to what Alan should have done if the basis is
the principle of Fiedler’s Contingency of Leadership. Referring from the definition of these theory, It’s
not flexible at all. If your leadership style doesn’t match the situation that’s it. Game over. You need to
be replaced. There is nothing you can do to change the situation.

Situational Leadership vs. Transformational Leadership

Effective leaders recognize the benefits of choosing a leadership style that allows them to achieve their
strategic goals in the most efficient manner. Transformational leaders focus on establishing a vision,
inspiring subordinates and motivating people to work in new ways. With enthusiasm and vigor, they
promote the company's mission and long-term success. In contrast, situational leaders focus more on
the current problems and challenges than the future, because neglecting conflict typically leads to poor
employee morale, low customer satisfaction rates and diminished productivity. Leaders usually need to
apply each approach, at different times, to achieve their goals.

When your company faces changes, adopting a transformational style helps you and your employees
make the transition from one state to the next. According to psychologist Bernard Bass,
transformational leaders influence their subordinates, inspire and motivate others with charisma,
indicate genuine concern for people and intellectually challenge followers. Using this type of leadership,
you encourage people to achieve the highest levels of performance.
Transformational Leadership Example

When a company needs to make a strategic change, such as making new products, selling to different
types of customers or providing new services, a successful transformational leader clearly communicates
the new direction. He/ She clearly communicates the vision to his/her subordinates so they can act.
Instead of referring to specific situations, she focuses on the general strategy. Visionary leaders
recognize opportunities and use their resources effectively to achieve their long-term strategic goals.
Transformational leaders also typically help their subordinates develop their own skills and become
leaders themselves.

Situational Leadership Example

Instead of focusing on changing the current environment, using the situational leadership approach, you
deal with the current circumstances to get the best short-term outcome. By identifying the top
customer complaints, product errors or service problems, an effective situational leader prioritizes work
and thoroughly analyzes the situation before implementing a solution. She assesses the skill level of the
personnel involved and if the team lacks skills and experience, consults with experts to devise solutions
to problems.

Using different leadership styles, such as visionary, coaching, collaborative, democratic, pacesetting and
commanding, you take action to motivate and inspire your subordinates to complete job tasks.
Becoming an effective leader also involves recognizing the traits of successful leaders, such as honesty,
passion, respect, confidence and focus. To create a productive, safe and supportive environment at your
company, establish a framework that defines the leadership traits you value and tips on when to apply a
specific leadership style.

(Duggan, n.d)
 References:

D. (2019, April 30). Fiedler's Contingency Theory of Leadership - with Examples. Expert Program
Management. https://expertprogrammanagement.com/2018/11/fiedler-contingency-theory/

Duggan, T. (n.d) Transformational Leadership vs. Situational

Leadership.azcentral.https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/transformational-leadership-vs-situational-
leadership-8665.html

Lombardo, C. R. (2017, May 24). Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory Explained. HRF.
https://healthresearchfunding.org/hersey-blanchard-situational-leadership-theory-explained/

Yukl, G. Leadership in Organizations [E-pub]. United States of America: Prentice Hall. Retrieved from
http://www.mim.ac.mw/books/Leadership%20in%20Organizations%20by%20Gary
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Approaches to Leadership. (2012). An Introduction to Organizational Communication.

https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/an-introduction-to-organizational-communication/s09-01-
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