Organizational Behavior-Managing People and Organizations - Assignment Example

Running Head : INTERGRATIVE CASE STUDY Integrative case study Name Institution Date Question 1 The impact of Peter Costello’s move to announce his ambition to become the next Australian Prime minister can result to significant changes in the Liberal Party group behavior. It is evident that Costello is not able to attain full support from the public and most significantly from his party members. Peter Castillo’s move can impact the group behavior of the party in that group divisions will be created within party members. In despite of the fact that Costello does not have majority support from fellow party members, he definitely has a few who back his move. If did not have any supporter then the group members would try to isolate him. The main implication is that divisions will arise; the divisions will substantially raise conflict among party members. In addition, group coordination will be reduced this will intern interfere with the proper functioning of the party. Nelson & Quick (2008) highlight that the aspect of using teams and team based leadership is a critical issue which requires the integration of operations in order to develop and utilize resources and services more effectively. He further highlights that an appropriate team has all its members work towards the goals and policies of the team. In this context whereby a new perspective has been created due to Costello’s move to challenge the leadership of the reigning Prime minister, the implication of his action is that other part members may also develop an awakening that they can also be potential leaders, thus some may relax in the performance of their duties or even not coordinate at all with other group members due to a the realization that they too can behold power. If John Howard and Peter Costello were to work together effectively as part of a team the type of atmosphere that must be there involves the provision of team leadership. In despite of the differences that exist between the two leaders, in order for them to work together effectively, team leadership by clarification of the position of each leader has to be undertaken. It is essential for a team to have a team leader, however there is need for clarification of the individual leading the team. This will assist in the elimination of conflict. The second type of environment to be developed is whereby leaders are to be rehabilitated into a partnership that is close, credible and cohesive. In despite of the fact that it seems as if the two have put aside their differences and are working towards the Liberal party winning election, it is essential that the partnership be made more truth worthy in order to eliminate future wrangles. Under this particular circumstance it would be difficult to establish trust. This is because once the original trust that existed between the parties was violated. Howard will not always trust his opponent, his attitude will be that his opponent may be plotting against him while Costello will always be in fear of punishment even though they chose to work as a team. Question 2 The impacts of the events of 31 July 2006 will have an impact on Peter Costello’s personal ability to perform his task as the party’s treasure. One of the implications is that Costello will not be able to carry out his role as the parties treasure and maintain commitment and motivation. This is because Costello does not seem to have given up his aspiration of holding the highest office, this can be signified by one of the quotes he made that inside every Member of Parliament is a glorious prime minister awaiting to get out. What is evident is that Castillo’s aspiration of the top leadership is not over, although he continues to work as the party’s treasure he defiantly will not give much devotion to his work. Costello seems to be an authentic type of leader, who believes and knows that they can act as potential leaders and can produce better results than the previous leaders, these types of leaders announce their desires and values openly. With this kind of perspective it would be difficult for him to concentrate on a lower rank of treasure than the one he believes that he can rightfully lead. It is definitely not possible for Costello to remain a loyal deputy and a team player. One of the reasons is because when opposition arises a competitive culture is developed within a team, as a result although Costello maintains the treasures position, he will always try to formulate strategies of showing his potentiality as a Prime minister, and thus he will not actually be a loyal deputy and team player. The second reason is attributed to the fact that Loyalty is actually a primary attribute that is linked to submission of an individual to a certain authority however, if one believes that they should be holders of that particular authority, it would definitely be difficult for one to remain loyal. In context to the event of July 31St it would be difficult for Costello to fully submit to an authority in which he believes that he should be having power to govern. Another exceptional aspect is linked to the belief in senior management which is very essential for an employee of any organization to give there best in order to improve the performance of the organization. Part of the reason to explain this notion is attributed cognitive dissonance; employees always want to believe that their bosses are more trustworthy as opposed to all other employee.