Introduction
Leadership is essential in the workplace since it provides vision, direction, and motivation. According to Hanna et al. (2021), leadership is the process of influencing a group toward a common objective, achieved through assigned or emergent forms of authority. To effectively manage a group, one must be aware of the interpersonal dynamics at play and able to adjust one’s leadership style accordingly (Dinh et al., 2021). However, the quality of followers can affect leadership efficiency, as both the leader and followers can undermine each other through criticism and inaction.
One of the criticisms that leaders might face regards safety. According to Zhang et al. (2020), leadership is essential for developing values and practices that promote employee safety. To accomplish this, they can enhance their interactions with workers and gain a deeper understanding of the obstacles encountered while performing their tasks. According to Heifetz (2020), individuals striving for leadership roles may encounter resistance from prevailing norms and authorities. These hindrances could originate from an ingrained organizational culture and structure within the system.
Background
During our project at Italy’s Montebovi confectionery factory, we focused on optimizing machinery operations and maintenance to ensure smooth, efficient production. Working in a dynamic environment allowed me to collaborate with individuals possessing diverse skills and responsibilities, as noted by Tang, Vezzani, and Eriksson (2020). This collaboration provided me with valuable insight into their varied problem-solving techniques.
Beretta et al.’s research (2021) highlights that effectively gathering ideas from each team member requires an expert who can formulate solutions that consider different perspectives. Despite some shortcomings—such as prioritizing organizational financial gain over staff welfare—the experience was fruitful for gaining practical knowledge of machine optimization in manufacturing settings.
In 2011, there was a significant rise in the sense of urgency among Montebovi’s employees during their final hour at work. Every member demonstrated great dedication to thoroughly preparing the workplace. Due to staffing deficits on that day, more machine operators and cleaners were required promptly to help mitigate operational challenges and ensure smooth business operations. Being part of the team responsible for assisting mechanics in preparing machines for subsequent operating periods meant I was present when an unfortunate accident occurred.
Unfortunately, my colleague got entangled in rollers within the last working hour. The individuals with an interest in this project included employees and managers within our company. Our group used numerous resources, including people, machinery, and educational materials. In particular, our equipment played a crucial role in achieving success; therefore, ensuring its proper care and functioning was vital to the outcome.
My Role
During my five-year tenure, I took on several responsibilities and worked with numerous groups and leaders. Though the role was routine, these diverse duties bolstered my skill set and boosted my confidence, since I was an introvert. At Montebovi, as a machine operator, I used the classical theory approach and played an essential role in ensuring seamless production line operations by monitoring machinery performance and promptly reporting malfunctions without compromising safety standards.
As a compulsive follower, my role was to abide by the instructions issued by the supervisor. My duties included ensuring that the machines were calibrated accurately, that the production process ran smoothly, and that all products met specified quality standards. My proficient operation of the machinery played an instrumental role in enhancing overall productivity and project success.
In addition to operating equipment efficiently, long-term reliability hinged on regular maintenance checks, which fell under my responsibility as a machine operator. This helped prevent unforeseen breakdowns and significantly improved performance. Throughout this period, whilst maintaining a persistent willingness to improve learning, I demonstrated unwavering diligence as a follower in upholding work ethics on each undertaking from start to finish.
According to Yuan, Ye, and Zhong (2021), implementing workplace safety protocols can reduce job-related injuries and increase productivity. As a stable and introverted individual with a mixed followership style, I was committed to following safety protocols and complying with standard operating procedures to maintain a safe work environment. I was effective in this role since no other accidents occurred after that tragic incident.
Leadership Skills Demonstrated
Based on the findings of Northouse (2021) and Madi Odeh et al. (2023), adopting a transformational leadership approach provides employees with the impetus to exceed minimum standards and support team goals. Our leader’s dedication and professionalism served as a source of motivation and inspiration for her team. Her deeds proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she deeply loved working together with her colleagues for their happiness and achievement. We were lucky to have an organized and efficient boss whose professionalism left all of us with a lot of respect for her.
In addition, she possessed many years of experience in hard jobs. Alvesson (2019) noted that leadership is defined by the relationships existing between a leader and followers who have similar values. Indeed, throughout my career at the company, she would always be happy working with everyone on their respective shifts. She maintained constant communication of clear expectations and gave necessary support or guidelines when required. Her resolve to high standards created a favorable environment for the staff, where they always felt valued and eager to achieve great results.
Therefore, while she exhibited exemplary leadership qualities, the incident revealed weaknesses in her leadership practice. That key day’s event revealed the weaknesses of a leader in prioritizing team member safety. This showed a lack of attentiveness to detail and a failure to ensure good training and equipment maintenance programs. Also, the leader’s response to this incident was not satisfactory. She tried shifting the blame to the maintenance staff instead of accepting responsibility and immediately finding a solution to the problems. Her reputation was damaged, and trust within her team was broken by this response.
Secondly, this incident brought to light poor communication and teamwork amongst various work groups in the company. According to Ohag et al. (2023), insufficient communication can lead to fragmented teams and coordination challenges. Lack of collaboration among teams can hamper team efficiency and productivity.
Evaluating Team Dynamics
Our machine operators’ group had strong team dynamics, and we honored and were proud of our supervisor for her hard work and professional attitude. A comprehensive evaluation of a team’s overall performance shows that the safety rule application had lapsed. The tragic accident that occurred served as an emphasis on this. This means there was inadequate information exchange or risk identification within the working team, thereby giving rise to this disaster.
