Personal Case Study

Organizational Behavior, BA583
Week Five – Personal Case Study

Memorandum: What You Should Know About Organizational Behavior

Introduction:
I have compiled the following as a quick reference as to how Organizational Behavioral (OB) concepts will impact you as you begin your career as an engineer as well as some ideas specifically related to AM Equipment. To understand yourself and the company you have accepted employment at, I will provide some background information that will become invaluable in your quest to serve Christ as an employee to an unbeliever. I have selected several specific topics that will be important as you gain responsibility and are promoted which will influence your actions as well as improve how others view your relationship with Christ. First I will discuss several topics that will shed light on your personal actions and tendencies such as how you tend to interact with people to how you react to certain situations. The last portion I will cover are some key characteristics of your employer, his business and the culture and how these will prove challenging and even harmful to your career.
Background:
I submit a simple background to remind you where you have been which will highlight how OB will impact, and already has, your future. You accepted Christ as a young boy, and have been actively involved in your church your entire life. You have always been independent and left home as soon as it was practical. You were married at 19, had your first child at 20, had your second child at 22. That same year you bought your first house and remodeled it while working 30-35 hours per week and going to engineering school full time. You are a “practical leader”; in other words, you only lead when no-one else steps up to lead, or they do a poor job of it. Unfortunately, as you progress, you will find yourself in one of these two situations much more often.
AM Equipment is your first opportunity to work in an engineering related job. It is a small business operated as a sole proprietorship. The owner is creative, interesting and doesn't want anything to do with Christ. He has owned the business since 1972 and has poured his life into shaping it into an engineering and design company. There has never been an person in the engineering capacity that has lasted more then three years working for him, so he must be dealt with care and respect. He has a desire to influence those working for him to craft them into what he believes they should be. Although I am describing a person, it also describes the culture of AM Equipment. This company is also trying to grow and has tremendous potential from everyone's perspective. Quality is proclaimed as critically important, but is often sacrificed to move onto the next project.
Impacts of Organizational Behavior:
MTIBI (Robbins, pg35)- The Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator is one of the most commonly used personality tests. When you took this test you were rated as ENTP. “E” for Extroverted, “N” for Intuitive, “T” for Thinking and “P” for Precieveing. ENTP's are identified as conceptualizers which are innovative, individualistic, versatile and entrepreneurial. You tend to be “resourceful in solving challenging problems but may neglect routine assignments” (Robbins pg35). It is always a challenge do the day-to-day tasks that are required in your work, but if you are able to identifying ways to improve the efficiency of the mundane, you will overcome.
One side effect of this type of personality is the willingness to take on responsibility with abandon (Kummerow, 1997). There is nothing that you believe is too difficult and frankly, you enjoy the challenge of something new. This will constantly be a source of excitement and anxiety as you progress through your career. You must learn to finish tasks before starting something else. This is true of anything from email to major projects with budgets upwards of $700,000. If you can learn this lesson you will be successful in your endeavors; but if you do not, you will often disappoint those around you, causing frustration and anxiety about how to clean up the mess you have gotten into. This personality trait is perfect for your new job at AM Equipment because job enlargement is part of the culture.
Job Enlargement (Robbins, pg74)- This method of improving job satisfaction stems from the mindset that efficiency is gained with job specialization which takes away any variety. This variety, it turns out, is very important to keeping people interested and engaged in their work. AM Equipments management has taken this Job Enlargement theory to an extreme. If you are remotely successful in the job you were hired for, they will add responsibility after responsibility until you fail. This is similar to the “Peter Principle” where a person is promoted based on their superior performance in a job (Sutton, 2009). Because they are good at what they do, it is assumed that they are the best candidate to take on more responsibility. In many cases the skills that made them good at a particular job are not the same skills needed to be successful in their promoted position.
As in most small companies AM Equipment have few skilled people who must do many different tasks. When a new person is on the scene there is a tendencies to take the overloaded portions of the old employees and pile that onto the new “Moses”. The fabled leader is expected to carry the weight of the world and shepard the company through the desert with little food or water. You will see this scenario play out many times, it will always end badly, whether it is just damaged reputation of the employee or it ends in termination of employment. Since you are predisposed to accept additional responsibility, it is important that you understand the impacts of overcommitment are not only personal; they can impact the company as a whole over the short term and long.
Political Behavior (Robbins, pg183)- There is a fine line between political behavior and Emotional Intelligence (Robbins, pg44 & pg169). One Eastern Oregon University professor defines political behavior as “behavior that focuses on getting, developing, and using power to achieve a desired result in situations of uncertainty or conflict over choices ” (EOU, 2009); which has a negative connotation. Emotional intelligence is different because it is how people modify their own behavior according to the situation to effect a particular outcome. It is not as self serving or cut and dried as politics, but will be critically important in this position at AM Equipment. You will be in many situations where you must sway the opinion of fellow workers. At times this will be selling the new company strategy, implementing less than desirable changes, finding the silver lining of a particular situation or encouraging fellow workers to be more Christ-like.
You will work in a unique situations where most of your fellow workers and employees have some sort of a relationship with Christ. Unfortunately, not all of them will behave as such. One of the most important challenges you will face is to respect those in authority even when they are making decisions which defy reason. Paul reminds us in Ephesians,
be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh..., with sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not...as men-pleasers, but as [workers] of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service as to the Lord. (NASB, 6:5-7)
These verses will serve as a reminder to you. Your first responsibility it to personally behave in this manner, but then you must encourage others who have the same calling to heed Paul's words as well. This verse was speaking specifically to slaves, who had it much worse than you ever will, but the concept is the same. Superiors make decisions that directly effect us all, it is hard to give respect appropriately when the choices made are not in sync with reality. However that does not remove our responsibility to Christ. When you are promoted to Management, it will be your task to raise the concerns about decisions. To question and present alternatives, but in the end you must support the decision made and work toward that end as long at there are no ethical, legal or personal conviction conflicts.
The second area where you will need to develop skill is in who to present information to different people. This may be included in the politics category, but you will find that your emotional intelligence will be required to be sensitive to peoples reactions. When people react poorly to information, do not try to hide the “bad”. Instead, look for ways to make the conversation expected. One method for accomplishing this task it to identify as early as possible if there is going to be bad news. Then, present the bad news as a possibility along side the things being done to prevent the potential problem. This method raises the awareness of the potential problem as well as gives comfort that you are working hard to prevent it from happening. A side benefit is that occasionally with this raised awareness other alternatives are suggested. After all, it is in the best interest of the entire company to have good results.
Appreciative Inquiry (Robbins, pg276)- This is an interesting topic because it ties in will with the emotional behavior discussed in the previous section. When we look at problems we quite often are dealing with the past. Appreciative inquiry seeks to identified where the organization has succeeded, highlight those areas use them to create the plan forward utilizing these strengths. You must first identify what the areas of success are and promote them in your mind. When you can articulate the strengths to yourself, you are now in a position to pass that on to your fellow workers.
There are several benefits to the process of appreciative inquiry but they all lead to improved job satisfaction (Robbins, pg24). As a manager, much of your job will be to ensure that the people working in Engineering are targeting the same goal as the company. Sometimes the “strengths” of a strategy are hard to find, let alone communicate how those will personally affect each person in a meaningful way. However, this will be your job. You must point out the benefits to stimulate a positive atmosphere. The alternative, negative atmosphere will make the goal of working “with sincerity of heart” nearly impossible. It will lead to disrespect, anger, frustration and in some cases even sabotaging behavior. The last benefit identifying strengths has, is the potential to improve the culture. In fact, it may be feasible to reverse thinking of the entire organization, making the culture more positive and even accepting of change.
Cultural Liability (Robbins, pg232)- Culture is a extremely powerful force within an organization. Top management plays one of the most important roles as far as setting the culture. AM Equipment has a unique situation in that the owner is still the CEO and has virtually established all of the culture. Some by personality bent and other areas with shear will power. Unfortunately, the things that are easiest for us, those formulated by our personality, tend to be the ones that stick most rigidly. We all have things that we know should be done, but we do not do those things when the pressure is on. Well, the same is true of this organization.
AM Equipment values quality in all areas of the business; from accounting to shipping , from engineering to sales. It is a mantra. It is the first, most important thing referred to in nearly every conversation. This virtue is what AM Equipment knows should be done. The problem comes in times of trouble, money is tight, sales are down so the most important thing is getting product out the door to satisfy the customer. Although satisfying the customer today is of extreme importance, allowing quality standards to slide will likely cause long term dissatisfaction. For AM Equipment long term relationships are the reason we are still in business. Cultural change is hard but you will be called upon to be a significant change agent in how to tackle the problem of ignoring quality at the expense of long term customer satisfaction.
Another cultural liability present, especially in the engineering department, is the tendencies to rush to the next challenge. This error typically involves getting to the end of the exciting stage of design, then “throwing it over the wall” (Liker, 2004). This concept is referring to the lack of understanding of how the product impacts others in the organization. The documentation side of engineering is not “fun” nor is ensuring proper testing has taken place. The last but most important aspect is how this product will be assembled in a repeatable manner so that customers are satisfied every time they purchase. The assembly equipment and processes are the what will determine end customer quality. If these processes are ignored customers will receive product that has variation and likely a higher failure rate. This Culture must change and you must be instrumental in making this change a priority.
Conformity (Robbins, pg106)- AM Equipments culture is evident from the first meeting you will attend. It is obvious that the cultural norm is to find a reason to agree with top management on any decision. The strategy of those who last revolves around identifying positive aspects of managements directives, and using those to convince themselves it is the right direction. This culture has been bred into the company because those who do not follow this strategy have short careers.
One of the problems of having this conformity culture is that poor decisions are made and reinforced by mid-level managers as they try to find a way to support their leader. In place of constructive conflict, people are looking for any possible way to agree. Conflict in the decision process typically results in better solutions, though they are not made as quickly as single person making the calls on their own (Collins, 2001). You will need to develop a communication style that will enable contradictory statements without the emotional response which can encourage different thinking. The additional conversation will likely spawn better solutions for the short term and the long. It will likely establish more trust for management because it will be perceived as listening and not only rejecting.
Trust (Robbins, pg171)- Trust is an important part of leadership, that is, more often than not, earned rather than simply given. In the American mindset, people generally believe that those in authority will take advantage of them if given the opportunity. Unfortunately, management at AM Equipment has a long standing reputation for doing what it believes is best. But, the question is raise, “isn't that the responsibility of management?”. The answer is, “Absolutely!” So what is not working? The decision process is not understood by employees, and often time does not make logical sense. You must work to establish the understanding of how decisions are made. It is important that employees see middle managers in support of these choices as well.
The final aspect of trust from the viewpoint of AM Equipment is that employees must clearly understand how the choices, although possibly not the most logical were made in their best interest. When decisions are made it is critical to communicate the decision, why it was made and the personal impact it will have on them. You will need to play a role in selling the choices as well. As a manager, you need to ensure that your direct reports can support a direction even if they do not fully agree with it.
Conclusion:
These are the items that are of highest importance, read this often to ensure you are serving Christ to the fullest and developing good work habits. Organizational behavior is an interesting animal because so many aspects of work, spiritual life and company dynamics are wrapped up in how people interact. What motivates us to behave in a particular manner is extremely complex, but understanding the patterns that have been identified will help you to be more successful in your life as an active part of society. It is critical to personal improvement, company success, culture rebuilding and your testimony for Christ to the unsaved who are inspecting your life every day.











