CASE STUDY

Read the case study below carefully and answer the questions below:

Delusions of Grandeur - Case Study

Source: Cole: Management Theory & Practice 6th edition, Kris Cole

David finally gets the break he has been hoping for. He is appointed team leader of the technical trainers of his companys learning and development unit. Now he really has a chance to show management what he is made of! His career is about to begin.

First, he intends to make some important changes in the way the team operates. He calls a team meeting and announces that, from now on, everyone to adhere strictly to the standard working hours stated in their job contracts. Also, he intends to check everyones expenses quite carefully when they return from their frequent interstate training trips. Under no circumstances does he intend to let his budget blow out.

The trainers point out their frequent travel is often done outside working hours and a lot of their preparation for training is undertaken in their personal time. They see some of the relaxed timekeeping when back at head office as quid pro quo - normal give and take. David replies that, on the contrary, this is a normal part of the job and theyd better start getting used to it. Seeing which way the wind is blowing, the trainers keep the rest of their thoughts to themselves.

The next item on Davids agenda is the training program he ran last week. The training manuals and training aids didnt show up. Sheila was supposed to send them and, as usual, she messed it up. I intend to find a replacement for her as soon as possible. I wont have my unit looking unprofessional in front of the trainees.

Later, in the canteen, the trainers have quite a few words to say among themselves. Fancy him checking up on our expenses - hes the one who over-claims, not us! They all agree on that point. David always says one thing and does another. And if he thinks Im doing any travel or preparation in my own time, hes got another thing coming! Once again, there is agreement all around.

What really gets me, says Margo, is that the only way David seems to feel good about himself is by putting others down. He even does it in training sessions. Hes always flying off the handle, too. Ive seen him rip into trainees when they dont understand what he shows them first time around. All the trainees hate him - what in the world could management have been thinking when they made him team leader?

Perhaps, they just wanted him out of the training room, suggests Andy, only half-jokingly. Great, so now he can take all his inadequacies out on us

Poor Sheila. She never makes mistakes on our programs - only Davids. Thats because he leaves her such poor instructions about what he wants. I wonder how he can help her.

He wont listen to us. He always has to be the one with the answers and the good ideas. We might as well forget about suggesting anything or pointing anything out to him. Im off to polish up on my resume and reach out to my networks.

Me too! Hes such an aggressive little fella! I dont want to stay around here any longer than I have to

With that, the technical trainers amble back to their workstations.

1. Where is David going wrong in his working relationships with his team?
2. How could he have consulted more effectively with his team before implementing changes?
3. What advice would you give David to help develop more effective working relationships with them?
4. Is David building trust with his team or is he draining his account? Explain your thinking
5. How can David start leading by example?
6. David seems to be heading for conflict with his team. What do you suspect is his natural style for handling conflict? How would you advise David to handle any conflict between himself and his team? What skills would he need to use to notice that conflict is looming?