Management Chapter 13 Homework Require a focus on strategic direction and customers

Leadership for Performance Excellence 13

quality ethic — which means having a deep belief that what you do to make quality better makes

everything in the organization better.”

4. State some examples in which leaders you have worked for exhibited some of the leading

practices described in this chapter. Can you provide examples for which they have not?

Answers will vary, depending on the experiences of the students. Here is a typical example from a

former student:

At my current job. we are already in the process of hiring our third quality manager in two years. I

was able to experience the good and poor qualities of the quality managers in those two years. The

good qualities I noticed were that they both were hard workers and extremely knowledgeable. But

the problem was they spent too much time focusing on every small detail and trying to fix every

issue of the entire quality department which is impossible to accomplish on their own. As a result of

5. What can leaders do to support each of the eleven Baldrige Core Values and

Concepts? Develop a list of leadership behaviors that align with each of the core values.

Taken from Harry Hertz, Leadership Behaviors That Count (and Can Benefit All

Organizations) http://www.nist.gov/baldrige/insights.cfm

Visionary Leadership

1. Lead the organization in setting and owning organizational vision and values.

2. Guide the creation of strategies, systems, and methods to ensure ongoing organizational success.

Systems Perspective

1. Set a systems perspective across the organization so that the organization and all of its parts are

viewed as a whole.

2. Cause holistic thinking and cross-functional synthesis, alignment, and integration.

Leadership for Performance Excellence 14

3. Require a focus on strategic direction and customers to improve overall performance.

Customer-Focused Excellence

1. Build a customer-focused culture and integrates customer engagement as a strategic concept.

2. Create a focus on anticipating changing and emerging customer and market requirements.

Valuing People

1. Build and foster an organizational culture that focuses on engagement, development, and well-

being of workforce members.

2. Create an organizational environment that is safe, trusting, and cooperative.

Organizational Learning and Agility

1. Develop a capacity for rapid change and for flexibility in operations.

2. Lead and inspire the organization to make transformational changes despite ever–shorter cycle

times

Focus on Success

1. Create a focus on short- and longer-term factors that affect the organization and its future

marketplace success.

2. Lead the pursuit of improvement and innovation.

3. Ensure that organizational planning anticipates future marketplace and technological influences

Managing for Innovation

2. Enable innovation to flourish and create value for stakeholders.

Management by Fact

1. Compel the organization to measure performance both inside the organization and in its

competitive environment.

2. Use data and analysis in decision making.

3. Challenge the organization to extract larger meaning from data and information.

Societal Responsibility

1. Act as a role model for public responsibility and actions leading to societal well-being and

benefit.

Leadership for Performance Excellence 15

Ethics and Transparency

1. Require highly ethical behavior in all organizational activities and interactions.

2. Require organizational integrity.

3. Lead with transparency through open communication of clear and accurate information

Delivering Value and Results

6. We discussed the importance of social responsibility in this chapter. Consider the

following social responsibility principles: accountability, transparency, ethical behavior,

respect for stakeholder interest, respect for the rule of law, respect for international norms

of behaviors, and respect for human rights. Provide examples of leadership behaviors that

support each of these principles.

These are taken from the source cited in the text endnote.

• Accountability: Seek criticism and opposing opinions from stakeholders on decisions

• and activities. Engage in introspection on the connections between leadership behaviors

• and stakeholder opinion.

• Transparency: Provide honest and accurate information to stakeholders on factors,

• data, or outcomes related to decisions and activities. Build enduring and consistent

• stakeholder dialogue systems.

7. You have undoubtedly seen a flock of geese flying overhead. How do the following

behaviors of this species provide insight about leadership?

Leadership for Performance Excellence 16

a. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird behind. By using a

“V” formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent more flying range than if each bird flew

alone.

b. Whenever one falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the resistance of trying to fly

alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the

birds immediately in front.

c. When the lead bird gets tired, it rotates back into formation and another flies at the

point position.

d. The birds in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to maintain their

speed.

e. When one gets sick or wounded or shot down, two birds drop out of formation and

follow their fellow member down to help or provide protection. They stay with this

member of the flock until it can fly again or dies. Then they launch out on their own, with

another formation or to catch up with their own flock.

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 work alone.

b) Going alone to reach a goal is possible, but generally not as productive, or as much “fun.”

SUGGESTIONS FOR PROJECTS, ETC.

1. Using the information in this chapter, design a questionnaire that might be used to

understand leadership effectiveness in an organization.

