Wolf Elmore Brewer, Inc. ---- Alex’s Difficult Decision Alex Wolf, the founder of Wolf Elmore Brewer, Inc., and as he is getting old also the company is in a stably increasing situation, at present Alex is considering to retire and leave his company to other person. Alex’s partners Jim Elmore and Jack Brewer, the loyal employees who both worked for this company nearly ten years, is the highest potential candidate in Alex’s list. They were promoted to vice-presidents in 2004, both of them are trying their best to help company’s development and they have their own responsibility field in the company. All the things is under Alex’s control for such long time, it would be tough to change a leader in the company; in the meanwhile, during Jim and Jack was working with Alex some disadvantages emerged, and these disadvantages could be worse when one become a leader. Alex recognized their ability but also concerned with their problems. He also wants to make a decision with new company leader to take his responsibilities and control the company as soon as possible, so that he could spend more time on his private life. Thus, the decision is needed immediately for Alex, but he is facing trouble with making that decision. First of all, understanding the relationship among these three partners would be helpful for making a right decision. Jim and Jack was not only an employee to Alex, they are more like younger brothers and friends. In the beginning, the company remain small people can talk to each other face to face1 directly. This communication method is effective, because for leader he can send message quickly and straightforward, and employees can receive the message clearly and give the feedback to leader immediately. And during the Recession of 2001 and 2002 these three people stick together and got through the trouble with their faith. Which helped them strength their relationship. But after the crisis the company was turning into bigger and bigger, Alex, Jim and Jack dedicated themselves into different area, the informal oral communication was also changed into formal or written communication. They only could meet each other during the conferences and meetings and the content was only about working. When they didn’t put private emotion and relationship into their conversation it was hard for them to know or understand others thoughts and ideas beyond work and job, the barriers emerged. Silence is the most horrible barrier that they are facing, it directly slow down the company’s speed and caused the information absence among the team. For instance, Jack is away from Alex and Jim so he could not share his thoughts with them and other people also can’t understand his behaviors because of lacking of information and communication. The communication among them seems getting worse, but one thing that Jim and Jack are doing great is they give the feedback quickly, if they want to share the information upward to Alex they always can do it efficient. Alex recognizes both Jim and Jack are skillful partners, they all have the capacity to maintain company normally working. However, Jim and Jack are focusing on different area in company. Jim is focusing on the relationship with clients and state, most time he is doing managing for company and helping Alex as his “right hand”. And Jack always pays attention to design and technique field. His works helped company get good reputation in Portland. In the way of Alex thinking, Jim is a good assistant in the company and he currently taking the second place in the company; in addition, Jim has a long term relationship with clients and state all the work he is familiar with is necessary for a leader. As for Jack he was playing the professional role to control the designing and technique part in the company. After he joined the team he worked out lots of excellent projects, and earn the good reputation for the company, many young designers and co-workers in the company like to ask Jack about the professional advice. Alex’s way to choose a new leader in the company is not very effective. His favorable options are Jim and Jack, but he forgot they joined company in different time which mean the functions and purposes for their work are different. And basing on the present result, they did the perfect job. One thing that Alex felt subjectively dissatisfied is they could not take enough responsibilities form Alex. But Alex never thinks in the objective angle, he thinks they should behave responsible for the work also take care with part of his work. He never talks about his thought with them and only blame them in the work. Maybe Jim and Jack still regards himself as Alex’s employee rather than a potential owner just like Alex. Alex, Jim and Jack is focusing different benefit and consequence in separate parts, so their way of behaving and thinking is different. Alex as the founder of this company he put his spirit and his own goal into this company. And all the employees are admire with his working experience and his behaviors also affect his employees to follow his way of doing work. Alex is fitting with transformational leader2, because transformational leader can communicate high expectations and expresses important purpose in simple ways. And as for idealized influence of transformational leaders, they give different vision and sense of mission and gain respect and trust from employees. Alex as the head leader in the company he completed his goal and leaded team to a high status firm. Jim is described as a kind person with humorous personality, he is good at solving problem between people and establish the relationship among people, and the case also mentioned that he is well respected and liked by everyone. As Jim is good at interpersonal relationship, he is like employee-oriented leader3, who values interpersonal relationship and accepts individual differences among members. In addition, obviously production-oriented leader4 is a style which is totally fitted by Jack. Jack is highly professional specialist in designing and technique field, and he only pay attention to this field, which is same as production-oriented leaders who emphasize technical or task aspects of the job. According to Jim’s and Jack’s characters they have different personal power to control and manage team. Jack, as the architect, he has expert power5, which means his influence is related to professional skills and knowledge. People like to ask him questions about technical issue and he are called “the architects’ architect”, but he doesn’t like working with other people and always try to complete project by himself alone. On the other hand, Jim is an employee-oriented leader who controls people by using his special personal traits, which is refer to referent power6. Referent power is operating based on identification with a person who has desirable resource or personal traits, in Jim’s case he has personal traits. When people like him and admire him they would show more respect to him. If leadership need to combine with power, the foundation one should be referent power, because leaders need to build up the special relationship with employees. The personal traits is hard for someone to imitate, but the technical skills and knowledge is easier to obtain. To helping Alex completes him long-term goal in 2008, he has to focus on serval things first. First of all, he should build up the communication channel with employees, and express his thought immediately so that the employees can think things from his angle and give him feedback with his decision. Secondly, Alex want Jim and Jack take full responsibility during work, Alex should make them realize that they are the partners with him, not just employees who work for him. Alex actually has three options for next leader, Jim, Jack and other young potential employees. But the most doable decision is Jim, because he basically have good relationship with other employees and he has been keeping doing the managing work in the company. He is familiar with what should do to run a business. As for Jack he is good at technical field and can help Jim continually develop company. Alex should talk to both of them and let them know the circumstance they are facing and practice their skill to prepare for his long-term decision. Then the company would have good future with new leader.
Reference
1. A. Bryant, “Getting Stuff Done: It’s a Goal, and a Rating System,” The New York Times (March 9,2013), www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/busienss/kis-duggan-of-bagevile-on-the-getting-stuff-index.html 2. A. M. Grant, “Leading with Meaning: Beneficiary Contact, Prosocial Impact, and the Performance Effects of Transformational Leadership,” Academy of Management Journal 55 (2012), pp.458-476. 3. Judge, Piccolo, and Ilies, “The Forgotten Ones?” 4. Judge, Piccolo, and Ilies, “The Forgotten Ones?” 5. P. M. Podsakoff and C. A. Schriesheim, “Field Studies of French and Suggestions for Future Research,” psychological Bulletin (May 1985), pp. 387-411. 6. T. R. Hinkin and C. A. Schrieschiem, “Development and Application of New Scales to Measure the French and Raven (1959) Bases of Social Power,” Journal of Application Psychology (August 1989), pp. 561-567.