■ Are team members flexible – capable of carrying out
different tasks?
■ Is there scope to empower the team so that it can take on
greater responsibility for setting standards, monitoring
performance and taking corrective action?
■ Can the team be encouraged to work together to produce
ideas for improving performance?
CASE STUDIES
The following are descriptions of the leadership style deployed
by three highly effective managers. In each case the style was
influenced by three factors: the environment, the people
involved, and the personality of the manager.
Edward Smith
Ted Smith was the planning manager in a large engineering
works. He had some 200 people working in the departments
under his control who dealt with process planning, shop loading
and production control. It was a highly responsible job and his
staff included highly qualified engineers as well as large
numbers of clerks doing routine work.
Ted’s job was to make sure that his departments ran like clock-
work. Everyone had to know exactly what to do and when they
had to do it. Close cooperation between the three areas under his
control was essential. Charismatic-type leadership was out. He
had to be cool, calm, measured and a little bit distant. Everyone
in the department had to believe he knew what he was doing
and what he wanted.
He therefore held regular meetings with all his subordinates at
which he quickly and efficiently reviewed progress, gave
instructions and, as and when necessary, discussed problems. At
these meetings he was prepared to switch quickly from being
someone who knew exactly what he wanted and who expected
people to do exactly as they were told (because it was sensible
and right for them to do so) to someone who was prepared to
listen to different views, weigh them up and decide. Sometimes
he would deliberately throw his managers a problem and tell
them to go away and solve it, and let him know the outcome of
their actions.
126 How to be an Even Better Manager