The law offices of Jeter, Jackson, Guidry, and Boyer are currently expanding larger than ever anticipated. In an attempt to maintain effectiveness within its operations, the firm decided to hire a general manager who would oversee the “business” side of the organization. This is how Brad Howser entered the picture. While Brad initially started off quietly in his new position as General Manager, it did not take him too long to begin a reign of potential chaos and unrest within the firm.
Brad’s management skills included being unreasonable, unsympathetic, and indomitable. These skills were decidedly proving to be unsuccessful and unacceptable at the law firm. Employee and client dissatisfaction began to run very high and extra costs, such as public relation funding, exceeded established boundaries. Brad is not handling things well at all at the firm and the partners are very displeased. Now they want to find a solution for correcting this problem before it is too late for the business. Chapter Topics Related to the Case:
- Discuss the concept of leadership
- Identify and discuss five key behaviors of effective leaders •Identify and discuss the personal skills and traits of effective leaders
- Describe the effects a leader such as Brad would have on an organization
- Discuss methods an individual like
However, the most likely response to expect is as follows. It is clearly indicated by the case study that the partners need to address this issue immediately. There does not seem to be available time to simply “ride out this storm”. The business is currently suffering and indications are this will only worsen as time goes on. It is true the entire business is changing and a few of the original goals are being met. However, not all of the changes are for the betterment of the firm.
Dissatisfied employees and clients, clients leaving for other service providers, and exorbitant expenditures for “public relations” indicate just a few of the changes that are having a negative impact on the business. The students may present various resolutions to this situation. One suggested response might resemble the following. To correct this situation, the partners should openly and critically discuss their overall displeasure with Brad and ask him to modify his methods so as to better fit the overall philosophies of the firm.
Another approach would be to terminate his employment altogether and seek out the services of an individual who is a better fit with the firm. 2. Assume that the creation of the GM Operations position was a good decision. What leadership style and type of individual would you try to place in this position? Suggested Response: For the best results to be achieved, a leader who possessed a democratic style of leadership should be one of the top responses to expect. An individual possessing this leadership style would be more in tune with the needs of the entire organization, its employees, and customers.
A charismatic leadership style is another response to possibly expect from the students. Due to the nature of the business and its future goals, a charismatic leader would be most likely to assist the firm in achievement of its future vision. The best type of individual for the position would be one who can “think outside the box” and has a compassionate approach with others. The best individual would not rule with an “iron fist”, but rather rule with the proverbial “silk glove” in order to influence the behaviors of others to bring about desired results
