A640.5.2.RB_DiazBrian

Learning about leadership-member exchange theory and in-group/out-group relationships reminds me a little bit of high school and its social cliques.  I can recall as far back as elementary school there being a social segregation of certain groups of children.  When I was in elementary school there were only two main groups, you were either part of the popular group or "cool kids" or you were the not "as-cool" kids.  There was one place this was most evident in, it was the cafeteria.  All of the "cool" kids sat at one big table and all of the other kids sat at smaller tables in smaller cliques.  If there is one thing I can pride myself in is the fact that I never treated anybody any differently than I wanted to be treated no matter if you were the most popular kid in the school or in the "not as cool" group.  However, I am guilty of participating in the class separation at a younger age.  In about the fourth grade I remember inviting an "outsider" to the "cool kid" table like I was bestowing on them some sort of privilege.  I had decided to elevate their social status and "allow" this person to sit with us like we were so special.  Talk about ignorance!  Who the hell was I and what made me so special?  As I got older the social groups changed and became broader.  I was no longer considered one of the "cool kids" as my status was revoked because my parents weren't rich enough, I didn't wear the latest fashion trends, and I was too ethnically different.  It taught me a good lesson I admit.  In high school there were the fashion plates, jocks, nerds, stoners, popular kids, progressive alternative kids (now known as emos) and the outcasts.
 

In high school, I didn't allow myself to conform with a group to define me.  I made friends with everyone, played sports, and had one girlfriend throughout high school.  She was my focus at that time as girls were for many  boys my age.

There are several reason I feel that followers work harder for leaders who invest in higher quality relationships with them.  The first reason that comes to mind is based on the relationship itself and not wanting to let the leader down.  Leaders that spend more time building quality relationships with followers are more likely to be more successful.  Those followers would be more willing to go the "extra mile" for these types of leaders based on mutual respect, admiration, and trust.  For example, if your best friend asked for help moving (even if it was for the 10th time) aren't we more likely to not say no?  Of course, because of the nature of the relationship.  We want to help those that help us (the relationship has to be reciprocal).  Another reason may be to the benefit of the follower.  If the leader knows they can continually rely on this individual, who is more likely to be promoted, recognized, or rewarded for all of their efforts?  It is certainly not the individual who is part of the out-group that performs only the minimum required work.

I pride myself on working harder than others.  I try to excel at everything I do.  It's almost as if I were in competition with myself.  I contemplate ways to be more efficient, productive, and valuable to my organization.  I am driven by my family values and I work as hard as possible to make sure I am a good provider for my wife and son.  I grew up with some hardship however my parents always seemed to manage to get by and provide for me and my three brothers.  I seldom saw my father because he worked 12 hour days.  Sometimes I only saw my mom was when she would come home from her first job so she could eat in order to get ready for her part-time night job cleaning offices.  When our house was foreclosed on they never gave up and proved to me that even when you are knocked down, against all odds, you can get up and be successful!  I have spoken about the recent demands my organization placed on my team.  While others were content to do just what was required of them, I took the opportunity to really prove myself to leadership.  I worked longer hours, came in one weekends, and volunteered to help other departments out with their projects.  Was I paid for this?  No, I am an exempt salaried employee.  I don't get any kind of monetary compensation for going above and beyond.  However, I am proving to my organization that I can be trusted with additional responsibility, that I am willing to sacrifice my own personal time, and that I am not afraid of hard work.

