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Leadership for Performance Excellence 13
ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. By saying that leadership is the "driver," we try to emphasize the critical nature of leadership
at every level for successful TQ. The answer to Review Question 3, above, elaborates on the
2. Answers will depend on who the student selects as his/her example leader. See Review
Question 3, above, as a basis for developing the answer to this question.
3. Leaders can demonstrate the seven personal leadership characteristics of: accountability,
courage, humility, integrity, creativity, perseverance, and well-being, but it isn’t always
5. Each of the principles used by geese has a quality parallel that should be considered.
Many of them are so obvious as to make one wonder, “how did those geese become so
smart?” or “why are we so dumb?” Organizations wishing to implement performance
excellence might benefit from studying the behavior of geese and drawing the following
parallels;
a) This shows the synergistic value of teamwork. The team is able to provide more “lift”
to the organization than any one individual, or the sum of their efforts when they
Leadership for Performance Excellence 14
SUGGESTIONS FOR PROJECTS, ETC.
1. Characteristics of leadership effectiveness should be identified by the students and may
include: how senior leaders set clear values, set high expectations for performance, set
expectations for performance improvement, build loyalty, build teamwork, promote
initiative, encourage risk-taking, and clearly promote the purpose and function of the
business over maintaining structure or “executive privilege.” Questions could be
constructed on a scale of 1-7 or 1-10, with 1 = Strongly disagree and 7 = Strongly agree.
For example, in setting clear values and high expectations, the questions might include:
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Senior leadership develops, commun- +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
2. Leadership styles will vary widely, depending on such factors as the type of organization,
its size, and the philosophy of the top management. Expect to see any one of the styles
3. Conklin’s questions can provide a useful “checklist” for leadership styles. See his article,
referenced in the question, for more background. They also provide a starting point for
useful discussions of “what is a leader.” Keep in mind that there are hundreds of
4. This project will provide some interesting insights, as students research the traditional
theories of leadership in Table 13.3. For example the answer to this question will require
Leadership for Performance Excellence 15
that students "go beyond" the materials in the text and research the Fiedler model, in more
detail. A principles of management or organizational behavior text will probably have
Fiedler's "Model of the Effects of Leadership Styles on Leader Performance According to
ANSWERS TO CASE QUESTIONS
I. Johnson Pharmaceuticals
1. Although few details are available in the case, the type of situational leadership style that
the CEO of each plant demonstrated may be surmised. The CEO of Plant A appeared to
be using a supporting style, whereas the CEO of Plant B was probably using the
delegating style.
In Plant A, organization readiness would best be described as unable but willing. The
plant’s culture would be described as conserving, reflecting a level of rigidity in response
to the external environment, but demonstrating organizational commitment. The enabling
2. To determine which of these styles was more appropriate in view of the Situational
Leadership model, we should take a closer look at the descriptions and situation to which
they were applied.
a. Coaching. In this style, leaders set the overall approach and direction but work with
subordinates and allow them to manage the details. Leaders might need to provide some
direction, based on experience (a task-oriented behavior), or support (relationship-
Leadership for Performance Excellence 16
b. Supporting. Here, leaders allocate tasks and set direction, but the subordinate has full
control over the performance of the work. These individuals do not need much
supervision or direction (task-oriented behavior), but may require leadership to assist
them in building motivation and confidence (relationship-oriented behavior), particularly
if the task is new (able but unwilling).
In the case of the pharmaceutical plants, and the industry, one may assume that there are
highly skilled operators and managers in the plant. However, if there have been quality
issues and regulators at work with warnings issued, it can be assumed that monitoring
3. If the diagnosis of the situation is correct, then it should be no surprise to find out that
Plant A was more successful in achieving the goals of the quality system. The manager
who continued to adhere to the supporting approach was probably “stuck” in a
management style when he/she should have analyzed the situation more closely. If that
Leadership for Performance Excellence 17
II. TRIVIEW BANK — LEADERSHIP
The complete TriView Bank case study, a fictitious example of a Baldrige application, can be
found in the Baldrige Materials folder on the Student Companion Site.
1. Factors in the Organizational Profile that would be most important in evaluating their
leadership approaches:
1. Mission – to provide customers with financial services and promote the growth and
economic well- being of all the communities we serve.
Vision – To be recognized as the number one community bank in Legendary Service.
Values – Integrity: keeping our word and dealing honestly and transparently with all
2. Core competencies include “Legendary Service”: understanding and exceeding customer
expectations; “Operational Excellence”: demonstrating process and performance discipline;
and “Agility”: making and implementing decisions quickly. The applicant is developing a core
competency in mergers and acquisitions.
3. The applicant’s four founders are involved as follows: CEO & Chairman of the Board,
President, Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Secretary and General Counsel.
Executive Management Council (EMC) includes these partners and rest of senior
management team.
