ATENEO PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS

Graduate School of Business

CASE ANALYSIS: WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE TEAM

PRIMAN S17

Submitted to:

PROF. NICOLAS LANSANG

Submitted by:

Aseron, Anna Lourdes

Loredo, John Paul

Villena, Pocholo
1. How would you characterize Rankin’s leadership style? What approach do you
think is correct for this situation? Why?

Rankin’s leadership style is autocratic and domineering. He has a “Do as I Say”

attitude and takes little/no account of his team’s opinions and concerns and cares solely
in completing the job. The main issue here is that his teams are under extreme stress and
pressure and some members have barely managed to strike Work-Life balance however,
their issues often fall to deaf ears.

Rankin’s style can also be characterized as task-oriented based on Fiedler’s

Contingency Theory as he is more focused on directing his subordinates toward goal
attainment. However, a Relationship-oriented style would be more suited in this situation.

Relationship-oriented leaders are more effective in situations of moderate

Favorability. (Daft, 2012).

Rankin’s situation falls under this category since the team’s task structure and his
position power are favorable, however his relationship with this team members is poor. As
such, a relationship-oriented style is needed because human relations skills are important
in achieving high group performance in these situations.

A shift from a task-oriented to a relationship-oriented type of leader, would help

Rankin improve his relationship with his member thus, creating a more positive group
atmosphere. This might help improve the morale of the whole team which can help them
turn this project around.

2. What would you do now if you were Rankin? How might you awaken more
enthusiasm in your team for completing this project on time? Suggest specific
steps.

The following issues were apparent in the situation and the way Rankin handled
certain situations, namely:

● Sally was leaving the company for another company that pays lower because of
the pressure she was getting from the team and she wanted more “Quality of Life.”
○ Despite Sally’s impressive people and team skills, Rankin told her that
getting a promotion is unlikely because of her level of technical knowledge
and expertise
○ Rankin compares other’s situation to his own by questioning why Sally has
to have quality of life cause he has barely seen his wife and kids since the
project started
● The remaining members of the Chicago group, Finley and Johnston, were having
conflicts internally
 ○ Sam knew about this conflict, but Rankin did not
● When Finley told Rankin about him being tired and stressed out and on how his
work has been affecting his personal life, Rankin just said “Just get along until this
project is completed.”
● Dyer’s complaints regarding the lack of passion of Rankin’s team and the lack of
understanding of the urgency of the project from his team
● Rankin’s team is unenthusiastic, but committed

If we were Rankin, since my mindset is more on the management side, we would

work on our leadership skills to have a holistic approach in people management.

Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, has a set of leadership principles he follows, which are:

1. Get to know your employees

2. Create new ways to reward and promote high performers
3. Let employees own the problems that you want them to solve
4. Allow people to function outside the hierarchy
5. Have employees’ performance reviewed by someone whom they respect for their
objectivity

Besides these, he would interact and encourage the employees to implement their
innovative ideas. He would also protect the employees from unwanted interference from
their managers. He also gave the employees flexibility in terms of accomplishing their
goals and thinking of ways on how to creatively solve problems.

Eric Schmidt used a combination of management and leadership skills to take

Google to the next stage of growth. (Daft, 2012)

By following these steps, he would be more empathetic to the employees and give
them a sense of balance between work and personal life. Pressure would also lessen
since they will have more flexibility in terms of work and they can fully focus on the tasks
given to them, since they will be protected by the CEO from unnecessary interference and
distractions from other members of the organization. Doing this will address the issues of
Sally and Finley.
 Since the focus of management is in the production and deliverables of the
employees, the type of management should shift from Task to Team Management and
this can be achieved by practicing the methods of Eric Schmidt. Besides that,
consideration must also be practiced so that the trust between the employees and the
leader will increase. This will address the issue of Rankin not knowing about the situation
in the Chicago office.

This can be done by knowing the full context of the employee by speaking to him
or her one on one.

