Different Leadership Styles in the Case Study “We Are Family”

This case study analyzes the different leadership styles of Marianne and Betsy in the context of the college's marketing and communications department. Marianne adopts a democratic leadership style, emphasizing teamwork and empowerment, while Betsy maintains an autocratic leadership style, exercising control over decision-making. The study suggests that Betsy should change her leadership style to improve her relationship with the team.

Running head: LEADERSHIP
Leadership
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

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Answer 1)
Based on the case study “We Are Family”, it can be said that Marianne and that of
Betsy have different kind of leadership style. The kind of leadership style that I would
attribute to Marianne is the democratic leadership and the leadership style of Betsy on the
other hand can be stated to be autocratic leadership. Democratic leadership is also called
participative leadership and the members of group take an active role in the various process
of decision making. The democratic leader provides opportunity of exchanging in a free
manner the ideas within an organization. It lays emphasis on the aspect of the group equality
along with free flow of the ideas in an organization (Antonakis & Day, 2017). The
democratic leader however provides guidance in relation to the important decisions in an
organization. The democratic style of the leadership paves the path for the higher productivity
that can increase the morale of the members of a group (Rosenbach, 2018). A democratic
leader can play an important role in the inspiring of trust in the followers. Marianne can be
said to be a democratic leader on account of the fact that she has established the departmental
culture that lays emphasis on the element of teamwork along with empowerment. Marianne
lays stress on the element of mentorship that can help in providing guidance to the members
of a team. Marianne does not want to act like a manager but wants to empower the members
of her team.
In the case study, “We are family”, Marianne adopts a friendly attitude towards the
writers Bridget along with Suzanne and she goes out to lunch with them. This helps her in
understanding closely the concerns of her team members and builds a bond with them.
Marianne is friendly with the writers that helps her in understanding the problems that they
are facing. Marianne thinks of all the members of her college like a family and this helps her
in understanding the point of view of the other members of the college. Marianne is
instrumental in maintaining close relationships outside the arena of work that helps her in

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building closer bond with the people who are involved in the marketing and the
communications of the college.
Betsy maintains the autocratic style of leadership in the college. Autocratic leadership is also
called the authoritarian style of the leadership where the leader exercises control over the
decisions of the other members of a group. The autocratic leaders make the choices on the
basis of their judgements and they do not accept the advice from the followers. Autocratic
leader tries to maintain authoritative control over that of the group. Autocratic leadership can
be said to be a form of the management style where the leader of an organization takes the
decisions on the behalf of company (Shamir & Eilam-Shamir, 2018). He does not take any
inputs from the other members of the group and he does not provide rewards to the other
people. It paves the path for the low morale of the employees that can create the way for
attrition.
It can be said that Betsy has the autocratic leadership style as she does not want to
take inputs from the other people in the marketing and the communications department of the
college. Suzanne along with Bridget does not go out with Betsy and they do not approach
Betsy for the problems in the case study. Bridget does not come to the work at 8 in the
morning and she starts arriving at 10 in the morning. This helps in pointing out to the fact that
she feels demotivated on account of the leadership in the college. Betsy does not like to work
on the basis of the convenience of the other people. This illustrates that Betsy believes in the
autocratic style of the leadership who believes in commanding other people in the college.
Betsy feel that this can help her in taking control of the activities that can help in the smooth
functioning of the marketing campaign of the college.
Answer 2)

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I think that Betsy should change the leadership style that can help in improving
situation with Bridget along with Suzanne. I am of the opinion that Marianne does not need
to change the leadership style as it helps her in maintaining effective relationship with the
other members of the marketing team. There is a rift in the relationship in between Betsy and
that of the writers can be evident from the fact that Betsy was concerned about the factor of
resistance to the change. She did not have a good relationship with Bridge and this made her
feel that she would not be able to change the communications plan of the college. In the case
study, “ We are Family”, Suzanne and Bridget does not come to Betsy for the problems that
reveals the fact that she was not friendly with these people. This shows that she did not
maintain a transparent personality that had an effect on the behaviour of the people who were
working with her (Klenke, 2016). Betsy had a meeting with Suzanne so that some changes
can be brought about in the pet project of Suzanne. Betsy wanted to bring about changes in
the internal newsletter of the college. Suzanne felt that she was being insulted by Betsy as she
could not understand the tone of the voice of Betsy. Suzanne was tearful owing to the fact
that she felt that she was being insulted by Betsy who was the director of the marketing and
the communications of the college. She thought that she was being ridiculed and her work
was being derided of by the director. This caused her to lose her confidence and she felt that
she was being looked down upon by the director of the college. Betsy was watching Suzanne
along with Marianne leaving the office at the time of the lunch. At a later point of time,
Marianne enters the office of Betsy and asks her not to criticize the newsletter of Suzanne.
Suzanne had confided to Betsy about the fact that she was feeling insecure owing to the
behaviour of Betsy who had commanded her to make important changes. The inadequacy in
the leadership style of Betsy can be seen in the fact that she was blaming Marianne for
spoiling the relationship in between her and the writers of the college Bridget and that of
Suzanne (Western, 2019). The leadership of Betsy can be said to be faulty owing to the fact

