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Leadership Style Exercised at The Fire Station 13 - Summary
In the given case study, the discussion is about leadership style exercised at the Fire Station 13. The case study discusses a conflict between the regiment head David Marx and Captain Eric Collin who joined the team just six months. The regiment head Marx was in the favor that norms and principles should be followed in the fire station for the employees to execute their functions in an effective manner. As per Marx’s thinking, their organization is successful in maintaining a positive image among the public in constant manner and this is only because of the norms and principles that are being followed by the organization (Nwokocha et al., 2015). He had a notion that Captain Eric Collin was asking to simplify the existing norms only to make work simple for those working under his leadership. Moreover, Marx also felt that if he simplified the rules for Eric and his team, then he had to execute the same for every team and he was complete against that (Baysak et al., 2015). On the other hand, Eric felt that the implementation of too many norms and principles on the working system of the concerned fire station was creating a negative impact on those working under him.
Also, this is contributing to a great extent towards minimizing the level of confidence among those working under him. Eric had a perception that the norms and principles implemented on the concerned fire station should be made easy in favor of the fire station itself as well for the employees of the fire station. Furthermore, Eric complained that the employees working in the fire-station are constantly engaged in the task of dousing fire and hence they come in close-contact with the dust, making it difficult for them to stay neat and tidy. Due to this Eric believes that the regulations imposed by Marx in terms of the appearance of his employees is very much vigilant and this is only reducing the confidence among these people. Also, he believes that appearance plays an important role in the job of a person, but in case of a fire station worker it is not always possible because they are always confronted with dust (Alghazo et al., 2016).
In the case study, Eric also complains on the behalf of the employees that the rules imposed on their hair-styles is not appropriate, the prescribed hair length is so small that the employees look hair-less and they also feel that such rules are not followed by any other fire-station. The employees even feel that they should be allowed to watch television while they are not working to relieve themselves from stress. However, the complaints were not considered by the regiment head and he asked Collin and his team to apply for a transfer to other departments if they are not willing to work in such a strict environment (Khan et al., 2015). Marx is completely against breaking the rules and regulation for Eric and his team and they will continue to strive for a positive image among the public with their strict rules and regulations not caring about the complaints raised by them.
Leadership Style Exercised at The Fire Station 13 - Answer to Question 1
Considering the situation in the case study, as a leader, I would have made certain changes on the rules and regulations of the fire station. Simplifying the rules completely can lead the organization into a mess. The rules should be applicable to such an extent that it controls the discipline of the organization and not dominates the organization. If a leader imposes too many rules and regulations it can prove to be detrimental on the overall performance of the organization. Also, being too strict has the potential to minimize the motivation level as well as the confidence level of the employees. So, it would have been favorable for the employees if restrictions were not imposed on their hair length and their right to watch television when not working (Fiaz et al., 2017). Furthermore, appearance is a matter of concern for any profession, but such a strict regulation in terms of appearance should not have been imposed on the fire station workers.
Leadership Style Exercised at The Fire Station 13 - Answer to Question 2
In a situation if Marx’s wish for strict code of conduct was accepted, the employees should be supplied with an extra pair of uniform in order to maintain their appearance during their duty hours, in case the uniform they are wearing gets dirty (Zhang et al., 2015). Also, the prescribed hair length should be such that it does not give them a negative feeling about their looks. Moreover, it is important to explain the importance of the rules and regulations to the employees and the ways it will contribute towards developing a positive image of the organization among the public as pointed out by Marx.
Yes, it is important to discuss with the employees about the conversation between the regiment head Marx and Eric so that they are aware of the situation and will try to focus towards its achievement.
Leadership Style Exercised at The Fire Station 13 - Answer to Question 3
In case of the employees working under him to go against the norms and principles established by Marx, I will be compelled to exercise the authoritarean style of leadership to ensure that the employees are following the codes of conduct established by the regiment head (Zhang et al., 2016). In this leadership style, the concerned leader will dominate the workforce with norms and principles to maintain discipline in the concerned organization.
Leadership Style Exercised at The Fire Station 13 - Answer to Question 4
No, if the viewpoints of the regiment head is followed by me, it doesn’t mean that I am forcing the employees to believe that it is fine to go against certain rules and regulations. But at that point it will mean that the discipline techniques applied by the regiment head Marx is too strict and will create a negative influence on their performance. This will thereby reduce their morale and hence the objective of maintaining a favorable image of the organization among the public can’t be achieved either (Adekanbi,2016).
Yes, the employees are being required to integrate the perspectives of both Marx and Enric to maintain effective performance of their organization (Boehe,2016). They are trying to achieve the objective of maintaining a favorable image among the public, which was one of the motives of the regiment head Marx but if too strict rules and regulations are applied this motive can’t be achieved, instead it will create an impact on the productivity of the organization.
References for Leadership Style Exercised at The Fire Station 13
Boehe, D. M. (2016). Supervisory styles: A contingency framework. Studies in Higher Education, 41(3), 399-414. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03075079.2014.927853?casa_token=h2aVugtG2f0AAAAA%3A2MRPGtpSPYVdLmNBmh2-5u91ReUwZwM-roV9T4U-zIVLPrR-8vZsvkZiflaODMFSubagC1zu6wqaqQ
Zhang, Y., & Bednall, T. C. (2016). Antecedents of abusive supervision: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Business Ethics, 139(3), 455-471. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-015-2657-6
Zhang, Y., & Liao, Z. (2015). Consequences of abusive supervision: A meta-analytic review. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 32(4), 959-987. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/sdf
Wang, G., Harms, P. D., & Mackey, J. D. (2015). Does it take two to tangle? Subordinates’ perceptions of and reactions to abusive supervision. Journal of Business Ethics, 131(2), 487-503. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-014-2292-7
Fiaz, M., Su, Q., & Saqib, A. (2017). Leadership styles and employees' motivation: Perspective from an emerging economy. The Journal of Developing Areas, 51(4), 143-156. Retrieved from https://muse.jhu.edu/article/662834/summary
Khan, M. S., Khan, I., Qureshi, Q. A., Ismail, H. M., Rauf, H., Latif, A., & Tahir, M. (2015). The styles of leadership: A critical review. Public Policy and Administration Research, 5(3), 87-92. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.983.5330&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Alghazo, A. M., & Al-Anazi, M. (2016). The Impact of Leadership Style on Employee’s Motivation. International Journal of Economics and Business Administration, 2(5), 37-44. Retrieved from ttps://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ali_Alghazo/publication/310585872_The_Impact_of_Leadership_Style_on_Employee's_Motivation/links/5831cc7708ae138f1c079f5c/The-Impact-of-Leadership-Style-on-Employees-Motivation.pdf
Nwokocha, I., & Iheriohanma, E. B. J. (2015). Nexus between leadership styles, employee retention and performance in organizations in Nigeria. European Scientific Journal, 11(13).
Baysak, B., & Yener, M. İ. (2015). The relationship between perceived leadership style and perceived stress on hospital employees. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 207, 79-89. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042815052921
Adekanbi, A. (2016). An Investigation into the Impact of Leadership Styles on Employee Retention: Identifying which Leadership Style best encourages Employee Retention in the Nigerian Banking Sector: A Case study of Zenith Bank Plc., Nigeria (Doctoral dissertation, Dublin, National College of Ireland). Retrieved fromhttp://trap.ncirl.ie/2277/
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