5ummory

Emerald Financing Corporation was Iounded to provide Iinancing Ior its parent company, a major industrial Iirm
producing a widely diversiIied array oI products.

Bill Joyner is the current area manager oI Emerald and is responsible Ior the consumer Iinancing department which
primarily oIIers direct cash loans, usually second mortgages. The oIIice has only been marginally productive in recent
months and has experienced increasing problems. Due to his predecessor`s quick dismissal, there has been no real adjustment
period Ior Bill in his new environment. He has been thrust into managing the daily activities oI an unIamiliar oIIice, staIIed
with employees unknown to him. The only real input and guiding Iorce he has to assist him is his district manager, Mary
Evans.

Bill Joyner has been described as a job-centered leader. He is recently more concerned with perIormance rather than
with his employees` satisIaction. However, his immediate concern is a management trainee named Keith Roberts.

Recently, Keith seems to be spending more and more time away Irom his desk due to various plausible reasons.
When he is at work and at his desk, he sits idly much oI the time, or discusses subjects other than business with his co
workers. Nevertheless, his work is still completed each day, and its quality has not been visibly aIIected.

Bill never outwardly expressed disapproval over Keith`s conduct. He never had any private conversations with
Keith to discuss the latter`s behavior. Bill has only generally mentioned the problems to the entire group during oIIice
meetings. One day, to everyone`s shock, Bill announced that Keith will no longer be working Ior Emerald Iollowing yet
another oI Keith`s AWOL`s. This pronouncement was Iollowed by shock Irom Keith`s Iellow employees. Keith was well-
liked and considered intelligent by his coworkers. They were convinced that Keith was terminated without due process and
this instilled Iear in them. In the succeeding days, although everyone works diligently and work gets completed by day`s end,
the other employees were unhappy and tension was very palpable.

Bill now has the task oI adjusting to his new role as area manager and at the same time dealing with unhappy
employees as well as overcoming their distrust.

5totement of the Prob/em
Whether or not Bill should change his leadership style.
bjectives

1) To evaluate the alternatives and provide alternative courses oI action (ACA`s) Ior Bill Joyner to address the problem
2) To identiIy the strengths and weaknesses oI each ACA.
3) To propose the most Ieasible recommendation(s) Ior Bill Joyner to cope with his new job and unIamiliar employees.




reos for considerotion {5w@ no/ysis)
S18LnC1PS WLAknLSSLS CC81unl1lLS 1P8LA1S
1 CusLomers
2 Suppllers
3 CompeLlLlon
managemenL
Lralnees
bored and frusLraLed for
noL havlng enough work
Lo occupy a full day yeL
sLlll requlred Lo work laLe
hours noL allowed Lo
work on manaagemenL
developmenL
programdurlng ldle Llme
kelLh 8oberLs work sLlll compleLed
each day wlLh no vlslble
reducLlon ln quallLy well
llke and consldered
lnLelllgenL by coworkers
managemenL Lralnee
who spends more Llme
away from hls desk and
has mlssed hours of work
due Lo a serles of
excuses when aL hls
desk slLs ldly mosL of Lhe
Llme or dlscusses
sub[ecLs oLher Lhan
buslness wlLh coworkers
dlsmlssed for no
apparenL or clear reason
LlC employees never seemed happy nor
saLlsfled wlLh Lhelr [obs
also appear Lo mlsLrusL
8lll !oyner afLer kelLhs
performance does noL
appear Lo be lessened
buL nelLher does lL show
lmprovemenL
3 1he llrm
8lll !oyner [obcenLered leader
alLhough he meL wlLh
each employee
lndlvldually Lo revlew Lhe
laLLers goals and
ob[ecLlves ln llne wlLh
Lhe companys
expecLaLlons goal
seLLlng was compleLed ln
a very general sense
new Lo Lhe [ob no ad[usLmenL perlod
when he assumed hls
new role as offlce
manager mre concerned
wlLh performance Lhan
wlLh employee
saLlsfacLlon
Lhe offlce lncreased absenLeelsm
and Lurnover
only marglnally
producLlve ln recenL
monLhs and has
experlenced lncreaslng
problems affecLed by
Lhe condlLlon of Lhe
economy wlLh rlslng
unemploymenL and a
depressed houslng
markeL
Lnvl8CnMLn1
4 Labor
nCnL
nCnL
nCnL



/ternotive courses of ction {c#s)

Do not change leadership style but improve on communication
Advantages:
1) Building up communication while maintaining job Iocus can increase productivity to signiIicant levels
2) ReinIorcing the Iormal environment
sadvantages:
1) Might increase instead oI minimize the employees` unhappiness
2) It does not necessarily Iollow that this will increase productivity since there are other Iactors to consider


ill 1oyner may change his leadership approach from being job-centered to being more of a employee-centered
one

Advantages:
1) This will increase the employees` positive attitude towards their job.
2) This will lessen the gap between Bill and his employees Ior a better working relationship
3) Increase the morale oI the employees
sadvantages:

1) Bill Joyner might have to attend seminars about leadership that might lessen his time to work
2) Bill Joyner will have to adjust his way oI communicating and interacting with the employees

mploy a flexible leadership strategy that would be depend on the situation

Advantages:
1) Bill can easily adapt to changing environments
2) Bridging the gap with employees
3) Increasing employee eIIort and productivity

sadvantages:
1) A lot depends on the maturity level oI the employees
2) Bill must also be open to change and adapting to change as needed
3) Risk oI going overboard




conc/usion
We choose ACA # 3, to employ a Ilexible leadership strategy that would depend on the situation. This is in line with
the Path-Goal Theory oI Leadership where the primary activities oI a leader are to make achievable and desirable rewards
available to organization members who attain organizational goals and to clariIy the kinds oI behavior that must be
perIormed to earn those rewards.

The primary Iocus oI the Path-Goal Theory oI Leadership is on how leaders can increase employee eIIort and
productivity by clariIying perIormance goals and the path to be taken to achieve those goals. In Bill`s case, he can build on
the Iour primary types oI behavior associated with the theory, namely: directive, supportive, participative and achievement
behaviors, with special Iocus on directive and supportive behaviors.

ecommendotions
In line with the Path-Goal Theory oI Leadership and the behaviors identiIied, we recommend the Iollowing:

1) Conduct one-on-one perIormance management evaluations Ior each employee wherein the goals and strategies
employed will be aligned with that oI the company. This would include perIormance agreements, development
agreements, interim progress reviews, employee selI-evaluation and supervisor perIormance evaluation. (directive
behavior)
2) $chedule team building activities at least once a year in order to improve group cohesion. (5artici5ative behavior)
3) Encouraging employees to contribute by setting up a '$uggestion Box where incentives will be handed out to the
best suggestion improving or developing organizational capability and increasing perIormance quality Ior every
quarter. (8:55ortive behavior)
4) Introducing an annual incentive plan based on the perIormance oI each employee. Factors that may be considered
are the contents oI the perIormance management evaluations and up to what extent the employee was able to comply
with the goals and strategies proposed. (achievement behavior)



Bibliograpby

Certo, $. C. (2000). odern anagement (Eighth Edition ed.). Upper $addle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
http://www.stIrancis.edu/ba/ghkickul/stuwebs/btopics/works/Iied.htm