There are four characters in “When Key Employees clash”.
Mathew Spark is the owner of the Kid Spectrum, a company providing in-home services for autistic children. The given case evidences his interest in the functioning of the company, his desire to analyze the conflict and find the best possible solution.
Ellen Larson is one of the key employees of the company. She is devoted to her job and prefers to spend hours at her workplace, trying to improve her performance and results. She could also be characterized as an authoritarian woman because of the way she works with the clients
Ronnie Emerson is the director of clinical operations in Orlando. He contributes to the development of the company greatly, working with clients and promoting the Kid Spectrum’s services. He has another perspective on the job and tries to be tolerant while working with clients.
Finally, Maxine is a senior clinician who explains her attitude to the above-mentioned employees and supports Ronnies method of working with clients, underlining its acceptable character.
Analyzing their leadership styles, it should be said that all characters adhere to different models. Ellen Larsons approach could be characterized as the coercive one. She insists on the accomplishment of various tasks in the way she sees it. For this reason, she blames Ronnie for his approach which does not seem appropriate to her. Additionally, Maxine does not accept this style as it contributes to the increase in the level of tension within the collective.
Furthermore, Ronnie Emerson adheres to the affiliative style of leadership. He acts by the clients demands, trying to satisfy their needs and guarantee the development of the company. This pattern could be described as efficient as Ronnie is appreciated by Kid Spectrum’s clinicians and customers.
Finally, Mathew Spark could be taken as an example of a democratic leader. He is interested in the detailed analysis of the given incident to determine its roots and understand further actions. Additionally, Mathews consultations with all participants of the conflict evidence the democratic style of leadership.
2. There are two opposite experts visions of the situation and the way to solve the problem. Jim Southern suggests the implementation of the practice of private talks insisting on the idea that Mathew does not have to communicate with Ronnie and Ellen at the same time. Besides, the expert is sure that Mathew has to work with Ronnie, explaining the importance of the new protocol and contributing to his reconsideration of the situation. The given pattern could contribute to the further development of the company and increase the level of Ronnies performance in terms of the absence of Ellens claims.
However, Peter Kelly states that Mathew should talk with Ronnie and Ellen at the same time, underlining the necessity of the compromise and developing the strategy which could contribute to the constant evolution of the company. The cooperation of the main employees of the company might help it to achieve its main goals and guarantee its further evolution. Additionally, the differences in Ronnie and Ellens leadership styles could also help to create a new and more flexible strategy.
Yet, there are two opposite perspectives on the given situation which outline the necessity of various actions. The existence of several possible solutions evidences the complexity of the problem and relations within the collective.