Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
Case 16.3: Whose Latino Center Is It?
Case Synopsis and Analysis
The Latino Center is a nonprofit organization that serves the needs of Latinos in River City.
Latinos make up about 13% of the population and are the fastest growing segment of the
community, growing at about 10% annually.
Mary Davis and José Reyna are two newly appointed board members who have led a
transformation of the center, including renovating the facilities and shifting the focus of some
of the programs. They secured a new space for the center and raised $1.3 million for its
renovation. With only $100,000 left to raise, Mary and José proposed a new series of
Learning objectives:
• Students will begin to understand why a particular leadership style may be
effective for one cultural group and not for another.
• Students will gain knowledge about the Latin American leadership profile and see
how that profile may impact leadership outcomes.
Answers to questions in the text:
1. How would you describe the strengths and weaknesses of Mary’s and José’s
leadership on this project?
Certain characteristics are almost universally associated with strong leadership. These
characteristics include intelligence, decisiveness, excellence orientation, and planning
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
2. Do you see any problem in targeting part of the fundraising campaign directly toward
the Latino community?
3. The Latin America leadership profile stresses the importance of team-oriented
leadership and deemphasizes individualistic leadership. How does the leadership of
Mary and José compare with the Latin America profile?
Mary and José seem rather individualistic in their leadership. They did not seek much
4. How do Latino cultural dimensions help explain the resistance some people felt and
expressed toward the renovation project?
People in Latin American groups tend to be less interested in overall institutional and
5. If you were Mary or José, how would you temper your excitement about renovating
the new fire station?
Mary and José should temper their excitement and try to be more team oriented in
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
Potential teaching approaches:
Below is a way to structure a class based on Culture and Leadership and Case Study 16.3:
• Large-group discussion about students’ experiences across the globe (as a leader,
within a multinational organization, and/or simply traveling abroad).
• Lecture on culture and leadership.
• Read Case 16.3.
• Discuss Questions 1–5 in the case study as a class.
• Consider doing exercises listed below.
Exercises for this case study:
1) Create an action plan for José and Mary. What exactly should they do to ease the
discontent? Should they revise the vision and goals of the center, revisit the
2) Role-Play: Students play the part of José, Mary, and other board members. They role-
play a discussion about the project, and try to develop plans that appease all sides. By
3) In a brief essay (200–250 words) ask students to write about this case from the
perspective of one (or all) of the board members. What is needed to help move the