Analysis Paper #2 1 Kenyon Stanley Dr.

White COMM 604 4 February 2011 Analysis Paper #2 Currently, I am organizing a new nonprofit outreach to the homeless. There are many steps that are involved with getting an organization off and running. While my passion to help the needy is a core element of my identity, I cant do it alone. There are currently no staff positions in the organization (Transformation Charlotte). However, there are 10 volunteers that rely on my guidance to serve the needs of homeless men, women and children. The way Transformation Charlotte currently meets the needs of the homeless are distributing basic need items, serving meals and assisting unemployed homeless men and women in finding gainful employment. We are hoping to secure enough funding to open a day shelter in October of 2011. Effectively managing others is vital to meeting organizational goals. As consulting executive director, it is my responsibility to coordinate and direct outreach events to the homeless citizens in the Charlotte area. I would identify my leadership style as a 9.7 according to the Blake and Mouton managerial grid (E.M. Eisenberg, H.L. Goodall Jr. & A. Trethewey, 2010, p.253). I place the highest emphasis on relationships. I believe that volunteers produce the most when they believe that their relational needs are met. Furthermore, the emphasis on relationship is passed down from me to the volunteers and from them to the homeless men, women and children we serve. After all, it is our organizations purpose to affect change in the lives of the needy. In order for us to accomplish this task, the people in need must self-disclose personal and quite often painful

Analysis Paper #2 2 life experiences. In my experience, I have noticed that homeless people are distrustful of othersespecially people in authority. Breaking down trust barriers takes time, honesty and genuine compassion. One cant fake compassion and expect to gain the trust of a homeless individual. There are several additional reasons why I consider myself a 9,7 manager. First, our team of volunteers is interdependent upon one another. We realize that no single individual is more important than another. Furthermore, as an organization, we value people over policy. When I was employed at the Mens Shelter of Charlotte, I noticed that many of the employees neglected to provide services because a particular policy was ambiguous and she or he didnt want to do the extra work and investigate whether or not to provide a service. At Transformation Charlotte, we will endeavor to create flexible policies and procedures giving the volunteers the freedom to think for themselves and the power to act. Lastly, while my title as consulting executive director implies ultimate authority. I hope my decisions will be group based and full of other peoples ideas. My reason for leading in this manner is simple. The collective intelligence of a group is far superior to the intelligence of one person. My 9,7 leadership style has several advantages and disadvantages. First, by leading through collaboration, our team is very close. We have a highly cohesive core group of volunteers that care for each other and the mission. Our group doesnt obey directives because they have to; they obey because they want to. The collaborative decision making process allows for every team member to own the organizational goals. The result is I have a team that is dedicated, passionate and determined to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate. One of the main disadvantages to my leadership style is the likelihood that our decision making effectiveness will deteriorate due to groupthink. According to T. E. Harris & J.C. Sherblom

Analysis Paper #2 3 (2011), some of the influenced of groupthink are concurrence seeking and group cohesiveness. If we want to avoid making poor group decisions, we must continually insist to scrutinize our decisions and avoid openly agreeing with a group position when privately someone disagrees. I am sure that as Transformation Charlotte grows, we will fall into groupthink. I think that realizing the potential for groupthink up front will help us identify it in the future. If I were to lead Transformation Charlotte using a 9,1 authority obedience leadership style. The organization would look a lot different. The Mens Shelter of Charlotte is lead by an individual who is a 9,1. At the shelter, there is a control and compliance attitude that negatively affects the overall morale of the agency. Additionally, workplace conditions are arranged in a way that human factors dont impact the work. Personally, I find the lack of human elements in the workplace counterproductive to an organization that seeks to help a vulnerable cohort of our society. I have heard from several of the staff and guests at the shelter say that the Mens Shelter is run like a jail, with the guests being treated like inmates and the intake staff treated like jail guards. I do believe that if I adopted a 9,1 leadership style then when we open the day shelter, it would resemble the Mens Shelter of Charlotte. The employees wouldnt follow the leaders because they want to, they would obey directives because they have to. However, as much as I dislike the Taylor-esque culture at the Mens Shelter of Charlotte, they do provide a service to the needy. After all, the organization houses nearly 700 people per night, distribute clothing, and serve breakfast lunch and dinner 7 days a week and 365 days per year. The shelter is efficient and machine like. Unfortunately, the issue of homelessness is a personal issue and getting people off the streets will only happen if passionate people connect with the homeless, build trust and earn the right to speak into their lives.

Analysis Paper #2 4 References Eisenberg, E.M., Goodall, H.L., Jr., & Trethewey, A. (2010). Organizational communication: Balancing creativity and constraint (6th Edition). Boston: Bedford/St. Martins. Harris, T.E. & Sherblom, J.C., (2011), Small group and team communication (5th edition), Boston: Pearson.