Rowe and Guerrero (2013) wrote "Relationships within the in-group are marked by mutual trust, respect, liking, and reciprocal influence.  In-group relationships develop when leaders and followers negotiate that followers do more than required by their job description, and the leaders provide more than that required by the hierarchy" (p. 201).  Being part of the in-group affords followers the potential to stand out and be recognized for their effort and commitment to their organizations.  The quality of the relationship  between leaders and followers becomes positively influenced.  The cohesion allows the parties to pursue their goals with a greater probability for success.  This symbiotic relationship breeds happier co-workers, less turnover rates, and a higher quality of work.   Yukl (2012) wrote "Out-group members do what is required and no more" (as cited by Rowe and Guerrero, 2013, p. 201).  I cannot imagine not trying to do more than what is required of me.  For me the bare minimum mentality is an alien concept.  It is in my very nature to attempt to excel at any goal I attempt to accomplish.  Being an out-group member would limit my own personal goal for professional development and growth.  I am responsible for me, and as so, I can directly impact the type of future I would like to have and my future has no limits.  We should all aspire to be in-group members and to always try to give 110% even if it means having to sacrifice certain aspects of ones life within reason.

Rowe, W. Glenn and Guerrero Laura. (2013). Cases in Leadership. (3rd edition). Thousand Oaks, CA. : Sage Publications, Inc.

A640.4.4.RB_DiazBrian

I found developing a case study to be more challenging than I had expected.  However, I found it rewarding to have the opportunity to prepare a case study and learn what could be done to improve on it.  The organization I wrote about was the first job I had out of college.  It was a crash course experience on what an organization should not be.  Particularly one that has been in existence for nearly 30 years.  There was a resistance in the organization to change, technology, and a lack of culture, all of which are embraced by my current organization.  The experience was not without benefit as I made some personal relationships I am grateful for that I have today.   

Some of the things I felt I did well in my case study were:

• Describing the organization and the services it provided.
• Describing the leadership roles and how they affected the organization and its members.
• Identified the challenges and the outcome.
• Identified the importance of strategic planning.

Some of the things I could have done better were:

• Discuss which relationship theory applied to the case study.
• Introduce path-goal theory of leadership to the readers.
• Make a clear connection between the case and the leadership style it corresponded to.
• Challenge the reader to reach a conclusion.

Some of the issues I found to be applicable to case study development were:

• Organizing the sections of the case.
• Setting the scene for the readers.
• Providing insightful details of the organization and its key players.
• Outlining the problems and/or challenges.
• Describing the issues affecting the goals.
• Describing who or what contributed to the outcome of the challenges.
• The importance of relating the theory to the case study.

My case study was meant to focus and correlate with the path-goal theory of leadership.   Rowe and Guerrero (2013) wrote "The path-goal theory of leadership is similar to the situational and contingency theories of leadership in that it prescribes appropriate leadership styles for interacting with subordinates.  It is different from the situational and contingency theories in that path-goal theory adds more variables to what leaders need to consider in their relationships with employees" (p. 176).  Basically path-goal theory of leadership is how leaders can motivate others to accomplish certain goals (Northouse, 2013).

I learned that presenting a case study sets the framework for analysis.  That being said, in order to draft an effective case study, it is important to make connections to the ideas you want others to learn about.  I like that I was able to write about an experience I had, that others may not be familiar with, and can be used as a learning tool.  I would be interested to know how my classmates would have responded to the learning outcomes and questions I posed.  My case study identified how certain leaders behaved, the effect their behavior had on their subordinates, and how in turn those relationships effected the task at hand.  I think we all learn best through experience so having the opportunity to share some of my own personal experiences was very satisfying and I found the process to be insightful.  Moving forward in the course I think this assignment will give me a better understanding of what to look for in a case, how it connects to the material, and be a better problem solver. 

Rowe, W. Glenn and Guerrero Laura. (2013). Cases in Leadership. (3rd edition). Thousand Oaks, CA. : Sage Publications, Inc.

A640.3.2.RB_DiazBrian

Rowe and Guerrero (2013) wrote "Blake and Mouton (1964, 1978, 1985) developed their leadership grid to demonstrate that leaders helped organizations achieve their goals through two leader orientations: concern for production and concern for people" (p. 105).  By answering a list of statements regarding leadership behavior, I was given an idea which leadership style I identify with most.  The purpose of this assessment was not only to identify which leadership style I identify with most, but also it gave me the opportunity to see what questions I scored lowest on.  By focusing on the questions I scored lowest on, I could use my critically thinking skills in order to improve in those areas.