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–

Leadership for Performance Excellence 17

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, communicates, +–—+—–+—–+–—+—–+—–+

and demonstrates clear values for

the organization.

2. Interview someone you know about the leadership characteristics of their supervisor.

What leadership style does he or she appear to reflect?

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 listed in the

chapter, including coaching, transactional, or transformational leadership, or a combination of

two or more of these.

3. Joseph Conklin proposes 10 questions for self-examination to help you understand your

capacity for leadership. Answer the following questions, and discuss why they are

important for leadership.

a. How much do I like my job?

b. How often do I have to repeat myself?

c. How do I respond to failure?

d. How well do I put up with second guessing?

e. How early do I ask questions when making a decision?

f. How often do I say “thank you”?

g. Do I tend to favor a loose or strict interpretation of the rules?

h. Can I tell an obstacle from an excuse?

i. Is respect enough?

j. Have I dispensed with feeling indispensable?

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 psychologically

validated leadership inventories. We can only provide a brief introduction and overview in this

Leadership for Performance Excellence 18

chapter. For a more rigorous approach, consult one of the organization behavior professors in

your university’s college of business or the management department.

4. Conduct some research to explain the traditional theories of leadership in Table 13.2 and

their implications for quality and performance excellence.

This project will provide some interesting insights, as students research the traditional theories of

leadership in Table 13.2. For example, the answer to this question will require 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

ANSWERS TO CASE QUESTIONS

Johnson Pharmaceuticals

1. What type of situational leadership style did the CEO of each plant demonstrate?

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

2. Which of these styles was more appropriate in view of the Situational Leadership

model? Why?

To determine which of these styles was more appropriate in view of the Situational Leadership

Leadership for Performance Excellence 19

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-oriented

behavior) to individual followers having the drive and motivation to do a good job, but who

might lack some experience or skills (unable but willing).

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 and adherence to

standards has deteriorated. As a consequence, upper levels of managers need to exert more

3. Would it be surprising to find out that Plant A was more successful in achieving the

goals of the quality system?

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

Where’s the Leadership?

Leadership for Performance Excellence 20

1. Discuss how the leadership failed to foster change in order to create a sustainable

organizational structure and environment at Ablecor.

Leadership failed to foster change in order to create a sustainable organizational structure and

environment at Ablecor because the leaders apparently did not understand what the requirements

are for a sustainable organization. Sustainable organizations require creation of an environment

for organizational performance improvement, the accomplishment of the organization’s mission

and strategic objectives, innovation, competitive or role-model performance leadership, and

organizational agility. To shape and maintain this environments, there must be ongoing support

for organizational and workforce learning; creating a culture that fosters customer engagement;

2. What aspects of effective strategic leadership were ignored at Baycor?

Senior leaders at Baycor exhibited a lack of understanding of the definition and activities

required for effective strategic leadership. Activities that strategic leaders perform generally

include creating and communicating a vision of the future, sustaining an effective organization

culture, making strategic decisions, developing key competencies and responsibilities, managing

multiple constituencies, selecting and developing the next generation of leaders, and infusing

ethical value systems into an organization’s culture. Effective strategic leaders also have the

capability to create and maintain what is termed absorptive capacity (the ability for an

Leadership for Performance Excellence 21

system, the lead team decided implicitly and explicitly not to allow any significant changes to

occur, thus showing their inability to practice strategic leadership.

3. What actions should the leadership of these two companies have taken?

The answer to the question of what actions should the leadership of these two companies have

taken is rather obvious. In the case of Ablecor, they should not depend on the disruptive practice

of undertaking an annual restructuring exercise, which employees know is just another name for

workforce reduction. If the objective of senior leadership of Ablecor is to create a sustainable

organizational structure and environment, it “ain’t going to happen,” as the average employee

would put it. Understanding of the requirements for a sustainable organization structure, a

commitment to a change of philosophy (“adopt the new philosophy,” as Deming would say), and

a long process of rebuilding employee trust and support would be necessary for implementation

of a sustainable organizational structure and environment at Ablecor.

Arroyo Frresco — Assessing Leadership

This case is taken from Baldrige training case studies and designed to help students understand

how to interpret the criteria questions and gain insight into how a Baldrige examiner might

assess an organization. We don’t expect students to be able to do this easily (even first year

examiners have a difficult time and a steep learning curve). However, they should, with some

These are the questions from the Baldrige Excellence Builder:

1.1 Senior Leadership: How do your senior leaders lead the organization?

(1) how do senior leaders set your organization’s vision and values?