Our team had an excellent, positive, and supportive environment, but we realized that we needed to upgrade our safety measures. Our team failed to guarantee the welfare of all members in accordance with the defined rules of a performing team. This happened because they overlooked some important aspects of complying with the safety measures stipulated in the rules and regulations governing workers’ occupational health and safety.
This event was a wake-up call for all of us and forced us to get back on track, improve our methods, and increase our performance rating on this one point. However, a lack of open communication and understanding of the risks could have led to indirect tension among teammates. If these issues had been addressed at their initial stages, this would probably have helped to avert the accident altogether. However, performance in areas like communication and decision-making could have been improved. Through their task-oriented communication channels, the team prioritized the technical aspects of machine operation.
However, safety-related discussions and risk assessments could have been more prominent in our communication process. This lack of emphasis on safety communication may have been a contributing factor to the accident (Kumari et al., 2020). Moving forward, we will strive to improve our decision-making processes by actively involving all team members in assessing risks, discussing preventive measures, and collectively making informed choices that prioritize safety.
Learning From Experiences
This experience has taught me that the employer should always take the issue of workplace safety with utter seriousness. Both leaders and team members should follow safety measures, and there should be an active discussion and risk assessment among them. All employees in an organization should have safety responsibility ingrained in its culture (Bisbey et al., 2021). This experience has helped me know more about my leadership preference since I am an introvert who leans towards mixed followership styles. Leaders like me must remain flexible when leading teams, as varying situations require diverse approaches tailored to individual needs while ensuring efficient team performance. Effective leadership also involves building strong working relationships with team members across departments.
As we advance, for any kind of group and team project, we will take special care of initial safety considerations. This can be achieved by issuing clear directives on safety procedures and keeping all staff members informed through continuous training and communication (Hu et al., 2020; Zara, Nordin, and Isha, 2023). I aim to become an exemplary follower by becoming more committed to assigned duties and seeking feedback to improve my performance.
Moreover, I need to improve my leadership skills to participate in high-performance groups. This includes developing strong decision-making abilities, assessing risks, and making informed choices that prioritize safety. Conflict management skills are also important, as promptly and constructively addressing conflicts can help maintain a positive, safe working environment. Furthermore, creating a cordial workplace through respect, cooperative spirit, and clear communication may also enhance the achievement of the group’s objectives.
Conclusion
The incident at Montebovi provided useful insights into leaders’ actions and leadership styles. Despite the team leader’s transformational leadership, he lacked emphasis on safety and an adequate response to the fatal case. Looking back, I noted that I needed to work on other things that were part of my leadership, such as attention to detail, communication, and lobbying for a safe workplace. I have realized the importance of communicating with team members despite being an introvert. I aim to constantly enhance my leadership techniques to create a favorable working environment that is bound to succeed.
Reference List
Alvesson, M. (2019) ‘Leadership: convergence and divergence in leadership relations’, Journal of Management Inquiry, 28(3), pp.319-334.
Beretta, M. et al. (2021) ‘Why and how firms implement internal crowdsourcing platforms’, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 70(9), pp. 3036-3049.
Bisbey, T.M. et al. (2021) ‘Safety culture: an integration of existing models and a framework for understanding its development’, Human Factors, 63(1), pp.88-110.
Dinh, J.V. et al. (2021) ‘Developing team trust: leader insights for virtual settings’, Organizational Dynamics, 50(1), p.100846.
Hanna, A.A. et al. (2021) ‘The emergence of emergent leadership: a comprehensive framework and directions for future research’, Journal of Management, 47(1), pp.76-104.
Heifetz, R.A. (2020) ‘Mobilizing for adaptive work’, in Budd, L., Charlesworth, J., Paton, R. (eds.) Making policy happen (pp. 234-246). London: Routledge.
Hu, X. et al. (2020) ‘Creating a safe haven during the crisis: how organizations can achieve deep compliance with COVID-19 safety measures in the hospitality industry’, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 92, p.102662.
Kumari, A. et al. (2020) ‘Workplace violence against doctors: characteristics, risk factors, and mitigation strategies’, Journal of Postgraduate Medicine, 66(3), p.149.
Madi Odeh, R.B. et al. (2023) ‘The transformational leadership role in achieving organizational resilience through adaptive cultures: the case of Dubai service sector’, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 72(2), pp.440-468.
Northouse P.G. (2021) Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Ohag, M. et al. (2023) ‘Critical coordination factors affecting design and build projects: a comprehensive review of the literature’, International Journal of Environment, Architecture, and Societies, 3(01), pp.59-71.
Tang, T., Vezzani, V. and Eriksson, V. (2020) ‘Developing critical thinking, collective creativity skills and problem solving through playful design jams’, Thinking Skills and Creativity, 37, p.100696.
Yuan, Z., Ye, Z. and Zhong, M. (2021) ‘Plug back into work, safely: job reattachment, leader safety commitment, and job engagement in the COVID-19 pandemic’, Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(1), p.62.
Zara, J., Nordin, S.M. and Isha, A.S.N. (2023) ‘Influence of communication determinants on safety commitment in a high-risk workplace: a systematic literature review of four communication dimensions’, Frontiers in Public Health, 11.
Zhang, J. et al. (2020) ‘Responding to a major global crisis: the effects of hotel safety leadership on employee safety behavior during COVID-19’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(11), pp.3365-3389.