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Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
Case 7.3: Taking on Additional
Responsibilities
Case Synopsis and Analysis
Jim Madison has been manager of a district office of the social security administration for 6
years, and has about 30 employees working under him. The office provides the public with
information about social security benefits and processes retirement, survivor, disability, and
Medicare claims. It is a respected office in the town, and most feel Jim is doing a fine job.
Jim takes pride in knowing all employees well but does delegate some primary jobs to six
key employees. Two employees typically train staff on changes in the laws; two conduct
presentations and information sessions about social security for the public; and two supervise
slower claims representatives in the office. Jim calls on these six individuals to do this work
because he trusts them, and they do the work well.
Through this case study, students can explore the challenges of leadership: Is Jim favoring a
few employees, or merely being practical? Should he do more to enhance other employees’
opportunities and assignments?
Learning objectives:
• Students should begin to recognize the difficulty of deciphering whether there is,
indeed, an “in-group” in a particular organization.
• Students should learn to recognize some of the disadvantages of favoring some
individuals over others in an office.
Answers to questions in the text:
1. From an LMX theory point of view, how would you describe Jim’s relationships with
his employees at the district social security office?
Some students may argue that Jim has six key employees who make up the in-group.
2. Can you identify an in-group and an out-group?
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
3. Do you think the trust and respect Jim places in some of his staff are productive or
counterproductive? Why?
It seems as though the trust is, at first glance, productive. Indeed, these employees are
effective, and other employees may not perform the roles as well if given the chance.
4. As suggested in the chapter, leadership making recommends that the leader builds
high-quality relationships with all of the followers. How would you evaluate Jim’s
leadership in regard to leadership making? Discuss.
Leadership making is a prescriptive approach to leadership emphasizing that a leader
should develop high-quality exchanges with all of the leader’s followers rather than
just a few. It attempts to make every follower feel as if he or she is a part of the in-
Potential teaching approaches:
Below is a way to structure a class based on skill theory and Case Study 7.3:
• Read Case 7.3.
• Hold a lecture on LMX theory.
• Discuss Questions 1–4 in the case study as a class.
• Finally, the professor may choose to conduct the in-class exercises listed below.
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
Exercises for this case study:
1) In small groups, students can discuss situations where they were part of an
2) Debate: Jim is doing the right thing versus Jim should offer assignments to others on
the team. Split the class in half. Half will argue for each side in a 10-min debate.
3) What should Jim do to truly be fair to the followers? In small groups, students should
4) In a short essay (200–250 words), create an individual leadership plan for Jim.
