J&J Furnishings Ltd: Leadership and Change Management Case Study

This case study examines J&J Furnishings Ltd's organizational changes, focusing on the need for effective leadership during a transition to environmentally sustainable processes and improved IT functions. The report highlights the importance of transformational leadership, emphasizing the project manager's role in motivating employees and facilitating change. It discusses the leadership style needed, tools for influencing teams (communication, rewards), and the application of different power types (legitimate, reward, expert, referent, punishment) in various scenarios. The study identifies challenges like potential loss of business and outlines steps to mitigate these risks, including timeline planning, quality control, transparency, and employee engagement. The conclusion stresses the significance of effective leadership in ensuring the successful implementation of changes and the long-term success of the business. The case study references various scholarly articles on leadership and organizational change.

J & J Furnishings Ltd
Case Study

Executive Summary
J&J Furnishings Ltd Case study is a perfect example of the fact that organizations go through
various changes and these changes are imperative for the growth and development of the
organization. AS an organization, J & J Furnishings Ltd is planning to inculcate environment
friendly processes that are sustainable in the long run. The organization also aims at improving
their IT functions and their operational efficiency.
Such massive changes bring about the need of effective leadership which motivates employees
and smoothens the change process. This report throws light on the leadership style and powers
that would be beneficial for a project manager at J & J Furnishings Ltd. In order to ensure
effective execution of the change process.

Contents
Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................1
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Leadership style...............................................................................................................................3
Tools and techniques used to influence project team......................................................................3
Five types of power.........................................................................................................................4
Steps taken to alleviate challenges..................................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................6

Introduction
Leadership is an important aspect of every organization’s growth and development. Specifically
when an organization is undergoing a change process, it is widely recommended to have an
effective leadership. There are various leadership styles adopted by different organization.
Moreover, every situation requires a different leadership style. This report throws light on the
leadership of J & J furnishings Ltd. Currently the organization needs to incorporate a large
number of changes with respect to the organization’s environment sustainability, IT management
as well as enhancing HR’s efficiency.
Leadership style
At present J & J furnishings is going through a massive change. This is why the project manager
must adopt a transformational leadership style. Transformational leadership style refers to the
style where the leader works with the subordinates in order to identify the need of a change and
create a vision through inspiration (McCleskey, 2014). A transformational leader possesses an
inherent ability to motivate people and such a solid source of inspiration is largely required by J
& J furnishings employees at this time.
A transformational leader must ensure that any change envisioned by the organization must see
the light of the day without disrupting the business’s effectiveness. When an organization is
going through a change that largely impacts business processes, transformational leadership style
is preferred over other leadership styles owing to the ability of the transformational leader to
plan, organize and execute the entire change process while keeping employees motivated.
Tools and techniques used to influence project team
In order to influence the team in positive light and execute the change envisioned by the
organization, there are various tools and techniques that maybe used by the leader. These tools
are as below:
1. Communication: in order to influence the project team, it is important that the leader
establishes effective communication within the team. Transparency and open

communication would help in building trust and addressing employee grievances in an
effective manner (Unsar, 2016).
2. Rewards: The leader must use rewards in order to motivate or influence the team to
perform better. This would create a spirit of healthy competition and help the team to
achieve desired results.
Five types of power
Depending upon various scenarios that a leader might face, there are five types of power that can
be executed by the project leader. These five kinds of power include legitimate power which a
leader possesses owing to the official designation or seniority in a team. The second kind of
power is reward power, which is the ability to provide someone with something that the person
desires. Third is expert power which is characterized by the ability to administer information,
knowledge or expertise to others. The fourth type of power is referent power where the leader
associates with people in power and demonstrate the benefit of the same. The fifth power is
punishment power which is also known as coercive power and the main goal of this power is
compliance.
Different kinds of power are useful in different scenarios. For a project leader at J & J
furnishings, different situations that may require different leadership types are as below:
1. Influence the project team: For the success of any project, it is important that the leader is
able to influence the team to accept the change and remain motivated through the course
of the change. In order to achieve this, the leader would have to demonstrate legitimate
power which the leader possesses owing to his or her designation in the business
(Northouse, 2018).
2. Motivate the team members to work collaboratively: In order to achieve this, the leader
would have to demonstrate referent power. Through this power, the leader will be able
to demonstrate the benefit of associating with people in power (Blau, 2017). If such an
attribute is demonstrated effectively, then people will be motivated to collaborate and
work together in order to achieve the team’s goals.
3. Impact the project’s success: This situation requires the leader to demonstrate
punishment power. When the team members fear punishment over poor performance,

they will work harder to accomplish the goals of the team (Harrell & Simpson, 2015).
This will in turn impact project’s success.
Steps taken to alleviate challenges
There are three major challenges faced by J & J furnishings ltd while undergoing the change
process. These challenges include a risk of losing business, credibility or sales. In order to
alleviate the risks arising from these changes, the following steps must be taken by the leader:
1. Plan a timeline for the entire change process and keep a strict check on the same.
2. One of the project teams must be responsible to keep the quality of the shipping in check
throughout the change process.
3. Keep the competition and other macro environmental factors in check through the entire
process and ensure that the organization is prepared for any unforeseen situation.
4. Ensure transparency in the entire organization so that employees can built trust in the
change process. Address employee grievances and other issues in an effective manner.
5. Employee motivation and engagement must be encouraged in the business and efforts
must be taken to ensure the same.
Conclusion
J & J Furnishings Ltd. Is currently undergoing a major organizational change. This change
involves upgrading the organization’s IT system, improving upon organization’s operational
efficiency and ensuring sustainable development of the business through environment friendly
actions. Such a major change poses the organization to various risks involving a loss of sales, a
loss of credibility and a risk posed by competitors.
Leadership of various project teams is meant to play a vital role in such a scenario. This is why
the organization needs a transformational leader who would possess the ability to plan a change
and execute it while keeping employees motivated (Goleman, 2017). At the same time, there are
various steps that the leader might take to make sure that the challenges posed do not become a
major source of risk. Effective leadership at the organization is sure to lead the change process in
an efficient manner leading to the long term success of the business.

References
McCleskey, J. A. (2014). Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and
leadership development. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 5(4), 117.
Unsar, S. (2016). Leadership and Communication. Springer International Pu.
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.
Blau, P. (2017). Exchange and power in social life. Routledge.
Harrell, A., & Simpson, B. (2015). The dynamics of prosaically leadership: Power and influence
in collective action groups. Social Forces, 94(3), 1283-1308.
Goleman, D. (2017). Leadership That Gets Results (Harvard Business Review Classics). Harvard
Business Press.