Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
Case 2.1: Choosing a New Director of
Research
Case Synopsis and Analysis
Sandra Coke must select a new director of research. Three candidates with differing
leadership traits are being considered for the position. Candidate one is persistent and
insightful; candidate two is extraordinarily intelligent and sociable; and candidate three has
high levels of integrity. All three candidates seem to have adequate experience.
The case study provides interesting opportunities for discussion of trait theory. Students will
debate which candidate has the best traits to lead the research team simply because of their
own internal biases regarding leadership traits. In addition, without knowing more about the
director of research position, it is difficult to determine the “best” traits for this job. For that
reason, the case offers an opportunity to not only apply the trait approach but also understand
its shortcomings.
Learning objectives:
• Students should be able to decipher prominent traits based on three different job
candidates while understanding the tenets of the trait approach.
• Students should gain a better understanding of the weaknesses of trait approach.
Answers to questions in the text:
1. Based on the information provided about the trait approach in Tables 2.1 and 2.2, if
you were Sandra, whom would you select?
It is very difficult to select a candidate without more information about the director of
research position and each individual candidate. Alexa Smith seems to have high
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
2. In what ways is the trait approach helpful in this type of selection?
The trait approach allows us to identify key traits that make each candidate unique.
3. In what ways are the weaknesses of the trait approach highlighted in this case?
The trait approach has limited utility because it offers an almost endless list of traits
and fails to adequately prioritize those traits. Also, as society changes over time,
Potential teaching approaches:
This case study is conducive to group discussions and exercises.
Below is a way to structure a class, based on the trait approach and Case Study 2.1:
• First, break the class into small groups and ask the groups to develop a list of the top
5 (or 10) major traits they believe are important for a strong leader. Students should
prepare this list without referring to the book, based on their experiences.
• Large-group discussion of the top 5 (or 10) lists, followed by a lecture on the trait
approach.
• Students then read Case 2.1 and make a list of the major traits of each candidate
(again, in small groups). Students should discuss the traits in these groups for a few
minutes.
• Professor discusses the questions from the case study. Large-group discussion should
center on the limitations of this approach regarding this case.
• Finally, the professor may choose to conduct in-class exercises listed below.
Exercises for this case study:
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
1) In small groups, students will write a job description for the director of research role.
Each group is assigned a candidate (Alexa, Kelsey, or Thomas). They are to write a
3) Students role-play interviews with each of the candidates. Here, students are assigned
a role: Two students can be Sandra Coke and her assistant, with the others acting as