The Smallville city manager, Sarah Baker, is in trouble. There is a fire 90 miles away but she is not able to deploy all the resources available as she has a city to maintain. Therefore, the best possible mode is to employ a group of people to control the fire situation and she leads the group with a mix of leadership models. The only way out in this context for the fire situation is Efficiency of the Leadership. Efficiency of the Leadership of multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary team of professionals lies in not only making the employees to work, but to make them work willingly, sincerely and consciously. To achieve this Sarah needs to look at three different leadership models and choose one which would be most applicable in the situation.
- The Structural Framework: In a successful condition a leader following this leadership model will be a “social architect” who relies deeply on close inspection and detailed planning. These leaders will concentrate on factors such as structure, stratagem, setting, execution, trailing and adjustment. If however his/her condition is unsuitable for this sort of leadership he/she will be found to be a bit of a bully and a ‘tyrant for details’. However, this model is not suitable for Sarah as this mode of leadership needs time to develop and the situation of fire hardly provides any time at all. Thus, though this model is quite good in general situation, it is not recommendable for Sarah. (Hackman & Johnson, 225,1996)
- The Political Framework – In the appropriate setting the ‘Political’ leader is an activist who tirelessly campaigns to help his followers cooperate and unite. Such leaders clearly spell out their needs and the means by which they intend to gain them. They are quick to gauge the distribution of capacity of the workers under him/her and the interests his/her establishment is likely to milk out of them. Building relations with the clients will always be their first priority. For this they’ll be likely to use persuasion and later negotiation or even a certain amount of force or pressure, if required. Of course if the setting is unsuitable for this particular variety of leadership such leaders will prove grave failures and be seen as pushy and unscrupulous. This model is not suitable for Sarah as this works on a long term basis and given the situation of a fire, this model is not recommendable. (Backer, 67-68, 2004)
- The Human Resource Framework – In a successful leadership setting a Human Resource leader is a medium or a channel who serves as supporter or a promoter and whose main occupation is to help empowerment. A typical Human Resource leader’s primary characteristic is his/her tremendous belief in people. But it isn’t just their faith that ultimately makes them successful, instead it is their capacity to communicate that faith. Such a leader is easily accessible and believes in keeping themselves available and in full view. They communicate their conviction in their workers strongly enough to convince them of their own capacities! They believe in increasing each and every staff-members contribution to the decision making process and in keeping their employees thoroughly informed. They empower their workforce and make them work as a whole, as a full-functional team where everyone is capable of making significant contributions. If the setting is however not right for this variety of leadership such a leader will be found to be deceitful and deceptive. (Wright, McMahan & McWilliams, 304,1994)
However, given the situation of fire, this is the most efficient model for Sarah as the situation demands a short-termed efficient and motivated group of workers. Thus, the Human resource Framework of leadership would be always recommended for Sarah in case of controlling the fire with a small group of people.
References:
Becker, G. (2004). Human capital. New York: Columbia U. Press.
Hackman, M Z & Johnson, C. E. (1996). Leadership: A Communication Perspective. Auckland: Waveland Press.
Wright, R M., McMahan, G. & McWilliams, A. (1994). Human resources and sustained competitive advantage: A resource-based perspective. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 5 (2), 301-26.