Question

• List one area of improvement that the group can make on analysis and synthesis. Make sure all major applicable issues are identified. Have clear connections between ideas.

• List one area of improvement that the group can make on logic, clarity, and justification. Comment on whether or not the group has organized and developed ideas well with high degree of logical support and structure.
• List one area of improvement that the group can make on persuasiveness and overall effectiveness. Comment on whether or not the group has communicated effectively.
• Based on what is given in this particular case, Dr. Wood seems to have poor human skills and conceptual skills in his project. According to his history, Dr. Woods has the knowledge and technical skills needed to make such an involved project work, he has proven this with the numerous awards and recognition he has received. Unfortunately, he is not communicating effectively with his colleagues. Dr. Woods lacks sensitivity towards the feelings of his team and instead of creating a positive working atmosphere, he is demoralizing the people who could help him make this project a success. Sadly, with his team, he does have tools and many resources yet do not know how to fully utilize and entrust the mission to members of his team. In addition, his problem-solving skills seem to lack, therefore, does not try to find alternative solutions and takes out his frustration upon the staff members. Where this issue is currently standing, the project will not be successful unless Dr. Wood establishes a different route and set of tasks in order to get the project done within budget and on-time. The project will then be more successful since Dr. Wood wouldn’t have so many assignments on his plate and everyone is efficient with their given time.

Dr. Wood does not have the required skills to be an effective leader of the current research team he is working with. He is not being sensitive to team member perspectives nor is he providing the encouragement that is going to keep his team motivated. Aside from his highly attained knowledge in research, he does not instill the motivation towards the team as well as utilizing problem-solving skills, and because of that it has resulted in him having poor social judgement in the way he treats his colleagues. As when he gathered everyone for the meeting, he didn’t reconcile with them and their work, but made them feel left out by saying they are not pulling their share in the project and expresses frustration among the team members. Dr. Wood is doing an okay job at managing the group as he is finding supplementary funds and is trying to delegate tasks but as a reminder and according to the textbook, Leadership: Theory and Practice, leadership “is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal”. In order to be an effective leader to this research team, Dr. Wood needs to make sure to keep his colleagues motivated; instead of making them feel that their work isn’t enough, he has to praise them for coming this far, thank them for going beyond what is required, and assure them that their hard work will pay off. To be an effective leader Dr. Wood needs to keep his team as a cohesive unit where every member wants to continue working diligently towards the success of this project because they want to see it succeed and want to feel of value and importance to its success.

By utilizing the skills model, I would coach Dr. Wood by addressing his problem-solving skills and social-judgement skills. In terms of the problem-solving skill, he should analyze the issues of what is not working in their project and brainstorm alternative ideas to offer towards his staff. From there, they can work collectively to narrow down to one possible solution that all members agree upon and take action from there. Also, remind him that it takes a different approach to making a team project work than it does when working on a project by oneself. He needs to be sensitive to all the work and energy that others are putting forth as they too want to successfully complete the project. As for social-judgement skills, Dr. Wood should be more patient with his staff, as well as push for motivation despite what troubles come their way. Also, he should meet with each colleague to keep track of their progress and reward them for their hard work. Through these actions, it will develop a stronger relationship with the team, and increase their job satisfaction because they will find purpose in their work. In addition, he needs to be encouraging and supporting in order to keep their persistence and loyalty. I would remind Dr. Wood about something Ronald Reagan once said in a CBS 60 Minutes interview: “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things”. I would commend Dr. Woods for all of his successes and encourage him to strengthen his leadership skills by working on his social skills. I’d encourage him to get his team feeling confident, empowered, and motivated as it is the best way to finish a project strong. Although Dr. Wood does possess a lot of strength in the necessary knowledge for the project, he must work on the other two competencies in order to build up his reputation as an effective leader.  

Answer 1

Answer 1:

One area of improvement that the group can make on analysis and synthesis is to implement problem solving skills. In this manner they can identify that what is not going well and determine the areas of improvement.

For group major issues are identified as lack of motivation and demoralizing activities of the leader. The group needs to implement proper communication network within. The lack of positive communication in the group is another major factor that is leading to poor performance.

Answer 2:

One area of improvement that the group can make on logic, clarity, and justification is identified as establishment of effective communication network. Communication is the most powerful tool in any group that results in not only in success but also in building clarity, logic and justification.

After going through the given case it can be identified that the group has not yet organized and developed ideas well with high degree of logical support and structure.

Answer 3:

One area of improvement that the group can make on persuasiveness and overall effectiveness is by changing attitude. The group needs to develop persuasiveness and overall effectiveness and for that they must learn to empathise with group members. They must learn to listen, put up right questions and learn to work together.

After going through the case it can be identified that the group has not communicated effectively.