Leadership for Performance Excellence 22

(2) how do senior leaders’ actions demonstrate their commitment to legal and ethical

behavior?

(3) how do senior leaders communicate with and engage the entire workforce and key

customers?

(4) how do senior leaders’ actions create an environment for success now and in the

future?

(5) how do senior leaders create a focus on action that will achieve the organization’s

mission?

1.2 Governance and Societal Responsibilities: How do you govern your

organization and fulfill your societal responsibilities?

(1) how does your organization ensure responsible governance?

(2) how do you evaluate the performance of your senior leaders and your governance

board?

(3) how do you address and anticipate legal, regulatory, and community concerns with

your products and operations?

(4) how do you promote and ensure ethical behavior in all interactions?

(5) how do you consider societal well-being and benefit as part of your strategy and daily

operations?

(6) how do you actively support and strengthen your key communities?

Here are the comments from the case study evaluation team:

Category 1 Leadership

1.1 Senior Leadership

Your score in this Criteria item for the Consensus Review is in the 50–65 percentage range.

(Please refer to Figure 5a, Process Scoring Guidelines.)

STRENGTHS

• b By using and improving a variety of mechanisms (Figure 1.1-2) to communicate

with the workforce and community, senior leaders deliver on a key driver of

workforce engagement. The mechanisms share and reinforce the AF’s vision,

mission, and values (VMV). Several cycles of learning have resulted in the expanded

use of social media, the addition of a county director to support communication flow

from senior leaders and throughout the county, and revisions to the website to

enhance transparency.

• a(1) Senior leaders set, review, and validate AF’s VMV, which are embedded in the

Leadership System (Figure 1.1-1). In 2010, respect was added as a value, reflecting the

Leadership for Performance Excellence 23

• a(2) Through policies that promote an environment requiring legal and ethical behavior

among staff members, volunteers, board members, suppliers, and partners, senior leaders

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

• b It is unclear how AF communicates with key partners other than by including

them in strategic planning. For example, leaders’ communication methods (Figure

1.1-2) do not appear to address key physician requirements (Figure P.1-7); and a

systematic approach is not evident for communicating with other clinical partners,

such as inpatient hospitals, or to encourage two-way communication (Figure 1.1-

2) and engage patients in culturally competent care. Without such mechanisms, AF

may miss partners’ ideas to support improvement and innovation.

• a(1) It is not clear how and to what extent AF’s communication approaches (Figure 1.1–

2) and the Performance Improvement Framework (PIF; Figure P.2-5) deploy the VMV to

some patient and customer groups, such as physicians, the Native American population,

or the “snow birds.” Systematic deployment of the VMV to all stakeholders may foster

their engagement in clinical excellence.

1.2 Governance and Societal Responsibilities

Your score in this Criteria item for the Consensus Review is in the 50–65 percentage range.

(Please refer to Figure 5a, Process Scoring Guidelines.)

STRENGTHS

• a(2) AF’s evaluation of the board’s and senior leaders’ performance promotes

accountability, one of AF’s values. Methods include a 360-degree review process

incorporating data from a staff satisfaction survey, a community climate survey,

and Baldrige-based assessments. Board performance is evaluated using the Stewart–

Hagen model. Leadership system results are inputs for the SPP; action plans are

developed through the PIF to improve effectiveness, shared at staff meetings, and

published in the monthly newsletter.

Leadership for Performance Excellence 24

• c Leveraging its core competency of patient-centered care, AF has embedded societal

responsibilities into its strategies and daily operations, beginning with the identification

and validation of the key communities it serves. Its contribution to societal well-being

focuses on improving community health, reducing disparities, and expanding access to

care. A variety of programs focus on Support for the Body, Support for the Spirit, and

Support for the Mind.

• a(1) The Board of Directors’ use of six committees to review and achieve aspects of

responsible governance reinforces AF’s values of trust and accountability. Regular

reports of financial and quality performance and other audits ensure board-level

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

• a(1) A selection process and criteria for identifying and selecting board members are not

evident beyond the requirement that 51% of voting members must be recipients of AF’s

services. Nor is it evident what stakeholder groups are represented, what disclosure

policies in place, and how these relate to efforts to improve the governance system. A

systematic approach in this area may help AF build confidence in its integrity and

transparency.