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that she had a feeling that Marianne was trying to control the writers of the marketing and the
communication department of the college.
I am of the opinion that Marianne does not need to change the leadership style owing
to the fact that the writers called Bridget along with Suzanne were comfortable in having a
conversation with her. Marianne also holds the mentor meetings in the college and she goes
out for the lunch with the women twice within a week. Marianne has positive aspects in her
personality as she does not go out with the other people so that she can provide them with
advice. She wanted to have company and this made her go out for lunch with these people.
Betsy confronts Marianne on one day and tells her that the close relationship of the vice
president with Bridget along with Suzanne was posing difficulties pertaining to progress of
marketing along with communications program in the college. The leadership style of
Marianne can be said to be praiseworthy on account of the fact that she wanted to nurture the
skills of the writers of the marketing and the communications department (Grint, Jones &
Holt, 2016). The leadership style of Marianne needs to be praised owing to the fact that she
has been successful in establishing a culture that favours the aspect of teamwork and that of
empowerment that can strengthen the reputation of a college. Marianne used to listen to the
problems of the other people in the college that establishes the fact that she is a successful
leader in the college.
Answer 3)
Marianne can work together with Betsy that can help in the development of the
department of the marketing and the communications in the college. In the case study, “We
are Family”, Betsy Moore was hired as the director of the marketing and the communications
in the college within Midwest. She had history of the success in the field of marketing and
this made her the choice of that of hiring committee of the college. Betsy had the meeting

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with the direct reports with the writers called Bridget along with Suzanne for the
development of the new communication plan of the college. It presented goals to that of the
team and asked regarding their ideas in relation to the improvements that can be made into
the communication plan. The meeting should also include Marianne that can help in
integrating her opinion in the new plan. It can help in bringing forth her ideas that can help in
solving the confusions at a later point of time. It can help in bringing them into agreement
that can help in solving the problems that may arise at a later point of time. The desired goals
of the communication plan should be presented in front of both Marianne and that of Betsy
that can help in bringing their innovative ideas to the project.
The weekly meetings should be able to create a transparent relationship in between
the various members of the marketing department (Northouse, 2017). It can help in getting
over the element of resistance that was arising pertaining to the communication plan in the
college. It can help them in working along the same lines that can help in preparing the
marketing plan that can reach out to a large number of people. All the members in the college
should talk that can help in the building of a close relationship in between the members of the
college (Rivera, 2017). They should go out for the lunch together that can help in building a
close bond in between all the members working in the department of that of marketing
department of the college. The issues should be resolved together by both Marianne and
Betsy that can greatly help in the development of the college. They can work together in the
event of Betsy along with Marianne not doubting the intentions of another individual but in
coming together. Betsy should sit together with Marianne and comment on the changes that
should be made to the internal newsletter in relation to the college. They should together
decide about the strategy of the marketing plan of the college and on the basis of this they
should bring about the changes in the marketing plan of the college. There are graphic
designer in the college called Carol and Francine and they do not have close relation with

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Marianne. The graphic designers should become comfortable with Marianne that can help in
the overall development of communication plan of college.
All the people in the marketing department of the college should think of a plan that is
unanimously agreed upon by all the members of that of marketing department of college.
Betsy should be transparent regarding her feelings that can help in preventing any kind of
disagreement at a later point of time. It can help in removing conflicts that can arise at a later
point of time. All the people in the marketing department should be on the equal footing that
can help in removing misconception that each individual member has for the other members
(Paley, 2017). The challenges in the path of the marketing department should be handled
together that can help in building a close relationship in between the various members of the
marketing team. The mentoring program can be handled together by Betsy and that of
Marianne that can prove to be useful in maintaining the reputation of the college (Kotler et
al., 2017). The policies of the marketing department should be clear in front of all the
members of the marketing team that can come to be of use for the marketing department.

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References
Antonakis, J., & Day, D. V. (Eds.). (2017). The nature of leadership. Sage publications.
Grint, K., Jones, O. S., & Holt, C. (2016). What is Leadership. The Routledge Companion to
Leadership, 3.
Klenke, K. (2016). Qualitative research in the study of leadership. Emerald Group Publishing
Limited.
Kotler, P., Bowen, J. T., Makens, J., & Baloglu, S. (2017). Marketing for hospitality and
tourism.
Northouse, P. G. (2017). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. Sage
Publications.
Paley, N. (2017). How to Develop a Strategic Marketing Plan: A step-by-step guide.
Routledge.
Rivera, J. (2017). Marketing Principles.
Rosenbach, W. E. (2018). Contemporary issues in leadership. Routledge.
Shamir, B., & Eilam-Shamir, G. (2018). “What’s your story?” A life-stories approach to
authentic leadership development. In Leadership Now: Reflections on the Legacy of Boas
Shamir(pp. 51-76). Emerald Publishing Limited.
Western, S. (2019). Leadership: A critical text. SAGE Publications Limited.
Reading Material
Case 4.3 “We Are Family”.

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