6107week9assignment - B rendan ONeal Brendan ONeal MAN 6107...

Brendan O’Neal
Brendan O’Neal
MAN 6107
Week 9 WA7
Foreign Auto Shop Case Study
Based on the information provided in the case study, the usual
leadership situation in the auto repair shop is congruent with situational
leadership, best explained by Hersey and Blanchard’s (1977) study that
proposes that the more mature a subordinate is the less the task oriented the
relationship should be. Alan, the owner of the shop, is naturally the leader;
he manages nine individuals: seven mechanics and two office workers. Alan
has owned this shop for the past seven years and has developed a relationship
with his employees that is based on routine and trust. The more skilled and
experienced employees, Gil and Hans, require little supervision; the same
goes for Bart and Herbie, the other highly skilled mechanics that perform
specialized work. They understand their job and are left to complete their
tasks with little direct supervision. Kirk, LaMont, and Joanie have less skill
due to less experience and sometimes need more guidance during their tasks.
The leadership behavior adjusts to the amount of task-oriented maturity that
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a subordinate possesses
(Hersey and Blanchard, 1977); Alan does not appear to be the type of leader
that autocratically dictates, but discusses the subordinate on how he would
complete the task if he were the one performing the task. Hersey and
Blanchard also noted that it is imperative to approach each subordinate in a
different manner, adjusting the supervisory behavior to each situation; the
level of contact and type of interaction/intervention between the leader and
subordinate must be adjusted due to the situation so that the interaction may
be viewed as a skill building opportunity for both parties involved (Yukl,
2009).