4. Stakeholder Requirements and Expectations: Regulators: proactive compliance with
regulations, responsiveness to requests for information, timely and full access to information,
appropriate risk assessment and mitigation. Shareholders: accurate financial records,
transparency and objective decision making, appropriate risk assessment and mitigation,
fiscally sound reputation, locally and nationally. Community: community investment,
reputation as a good corporate citizen and community partner, proactive volunteer and
financial support.
5. Strategic Challenges: Addressing the many changes in banking regulations and more
regulations coming in the future, meeting earnings targets while serving increasing numbers of
customers using low-margin services, addressing the loss of public confidence in the financial
6. Strategic Advantages: Taking advantage of low-cost TARP funds (5%) through 2013,
Leadership for Performance Excellence 18
2. Strengths & OFI’s
1.1 Senior Leadership
Strengths
++
Strength
Item Ref.
X
The applicant’s systematic approaches to setting and deploying its mission, vision, and values (MVV)
help establish the direction for the entire organization. The MVV are set during step 1 of the Strategic
Planning Process (SPP; Figure 2.1-1) and deployed through the TriView Leadership System (TLS;
Figure 1.1-1) and numerous other mechanisms (Figure
1.1-2). In 2008, the applicant refined its vision, using an approach based on one used by a
Baldrige Award recipient.
a(1)
Senior leaders’ approaches to help create a sustainable organization align with the values of operational
excellence and innovation. For example, 75% of the workforce has been trained in Lean, and each
associate is expected to complete an improvement project annually; through the Individual
Performance Plan (IPP) process, associates’ individual work is linked with at least two strategic
objectives; and TNB offers a Leadership Development Series (LDS).
a(3)
Opportunities for Improvement
--
Opportunity for Improvement
Item
Ref.
The applicant presents limited evidence of systematic evaluation and refinement of several key
leadership approaches that may support operational excellence and enhance sustainability. These
include approaches for innovation, performance leadership, creation of a workforce culture that
delivers a consistently positive customer experience, and enhancement of leadership skills. Other
examples are the LDS, legal and ethical approaches, methods used to create a focus on action, and
Legendary Service standards.
a, b
Leadership for Performance Excellence 19
A systematic process is not evident to create and balance value for the applicant’s customers and
Several key leadership approaches do not appear to be fully deployed. For example, it is unclear how
the MVV are deployed to key suppliers and partners; how development opportunities are deployed to
all workforce members; and whether the MVV, service standard training, and legal and ethical
requirements are deployed to DirectServe and Widmark employees (nearly 20% of the workforce).
Effective deployment may help the applicant deliver consistently Legendary Service and maintain its
loyal workforce.
a, b
1.2 Governance and Societal Responsibilities
Strengths
++
Strength
Item Ref.
The applicant fosters transparency by including the entire workforce in key governance processes
and ensures audit independence by using state and federal auditors. T- Dashboards with legal,
The applicant’s multifaceted approach to legal and regulatory behavior supports its value of integrity.
For example, proactive methods, such as testing process requirements for optimal use of resources, as
Leadership for Performance Excellence 20
The applicant’s Community One initiatives (Figure 1.2-3) are linked to its core competency of
understanding and exceeding customer expectations, and they focus on creating relationships with
Opportunities for Improvement
--
Opportunity for Improvement
Item Ref.
The applicant does not describe cycles of evaluation and refinement for processes related to
accountability for management's actions, transparency in operations, audit independence, or community
support. Systematic evaluation and improvement may help the applicant effectively address the loss of
public confidence in the financial industry.
a(1), c
A systematic process is not evident for some governance approaches related to the BOD. Selection
Leadership for Performance Excellence 21
3. a. Specific advice for Category 1.1, that might help TriView Bank, would include:
• the need to develop a systematic evaluation and refinement of several key leadership
approaches that may support operational excellence and enhance sustainability.
• the need for a systematic process to create and balance value for the applicant’s customers
and stakeholders (regulators, shareholders, and the community).
3. b. Specific advice for Category 1.2, that might help TriView, would include:
• need to develop a way to systematically provide for cycles of evaluation and refinement
for processes related to accountability for management's actions, transparency in
operations, audit independence, or community support. Systematic evaluation and
4. For all of the above, tools and approaches may be found in the Baldrige process, which
specifically recommends that: Implementing Baldrige requires repetitive cycles of self-
assessment, priority-setting, action planning to address gaps and opportunities for improvement,
Leadership for Performance Excellence 22
Instructor Reserve Materials
Cases
I. Westerfield Construction
1. Deters fostered cultural change at Westerfield Construction by essentially following the
suggestions of Juran and others for effective change, including:
a. It must create and maintain an awareness of quality by disseminating results throughout
the organization.
b. It must provide evidence of management leadership, such a serving on a quality council,
providing resources, or championing quality projects (like Six Sigma, for example).
c. The company must encourage self-development and empowerment through the design of
2. A model of the change process might include the following:
Leadership for Performance Excellence 23
No
Complete leadership
development process
CHANGE PROCESS AT WESTERFIELD CONSTRUCTION