Sources:
Collins, J. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap...and others don't. Harper Business Books, New York, NY.
EOU (2009). BA 321 Principles of Management/Org Behavior Retrieved November 9, 2009 from: http://www2.eou.edu/~blarison/mgtpower.html
Kummerow, et. al. (1997). Work Types. Warner Books, Inc. New York, NY.
Liker, J. (2004). The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World's Greatest Manufacturer. McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.
New American Standard Bible, Updated edition. La Habra, Ca: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
Robbins, S.P. (2005). Essentials of Organizational Behavior - 8th Edition. Pearson - Prentice Hall.
Sutton, Bob (2009). A New Look at the Peter Principle. Businessweek Online. Retrieved November 10, 2009 from: http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/mar2009/ca20090331_822526.htm

David and his Kingdom

Organizational Behavior, BA583
Week Four – Biblical Analysis:
David and his Kingdom


David was an incredible leader in the nation of Israel. His called a Man after God's own heart (I Samuel 13:14) and although he did not have a perfect track record as a leader, God has used him to influence church leaders for thousands of years. Looking at David as a leader and his interaction with the kingdom of Israel we can learn how to lead effectively as Christian leaders in the twenty-first century, 3000 years after his death.
David is constantly viewed as one who is seeking Gods plan in every situation. This is evidence that David has a external locus of control (Robbins, pg36) to the extreme. From early youth he is constantly seeking God for how to act. One of the first instances we are presented with is when David is tending his fathers sheep and kills the lion & bear (I Samuel 17:37). This is presented simultaneously to declaring that God will deliver Goliath into his hand with a simple sling and stone. This pattern is evident throughout Davids life but it is highlighted during the flight from King Saul. Twice while David is fleeing for his life he is presented with an opportunity to take king Saul's life and does not do it. Davids rational is that God appointed Saul King and trusts that He will deal with Saul in His own timing (I Samuel 24:6).
Once David becomes King he fully depends upon God for large decisions like whom to fight against and when. Robbins relates the external Locus of Control personality types to be less satisfied with their work and they tend to blame others for problems. David however is influenced by his humility (I Samuel 20:1) and his proper view of God to counteract the negative aspects of the external locus of control.
David shared his view of God's ultimate control in unexpected situations where he led strongly with an example of ethical leadership (Robbins, pg169 & pg252) . The most profound situation is when Saul was after David to murder him, thus preventing David from taking leadership from him. David and his men were hiding in a cave when Saul''s army came by. Being close enough to your enemy to see him is a frightening situation, but to make matters worse Saul needed to take care of some personal business within arms-length of David's hiding spot. David literally had the opportunity to take vengeance on Saul for trying to kill him. David had done nothing wrong but conversely had served the King faithfully for many years. David could have, without human blame, ended the conflict that would last another several years which separated him from his family, his place of worship and his God appointed position of King of Israel. However, David understood that God was the One in control and recognized that He had appointed Saul as King to begin with. David trusted that God was going to fulfill His prophecy in perfect heavenly timing and it was not acceptable to kill his leader.
This personal control was witnessed on two separate occasions by his followers (I Samuel 2 & 26). Leading by example was Davids classic training method in which he instilled the ethics that were important to God. In this fashion David established the culture (Robbins, pg233) for Israel and future generations of Kings as well as leaders of Churches and Christian leaders throughout history. His personality defined how a “good leader” should behave. The author of Hebrew refers to David in the “hall of faith” (Hebrews 11:32-34) while David's name is used to describe the position of leadership in Israel throughout the Prophets. Jeremiah 22:1-4 God uses David as a reference for how to live to prevent the coming judgment on all of Israel. One for the most succinct scriptures that describes the culture he sought to pass on is I Kings 2:2-4,
“I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. 3 "Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that the LORD may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ' If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'”
Formal Power (Robbins, pg177) - David was anointed as King at an early age, but he did not take over the kingdom until he was 37 years old. As the King, David had formal power and often utilized that both for positive and negative. On the positive sided David was a great commander and warrior on the battlefield as evidenced by his short battle with Goliath. Davids dependance on God for direction coupled with Davids Chain of command power gave Israel the victory in every battle recorded. When he spoke people listened and acted on what they were told.
However, Davids formal power also worked against him. Near the end of his life David was feeling proud which lead him into sin. We are never directly told what David's sin was but we see the penalty of it causes 70,000 men in Israel to die (I Chronicles 21:14). This episode is when David decided to count the mighty warriors in Israel and Judah. His right and man, Joab questions David and even warns him of his motives, but in the end the Kings power wins out. Joab goes throughout the nation for nearly a year until the job has been completed; 1.5 million warriors in all (I Chronicles 21:5). Gods reaction to this seems to outweigh the offense, He allows David to select the punishment, and God executes it quickly. Had David taken heed from his subordinate the penalty of this sin may have been completely eliminated.
The second and more infamous time Davids formal power caused problems was in his sin with Bathsheba. David saw what he wanted and commanded his guards to go get the beautiful bathing Bathsheba for him. This sin was only the beginning of a long trail of coverup that is a clear example of another behavioral decision making pattern: escalation of commitment (Robbins, pg91). Sin always begins as a temptation, but David did not capture his thoughts; he allowed them to turn into sin. This was followed by a cover-up and eventually worked out as murder of one of his Mighty Men (II Samuel 23:39).
One difference between this situation and that described by Robbins is that the typical escalation of commitment stems from a decision made, likely with good intentions, but which later becomes obvious it was the wrong decision. The desire to save face, in some cases, drives people to continue down a path that will not ever cause the desired outcome. However, David started off knowing that his initial choice was wrong. Which makes this an especially disappointing mistake by one of the most influential leaders in Israels history.
