Leadership and Management: Case Study on Laura's Non-profit Agency

This case study analyzes the leadership and management challenges faced by Laura, the Associate Director of a non-profit agency. The agency is experiencing high staff turnover and internal chaos. The assignment requires an evaluation of Laura's role, recommended steps for improvement, and the most effective leadership style for her. The analysis focuses on improving leadership skills, management techniques, conflict resolution, team building, and employee motivation. The solution recommends the implementation of a transactional leadership style to bring structure and clarity to the agency, along with the importance of effective communication and goal setting to improve overall performance. The assignment also suggests steps for managers to improve their management skills by focusing on employee development and team-based activities.

Running head: Leadership and management
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management
Table of content
1. Recommended steps should be endured by Laura:......................................................................3
2. Steps needed to be taken for improvisation:................................................................................4
3. Effective leadership style for Laura:............................................................................................5
References:......................................................................................................................................7
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1. Recommended steps should be endured by Laura:
The situation of the agency of Laura is under a pure chaos. For that, Laura needs to
utilize effectively both her leadership along with her management skill as an associate director of
the agency. First of all, Laura needs to fulfill her duties. She needs to take part effectively and
assist the entire team of the agency in implementing as well as developing plans along with the
departmental goals. According to the remark of Masulis & Mobbs (2014), assisting the team of
an organization in developing plans and goals can succor the individual team member to be more
accountable towards his or her specific job from the initial stage. This gradually can provide
benefit to the agency in order to mitigate the chaos. Moreover, she should supervise and
coordinate the daily operations that needed to be undertaken. In addition, she needs to monitor
the objectives’ attainment by ensuring the compliance along with the internal policies and
regulations. Moreover, Laura needs to create a report of the operations on daily basis and submit
it to the director of the agency in order to get an effective outcome. As per the comment of
Ahlam (2014), an associate director needs to inspire his or her employees constantly as
motivation can provide the employees with the feeling of empowerment that can bring
effectiveness in the organization. Therefore, it is to be stated that Laura needs to motivate her
employees as per their performance so that they can bring effectiveness in the agency of Laura.
In addition, Laura needs to build trust among her employees by communicating with them
properly and on a regular basis. As per Murphy & Johnson (2016), an effective communication
process helps in bringing improvisation in an organization. Laura needs to communicate with her
employees to understand their viewpoints and needs. This would help Laura in order to build
efficacy among her employees.
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Leadership and management
2. Steps needed to be taken for improvisation:
Steps should be endured by Laura to improve the leadership skills of her:
As per the given context, it has been analyzed that Laura needs to improve her leadership
skill in order to combat the situation that is ongoing in her agency. First of all, Laura needs to
establish a concrete goal for the employees as per their assigned tasks as well as inspire them in
order to execute the goal. Moreover, she should involve her staffs in the process of decision-
making of the agency. According to the statement of Bolden (2016), an effective leader always
keeps learning in order to confront any kind of challenges. Involving the employees in the
decision-making process would assist her in order to gain different viewpoints of the staffs.
Therefore, she can embrace a justified decision for agency along with its service. In addition, it is
to be stated that she should resolve the conflicts in the organization as well as build an effective
team for the agency. From the research work of Ebrahimi Mehrabani & Azmi Mohamad (2015),
it is to be stated that effective communication can mitigate any kind of hindrances in an
organization. Therefore, Laura needs to implement an effective communication process in the
agency to combat the conflicts by building a potent team.
Steps needed to be taken by managers to improve management skills:
The managers of the agency of Laura need to be more focused towards their job role by
developing first a leadership mindset by defining the goals at the initial stage. This would help
their staffs in order to be more responsible towards their allocated jobs. Moreover, Kelly and
Linda, the managers of the agency of Laura need to be a good listener to understand the strength
and drawbacks of the staff of the agency. This would be beneficial for them in order to organize
a training and development program for the employees when needed in order to bring efficacy
among them. This would assist in order to improve the management skills of the managers as the
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Leadership and management
effective managers of an agency are responsible for improvising the skill of the staffs.