The question at issue (utilizing the Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid) is which type of leadership style is best representative of who I am?  There are four styles on the managerial grid: authoritarian leader, team leader, country club leader, and impoverished leader.  Rowe and Guerrero (2013) wrote "The authority compliance style describes leaders who are results driven with little or no concern for people except to organize them in a way that keeps them from interfering with getting the job done.  The country club style describes leaders with a high concern for people and a low concern for results or production.  Impoverished management describes leaders who have little or no concern for people and a low concern for results or production.  Team management style leaders emphasize interpersonal relationships and getting results.  These leaders help employees focus on and commit to their work and promote teamwork and a high level of participation in work-related decisions by employees" (p. 105).  I am happy to report that based on my answers I interpreted that I identify most with the team leader style.  However there were areas that I could improve in.

I chose the following questions which I scored lowest on to focus on:

• Counseling my employees to improve their performance or behavior is second nature to me.
• I manage my time efficiently.
• I enjoy coaching people on new tasks and procedures.

When I first started working as an advisor I realized I had a hard time managing my time.  It is an area that I continue to work toward improving so it was no surprise to me that this was an area I scored low on.  I tend to be a pretty analytical person and I think this plays into the amount of time it takes for me to make decisions or to reach conclusions.  I have learned to manage my days better in order to be more effective however there are other areas in my life that I feel like I don't make time for.  While my job is extremely important to me so is my family and my health.  I am working on my work-life balance in order to dedicate an appropriate amount of time to work, my wife, my son, and also manage to find time for me somewhere in there.  It is an ongoing challenge however I have been able to make some strides.  For example, when I come home from work I have learned to disconnect from work.  No more checking my work email throughout the evening, it can wait until I'm in the office the next day.  I now set aside time for my son as soon as he gets home, homework waits until after he goes to bed.  Once he goes to bed, then I try to watch at least one show with my wife and catch up with her before beginning my homework.  I am still working on having a set schedule and sticking to it.

Since I have only been part of my team for about a year and a half, I don't really have the opportunity to coach others on new tasks or procedures.  My current position is not a leadership position so I don't currently help others  improve their performance.  What I do find myself doing however is sharing information with my teammates.  If I use a new method or procedure that makes me more successful in my job, then I let the others know.  For example, for each academic term we have enrollment goals that must be met.  As a team, for October we needed to have a combined 1850 total enrollments.  We all individually send emails to our respective student populations for registration.  We then follow up leading up to the term start date in an effort to maximize our target.  The emails we use are standard, we all use the same format.  However, on my second follow up email I changed up the language of the email and included this photo

I was stunned at the number of responses I had by simply adding this picture and letting students know that I was working with them to achieving their ultimate goal of earning a Master's degree.  I shared this with my team members and they too saw a spike in responses.  This helped us in pursuit of our team goal.

I think in order to coach others in new tasks and procedures, I need to consider what our current team processes are and how to improve on them.  We have done this in the past as a team and it seems like with each new idea we come up with, we are reliant on other departments for assistance however the help is slow to come because there are other projects that we have been told "take precedence".  Maybe if I were to come up with some new ideas we could implement immediately without relying on others, we could improve in certain areas.  For instance, I came across a new communication platform recently that could improve how we all relay important information.  We are all so wired to mainly relying on email for information that we sometimes have the tendency to not open certain emails or to flag them to read later. 

Going into the assessment, I assumed I wasn't an impoverished or country club, or authoritarian leader.  I was happy that my score indicated I fit as a team leader.  I can now focus on the areas that need improvement based on my results.  If I dedicate myself to improving these skills  have a better opportunity to be the type of leader that leads by example.  I want to be the type of leaders that others can rely on but more importantly I want to change the lives of others and provide them with the tools necessary for them to become leaders as well.

Rowe, W. Glenn and Guerrero Laura. (2013). Cases in Leadership. (3rd edition). Thousand Oaks, CA. : Sage Publications, Inc.