“Consideration is the extent to which a leader is sensitive to subordinates, respects their

ideas and feelings, and establishes mutual trust.” (Daft, 2012, Pg. 524)

In terms of leadership style, Rankin should adopt an interactive style of leadership

because will promote relationship building among the employees and will entail a deeper
relationship among everyone cause this style focuses more on inclusion, collaboration,
relationship building, and caring. (Daft, 2012)

Adopting this would mean more one on one talks with the employees and including
them in most of the company activities and events. This would also mean working with
them in terms of creating new processes to improve the current process and increase
efficiency and to complete the project on or before the given deadline.

In terms of what kind of leader Rankin should be, he should be a transactional

leader. Being a transactional leader, he would address Dyer’s complaint of the employees
lacking the sense of urgency of the project since he would be able to clearly communicate
to employees their roles and tasks for the completion of the project. Besides this, he would
also be able to implement a reward system for the employees to boost their morale and
increase their enthusiasm.
 “A transactional leader clarifies subordinates’ roles and task requirements, initiates
structure, provides rewards, and displays consideration for followers.” (Daft, 2012, Pg.
532)

Instilling these will address all the issues being faced by Rankin in the company,
more specifically the employees and management. By practicing these methods, Rankin
would be able to influence and inspire the employee to be better and to do their jobs at
the best of their abilities.

“The attitudes and behaviors of leaders shape the conditions that determine how well
employees can do their jobs; thus leaders play a tremendous role in the organization’s
success.” (Daft, 2012, Pg. 512)

3. How would you suggest that Rankin modify his leadership style if he wants to
succeed Dyer in two years? Be specific.

Rankin should be able to balance his Power and Influence with his team, especially
the ones in Chicago. As discussed in the case, he has been using his Hard Position
Power too much at all times and is expecting better results for his team each time.
We suggest that Rankin exercise a shift to Personal Soft Power type of leadership.

“Effective leaders don’t rely solely on the hard power of their formal position to influence
others… In contrast to the external sources of position power, personal power most often
comes from internal sources, such as an individual’s special knowledge or personal
characteristics. Personal power is the primary tool of the leader, and it is becoming
increasingly important as more businesses are run by teams of workers who are less
tolerant of authoritarian management.” (Daft, 2012, Pg. 537)

Rankin should have a conscious effort to practice his Interpersonal Influence Tactics.

“Use rational persuasion, Develop allies and Ask for what you want.”

Rankin should gather his team, L.A. and Chicago. It is best for him to once again
lay down and explain everything about CRM software installation project. A formal meeting
would be a way to kick it off, but an informal, more relaxed environment may give it a
better follow up or push. An informal setup of meeting would be ideal since everyone in
the team are already stressed out.

This way, everyone in the team will be realigned to the goals set before them.
When facts and logical arguments as well as their needs and concerns are talked about,
then it would be easier for the entire team to know and realize the importance and urgency
of what they are all assigned to do. Each member of the team can contribute or input on
the tasks. In this brainstorming, the team effort and best approach to the problem are
much more realized.
 This can be done on a quarterly basis to assess if everyone is still on the right track
and everyone is still properly motivated to reach their team’s goal. Also, these quarterly
updates can help boost the morale of each member as they discuss the milestones that
they have already accomplished.

“Help people to like you and Rely on the rule of reciprocity”

“Effective leaders strive to create goodwill and favorable impressions. When a leader
shows consideration and respect, treats people fairly, and demonstrates trust in others,
people are more likely to want to help and support this person by doing what he or she
asks.” (Daft, 2012, Pg. 537)

Rankin is especially experiencing the same “quality of life” issues with his Chicago
team. Since milestones and scheduled should already be laid out, they can give each
team member at least a short breather to energize with their respective family members.
Time and emotional support are very important for each member to get back and be
focused with their work. The team will also feel and realize that their wellbeing is important
for Rankin and it would be easier for them to reciprocate by giving what is due them in
terms of their work goals.

Rankin should also be keen in giving recognition when milestones are reached.
Knowing that your superior acknowledges the good work that you have done, gives an
extra boost for a team member to do more and to do better.

References:

1. New Era of Management Tenth Edition. Richard Daft, 2012.