( Miller & Colella 2009). It is evident that Peter Costello does not believe in John Howard’s leadership, he believes that he too can make a distinctively good leader. Therefore due to lack of belief in the leadership of the reigning Prime mister, it would be difficulty for him to practice loyalty to Howard’s management when holding the position of the party treasurer, especially after he had publicly announced his ambition. Costello‘s move resulted to loss of trust. Cooperation of a particular team member is influenced by trust thus, if trust is lost loyalty also declines. Question 3 Based on the evidence provided by the case study, John Howards and Peter Costello’s leadership are very different. John Howard has managed to earn public confidence. This has in turn enabled him to be more confident in winning the next general elections to be carried out in Australia as compared to his opponent who is pretty sure of himself however does not have effective skills to read the political environment. Howard’s leadership can be described as Charismatic leadership. This is because the members of public and his party members have attached certain leadership abilities that are extra ordinary to him. Jennifer Hewett, describes the public perception of Howard as indefatigable, it seems as if the people don’t seem to get tired of his leadership, thus his leadership can categorically be defined as charismatic. Costello’s leadership on the other hand can be described as authentic type of leadership whereby the leader openly identifies what they believe, their beliefs and actions candidly and openly describe their attributes. Costello openly announces his ambition without fear to the public, in despite of the fact that his aspiration is thwarted, he does not seize to announce that he too is capable. Peter Costello can not be stated as an individual who will be able to lead in a manner that is based on trust within the leadership framework. When defining trust in terms of positive expectation , which wont make an individual act opportunistically, it is not possible for Costello to lead in this particular manner because it seem as if he is ready to use every opportunity to make his leadership viable , he does not care at whose expense. In despite of the fact that the Will of the people was basically geared towards Howard, Costello does not read the political environment , he went ahead and proposed his aspiration this is an indication of a leader who is willing to use every opportunity in order to attain there goal. Costello’s government will thus be governed by opportunism. The type of trust that will be damaged and is potentially at risk of violation is the identification based trust, which is trust that exists due to the fact that parties appreciate each others desires and wants (Schubert2006). The type of understanding built in this type of trust is basically mutual whereby each party acts with loyalty towards the other. In despite of the fact that the two parties have decided to continue cooperating as a team in order to attain a republican win , Costello is still quoted giving comments like inside every member of parliament there is a glorious prime minister ship that is awaiting to show its ability only if given a chance. This particular statement is a clear indication that Peter Costello does not basically respect the desires of his opponent. In addition Costello does not read the political environment, whereby both the public and a large percentage of his team mates support the leadership of John Howard. Question 4 It is very important to determine what type of power exists within the liberal party. Different organizations have different power base. The type of power base used in an organization depends specifically on the nature, size and the volume of transactions carried out. If a wrong type of power base is used in an organization, the organization is likely to suffer form political instability this may affect the trust given by the public to a certain leader. A political party seeking to obtain trust from the public has to discover the appropriate power base and use it or them appropriately (Bratton 2007). The type of power base that exists between John Howard and Peter Costello is the Referent power base. This is a power base which has the ability to enable an individual to attract the attention of the public when it comes to political parties, thus building a loyalty to the individual. It is mostly based on transitional or charisma and interpersonal skills of an individual power holder. The mergence between John Howard and Peter Costello is based on the special personal attributes of John. However, this admiration has the ability to create the chance for interpersonal influence. Here Peters intension and purpose of joining forces with John was specially to allow him identify himself with the personal traits in order to be accepted as a follower of John Howard. Nationalism and patriotism has a major influence towards intangible referent power base. Peter Costello and John Howard have agreed to work together certainly to emerge winners in Australia for the liberal party which is one of the core political parties in Australia. However, it happens to be that, one famous relationship has the ability to destroy the relationship between these two affiliates especially while dealing with past experiences. The Charisma that is used to appeal for the famousness opponent who is John Howard will eventually lead to acceptance by the opponent (Peter Costello), that the existence of his fellow leader is inevitable due to the political environment at the moment. Top influential political parties in referent base power need to establish moral tone for the used in their campaign process. The decision for the two parties to work together in order to win the elections is basically as an outcome of the moral tone of team work. As a team grows in popularity such as the Liberal party, there is usually an increasing need for leadership to take place within the team context. The aspect of individual interests is therefore put a side in order to provide a positive moral image of the party. This provides an explanation as to why Costello lets go his ambition for a while in order to in order to enhance team leadership. Question 5 Leadership and power have great difference in the context of organizational management, within the political framework. Power basically refers to an influence that is bestowed in an individual externally. For example the position of the Prime minister which Peter Costello is aiming at. Power is often tied to position, whereby if one attains the position he or she can exercise certain a level of authority over others. For instance one can fire, hire and even limit freedom. Power majorly caries symbols that are external for instance a lot of money, a large office and many other external symbols. Leadership on the other hand implies strength that is internal. What is internal or intrinsic .The strength is not promoted from urgencies that are outside an individual but rather