Running head: TEAM PROJECT 2 B OR NOT 2 B

Leadership Case Problem B

Shane Gray
Vicky Roberts
John Stearns
Tameka Wilson
Siena Heights University
February 15, 2016

TEAM PROJECT 2B OR NOT 2B

Proposal
The following presentation proposal was a collaborative on-line class effort put forth by
Siena Heights Universitys team, 2 B Or Not 2 B. The information analyzed here, made
available through a Leadership Theory 601 class assignment, focused on Leadership Case
Problem B: Ashley Wants to Boost Teamwork (DuBrin, 2016, p. 304). The assignment scenario
is setup in an insurance company with employee Ashley being named, for the first time, a team
leader for a new concept within her company. The teams objective is the improvement of
customer service for the companys insurance clients. Each team is delegated the authority to
issue policies and settle claims, within limits, for specific geographic regions (DuBrin, 2016, p.
304). Ashley has taken her new leadership role very seriously, and has decided that she and the
teams successful performance will be certain with the simplistic implementation of frequent face
to face meetings.
Dissention Erupts Among Team Members
The team meets and Ashley issues team members their new company issued objectives
and responsibilities. Prior to the newly introduced team concept, the company operated with
separate departments to handle the sales, underwriting, and claims processing. The combining of
these services becomes a point of dissention amongst the team members. Team member George
voices his concern about the new company concept pointing out that employees are now
expected to do three jobs, at the same pay grade received for doing one job previously. Roz is a
team member that is concerned about currently having a job that she knows very well and
enjoys, now being replaced with new responsibilities that are confusing to her. Ashley attempts
to eliminate dissention and concern amongst the team members. She informs her team this is the
companys decision and to just go along with it and trust in successfully getting through it.
Ashley has just hijacked her followers optimistic emotions, needed to feel good about meeting

TEAM PROJECT 2B OR NOT 2B

the new objectives, resulting in predisposing her team to the possibility of not being successful in
times of change (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002).
Negative Team Performance Evaluation
Four months later Ashleys boss, James, evaluates her teams level of performance which
results in a negative evaluation. James concludes that her team is not meeting the expectations
of the companys new standards, on schedule, that had been put into place. The rate at which
policies were issued had not increased, claims were not being settled in a timely fashion and
customer satisfaction had fallen instead of rising. James informs her that the other teams are
progressing on schedule and that her team needs to increase their level of performance to meet
company expectations.
Facing the Reality as the Leader
Ashleys initial approach with the team was one sided and did not communicate effective
leadership skills. Her original leadership style of approach, to the changing situation, was
autocratic and hierarchical. This left team members to evaluate the congruence of team
expectations on their own. The vague sense of direction that Ashley communicated to her team,
of the new company objectives and responsibilities, gave rise to an increase in team members
level of anxiety and confusion. The teams attitude began to drop and critical thinking and
imaginative problem solving were dismal. The perception of having to do more work with more
responsibilities and no increased compensation or explanation of the significance, began to take
its toll on team morality and productivity also. Ashley was communicating in an authoritative
manner, do as I say, expecting the team to manage themselves with no direction. She was not
being sensitive to her followers feelings in an empathetic manner which is indicative of lacking
competent emotional intelligent leadership skills (Maccoby, 2001). The team was on a
destructive course lean of company productivity.

TEAM PROJECT 2B OR NOT 2B

Leadership Style Change

Ashley needs to switch to the consensus style of leadership, establishing trust and setting
into place a collaborative theory of teamwork. It is time to build and transcend her teams culture
by nurturing it through listening skills and collaboration (Klenke, 2002). Realigning her team,
through the identification of the reason the company streamlined the underwriting and policy
process, can now begin. Establishing objectives and the teams mission serves as the foundation
of direction and performance standards (Dubrin, 2016, p. 281).

Objectives defined is a

declaration of power sharing in areas of responsibility and ownership for each team member.
Updated information, with team interaction from Ashley, encourages the team to be aware of a
reduction of the work load, not an increase, with efficient team members individual areas of
expertise being used to their fullest potential.
Mission of Team Implemented
The mission statement can now be implemented behaviorally because the team is on a
level playing field of understanding defining each persons significance, in relationship to the
reasons for the new team concept, needed for successful team work performance. Leadership
transparency is on display to the team and Ashleys character of integrity will aid in the
accomplishment of the teams performance goal. If a team leader withholds information, the
team members begin to question the leaders trustworthiness and their significance to the mission
(Dubrin, 2016, p. 282). Transparency of the team leader communicates ones own selfconfidence, while showing her belief in each of her team members self-efficacy.
Team Cooperation Emphasized by Leader
Identification of team cooperation is paramount for the success of the team, including the
team leader, Ashely. Each team members significance should be identified, both negative and
positive traits. Negative contributions should be identified to be resolved rather than to be given

