Leadership Crisis Situation

Leadership and organizational behavior

Project: Critical Reflection
Ariadna Valle Benitez
A01226305

A leadership crisis situation that you were involved in. If you observed someone else
handle something either very well or very poorly, you may write about that instead.

1. What happened? (Background, brief description of events, specific

leadership actions)

I was assigned as a leader in my second group of the company, I had to lead the
marketing team, development team and the team we will be centering in for this
topic is the updating database team. Two people had to be reassigned from the
credit department to my team, so they could update a required database that was
pending from many months even years behind, so their main job was to call
suppliers and update their contact information.

The first week of introduction to the product, tasks and what I was expecting from
them was running perfectly, until one of them stopped answering calls, mails and
finally messages from skype and whatsapp. The other member who we will call
Ángel was working, but the results were not delivered on time and the daily goals
were not reached.

So as a leader from day one I had to know what was happening to them and why
the low results and absences were happening.

What were the results? (Real or potential. Try to include both positive and
 negative possibilities. Even if the event seemed clearly good or bad,
consider unintended consequences.)

As a result the database was updated less than 15% of what was expected from
the beginning and both employees had to be fired. As a procedural justice, I had
to look up for the reasons why this was happening in both situations and I
actually spoke with them and let them speak up about the situation. Solutions
were given to both employees and as a leader I had to make sure they were
using the solutions given to start developing their tasks, but this didn´t happen.
As a leader I gave them the opportunity to speak, solve and gave them time, but
at the end I realized that this is how they used to work in other teams and the
company had no knowledge.

So I had to communicate the situation to human resources, because for over 2

weeks they were not following instructions and not even working. They were not
delivering the daily results as a proof of their performance during the day, so
basically the company was just paying them without receiving the job they were
assigned to develop.

2. Why did this happen? (Consider all possible factors, including the people
and the situation)

After evaluating workers with the commitment and satisfaction they had with the
company, they had below cero satisfaction or commitment and as the
organizational commitment jobs predict their performance reflected this.

The company does not give the employees the required equipment to develop
their tasks, and I am very aware of this because I also have to work with my own
resources. They were given solutions to do everything by hand, printing the
corresponding list to update and charge it to the company and continue with the
calls. They just didn´t answer to the mails, so as a leader I had to notify this.
3. What class concepts are relevant to this situation? (Mention at least one
concept from class and how they can be used to interpret the situation.)

Organizational citizenship behavior: they were following their own way of

working, but the company didn´t realize that it wasn´t efficient and was not
working. I mention this concept, because individuals tend to behave in some way
and do things not established by the company and really work. In this case if they
would of made things differently, but worked it would be a very different situation.

Procedural justice: it was fair how the situation was handled and investigations
about the reasons why the situation was happening was made. As a leader I also
recognize that the company does not have the best structure, so basic things like
equipment can be part of the main problem or excuse used by employees.

4. What did you learn from this? (Broader lessons that might apply to other
situations or problems.)

Some people can use this concept of organizational citizen behavior and in many
companies we can see that it work, but you have to realize when people are just
not working and not following instructions.