David made a few other mistakes, although less noteworthy, like how he dealt with discipline issues. There are several critical discipline incidents (Robbins, pg258) recorded for us ranging from how he dealt with his children to the commander of his armies, Joab. David did not obey God's command of Kings to not multiply wives for himself which caused multiple problems in his family and his Kingdom. Not the least of which is recorded in II Samuel 13, where Amnon, his son, raped his half sister Tamar. What was Davids response to such a hideous sin? “He was very angry”, according to verse 21. But nowhere is it recorded that David took any action. Ultimately, Tamars brother Absalom murders Amnon and flees the Kingdom later to form a coup in an attempt to overthrow his father David. Had David disciplined his son swiftly and severely as was required by God, this whole episode may have been avoided.
The second discipline issue I would like to discus is Joabs murderous ways. Twice Joab killed his peers who threatened him by the respect David had for them. II Samuel 3:27 records Joabs unjust murder of Abner and II Samuel 20:10 describes how he killed Amasa, Davids good will appointment from the ranks of Absalom's coup. But to top of Joabs insolence against David, Joab deliberately murdered his son, Absalom. David specifically commanded Joab to spare his son in II Samuel 18:5. This command was so well articulated that everyone in the rank and file of the army clearly understood that Absalom should remain unharmed (II Samuel 18:12). Although David temporarily removed Joab from command of the army (II Samuel 20:6) he was again head over the whole army of Israel only 18 verses later (vs 23). The question arises, how did David eventually deal with this? I Kings 2:5-6 record David asking his successor, Solomon, to deal with him.
These weak discipline decisions by David portray to his Kingdom that sin and disobedience are acceptable. As the King and culture setter for his nation David fell down in his job. As we have seen many of the problems relating to the end of his life were directly related to this stance, or lack thereof, toward these seemingly personal offenses.
It is difficult to look at the life of David without making some observations of the organization that he was leading, Judah and Israel. Robbins discusses loyalty (pg20) as a individual trait but David was able to garner extreme loyalty from many of his followers. The first glimpse of the loyalty David drew is the first time that King Saul decides that he is a political threat and he must flee for his life. David was encouraged by the outcasts of the surrounding area many of whom became the legendary Mighty Men of David as listed in II Samuel 23:8-39.
Throughout Davids life, there was one attempt to take away his kingdom however there were more than five separate occasion when David had to question the loyalty of those around him. This is not a particularly great track record as the point of this argument is to present the loyalty David had. It is interesting to note that two of the five situation were in dealing with Saul, one was instigated by his disloyalty to the Philistines and the last two were because David was attempting to bring the north and south kingdoms together. These five situations also highlight the fact that his closest friends are always with him. Those who knew him most intimately, stayed loyal through thick and thin ( II Samuel 15:14-18). Even Joab was loyal to David though He and David disagreed on the “best” solution for Absalom, I believe Joab was acting in what he viewed as Davids best interest. Joab believed that killing Davids son and threat to his King-hood, was the best long term solution which David could not commit to himself.
In the discussion of loyalty we see some interesting group dynamics specifically, group conformity to norms (Robbins, pg106). The most striking example is when Sheba a leader in Israel formed a revolt against David (II Samuel 20:1-2). This near tragedy happens as David is working his political strategy to reunite Judah and Israel (vs11). A political shouting match takes place between Judah and Israel about who has the greater claim to the King. In the midst of this Sheba declares that Israel “has no portion in David”. This notion had been prevalent as Absalom had made his way across the country making his stand against David. Once this mindset was revived, the entire nation of Israel abandoned David as their King.
Conclusion:
As we have seen David was by no means a perfect leader, nor was the “organization” in which he operated ideal. However, we are able to look deeply into scripture to see what is truly important to our Creator using both positive and negative aspects to learn and grow.

















Sources:
Robbins, S.P. (2005). Essentials of Organizational Behavior - 8th Edition. Pearson - Prentice Hall.
New American Standard Bible, Updated edition. La Habra, Ca: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

R.G. LeTourneau (part 3)

Chapter 14 Concept: Organizational Culture
Like most organizations born from the minds of incredibly charismatic leaders, LeTourneau Technologies retains much of it's founders personality in the form of organizational culture. Robbins discusses the beginning of a culture and the influence of the founder rather bluntly (pg 233):
“Because the founders have the original idea, they also typically have biases on how to get the idea fulfilled. The organization's culture results from the interaction between the founders' biases and assumptions and what the original members learn subsequently from their own experiences.”
The culture that is born is then passed on through generations of employees based on a reward system; people who fit the “mold” are promoted those who don't, leave. LeTourneau Technologies to this day values the things that were important to it's founder even though the company has changed hands multiple times.
Chapter 13 Concept: Innovation Strategy
True to the characteristics of its founder, LeTourneau Technologies' strategy in every area was and continues to be innovation. The company has always been a front-runner in bringing new products to market. Many of it's products were decades ahead of their time, including the electric drive wheel (Casteel, 1998). This concept was developed in the 1950's and is still considered the best, most efficient and effective method of moving large equipment (letourneau-inc.com, bio).
Although an innovation strategy produces new and exciting products, it has a considerable amount of risk associated with it. Robbins states that innovators require flexibility (pg 225) which is what LeTourneau Technologies continually strove for. Innovation is such an indispensable part of their business that their website lists it twice in its description of the company:
“The LeTourneau Technologies, Inc.™ (LTI) companies include some of the world’s leading innovators in manufacturing, design, and implementation of systems and equipment for mining, oil and gas drilling, offshore, power control and distribution, and forestry. … What in the world does LTI stand for? Innovation; advancements in technology that improve and optimize how you do business today and tomorrow.” (letourneau-inc.com, about)
One example that clearly illustrates how LeTourneau and his organization in turn, revolutionized manufacturing as a whole was the advent of welding as a means of original assembly. Welding began as more of a repair process for machines which were damaged, but LeTourneau saw this as an opportunity to improve strength in his machines and reduces cost of drilling holes and adding fasteners (LeTourneau, pg72). A quick survey of manufacturing today would yield very few manufacturers who do not implement welding in some fashion or another.
Chapter 16 Concept: Process Re-engineering

LeTourneau personally questioned all assumptions. What is the best way to manufacture a particular machine? How can I better stimulate thinking about God's plan for salvation? Is tithing 10% always biblical? Why can't I use rubber tires on earthmoving equipment?

These (and many other) questions were asked by LeTourneau which resulted in different answers than others in the similar environments. As mentioned above, LeTourneau Technologies decided that welding was the best method to manufacture many machines. To stimulate thinking about our eternal destiny, LeTourneau hired Chaplins for his manufacturing plant and gave biblical training during working hours away from the production line (LeTourneau, pg242). Near the end of LeTourneau's life he was “tithing” 90% of his income to ministry of spreading the Gospel. And the rubber tires, that is what made LeTourneau the largest earthmoving equipment supplier in World War II, supplying more than 70% of equipment to the allies (letourneau-inc.com, bio).


Sources Sited:



Casteel, Kyran. "Longview legend." World Mining Equipment 22.n8 (Oct 1998): 24(2). General OneFile. Gale. CORBAN COLLEGE. 21 Oct. 2009

LeTourneau, R.G.(1967) Mover of Men and Mountains, Autobiography. Prentice-Hall.

(bio) http://www.letourneau-inc.com/about/RG_bio.htm

(about) http://www.letourneautechnologies.com/about/index.htm

National Defense 85.568 (March 2001): 7. General OneFile. Gale. CORBAN COLLEGE. 21 Oct. 2009

Robbins, S.P. (2005). Essentials of Organizational Behavior - 8th Edition. Pearson - Prentice Hall.

R.G. LeTourneau (part 2)

LeTourneau was at the head in nearly every group with which he was involved. Weather the group was his business, leader in his home church, President of the Christian Businessmen Association, President of the International Gideon Society or even Husband and father of four (www.letourneau-inc.com). He is what we all would consider a natural born leader. His passions were broad; from manufacturing large equipment to spreading the Gospel everywhere he went. In fact spreading the Gospel by some accounts forced him to sell his earthmoving company to Westinghouse (National Defense, 2001).

Chapter 9 Concept: Selective Perception

This selective perception may have been a major contributor to the Westinghouse sale of his earthmoving business. According to LeTourneau he was supporting a ministry of his church with but it was his opinion against the IRS. This was what appeared to be a huge setback. Westinghouse took over his debt to the government in exchange for removing LeTourneau from competition in the earthmoving business. However, with the profits he earned from the sale he devoted his attention to a new revolutionary propulsion system (LeTourneau, pg257).

Chapter 10 Concept: Charismatic Leadership

Robbins (pg166) describes the charismatic leader as one who “by force of their personal abilities they transform their followers by raising the sense of importance and value of their tasks.” LeTourneau had this ability. He could inspire everyone he met to “get on board” and accomplish the task, no matter how unrealistic is seemed at the start.

One of the unrealistic challenges LeTourneau commanded was the purchase of the steel mills near his facility and outright steel mill creation at other sites. The challenge for LeTourneau was getting the right materials for the demanding applications like building 150 ton loaders. When he was a consumer of materials, he was often at the whim of his suppliers getting the right size material and even the right formulation of steel (Casteel, 1998). Think of how much steel goes into building a machine capable of scooping 150 tons of dirt in a single scoop. 150 tons is 300,000 pounds, in a single scoop! What was LeTourneau's solution? Let us mill our own steel, then we can have what we need when we need it.

This was a hard plan to sell to the plant managers and finance guys who know nothing about making steel. But, because of LeTourneau's charisma he sold the idea to his team and made it a reality.

Chapter 11 Concept: Formal Power

As the natural leader, he was always at the top. This gave LeTourneau formal power. As the Owner of the company, Chief Designer and CEO, he got his way. This type of power was mostly displayed on the engineering and design side of the business. He was always thinking “outside the box”. In fact most of his competitors referred to his ideas as “crazy” (Casteel, 1998). The ideas were so far outside the box that his formal power was utilized to force his engineering staff to “just try it” (LeTourneau, pg257).


Sources Sited:



Casteel, Kyran. "Longview legend." World Mining Equipment 22.n8 (Oct 1998): 24(2). General OneFile. Gale. CORBAN COLLEGE. 21 Oct. 2009

LeTourneau, R.G.(1967) Mover of Men and Mountains, Autobiography. Prentice-Hall.

http://www.letourneau-inc.com/about/RG_bio.htm

National Defense 85.568 (March 2001): 7. General OneFile. Gale. CORBAN COLLEGE. 21 Oct. 2009

Robbins, S.P. (2005). Essentials of Organizational Behavior - 8th Edition. Pearson - Prentice Hall.

Self Assesment- Leadership

So far this week I have taken five assessments:
II.B.1 What's your leadership style?
II.B.5 How good am I at disciplining others?
II.C.3 How good am I at playing politics?
IV.E.1 What's my attitude toward working in groups?
IV.E.4 Am I an ethical leader?

I asked my wife to complete the “politics” assessment as if she were me. Apparently she views me as more political than I do; she scored a 111 out of 126. I scored only slightly lower at 102, still highly capable of “gaining support and trust of others within the organization to further my agenda” (Pearson).

I would like to discuss the results of II.B.1, What's your leadership style. This assessment rates both my perspective toward the task and the other people in the group. I rated a “9” in both categories. This score in the task importance indicates that I have a low priority on getting the job done. The “9” score for people oriented is actually high. So my natural bent is toward pleasing people or making sure we can work together in harmony to the detriment of accomplishing the task.

I basically agree with the results of the assessment, however some of the specific questions got me thinking about my attitudes relating to group work and where I can improve. Since I have an aversion to lower priority on the task, I must remember that I was hired to accomplish the task. That is my employers main priority, so I must ensure I am working diligently whenever possible to complete the work that needs to be done.

R.G. LeTourneau

I have selected R. G. LeTourneau for this exercise. LeTourneau was a prolific inventor in the earthmoving industry. His machines represented nearly 70 percent of the earthmoving equipment and Engineering vehicles used during World War II, and he was responsible for nearly 300 patents.

Chapter 3 Concept: Risk Propensity

Risk propensity defines the willingness of individuals to take chances. Those whom have a high risk propensity are able to make decisions quickly and typically with less information. LeTourneau spent his life with very little aversion to risk. This was necessary as an inventor and ground-breaker in many areas of manufacturing and innovation, with an eighth grade education. Don't get me wrong, LeTourneau had broader, more practical work experience than many of his contemporaries. He was able to practically apply this experience to innovating some earthmoving designs that were, in many cases, decades ahead of their time. LeTourneau was often heard telling his engineers that his ideas could be accomplished. That it did not matter what they had learned in school, they just needed to do it to prove it (LeTourneau, 1967). Many times his ability to take risk brought him to the front of the market, but nearly as many times, his ideas were too original to be accepted by customers.

Chapter 4 Concept: Need for Achievement

LeTourneau was driven by a strong desire to do everything better than it has been done before. This is characterized as a need for achievement, which is a major motivational point based on McClelland's Theory of Needs. People who are motivated by personal achievement, are always looking for a challenge in which they perceive their chances at success are only 50% (Robbins, pg52).

After he had grown tired of his earthmoving equipment business, he sold the entire company so that he could devote his time to creating a new drive concept for heavy equipment which is still used today. LeTourneau was an all or nothing leader who was driven by the idea that things could be done better. His passion for achievement did not stop at heavy equipment; His second love was the Church and spreading the gospel (LeTourneau, pg288).

Chapter 6 Concept: Intuitive Decision Maker

“Gut decisions” were a trademark of LeTourneau. This intuitive process of sifting information through the grid of past experiences enables people to make accurate choices very quickly. Robbins states that recent studies have proven that intuitive decisions, when pared with rational analysis, can improve decision making (pg93). Based on LeTourneau's vast experiences in labor intensive work, he was able to quickly analyze solutions to manufacturing problems and prove it worked before his staff had a chance to fully understand what he was trying to accomplish. This lead to numerous advances in manufacturing that are credited to LeTourneau, including welding as a means to assemble rather than to repair (LeTourneau, 1967).



Sources Sited:

LeTourneau, R.G.(1967) Mover of Men and Mountains, Autobiography. Prentice-Hall.

http://www.letourneau-inc.com/about/RG_bio.htm

Robbins, S.P. (2005). Essentials of Organizational Behavior - 8th Edition. Pearson - Prentice Hall.

Managment Philosophy

Personal Management Philosophy – What I believe

My personal management philosophy is to be a leader who exemplifies Christ in every pursuit, public or private. I will build a reputation for leading teams to surpass goals established by my organization to become the best in the industry. I will set goals that are difficult to achieve which push everyone on my team to utilize their strengths to help the organization constantly improve process efficiency and innovation. I will live my life transparently so that those I interact with see the difference Christ's death, burial and resurrection have made in me.
I must ensure that my organization's strengths reflect customer needs. Concretely defined and prioritized, we must improve on those strengths until we distinguish ourselves from the competition. I must use financial reports and strategic planning objectives to set company wide goals. My job is to understand and clearly communicate this business direction and goals to those whom I supervise. I will strive to help them understand how their contributions directly effect company success or failure by implementing processes that reflect the importance of their work. I will follow a strategy of eliminating all types of waste in every aspect of the business. Other strategic decisions must be made while problem solving with imperfect information, using logic and contrary opinions. Those decisions should be held through completion or until further information proves it to be wrong and a better path chosen. Leading people requires serving them by finding their strengths, challenging them, expecting them to improve and removing obstacles to enable them to make the right decisions.
As a Christian in the role of manager, I will have many opportunities to ruin or promote my devotion to Christ and my testimony. In any leadership role we are placed in a spotlight, our superiors and those we supervise are watching intently; some cheering us on to success others hoping to witness failure. As Believers, that watchfulness is raised to the next level; it is not only business decisions that we are judged on, but personal and private ones as well. Peter tells me to “keep your behavior excellent among the [unbelieving], so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God...” (I Peter 2:12). I will share my faith openly while remembering that words without action are meaningless and perform my work with diligence and integrity. Depending on our own strength to accomplish this task is doomed to suboptimal performance, but Christ will always provide the strength needed to accomplish His will (Philippians 4:13).
My desire is to love doing whatever it is that God has me involved with. Ecclesiastes 3:22 says that finding satisfaction in your work is a blessing but ultimately, everything related to work will be lost (Ecclesiastes 2:17). Being successful according to God's standards makes me love what I do (Colossians 3:23), even when there is little recognition or even trials. I aim to inspire passion for the job and a drive for success in the people I work with, so that they love their work too.

Future Management Strategy – How to work it out

Customers- A business cannot exist without customers. In fact, even individual within a company has customers. A lawn maintenance person clearly understands that the yard owner is the customer, where as the assembly line worker's customer is the next person in the assembly process and ultimately the person who buys the product. I must understand how my work affects the customer as this is key to ensuring we are doing the best job possible for them. Knowing who our customer is, what is important to them, why they want our good or service and what value they place on it is critical to becoming great (Hartley, 2006). To fully understand this, I will place myself in the customers shoes, actually do the job or watch someone do it. If I fail to analyze these key aspects of our customer we will make decisions that negatively impact the product and ultimately the customer, giving them reason to go elsewhere.
Financial Impacts- Finances are the blood that makes a business operate, I must have money moving through an organization to make it work. Capital is needed for everything from paying salaries to investing in new technologies. Understanding the impact of cash-flows, profit and loss statements and other financial reports will enable me to make logical and well balanced business decisions. Return on Investment is an important tool I must use in decision making because if money is not returning to the company, it will go bankrupt. Other projects or endeavors may not prove profitable with this analysis but may be critical to making key strategies work. Strategic decisions are inherently more risky, but needed especially when markets change rapidly (McKenzie & Lee, 2006). I will avoid the trap of convincing myself that a choice was “strategic”, but in reality was only the path that sounded most interesting. I will take responsibility for decisions and use the best information available to move the company toward it's goals with risk minimized.
Integrity- Sometimes doing the “right” thing is hard, really hard; especially if it means losing significant amounts of money or admitting to mistakes that may ruin your reputation. There are numerous examples of companies and individuals taking the high road in the face of severe consequences (Lennick D. & Kiel F. PhD ,2007). Many of these ultimately befitted from their integrity by the customer placing more trust in them. I have experienced this personally with a recall situation where customers became more devoted to the company because of the way in which the issue was handled. I will look at any situation from the perspective of the customer; first understanding what the right action is and second how best to accomplish this from my company perspective.
Problem Solving- I love solving problems more than any other part of my job. Gathering information, asking the right questions and finding other, contradictory viewpoints are the most critical aspects of doing this well. Many problem solvers jump to the first apparent solution but typically do not fully resolve the issue. I will assess the situation, gather all available information and weigh solutions as quickly as possible. Looking at the problem first hand, in person is the most advantageous, then speaking with those immediately involved about probable solutions. I have learned to step back and find the reasoning behind the solutions that are counter intuitive; there may be some insight that was ignored by the first, seemingly adequate answer. Using this problem solving technique will yield better results than the typical “shoot from the hip” answers.
Prioritization- Time is the most precious resource any of us must utilize. Each one has a set number of days to live out life, so we must use each one to the fullest. Our priorities must be set by how we can most effectively contribute to the goals of the organization (Drucker, 1966). One of the most impacting ideas discussed by Drucker was that of removing old priorities that are no longer important. I will not continue defending the bad choices of the past, expending so much energy on that effort, that we make little or no progress toward those tasks that will most positively affect the organization. Not only is prioritization important, but I will work on one thing at a time making my time more effective in taking the organization closer to ideal state. Working on multiple projects simultaneously is not efficient. Not only will each project have lower quality, it will take longer to complete them, increasing the probability that they will become obsolete, thus a waste of time.
Servant Leadership- Is truly leading as Jesus led. It was obvious that Jesus was the leader of the band of disciples, but rarely do we see Jesus miss an opportunity to teach his men how to lead while removing doubt and any other obstacles that prevented their growth. This ideology forces management to the bottom of the organizational chart, depicting who their true customers are, those they supervise. This organizational structure almost forces each employee to see how their work effects the next one in line. As a manager, I must remove the barriers to my people becoming successful (Liker, 2004). Sometimes that means fighting battles for better tools, changing processes or moving people to another area where their strengths may be better utilized.
Processes- Every business, no matter how small, has a set of processes that dictate how certain tasks are to be done. For a one man company, those are probably only captured in thought, but as the company grows these get documented and trained on. Processes are the simplest tool to ensure smooth business management because they take the best methods learned and cause them to be utilized each time the task is done. When there is a process in place for a task it takes away much of the confusion and decision making. It enables the worker to accomplish the task that was once relegated to Managers (Drucker, 1966). It is widely believed that a majority of errors are to some extent process related or preventable if done properly. If this is true managers can focus their attention on any process that has problems, resolve them and implement the new “best method”.
Relentless Elimination of Waste- All business must be competitive to survive. There are many avenues to pursue staying competitive. One of them makes sense to do, no matter if you are number one or dead last in your industry; elimination of waste. Constantly reducing and eliminating waste from processes and business activities will reduce my cost to produce a product (Liker, 2004). The elimination of waste typically forces innovation which drives improvement in product, reputation and customer satisfaction. This activity will keep our organization improving even if we are number one. Sadly, many first in class organizations have lost to number two or three because they become complacent and depended on their old technology and strategy for too long while their competition passed them up.

Biography – Who am I

I am the Engineering Manager for a small design and manufacturing company with responsibility over R&D, manufacturing engineering and applications engineering. Utilizing best practices from the manufacturing floor, I have established stable processes for even the most abstract and creative aspects of design and development. These processes have increased efficiency in resource utilization and time to market.
I graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in machine design. I am currently pursuing a Masters of Business Administration from Corban College & Graduate School in Salem, Oregon. I intend to continue working as Engineering Manager in the engineering field to eventually be Vice President of Engineering for a large manufacturing company. I plan to utilize my administration skills working in a mission organization or my local church as an international mission organizer if God presents the opportunity.
My engineering bent drew me toward manufacturing where I have been for the last eight years. I started out in a high volume concrete block plant, learning about quality control and machine maintenance. For the last five years I have been designing windshield wiper systems for specialty vehicles like boats, trains, buses and agricultural equipment around the world. I have developed a keen ability to read customers and find solutions to their problems. Working in a small company has given me a broad experience base from marketing to accounting to production.
I worked in the service industry for the previous seven years. I started with taking over a yard care business for several years where I learned to anticipate customer needs. Next, I worked in a seed cleaning warehouse where I developed an appreciation for mechanical equipment. While attending engineering school, I worked in a deli and grocery store. This is where customer interaction was developed as well as an appreciation for inventory control.
I was born and raised in the Northwest to be a hard worker no matter the task. Growing up in a Christian home gave me a great foundation to be a leader in business and an active part of the Christian community. In my home Church, my wife and I with our two children, volunteer in children's ministries and I lead a small group Bible study.

Resources-- Impacting literature

Drucker, P. (1966). The effective executive. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers.
Hartley, R. (2006). Marketing mistakes & successes, e10. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ,Hoboken, NJ.
Heath, C. & Heath, D. (2007). Made to stick: Why some ideas survive and others die. New York: Random House.
Hunter, James C. (1998). The servant: a simple story about the true essence of leadership. New York: Crown Business.
Lennick D. & Kiel F. PhD (2007). Moral intelligence: Enhancing business performance & leadership success. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Publishing.
Liker, J. (2004). Toyota Way. New York: McGraw Hill Professional.
McKenzie & Lee (2006). Microeconomics for MBA's: the economic way of thinking for managers. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Biblical Leadership & Ethics

Week five – Case Study:

The Leader as a Servant

1. In this careful demonstration of love (agape) to His disciples, why do you think Jesus chose to wash their feet instead of doing something else?

I believe that Jesus chose to wash his followers feet because it was something that could not be mistaken for just kindness. We can tell by Peters reaction that it was a job that is normally left for a slave of the house. To have this person who has been an incredible leader, and was thought to be the next King of Israel, do the lowest job they could think of was almost too much. They were probably confused and MacArthur says that they were probably embarrassed. I know when I am in an uncomfortable situation I can miss the point too, just like the disciples. Jesus was showing that leadership is not always the “power”, but sometimes the willingness to serve.

2. What does the example of love Jesus chose tell you about His perspective as a leader?

As Hunter pointed out in the book The Servant, Jesus was the greatest leader of all time. That is exemplified in how the world was permanently changed by Him and even to this day His influence (read Spirit) is changing people. Christ chose to be a servant leader. We are called to be like Christ in all that we do. It follows easily to say that we as believers, trying to emulate Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit should also practice servant leadership.

3. How does Jesus’ statement in verse 14 relate to the praxis principle? What outcome do you think Jesus was looking for from it?

This verse shows us that Jesus was very concerned about proper Hygiene. (sorry... I couldn't resist!)

Actually, Jesus knew that serving others was not a natural thing to do. It was important for these men to start practicing their service toward one another so that it would naturally progress to the people they would be leading in a few weeks, the first Church. By giving them the command to serve in this particularly lowly position, they truly learned to love through their actions. That is what the praxis principal is; acting in a particular way and the aligned feelings follow.

Jesus was preparing them to love and support one another. He knew that he would be dragged away and crucified in just a few hours. He also knew that when he was taken away the disciples would be scattered, and would need the support of each other in the next few days. This love would then transfer to how they served others in the carrying out of the Great Commission.

4. Looking at this brief episode as Jesus’ seminar on leading from authority, how would you organize and present its key concepts in contemporary terms to your own audience so they could understand them?

Training: (John 13:1-3~Jesus needed to prepare his followers to lead) Look for weakness and train to make them strengths. Make sure followers are prepared to take your place, cross train. Have a forward plan that includes “plan-b”.

Demonstrating: (John 13:4-8~Jesus showed his followers through action) Do what you expect your followers to do. Don't be hypocritical.

Defining: (John 13:9,10~Jesus makes a distinction between wants and needs) Clearly state what the objectives are, and make sure they are written down and understood by all.

Implementing: (John 13:12-14~Jesus made serving a policy for everyone) Ensure everyone within the organization is aware of the policy. Plainly state the expectation as well as the results of not meeting the expectations.

Exemplifying: (John 13:15-17~Jesus practiced the policy and told them “do as I do”) Carry our the policy visibly and make sure it is clearly in the center of everyones attention.

5. How does the “payoff” for leading from authority mentioned by Hunter in the final chapter of The Servant relate to the following verses?

Matt. 10:39, 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24, 17:33; John 12:25

Generally speaking, when a key concept is presented in scripture, it is repeated or restated in keeping with its importance. The number of times this idea occurs suggests that this concept is one the Lord wants us to understand and practice during our time to serve Him here.

For believers, our payoff will be spending eternity with Christ. We are to use any and all skills of leadership not just to improve our ability to be successful in a work environment but to lead others to Christ. We can be leaders with authority and people will trust us, they will try to understand what makes us different. We must take advantage of that questioning. It is how seeds are planted and are cared for.

6. To sum up, if you begin to look for ways to establish authority and then lead from it in your present circumstances, what will that look like? How might it be different from the way you interact with others now?

Clearly the improvements would be seen in how people respond to me when I am in leadership roles. If I am able to establish the authority with people, they would trust that I not only say I have their best in mind but I actually do.

The things I will have to change are:

- Becoming better at analyzing needs vs. wants. Then to act accordingly with a good explanation of why the decision was made.

- Listening and removing my inner dialog to hear what the person is trying to communicate.

- Keeping my word. Do what I say I will do, when I say I will do it.

- Making sure that my goals and the company goals are clearly communicated.

- Be more Christ like!

Biblical Leadership & Ethics

References

Bansal, P. & Kandola, S. (March/April 2004). Corporate social responsibility: Why good people behave badly in organizations. Ivey Business Journal 68, (4). 1-5.

This article highlights the corporate accounting scandals at Enron and Arthur Anderson. Autopsy of these companies' scandal reveals organizational responsibility stems from individual irresponsibility and a culture of “bystander” syndrome. This is where immoral activities are accepted because nobody feels like it is their position to intervene, there is no clear process for responsibility or it is accepted within the company as the norm.

Berenbeim, R.E. (Sep. 2006). Ethical leadership: Maintain an ethical culture. Leadership Excellence 23, (9). 19-20.

Berenbeim speaks to the “Revised Sentencing Guidelines” as the standard for executives accountability and personal responsibility to ensure a companies culture is fostering ethical behavior. He uses Neru as an example to modern executives, highlighting three lessons on debate, sustainability and personal responsibility for decision making. Accountability is the standard for ensuring we all act according to ethical practices.

Buchanan, L. (May 2007). In praise of selflessness: Why the best leaders are servants. Executive Excellence 29, (5). 33-35.

This article gives a peak at the role that servant leadership has in a culture where skilled people are valued and are looking for a place where they can make a difference. Serving those around us will enable us to gain a new perspective and get better answers to the problems we face in our business lives. Three paradoxes are presented that go against traditional thinking but match up with scriptures.

Covey, S. (Dec. 2006). Servant leadership: Use your voice to serve others. Leadership Excellence 23, (12). 5-6.

This article bridges the gap between servant leadership and the idea from Moral Intelligence of the moral compass. Covey suggests that when we live and act according to the principals of “nature” (I will substitute God's Word). Our formal authority becomes more effective because people follow for the right reason; genuine commitment, not fear.

Chimaera Consulting (n.d.). Famous models: Situational leadership. Retrieved January 31, 2008 from: http://www.chimaeraconsulting.com/sitleader.htm

This site give an overview of the Situational Leadership model and explains the leaders side of the model. It helps identify where leaders can improve the interaction with employees to achieve the desired result.

Crainer, S. (Winter2003). Succeeding with values. Business Strategy Review 14, (4). 3-4.

This interview with Randall Tobias, gives real examples of what a CEO must do. They are truly charged with communicating the company vision and ensuring that each person is marching in the same direction. He states that only ethical leaders are truly successful.

Gdich. (2007, August 16) Situational leadership training [video file]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYyDWP2-ywE

Introduction to an ASME training session on particular style of leadership.

Hersey, Paul. Interview. Situational leadership: Conversations with Paul Hersey. By John R. Schermerhorn, Jr. Center for Leadership Studies, 2001.

Interview with one of the founders of the “situational leadership” model. Hersey developed the approach while trying to train technical staff to take the next step and become productive leaders. He realized that there was no “golden” strategy to being a good manager, but instead each situation needed a specific skill to be used. By employing the correct skill for the problem anyone could become a successful manager.

Hunter, James C. (1998). The servant: a simple story about the true essence of leadership. New York: Crown Business.

This book gives insightful, provoking thought on what it is to be a servant leader. It gives the ideology needed to understand what is truly behind our own psychological perspective on leadership that has be erroneously created from external influences. It also helps us understand how others view the world and give us ways to deal with differences in perspective.

Lennick D. & Kiel F. PhD (2007). Moral intelligence: Enhancing business performance & leadership success. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Publishing.

This book was written to help leaders understand that a strong ethical standard is necessary when dealing in business when long tern success is desired. The authors point out that it is important to work on the ethical portion of our belief system to ensure that it does not suffer from neglect. The book also included the Moral Competency Inventory (MCI) that enable the test taker to evaluate the personal areas of strength and weakness. All choices/decisions must pass through an ethical filter to ensure we do not violate our Moral Compass.

Lovin, R. (2006). Faithful and effective. Christian Century, 123(12), 33.

Levin uses headlines from recent days to show that all Americans seem to be pulled by the measurement of effectiveness. Often times, the measure is place much higher than we are capable and some turn to deceit to close the gap. As believers we must focus on being faithful to Christ and that is how we may be truly effective in our calling on earth.

Murphy, P.E. & Enderle, G. (1995). Managerial ethical leadership: Examples do matter. Business Ethics Quarterly 1, (5). 117-121.

A biographical description of how the former CEO of Johnson & Johnson, James Burke handled the transition of power and the deadly crisis of poisoned Tylenol, twice. He was a man of ethics and made it a priority form his first day in his leading role. The article also highlights 3 other CEO's who showed superior ethical behavior.

New American Standard Bible, Updated edition. La Habra, Ca: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

Nehemiah is an incredible book that demonstrates the plan of God carried out through one man. Nehemiah was able to get direction from God and make a plan to accomplish his task in a very short time. He meticulously planned the entire task and made sure all his bases were covered so that he could focus on the difficult issues that came up during the project.

Patten, R.M. (Sept./Oct. 2004). From implicit to explicit: Putting corporate values and personal accountability front and centre. Ivey Business Journal 69, (1). 1-4.

Article written by an executive within a large Canadian bank describing what their institution had done to prevent corporate scandal and induce a culture that truly cultivates ethical behavior. They have made and declared the code of conduct that each employee must act according to. They also use the results of company wide surveys to identify what topics of ethical behavior should be concentrated on. We need to place the ethics of our organization on the front burner so problems are prevented.

Rhode, D.L. (Jan. 2007). Moral leadership: Inspire ethical behavior. Leadership Excellence 24, (1).

Ethical Leadership does effect the financial position of companies although it is hard to measure. Many ways to ensure company wide ethical standards were discussed but it was noted that unless leaders show ethical behavior the culture will be lacking in ethical actions on all levels. Leaders have many opportunities to show their commitment to ethics if they only look.

Rowe, R. (Feb. 2003). Leaders as servants. Management 50, (1).

This short article reviews the 10 characteristics of a servant leader as defined by Greenleaf, a leader in the servant leadership movement. It was interesting to note the similarities as well as differences when compared with the I Corinthians 13 definition of Love, agape love. The article does little more than state the characteristics and present the servant leadership model as worthy of consideration.

Tonge, A., Greer, L. & Lawton, A. (2003). The Enron story: You can fool some of the people some of the time… Business Ethics: A European Review 12, (1).

This article give an overview of the Enron scandal. It raises the question that many parties share responsibility for the downfall. Ultimately it was the greed of leaders that brought them to their knees but analysts, banks and their auditors added to the unethical practices. The entire Enron problem has opened the books of our entire economic system to prevent such failure in the future.

Wheatley, M. (Jul. 2004). Servant Leaders: What has to change now? Executive Excellence 21, (7).

This article gives seven keys to servant leadership. The author seems very humanistic in her approach to servant leadership, but makes a few good points about the benefits of relationships. Wheatley gives some examples of forgiveness and restoration of things lost that support her views on the humanistic side of this leadership methodology.

Zandy, A. (July/Aug. 2007). If you want to lead…learn to serve. Debt 22, (4). 24-25.

This article gives practical examples of how to create a culture of servant leadership. Zandy points out that that the idea was based on Christian ideals but many other religions have used the same idea to show the power of becoming a servant.

Biblical Leadership & Ethics

Week Four – Case Study:

Nehemiah: God's Project Manager

1. As Nehemiah became aware of what God was calling him to do, what sequence of actions did he take before finally receiving authorization and committing to go? Would this approach still be appropriate today?

Nehemiah's first action was to pray and seek what action God wanted him to take. He was able to carefully prepare his plan. It was a fully planned action that he wanted to take and was able to develop all the details that he would need to accomplish the task. He estimated how long his task would take and what supplies he would need to complete the job. By asking the King for letters of approval to accommodate each leg of his journey, the building project, and finally the ongoing needs of the city.

Today this approach would still seem to be appropriate. It is to everyones benefit if the plan is well thought out and planned in a way that identifies where possible problems may arise and have the action ready when difficult circumstances are presented. I tend to be a planner by nature and have recently been forced into acting before the plan is laid. It has helped me to improvise on the go, but it has not been easy or comfortable for my employees to follow that kind of leadership.

2. When Nehemiah had assessed the task God called him to undertake, how did he exercise exceptional leadership in enlisting support and motivating his followers?

One of the keys to the successful completion of the plan was enlisting the support of the highest possible authority. This guy (the king) had power and by his reaction to Nehemiah, some authority as well. It was important that the King was on his side from the beginning. Once Nehemiah was on the way and gathering his countrymen, he was continually reminding them of truth that God had promised them. This was the place of His dwelling and the land he had promised to the Israelites many years before. Although the encouragement helped, it was also the input that he solicited form the people and getting their “buy-in”. Then he was able to delegate the project to the people who would do the work and gave personal responsibility that mattered to each one. It is interesting to note that many of the people who were working on rebuilding a section of wall were building the section that protected their personal home. Not only were they rebuilding the city but they were also fulfilling the psychological need for security.

3. Much of what can be taken from the record of Nehemiah’s actions is implied and not directly stated. From the way he organized this project, what can you infer about his ability to balance the dynamics of task and relationship with his followers? Use specific examples.

He was trying to accomplish a task, rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. To do this required a lot of planning and the participation of many people. He got them personally involved by reminding them who they were as a nation, reinforcing the promises they had received through their fathers from God, and getting them to contribute to the well being of their families by fixing the wall nearest their homes. I think all three of these contributed to the personal involvement of each person and their willingness to sacrifice for the persecuted nation whom God loved.

4. Based on the actions he took when he learned that external enemies planned to disrupt his project and harm his workers, what needs did Nehemiah meet for them that enabled them to stay on task? What steps did he take to meet them?

Safety during the building project was always an issue. They were in a land occupied by other nations that were desperately trying to keep them down. These are the same people God had earlier defeated when he gave the Israelites their promised inheritance. Now because of sin, God had allowed them to dominate their nation and even taken them into captivity. When Nehemiah heard of the plan to attack the workers, he did two things correctly. First, he told each person that the risk of attack was present, which was probably not a great way to encourage a people who are working at an incredible pace to keep the tight schedule. Although it was uncomfortable for Nehemiah to tell them the opposite of what they wanted to hear, he was able to establish trust that he was looking out for the workers. Then, he informed them of the plan to mitigate the severity of the attack. Posting guards and having each man work with a weapon handy in case of attack, enabled that fear to be reduced. They had a plan and were ready for anything but they also knew that God was ensuring the success of the project.

