Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
Case 8.1: The Vision Failed
Case Synopsis and Analysis
Harold Barelli is the new president of High-Tech Engineering (HTE), a 50-year old family
owned manufacturing company with 250 employees. There has been only one other president
of HTE, its owner.
Harold assumes the presidency and quickly tries to change the vision, hoping to prove it as
one of the best manufacturing companies in the country. He created a two-page vision for the
company that was displayed on the walls and designed several restructurings within the
organization. The changes are producing instability among the employees, who feel left out
of the decisions and did not agree with Harold’s leadership. Morale and production dropped
and people were not engaged. Harold stepped down after 4 years at HTE.
In this case study, students are able to analyze Harold’s mistakes and appreciate the difficulty
of leading in an established culture. While his mistakes are clear, it is helpful to put them in
context of the transformational leadership model. Doing so helps students understand, by
example, why the Four I’s are crucial for success.
Learning objectives:
• Students should recognize the value of an inspiring vision and begin to understand
how a leader can create one.
• Students should demonstrate understanding of the transformational leadership theory
and be able to apply its main concepts (idealized influence, inspirational motivation,
intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration) to a leader.
Answers to questions in the text:
1. If you were consulting with the HTE board of directors soon after Harold started
making changes, what would you advise them regarding Harold’s leadership from a
transformational perspective?
Harold needs to serve as a role model for the team. If he wants democracy and
participative leadership, he must emulate that (idealized influence). He needs to listen
to the employees with an open mind and engage in two-way communication
2. Did Harold have a clear vision for HTE? Was he able to implement it?
It is common for transformational leaders to create a vision. The vision emerges from
the collective interests of various individuals and units in an organization. The vision
3. How effective was Harold as a change agent and social architect for HTE?
The transformational approach requires that leaders become social architects. This
means that they make clear the emerging values and norms of the organization. They
4. What would you advise Harold to do differently if he had the chance to return as
president of HTE?
If given the chance to return, Harold should spend time listening to and engaging with
the employees and former president. He should learn what works and does not work
about the organization, and then solicit input about necessary changes from others
within the company.
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
Potential teaching approaches:
Below is a way to structure a class based on the Transformational Leadership Theory and
Case Study 8.1:
• Ask students to read Case 8.1.
• Without relying on transformational leadership, students then discuss and list (a) what
Harold did wrong and (b) what Harold should have done better.
• Hold a lecture on transformational leadership.
• Discuss Questions 1–4 in the case study as a class.
• Return to the lists that students created (Bullet 2 above). Discuss how those lists
compare/contrast to their answers in the case study once they directly applied
transformational leadership concepts.
• Finally, the professor may choose to conduct an in-class exercise listed below.
Exercises for this case study:
1) In small groups, students assume the role of the owner of HTE and create a
development plan for Harold, right before he leaves the company. The plan should
2) Role-Play: In pairs, students role-play a discussion between the former HTE president
3) In small groups of three to four students, create a pragmatic plan to move the HTE