Question

Principles of Management

The Bigga Izbetta retail group has 4 department stores, all located in New Zealand, at Invercargill, Dunedin and on the Kaikoura and Akaroa Coasts. It is a family-owned company run along traditional lines. Employees work under a hierarchical system, transfers and promotions are regulated by a seniority system, everyone works to a detailed job description and employees are paid according to a fixed salary schedule. George’s recent appointment as the head of the menswear department at the Kaikoura store follows his application and transfer from Dunedin. He is supervising five staff, all of whom have worked in the menswear department for at least 2 years. His second-in-charge, Monique, has worked there for 3 years and is very popular with the rest of the staff. In fact, Monique applied for the job to which George was appointed and everyone in the menswear department was disappointed when she missed out. George is putting a lot of effort into his role as head of the menswear department. He wants his department to be regarded as the most efficient and best-performing in the store and, hopefully, throughout the whole group. He hasn’t really had time to get to know his staff yet. Rather, he spends a lot of time planning and scheduling what needs to be done, assigning tasks to the staff in the department, giving directions and emphasizing sales targets and deadlines.

1. How would you characterise George’s leadership style? Use at least two leadership theories/models in your answer.

2. Use Fiedler’s contingency theory of leadership to analyse the appropriateness of George’s behaviour in the given situation.