5. In the course of obeying God’s calling and completing the task he was charged with, Nehemiah received delegated power from the king. How did he go about establishing the authority he needed to be a credible leader?

Once he had rebuilt the wall the next task was to reestablish the temple and the city in general. He served 150 men at his table and went through incredible amounts of food. It is noted that Nehemiah was serving these people from his own pocket and on top of that he did not even collect the “taxes” he was authorized to take. His entire focus was on ensuring the people who would be left to run the city were prepared. He preached many sermons to expose some of the problems the rulers had fallen into and God turned their hearts to actually do the right things. They stopped forcing those who were in debt to sell their property or their families into slavery. All of Nehemiah's actions showed that he was more concerned about the people and God's promise being fulfilled than his own personal gratification.

6. When immoral and unethical behavior threatened to destroy the project from within, how did Nehemiah resolve the crisis? What different roles did his power and authority play?

While the building project was still ongoing the leaders of the city were forcing the builders to continue paying “usury”. These were the same builders who were making the sacrifice of their time and willingly putting themselves at risk of death for the safety of the rest of the city. God used the words of Nehemiah to soften and change the hard hearts of the unreasonable nobles. They turned from the unethical ways and became supporters of the cause. That is where he was able to use the authority gained earlier to change the thinking of these people. Then he exercised his power by forcing them to commit to the change of heart; he made them swear before God that they would then support them. If he had not forced the oath, it is likely that the leaders and nobles would return to the unethical policy in a short while.

7. When the building project was complete, what steps did Nehemiah take that demonstrated his concern for the sustainability of the rebuilt city? The sustainability of the temple and the priesthood?

Sustainability was obviously important to Nehemiah because every action that he made was in support of the people and the processes God required for Israel to continue. He set up the food and supply chain for the Priests and the others who served in the Temple. He allowed the people to keep more of their wealth by not collecting the taxes that he could rightfully collect. He gave incentives to entice people back to the city to ensure that the infrastructure would be cared for. All these actions were for the people, but they were directed by God. He was the master planner but Nehemiah was ready to listen, serve and carry out the His will.

Biblical Leadership & Ethics

1. Develop 4 scenarios involving completely different work environments that would be appropriate for a D1, D2, D3 and D4 employee. Briefly describe each employee, giving them a personality, behaviors, attitudes and relevant skills consistent with their type. Once you have developed each employee, provide them with a leader whose style is appropriately suited for them, and describe the leader in the same ways. If you prefer, some of your leader/follower scenarios may be built on parent/ child or teacher/student relationships.

D1: Don has just been hired as a department manager for a small company. His prior occupation was pastor of a small church, where he used almost none of the technical skills needed in this manufacturing environment. He was quiet, and non-confrontational especially relating to any technical subject; he always second guessed himself. Fortunately, his boss has made sure that all the instructions for accomplishing the day to day tasks are current and up-to-date. After going through the full list of tasks ahead for that day, he instructs Don to read the instructions carefully and ask any questions that he may have. Together, they go through the instructions for the first set of tasks and Don is able to get clarification for each point that seems ambiguous. His boss reminds Don where he can be found and that if at any point he needs clarification, just ask additional questions until it is clearly understood.

D2: James has been working as a CAD drafter for four and a half years. He is older than most of the people he works with. He is happy to be assigned tasks that are the same from day to day with little variation. When he is asked to work outside his comfort zone, he shuts down, gets grumpy, and irritable. He knows quite well how to work within the drafting software, but lacks the mechanical aptitude to understand complex behavior of non-standard mechanisms. His manager needs him to complete some work that is more difficult than what James is used to, but he is the only one available to complete the task before the due date. Knowing that James may need additional help with a particular piece of the task, his manager takes additional time to tell him that he is capable and gives some general direction on how to accomplish the specific troublesome task. His boss then tells James that when he gets to that piece he would like to come back and see how he is progressing and offer any needed assistance.

D3: Kenneth is a clerk in a deli at the local supermarket. He has worked there for six years and is the now the senior worker. The only one in the department with more experience is the manager. He is confident and loves his job. He is very personable, and loves to help people. As a great planner, he has been supervising the night shift very successfully for the last 2 years. Kenneth's boss just got Jury Duty for the next 10 days and will only be able to be there over the weekend. Mr Jury Duty has seen Kenneth train all the current employees to do every part of their jobs. Kenneth is a great teacher because he is able to explain the how and why of each function. To assure Kenneth that things would run smoothly, he gave a few words of encouragement and leaves a checklist of the major things that must be done that Kenneth is not usually responsible for. The he leaves with one last word of confidence.

D4: Ben has worked as an auditor for 23 years. He doesn't want anything more than the job he started at, Auditor 1. It is comfortable, it pays the bills and there is virtually no stress. In fact, he can almost do his job while sleeping, but tries hard not to prove that. His superior is a 21 year old kid just out of college, who is officially an Auditor 2. He was only an Auditor 1 for three months before he was promoted because he was a ladder climber and had high aspirations. Both of them understood the circumstances and dealt with each other as such. Ben was assigned an audit, then did all that needed to be done. As for his “boss”, he used the work review time as an opportunity to gain understanding and experience that this 23 year veteran exuded.

2. Looking at any one of the 4 scenarios you developed, explain why the leader/follower pairing is appropriate given the circumstances, and anticipate what direction the leader will try to move the follower given the fact that their relationship is successful.

Kenneth (D3) had a boss that knew he was more than capable to do the job that needed to be done. He was also perceptive enough to know that Kenneth may be uncertain of his ability to make sure all the tasks get completed. So he left a tool, the checklist, to ease Kenneth's mind and give Kenneth the assurance that all was being cared for, that nothing was being forgotten. Kenneth's department manager was training him to be able to take over his job.

3. In this same situation, explain what step the leader might appropriately take toward restoration if the follower's performance declines.

If declining performance is noticed during the weekend return of Mr. Jury Duty, he will be able to assess whether additional tools should be left or if other, more detailed instruction could be put in place for the next five day absence. He should be able to encourage Kenneth in the specific area of need. Then give some specific pointers on how he has done things that has mitigated the problems currently faced by Kenneth.

4. Discuss how application of Situational Leadership is meant to be generative and redemptive in its design as opposed to static or maintenance-oriented.

I believe that the whole premise for this style of leadership is that for every situation you must independently asses the need and react with the appropriate style. As people change and grow they may move into different categories and need to be managed with respect to the new situation. The originators describe the model as a way in which to analyze the situation and react in a predictable manner to ensure the best possible outcome.

5. Finally, looking at Situational Leadership in your own work/life context, can you see examples where leader/follower styles are in conflict? Describe one briefly, and how you might counsel the leader to modify their style to help resolve conflict issues.

Yesterday, I saw a great example of conflict where the owner of my place of employment walked by a group of engineers who were in the middle of a design review for manufacturability. The owner did not know what the meeting was for but immediately jumped into the discussion and laid out the plan on the best way to make the part. Unfortunately, his taking charge got the entire group off track of the goal, and caused some resentment and frustration with the person who was leading the meeting. I had a conversation with the group later in the day and they all respect the opinions of the owner and desire his input, but by jumping in and taking over meeting they were reduced to feeling worthless. After all, we hired these engineers to do the design work. By giving such a detailed plan (which was opposite the direction the group was moving) it made them all feel as if he thought they were stupid.

The counsel I would give to the owner is that we all appreciate the input and desire him to be part of the process, but he needs to present his ideas and allow them to fuel the brainstorming of the entire group. I have given this advice and it must not be the correct advice for this situation, because he has not changed. But... it is his company, he can do what he wants. It just will not be as successful as it could be.