Furthermore, managers should engage in team-based activities. As per the comment of Cardy &
Leonard (2014), these kinds of activities can assist the managers in building trust as well as
respect among the employees. Moreover, it can provide a familiar environment within the
agency and that would be helpful for the managers to develop an effective team that is the main
requirement of the agency of Laura.
3. Effective leadership style for Laura:
After assessing the situation of the agency of Laura, it has been analyzed that the staffs
and the managers of the agency are distressed as well as frustrated. For that, they need
motivation in order to mitigate this hindered situation within the organization. As per the given
context, it is to be stated that the transactional style of leadership would assist Laura in order to
mitigate this chaotic situation within the agency. From the research work of McCleskey (2014),
it is to be stated that this type of leadership provides a concise and clear structure that is needed
to be followed by the staffs of an organization. Therefore, the staffs along with the managers of
the agency of Laura will be clearly instructed in their specific job role and make them aware in
order to proceed their work properly. Moreover, this type of leadership would be helpful for
Laura in order to motivate the staffs and managers of her agency. According to Birasnav (2014),
the leaders under this leadership style motivate each of the team members in order to maximize
their efficacy by constantly monitoring their performances. As this type of leadership provides a
clear structure, it succors in eliminating confusion among the employees in their job role. As per
the remark of Masa'deh, Obeidat & Tarhini (2016), it is to be stated that elimination of confusion
can aid in providing an effective outcome by gratifying the goals of an organization and
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Leadership and management
transactional style of leadership is commendably effective to eliminate confusion. Therefore,
Laura would get succored if she embraces this leadership style.
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Leadership and management
References:
Ahlam, S. A. (2014). How important is the role of an independent director. Daily FT, 4. Retrieve
from < http://www.sec.gov.lk/wp-content/uploads/How-important-is-the-role-of-an-
independent-director.pdf >
Birasnav, M. (2014). Knowledge management and organizational performance in the service
industry: The role of transformational leadership beyond the effects of transactional
leadership. Journal of Business Research, 67(8), 1622-1629. Retrieve from <
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0148296313003330>
Bolden, R. (2016). Leadership, management and organisational development. In Gower
handbook of leadership and management development (pp. 143-158). Routledge.
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<https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781317125235/chapters/10.4324%2F97813155
85703-18>
Cardy, R., & Leonard, B. (2014). Performance Management: Concepts, Skills and Exercises:
Concepts, Skills and Exercises. Routledge.
Ebrahimi Mehrabani, S., & Azmi Mohamad, N. (2015). New approach to leadership skills
development (developing a model and measure). Journal of Management
Development, 34(7), 821-853. Retrieve from <
https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/JMD-03-2013-0046>
Masa'deh, R. E., Obeidat, B. Y., & Tarhini, A. (2016). A Jordanian empirical study of the
associations among transformational leadership, transactional leadership, knowledge
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sharing, job performance, and firm performance: A structural equation modelling
approach. Journal of Management Development, 35(5), 681-705. Retrieve from
<https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/JMD-09-2015-0134>
Masulis, R. W., & Mobbs, S. (2014). Independent director incentives: Where do talented
directors spend their limited time and energy?. Journal of Financial Economics, 111(2),
406-429. Retrieve from <
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304405X13002730>
McCleskey, J. A. (2014). Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and
leadership development. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 5(4), 117. Retrieve from
< https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f584/807652909f1c90c5a647ebcea142d2260d9a.pdf >
Murphy, S. E., & Johnson, S. K. (2016). Leadership and Leader Developmental Self‐Efficacy:
Their Role in Enhancing Leader Development Efforts. New directions for student
leadership, 2016(149), 73-84. Retrieve from <
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/yd.20163 >
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