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Running head: PHOENIX SOCIAL WORK AGENCY CASE STUDY

Phoenix Social Work Agency Case Study

Thomas Tessin

OGL 300: Theory and Practice of Leadership

Mr. David Wells

April 5, 2021
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Situational Leadership Theory

It seems as if most case managers are at a D2 level, a level where they may have the

relevant skills, but they won’t be able to do the job without the help. As the case study noted,

these are recent college graduates who need about six weeks of training, including shadowing.

Even after training commences, it can take about six months to learn how to manage situations

and services. Even then, a learning curve remains. Since the typical caseworker leaves after

about a year and a half, that leaves the average experience level for these caseworkers quite low.

Alicia is the definition of an S1 leadership style, which is a high directive, low supportive

style. These leaders define the roles and tasks of the follower and supervise them closely. The

decisions are made by the leader and communication is predominately one way. In this case,

Alicia focuses on making sure productivity is met and will write up any worker if the 20-hour

productivity benchmark isn’t met. She also checks in frequently, letting it be known which

choices she doesn’t like.

Gwendolyn, on the other hand, doesn’t care as much about the 20-hour productivity

benchmark as Alicia does. She also offers much more support and flexibility, such as allowing

the caseworkers to work from a coffee shop if need be. This type of leadership would be more of

an S3, supporting approach. These leaders take a high supportive-low directive approach. The

leader does not focus exclusively on goals but uses supportive behavior that brings out the

followers’ skills around the goal that needs to be accomplished. This includes listening, giving

feedback, etc.

The second major part of the Situational Leadership model concerns the development of

the followers (Northouse, 2018, p. 98). Seeing that the followers are considered to be at a D2

level, it doesn’t match up with the supervisor’s leadership styles, which in this case is an S1 and
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S3. Effective leadership occurs when a leader can diagnose the development level of their

followers, which in this case is a D2 level. In this case, the supervisors should take more of an

S2 leadership approach, which is a coaching style. With this coaching style, the supervisors

should define the roles and tasks, but they should also seek out ideas and suggestions from the

case managers. While the decisions can remain in the leader’s hands, the communication needs

to be two-way. Since these case managers still need direction, support, and are considered to be

inexperienced, an S2 leadership style can help build their self-esteem and involvement in the

decision-making process.

Path-Goal Theory

In this study, it appears that the caseworkers need help in many ways, from making more

money, which isn’t possible at the moment, to lessening the workload to say the least. There’s

no doubt that the caseworkers are stressed, inexperienced, and are currently unhappy with their

work conditions. Let’s not forget that the turnover rate is high as well, leading to an

inexperienced crew. In using the Path-Goal theory, both supervisors need to understand these

needs so that they can adapt to the styles the situation demands.

The Path-Goal model selects specific behaviors best suited to their employees’ needs as

well as the working environment to best guide the employees’ path to their final goal. For a

leader, it’s important to use a leadership style that matches the followers’ motivational needs,

and this can be done by choosing behaviors that complement or supplement what is missing in

the work environment (Northouse, 2018, p. 118).

First, it’s important to know which leadership behaviors are being used. Alicia, for

instance, is using a directive leadership behavior. She lets employees know what is expected of

them and will tell them how they should be performing their tasks. The theory argues that this
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behavior works best when the role and demands are ambiguous and satisfying. Gwendolyn,

unlike Alicia, is using more of a supportive leader behavior. This type of leadership is ideal

when a team is inexperienced or lacking confidence.

The follower characteristics will also determine how a leader’s behavior is interpreted in

given work content. This is based on the needs for affiliation, preferences for structure, desires

for control, and self-perceived level of task ability. In addition, task characteristics, have a major

impact as this can impact the way a leader’s behavior influences a followers’ motivation.

In this case, I would consider the supportive leader behavior style to be the best of the

two. This type of style is directed toward the satisfaction of the employee’s needs and

preferences. It is said that tasks that are structured yet frustrating, then a supportive style would

be ideal (Northouse, 2018, p. 124). This style is also ideal in psychologically challenging

situations. In this case, a leader should show care for the employee’s psychological well-being.

They will go out of their way to make work pleasant for the followers, which, in turn, can

provide the caseworkers with confidence to succeed (Northouse, 2018, p. 120). According to

table 6.1, the follower characteristics include being unsatisfied and the need for affiliation. As

mentioned in the study, these caseworkers are exposed to a lot of situations most adults don’t see

in everyday life. From serious mental illnesses to children in distress, it’s hard for these

caseworkers to go home every night with a clear mind. This type of support can treat case

workers as an equal, essentially giving them respect for their status.

The Best Option

Situational leadership will offer specific suggestions as to how leaders can adapt to

different situations, whereas the Path-Goal theory will consider their employees’ skills before

assigning responsibilities. In this case, I believe the Path-Goal is the best option as it involves
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more of the follower’s emotions. Similar to that of the Situational theory, the Path-Goal theory

also has four leadership styles, which allow the leaders to adapt to different situations, however,

the Path-Goal considers the needs of the followers, which I feel is more of a personal

relationship between the two.

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References

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice (8th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc