Answer

Leadership Concepts during Crises

Question 1

In the current LSN’s echinacea crisis, the VP, Michael Brown used the autocratic and transformational leadership styles to handle the situation. Brown showed that he was driven by the urge of being an autocratic leader rather than a democratic one. Businesses that are managed with autocratic leaders solely depend on decisions made by their leaders (Gandolfi & Stone, 2017). When Brown found out that the company’s assistant director of purchasing, Henrietta Higgins, decisions to cut deal with a new supplier caused the problem, he decided to fire her without consulting the CEO. Brown’s decisions were independent since he did not communicate with the upper management on the best method to solve the echinacea crisis.

The transformational leadership style was also portrayed by Brown when he was handling the situation. A transformational leader is on a quest to enhance and change the firm’s conventions. Such leaders tend to give their employees goals that they should achieve within a defined period. In case of emerging issues, such leaders would always instigate new methods that every individual in the firm has to adhere to (Gandolfi & Stone, 2017). In Brown’s case, his form of transforming the company was resigning from his post as he saw that his actions had put the company in a controversial situation. Perhaps by changing the management, the company would be able to control the issues.

Question 2

The best leadership style that Michael Brown could have used in handling the issue is democracy. As the name suggests, democratic leadership where decisions are based on the output of each member. Although the leader makes the final call each individual has an equal say on the company’s directions (Leadem, 2018). In this case, Brown could have held a meeting with every team member to discuss the way forward regarding the firm’s crisis and establish a collective decision that will be beneficial to the company and stakeholders.

Democratic leadership is among the few effective leadership methods since it permits lower-level staff to express some level of authority which may be influential to future positions that they may hold. It also indicates how decisions can be achieved in a firm board meeting. For instance, in an organization broad meeting, democratic leaders might offer the task force some decision-related options (Leadem, 2018). In the process, they could open discussions related to every option. After successive discussions, the leader could consider the board’s thoughts as well as feedback consideration or set the decision up to a vote whereby the majority wins.

Question 3

In the recent crisis, Michael Brown displayed leadership competencies of leading the firm. The first competency that he observed was social intelligence. Social intelligence refers to the capacity of conceptualizing different social dynamics and situations. Also, it comprises a leader’s ability to operate efficiently in certain social situations (“Leadership Competencies”, 2021). After learning about the issue, Brown was well aware of the effects it would have on the company’s future progress. To control the message from reaching the public, he saw it wise to fire Henrietta Higgins and save the company from going through a series of humiliations from its customers.

Another leadership competency expressed by Michael Brown is decision making. Scholars consider this as a vital leadership competency since it rests at the center of a leaders’ activities (“Leadership Competencies”, 2021). Any good leader knows when and how to make decisions by themselves, consult their peers and their views on certain matters and when to step back and let members decide. Brown used this skill to determine the fate of Higgins after learning that her actions affected the company’s progress. He immediately consulted his team and they all backed his decision to fire her and save the company from utter shame.

Question 4

The best leadership competency that could benefit a crisis-ready culture is the change of management. Firms change constantly. A majority of these alterations are rather small whereas others take place after a long time. A good example is the digitization or the automation that many businesses are currently going through. Effective leaders know when and how to guide, prepare, and support their team members through certain organizational changes (Stockton, 2014). In LSN’s, a change in leadership was the best move to ascertain a successive recovery from its current crisis, Accord to Michael Brown, it was decisive for him to resign and allow a new leader with a good vision to occupy his position and initiate new approaches to tackle the problem.

Another leadership competency that could be applied in LSN’s situation is inclusiveness. Good leaders know how to initiate a work environment where every individual feels welcome. They ensure that each member is respected and treated equally. Also, they communicate to every individual regarding certain issues in that when decisions are made, they should correlate to what a majority would want (“Leadership Competencies”, 2021). For instance, in LSN’s case, Michael Brown could have included the CEO and employees in his decision to fire Higgins because some could have proposed a different option that would still be effective to the company.

Question 5

Crises can emerge from various angles and often strike when least expected. Many companies have formed contingency plans for crises but some of the suggested plans omit emotional intelligence which is an essential factor in effective emergency management. However, in LSN’s case, EQ is seen to have played a critical role in managing their issue (Stevenson, 2019). The importance of EQ in this situation was self-control. Higgins had certainly made the wrong decision of cutting a new deal with a supplier who was not considered by the management. Upon disclosure that the move contributed to the death of 7 of the company’s customers, many anticipated the management to engage in physical or verbal abuse to Higgins but the social awareness allowed the leaders to capitalize on the current organizational valued to better control the situation and offer a path for rehabilitative success after the crisis. When managers are in the middle of a crisis good leaders take the initiative and exert control over bad decisions that were made.

Question 6

The role of EQ in crisis-ready culture is mending relationships among members of an organization. When a crisis emerges, it is vital to manage the relationships among stakeholders. Some researchers consider this situation as friendliness with a motive as it reflects the ability to inspire others, foster teamwork, manage conflicts, and moving others in the direction that one desires. These competencies require social awareness, self-control, and self-awareness (Stevenson, 2019). Developing the proposed competencies will consume a lot of time and effort but will eventually be beneficial to the company. Many leaders will not manage crises in real-time but emotional intelligence will aid the process of getting through another crisis much easier. The major factor to consider during crisis management is maintaining a good rapport with all stakeholders as it will build trust between employers and employees and companies and their customers.

Question 7

In LSN’s echinacea crisis Michael Brown failed to use authentic leadership. Authentic leadership refers to a situation where managers are transparent, self-aware, and transparent. In broader prospects, an authentic leader can establish trust ad loyalty among his or her team by consistently expressing who they are in person and how they feel about their employees’ performance (Leadem, 2018). When comparing these qualities to those of Brown it is definite that the leader fell short of being authentic. For instance, Brown did not notify his CEO regarding the decision of firing Higgins. Although he had the right to make that decision, he needed to discuss it with his senior as a way of nullifying the perception that he was covering up for his shortcomings.

On the other hand, Alexandria Marvel is seen as an authentic leader after expressing awareness of the company’s progress. After realizing that the company’s image has been tarnished, she quickly sought answers from her subordinates (Gandolfi & Stone, 2017). When discussing the matter with Brown, Alexandria was focusing more on the actions and decisions that led to the mishap. This character is essential in nullifying the aspect of biasedness in organizations. 

Authentic leadership is an essential tool for determining the success of any organization. As more firms commit to tenacity and make authenticity top of their business strategy, augmenting their leadership competencies can be a boost to their careers (Gandolfi & Stone, 2017). Authentic leaders can leap of faith and be transparent to create a better world.

Question 8

The major role of authentic leadership is initiating success in a working environment. Authentic leaders uphold ethics which is a significant factor in promoting integrity among employees and gaining trust from investors and consumers. In retrospect, authenticity drives employees to apply ethical reasons when undertaking duties (Leadem, 2018). A majority of employees who are led by authentic leaders are always prepared to handle tricky ethical issues.  As a result, companies that embrace this culture would motivate their workers to perform their duties with integrity.

Another role of authentic leadership is to establish excellent communication. A majority of authentic leaders utilize different communication methods to give clear instructions, inspire their employees, and instill their values. They can use storytelling as an efficient way of communicating important messages, Stories have the potential of inspiring the staff to work harder. When the process is choreographed perfectly, stories change the entire organizational culture by grooming legends (Maloney, 2019). Communication entails give and take. Leaders who are authentic in their operations understand that the firm does not revolve around their interests, which is why they listen keenly to other team members and embrace food advice, regardless of whoever might have suggested it.

Question 9

LSN’s current culture is driven by hierarchy whereby leaders at the top tend to establish their motives as the best alternative in handling its operations. The advantage of having a hierarchy culture is clarity on the roles and responsibilities of every team member. Its objective is a gradual growth via an incremental change where constancy and smooth-running operations are the priority. For instance, Alexandria, using her position, sought the main cause of the crisis by engaging with her subordinates (Gandolfi & Stone, 2017). The essence of this action was to establish power and command through the chain of leaders in the company. However, this culture is detrimental to all organizations as it hinders flexibility. For instance, In LSN’s case, Higgins’s actions leading to the situation were primarily self-motivated. By virtue that Higgins was the Assistant Director of Purchasing, she saw it wise to cut a deal with a new supplier without consulting her superiors similarly, Brown also resorted to firing Higgins before engaging with his CEO. These self-centered actions significantly contributed to affecting the firm’s operations.

Question 10

Despite having different meanings, strategy, culture, and structure have a correlation when it comes to managing an organization. Strategy refers to vision, and structure is about authority. On the other hand, culture regards the identification or meaning of an organization, which always encompasses vision and authority after a given period (Gandolfi & Stone, 2017). With a good structure, organizations can establish effective strategies that will control all operations. As a result, these aspects become the tradition or identity of the identified organization.

Question 11

The first recommendation towards, LSN’s management towards developing a crisis-ready culture is training staff on how to respond to issues with competence and comfort. To develop a cultural setting whereby the personnel is adept when undertaking their duties, managers have to teach them the importance of ethics (Maloney, 2019). The management could also express ethical values that their employees could emulate and employ during critical situations.

The second step is implementing necessary strategies for containing challenges that pose a significant impact on the organization. This could be achieved through the acceptance of errors made by team members. The decision of accepting the probability of risks or causing errors is a sign of responsibility (Maloney, 2019). The third recommendation is developing operational internal escalation protocols. Overlooking the importance of protocol contributed to the escalation of the crisis that affected LSN. Before, making decisions, leaders across all positions need to discuss and vote on the most appropriate method for managing critical issues.