Module 1: Choosing an Organization and Situation

D. Margaret EvanSon

OGL 481: Organizational Leadership Pro-Seminar 1

Dr. B.

August 24, 2021

Arizona State University

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Module 1: Choosing an Organization and Situation

The Organization

The organization I chose for this discussion is my current employer and therefor I am

using a fictitious name. The Scott County Airport Authority is a Joint Powers entity that owns

and operates the Scott Regional Airport. The Airport is a small hub operation that welcomed

nearly 2 million commercial passengers in 2019 and was on course to eclipse that number in

2020. There were nearly 300,000 commercial, military, and general aviation operations at the

airport in 2019. This airport serves as an economic engine in the region supporting a $1.3 billion-

dollar economic impact. Over 120 employees work for the Airport Authority in a traditional

hierarchical structure. The Chief Executive Officer reports to the Board of Directors; two

executives, the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, report to the Chief

Executive Officer. There are eight Directors, each of whom reports to one of the executives.

My Role in the Organization

My role is the Director of Security, Operations & Maintenance. There are four

departments within my division responsible for the safe and efficient transit of aircraft and

passengers as well as regulatory compliance and support functions. I am responsible for strategic

and tactical planning at the division level and the delegation of resources. Resource management

includes the oversight of an $8 million budget and 30 personnel. I am also responsible for

framing the actions of leadership in the context of the Airport mission and goals through team

communications. Four managers report to me directly and I am responsible for providing them

with coaching, professional development, and feedback.

The Situation
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The onset of COVID-19 affected the aviation industry swiftly and acutely. Because of

this, the Airport saw a large drop in flights and passengers. The Chief Financial Officer called for

a reduction in expenses and a halt to all non-essential expenditures. In early April, I was asked to

look at staffing and evaluate a reduction in force in the Operations Department. My division had

the only department asked to reduce staff. This was challenging because we still had to be able to

operate 24/7 and maintain all systems and processes.

The Chief Operating Officer, who I report to, thought we could lay off 10 part-time

employees and 6 full-time employees who support the passenger terminal and airfield operations.

He stated there wasn't enough work for them since there was a reduction in flights. He thought

we could operate with the remaining 7 full-time staff. In my opinion, losing this many people

would be too much of a risk to the continuity of operations. There was also the threat of one of

the remaining staff contracting COVID-19 or having to quarantine due to exposure. I created a

report containing four staffing scenarios. Each scenario included the cost savings and the affect it

would have on our operating capabilities. A thorough analysis convinced him that we should

keep all full-time staff and put the part-time staff on a 3-month furlough. This is one of several

difficult decisions we made to navigate the summer of 2020.