Leadership Case Study: Wanda and Beverly's Supervisory Issues

This case study examines a conflict between Wanda, a newly promoted supervisor, and her colleague Beverly. The analysis delves into the leadership styles employed by Wanda, specifically highlighting the shift from a collaborative approach to an autocratic one after her promotion. The core issue is the resulting supervisory problem stemming from Wanda's actions, including a lack of communication and a failure to involve Beverly in decision-making. The case explores the negative impact of this leadership style and its effect on team dynamics. The analysis recommends specific steps Wanda could have taken to prevent the conflict and actions she should take now to resolve the issues, such as decentralizing duties, fostering open communication, and utilizing Beverly's expertise. The paper emphasizes the importance of democratic leadership, employee involvement, and effective conflict resolution within an organization.

Managing Organizations and Leading People
Managing Organizations and Leading People
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Managing Organizations and Leading People
Contents
Case Questions:..........................................................................................................................3
1. Does Wanda have a supervisory problem with Beverly? Explain your answer.................3
2. If there is a problem, what is it?..........................................................................................3
3. What steps could Wanda have taken to reduce or avoid the problem after she was promoted to
the supervisor's job?...................................................................................................................4
4. What steps should Wanda take now to deal with the issues at hand? Recommend specific actions
and steps.....................................................................................................................................5
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Case Questions:
1. Does Wanda have a supervisory problem with Beverly? Explain your answer
In the organization, supervisory issues may raise due to adopted business principles, lack of effective
leadership style and lack of management skills. All great business has started with a small room but
big purposes. In this situation case between Wanda and Beverly issues, there was major lack of
accurate business principle execution. Yes, Wanda has adopted the vital business principle of
becoming a great leader after getting a promotion that created the supervisory issues between her and
Beverly. She was running from the situation and didn't try to make people understand what she felt
after her promotion. Even she started taking things under her control from the starting. She started
using the Autocratic leadership style where she too decision without taking input from anyone not
even from Beverly (Bligh, et, al., 2018).
Autocratic Leadership style is the concept where managers and supervisors, tries to manage and
operations things as per own perspectives, in this leadership style, the employee is not involved in
any decision and in important matters. The same situation has been created between Beverly and
Wanda. Beverly became more senior in the office department after Wanda’s promotion. In these
Supervisory issues the major key conflicts were raised which are autocratic behaviour of Wanda and
Dominant supervisory nature of Beverly. This situation is similar to business principle of greater
leaders, where managers lead their team by giving them orders and try to control all the things as per
their expectations. Where business plans, executions, and operational plans are implemented to pull
employees and product together to make it a reality (Kopnina, & Blewitt, 2018).
2. If there is a problem, what is it?
Yes, there would be a major problem and option for Wanda to understand the situation and control
the contradictory reaction of the Beverly. From the very starting, Wanda and Beverly have a good
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Managing Organizations and Leading People
relationship in terms of senior and junior. Wanda respected the abilities of Beverly and always took
suggestions on official matters. Wanda's ignorance after her promotion was the major reason for
supervisory issues between Wanda and Beverly. After Promotion, Wanda didn't try to talk to their
colleagues about her feelings of promoting as a manager. From the starting, she took control of all
the things using Autocratic leadership style (Sirotyk, et, al., 2019).
Where in starting she took help of Beverly, she appointed someone else as her assistant to help her in
managing official things. These things created a scene of an argument between Wanda and Beverly.
Beverly always tried to show herself powerful and capable than Wanda in all terms. Beverly tried to
figure out the things and outcomes of such changes. She tried to tell all in the meeting but, Wanda
closed the meeting without showing agreement with Beverly's point of view. Her ignorance and
taking a decision without reporting and sharing thinks with people created supervisory problems
(Bligh, et, al., 2018).
3. What steps could Wanda have taken to reduce or avoid the problem after she was promoted
to the supervisor's job?
For proper and effective business operations, it is necessary for the leaders to take effective steps to
deal with insubordination Effective business principles implementation and leadership policies might
help to defend actions in the case of insubordination. Insubordination comes when employs fully
ignore orders, disobey the rules and disregards the superiors’ legitimate directives (Jermias, et. al.,
2018).
Beverly disregarded Wanda’s instruction, then Wanda could have adopted a democratic leadership
style. Where she could decentralise her duties and rights to others, it could create the environment,
where everyone might share their ideas about changes, organizational structure or anything related to
the department, but she tried to become in charge of all single things. She could have taken a step
where she can talk to Beverly directly about the subject matters that helped them to understand the
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Managing Organizations and Leading People
things instead of taking single in-charge. She should never ignore the words and suggestions of
Beverly (Harris & Chapman, 2014).
4. What steps should Wanda take now to deal with the issues at hand? Recommend specific
actions and steps.
1. Decentralise the duties and rights:
Having a policy in place and following that policy will help if there is a lawsuit as a result of your
actions. She is an in-charge. But she should allow her employees to share their views and suggestion
for the benefit of the company and department. Now she can deal with the things with Beverly.
Beverly is a senior in the department, so Wanda can utilize her knowledge and capability in the right
direction (Bligh, et, al., 2018).
2. Access what order has to issue:
If an employee is accused of discriminatory conduct, then the treatment of an allegedly insubordinate
employee should be given.
1. A proper discussion should be made with an employee.
2. A direct order should be given and understood the order
3. It should be taken care of that order should be issued face to face, orally or in written manner.
4. If an employee directly refuses the instruction then what can be done to assess the
employee’s understanding of the orders.
Wanda should discuss the actual problem with Beverly. Wanda can try to organize the meeting
among organizational people where everyone including Beverly can share their words. Wanda can
understand the scenario and views of Beverly and people and give them a chance to prove
themselves right. Wanda should use democratic approaches to become a leader. She should try to
continue doing things with the help of Beverly effectively.
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References:
Jermias, J., Gani, L., & Juliana, C. (2018). Performance Implications of Misalignment Among
Business Strategy, Leadership Style, Organizational Culture and Management Accounting
Systems. Leadership Style, Organizational Culture and Management Accounting Systems
(January 9, 2018).
Bligh, M. C., Kohles, J. C., & Yan, Q. (2018). Leading and learning to change: the role of leadership
style and mindset in error learning and organizational change. Journal of Change
Management, 18(2), 116-141.
Bhatti, N., Maitlo, G. M., Shaikh, N., Hashmi, M. A., & Shaikh, F. M. (2012). The impact of
autocratic and democratic leadership style on job satisfaction. International Business
Research, 5(2), 192.
Harris, A., & Chapman, C. (2014). Democratic leadership for school improvement in challenging
contexts. Democratic Learning: The challenge to school effectiveness, 164-178.
Sirotyk, S. D., Nguyen, P. T., Hashim, W., Shankar, K., Lydia, E. L., & Maseleno, A. (2019).
Implementing a practice-oriented learning principle in a higher school. Religación. Revista
de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, 4(18).
Kopnina, H., & Blewitt, J. (2018). Sustainable business: Key issues. Routledge.
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