TEAM PROJECT 2B OR NOT 2B

the opportunity to evolve into infighting and misunderstanding causing the loss of team focus.
Establishing a positive cooperative environment promotes new life to the team and energizes
empowering efforts.
Appraisal of individual team members areas of expertise, with correlated work
assignments, must ensue. The sharing of power within the team communicates individual
validity and company worth (Dubrin, 2016, p. 284).
Productive Work Environment
Ashley has successfully established and implemented a consensus style company
environment of leadership, relating the importance of each team members work contribution.
Self-governance and an internal team protocol alleviates potential problems where disagreements
are heard and not overlooked (Dubrin, 2016, p. 285). Ashley should continue face-to-face team
meetings once a week and let the team members continue communicating with electronic
sources. The electronic sources should have a primary team dash board so Ashley can manage
the flow of information attributed to team business. With this type of communication there would
be no lack of transparency. Issues that she needed to be continually updated on, based upon
urgency, can also be sufficiently met.
How to Function as an Effective Team
Ashley has been confronted by a team that functions as individuals. When asked by
members the significance of being on a team, she vaguely communicated back to just go with it.
The message to her group was that the change that was about to happen did not have her
guidance as a strong leader. Attitudes of members began to become uncooperative due to the
unstable work environment. The new concept and the formation of a new team would require
strong directive leadership and an optimistic approach, in order to start the team functioning as a
team unit. To begin the transformation of the team, explanation of change must be

TEAM PROJECT 2B OR NOT 2B

communicated. The leader needs to gain her teams trust, so that the team will participate with
the new organizational reality optimistically and eagerly.
Ashley must approach her role with an energized proactive attitude. It is important to lead
beyond the current realities, promoting positively an emphasis on teamwork, to successfully
complete the current goal and future company success. Listening to team members concerns,
emphatically conveying to her team that she is a team player with the emphasis on a collaborated
effort, will need to be enacted to complete this transition. The beginning of establishing trust and
moving forward towards organizational productivity, will aid in leading her team out of the
current mindset of misery associated with uncertainty (DuBrin, 2006).
The concerns voiced by team members need to be addressed and resolved before moving
forward. Proactive behavior, by Ashley, resonates with people, so she can communicate a plan
with a firm sense of direction. A plan that will reap positive, behavioral results from her team.
The trust in Ashley's leadership is now established, moving the team past self-interests, toward
behavior that is for the good of the team and the company. The overhaul of the current culture,
through growth, will take the team from low performance, to high performance. The process of
positive organizational change will then be completed.
Evaluation of Leadership Charisma
Ashley lacked charisma. The fact that Ashley relied on reasoning and logic alone, when
addressing the groups concerns regarding pay and productivity, has shown that she lacked the
charisma that was necessary to inspire her team to greatness through job change understanding
and empathy. Charismatic leaders are transformational through behavior which impacts
effectiveness and trust. Ashley did not manage her first impression of her leadership skills,
during her first encounter with her team, displaying an attitude of determination inspiring the

TEAM PROJECT 2B OR NOT 2B

groups self-efficacy capabilities. A socialized charismatic skill conveying masterful

communication skills from a leader possessing the trait of charisma.
DuBrin communicates, "Charisma makes a leaders job easier", (DuBrin, 2006, p.73).
Ashley needed to tap into her charismatic side, as charisma can be learned, which would have led
her team to the performance goal of their company. To accomplish collaborative team
workmanship, energetic and enthusiastic leadership communication needed to be conveyed
because positive attributions are contagious, enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm. She needed to assist
members in providing the team with a vision and offering incentives and rewards, to secure the
members mental buy-in and cooperation that was essential to the teams improved performance
success.
Effective Team Leader Defined
In conclusion, Ashleys boss James asked a very important question during her
evaluation, can she lead? The teams lack of success can be found within the answer that Ashley
honestly provided for herself, facing her reality. The response she gives, insinuating that she
might be a good team leader, speaks volumes to her limited knowledge of leadership, evaluation
of herself and her knowledge of her teams capabilities. Leadership competencies, traits, and
principles are lacking. As she begins to evaluate her leadership competencies, the realization of
her strengths and weaknesses were unveiled. The team could concede that at the beginning of
this change journey their leader lacked the strategic intelligent interrelated competencies needed,
foresight, motivation and partnering, to begin to influence the new performance team capabilities
the company so desired(Maccoby, 2001).
Organizational Results
Once the vision is defined and consistently focused on, with Ashley established as the
much needed change catalyst, the team can begin to move in the preferred direction of proper

TEAM PROJECT 2B OR NOT 2B

performance. Ashleys new communication style, consensus style leadership, will begin the
positive transformation for her group. The team will grow individually, while improving upon
each members self-efficacy, through properly distributed responsibilities contributing to the
teams overall development professionally. Communication will become more fluid and trust will
grow exponentially. Ashley will be able to report to her boss, James, that her team has grown
personally and professionally by meeting objectives through raised teams performance levels,
from low level performance to high achievement. Transformed charismatic leader Ashley and
her properly led team, will accomplish the companys mission through trust, increased job
performance and customer satisfaction.

TEAM PROJECT 2B OR NOT 2B

References
DuBrin, A. J. (2016). Leadership Research Findings, Practice, and Skills. Boston, MA:
Cengage Learning.
Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2002). Primal Leadership Realizing the Power of
Emotional Intelligence. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Klenke, Karin. "Cinderella stories of women leaders: Connecting leadership contexts and
competencies. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies 9.2: 18-28. Retrieved
February 1, 2016 from ProQuest.
Maccoby, M. (2001, May). Successful leaders employ strategic intelligence [Electronic version].
Research Technology Management, 44 (3), 58-60. Retrieved February 1, 2016
from ProQuest.