Every organization has its power and politics defining the leadership styles. In this case study of Hi-Brand Company, there are several incidences of misuse of power indicating that the leadership and management used does not create a good working place for the employees. Several theories can be used to understand what happens within the Hi-Brand Company. The entity performs well in the market and outdoes its competitors, which is attributed to the hard work of its workers. However, there are several incidences of excessive use of power against the employees to make them perform their duties within the firm. The essay will look into the relevant theories that apply to power, politics, and leadership which together form the management of Hi-Brand organisation.
Understanding the challenges faced by the employees in the company involves addressing various management issues. Several management theories have always been put forward to help individuals in leadership positions to be able to handle situations that arise within the working places (Ariss et al., 2014, p. 175). Besides, these theories always aim to help the management to increase the productivity of an organisation as well as the quality of services. For a better leadership, it is always appropriate to interweave several theories and concepts in the workplace to develop better leadership strategies. However, the significant issues to look out for during implementation of these theories are the workforce and the purpose of the organization.
Contingency Theory
The theory suggests that leaders make decisions following a current situation instead of making a decision that fits all conditions (Căpusneanu & Topor, 2018, p. 110). A good leader thus takes the appropriate actions grounded on the factors that are peculiar to the current situation. For example, the leadership approach used by businesses different from the concepts applied in learning or military organisations. Mistakes made by a business worker are treated differently from the faults that a soldier would make.
In this case study, a reporter saw a manager quickly peeling a poster, the central message of which was that the management could not watch the employees forever. The offender who possibly made the note would be punished in several ways. According to informants, there were incidences when the employees were sacked on the spot. Furthermore, they could be demoted to lesser job positions and given hard to do work. Although it might seem a form of punishment, but to the leadership, it is a way to make sure that the employees abide by the company policies and regulations.
The theory is beneficial to the HI-Brand Company and its management. Leaving the behavior of employees unchecked has affected productivity and service provision abilities. As it was seen, the workers were always up to speed in their tasks without wasting time and adhering to the strict policies of the management. However, the main limitation of the application of this leadership theory is that while workers would work under pressure and in most cases accomplish their tasks, the ultimate quality could be low.
Systems Theory
The theory is the central leadership and management concept utilized by organisational leaders. Leaders must understand how the various systems used in an organisation affect workers and how such employees affect the organisation's system (Gummesson, 2017, p. 23). Each system is composed of different parts that together allow to accomplish an objective. The theory provides an excellent viewpoint allowing leaders to examine the events and patterns within their workplaces. As a result, it helps leaders in properly coordinating all programs.
Hi-Brand Company has implemented a better system theory in its organisation. Many attribute its success to the distinct organizational structure, which is established explicitly in various logistical units. Mick Armstrong, the owner, noted that each employee knew his/her tasks. Furthermore, he stated that when each employee understands their responsibilities, they do not get mixed up and run into each other's work. Therefore, the system that Armstrong has established by coming up with logistical units is a better leadership strategy implemented through system theory.
One cannot deny that this theory has made the Hi-Brand Company stand against most of its competitors and admired by several individuals. When there is a proper system for a company, the objectives are highly achievable. The system is mainly aimed towards making that employees understand their roles and execute them effectively (Sobociński, 2017, p. 140; Wheelen et al., 2017, p. 18). As seen in the company, there is a hierarchy system distinguished by their dressing code. The starts wear blue jackets, while the seniors wear green jackets, which is a way to make each understand their roles and uphold them accordingly.
Chaos Theory
Chaos theory suggests that a change in any organisation is inevitable and can be hardly controlled. Change is endless; there are circumstances and events that both can and cannot be controlled by an organisation (Hale et al., 2018, p. 10). Such situations can be attributed to the growth of a company, which makes the possibilities and complexion of specific events increase. An organization might consider expanding its energy to meet the current level of the complexion of different organisational needs. Thus, it needs to continue changing and evolving.
One of the changes that cannot be controlled by Hi-Brand is the employee's behavior. Even though it is necessary, it cannot be controlled. The company has put up a thorough surveillance system as well as 92 potential offenses that are given to each employee as beginners. Apart from surveillance, the company has established maximum supervision of the employees on face to face basis. There are many rules that have been put in place to check on the worker's behavior. However, an employee's conduct the aspect that will not change (Lambert & Montemari, 2017, p. 41). There were incidences when employees wrote posters stating that they could not be watched by the management forever. In some instances, they were heard arguing why such an inspection has to take place every single day.
The chaos theory seemingly is a better way to identify the areas in an organisation where change might seem to occur and not occur. It is beneficial to identify the sectors where changes are hard to occur and use other strategies to ensure that the required alterations can be made. In instances where changes are bound to happen, the theory helps in preparing for such circumstances and being ready to handle such situations.
Theories X and Y
Both theories suggest that worker attitudes should determine the leadership style implemented. For instance, theory X is for leaders who believe that employees are always unmotivated and need motivations to enhance their productivity. Theory Y suggests that workers are motivated and are highly responsible. In most cases, theory Y leaders tend to allow full participation of workers, while theory X leaders employ use authoritarian leadership style (Kessler, 2017, p. 600).
There were several instances that involved the application of the theory in Hi-Brand Company. However, it is evident that the leaders use authoritarian style and thus have implemented theory X. For instance, the daily inspection to check whether the employees have hidden any contraband is a clear indication that the leaders consider the workers unmotivated. An employee who steals from an employer is not satisfied by what he/she is offered as salary or incentives. Besides, the workers are highly monitored, which implies that they are left to work under minimal supervision and contributes to low production.
The benefits of the theory outweigh its limitations. For example, it pointed out that workers in Hi-Brand mainly need supervision since they are not responsible. In such a case, it helped the company enhance its productivity since the management could monitor all activities and adjust productions where necessary (Koza & Thoenig, 2013, p. 1300). Similarly, they came up with performance measurements and other policies like a zero-hour contract. Thus, the theory can help organisations in implementing better and more useful leadership styles.
Summary
In summary, leadership styles for any organisation require the implementation of several leadership approaches, which include contingency, systems, chaos, x and y theories. Each theory points out the leadership style that could be adapted to fit a company. All the abovementioned concepts consider the employees the main characters to be addressed. For example, the chaos theory mainly suggests that there is a need for change in any organisation. However, there are instances that never change and cannot be controlled by employee's behavior. In other cases, leadership styles can be adopted based on contingency theory, which suggests that in most situations, there is a need to develop a solution to fit the situation instead of designing a general solution to suit all conditions.
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