Case 7.3: Taking on Additional Responsibility
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
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:
1. Students should begin to recognize the difficulty of deciphering whether there is, indeed,
an “in–group” in a particular organization.
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?
2. Can you identify an in-group and an out-group?
3. Do you think the trust and respect Jim places in some of his staff are productive or
counterproductive? Why?
Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
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 build 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
Potential teaching approaches:
Below is a way to structure a class based on skill theory and case study 7.3:
• Consider exercise 1 below.
• Read case 7.3.
Exercises for this case study:
1) In small groups, students can discuss situations where they were part of an organization
3) What should Jim do to truly be fair to the followers? In small groups, students should