from an individual’s own creation. The type of intrinsic strength to influence other comes as a result of inspiration. The influence that leadership bestows on an individual is more than an individual’s position or title. Leadership is signified by the achievement of certain goals in an individual’s life. Power helps in facilitating the achievement of the goals. For instance when evaluating a charismatic leader, the powers and qualities that are regarded as divine , assist the leader in attaining exemplary goals. Therefore in this particular context a charismatic leader has some power which Max Weber perceives as divine, this power assist the leader in achieving exemplary goals. The achievement of the goals then becomes a significant characteristic of the charismatic type of leadership. Leadership centers on influencing followers even at the downward level while power does not. Power only seeks for lateral development. For instance in the Australian political context in 2006, the quest for power made Peter Costello make his official announcement for prime minister ship, what Costello was seeking was an upward movement of his political career however he did not effectively read the political temperatures. Leadership on the other hand concentrates in influencing followers even at a downward trend, the move made by Costello and Howard to work together and win the elections was basically an outcome of provision of leadership in order to influence the public. Another major difference is attributed to the fact that power is displayed by using authority while leadership is displayed by competencies and the various skills of leadership. For instance the Post of prime Minister Ship is attached to various powers that can be used to exercise authority over subjects however a prime minister is to be referred to as an effective leader if he or she possesses the ability to use his or her authority in a way to demonstrate competence which is an attributed of leadership. Within the jurisdiction of power one does not require to follow rules instead one makes the rules. This explains the reason why with power one can display qualities such as arrogance and tyranny .Leadership on the other hand is regulated by rules, if a leader does not follow the outlined societal rules then his/her leadership would definitely be damaged. Question 6 Conflict in organizations exists in the dysfunctional and functional types. Functional conflict is whereby the conflict that has arisen supports the objectives or goals of the organization, community, department or party. Functional conflict can actually bring about a very positive impact on the productivity, quality and the overall performance of the organization. This is due to the fact that it involves individuals who have genuine interests in solving the conflict. The two parties are usually willing to deal with problem and listen to each other view. Dysfunctional conflict on the other hand involves conflict and disagreement wich basically hampers group performance. People in this type of conflict are usually not willing to work together for the purpose of attaining the mutual advantage of the team and coming up with effective solutions to the conflict (Martin 2005). The conflict that has been present in the liberal party during the leadership question can be described as both functional depending on the attitudes and actions portrayed by the two parties. Peter Costello announced his desire of prime minister however he later resolved to let go of his ambition and work with John Howard in order to attain the a Liberal parties win. This particular move can be useful in bringing about a positive objective which is a republican win. The conflict can also be perceived as functional due to the fact that the relationship between two parties is not completely damaged, they can sit down together communicate on the way forward and try to formulate mechanisms of increasing group cohesiveness and group performance. The two liberal party leaders do not seem to have a relationship that is deeply destroyed in despite of what the media seems picture, Howards decision to run for a fifth term is not very appealing for Costello however he does not shift his party membership to the opposing camp, this is a clear indication that in despite of diverse perspectives the relationship of the two leaders can still be fruitful. The power struggle between the two parties can significantly be described as dysfunctional. This is attributed to the fact that in despite of the fact that both Howard and Costello have made a decisive action to work together, they resolved the question of leadership, however the task of rehabilitation of partnership in terms of a cohesive and credible partnership has not yet been resolved. This explains the reason as to why in despite of making an agreement of who will run for the liberal party seat, Costello is still spotted making comments like he also can make an effective leader if given chance. Such comments give an indication of deep rooted unresolved conflict which affects the functioning of the team in future if not effectively resolved. After Costello’s announcement of his desire to be prime minister, it would be much more challenging to keep up with the solidarity act, the amnesty period may actually be short term, even if they wanted to work in the best interest of the nation and their party. This makes the relationship between the two dysfunctional. References Bratton, J. (2007). Work and organizational behavior. Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan. Daft, R & Pirola-Merlo, A. (2009). The leadership experience. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning. . Fineman, S & Sims, D (2010). Organizing & Organizations.4th ed. Los Angeles: Sage. Griffin, R & Moorhead, G. (2010). Organizational behavior-managing people and organizations. 9th ed. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning. Luthans, F. (2008). Organizational behavior. Sydney. McGraw-Hill lrwin. Martin, J. (2005). Organizational behavior and management.3'd ed. Mason, OH: Thomson. Murray, P & Jones, G. (2006). Contemporary issues in management and Organizational behavior. South Melbourne: Thomson. Miller, C & Colella, A. (2009). Organizational behavior-a strategic approach. 2nd ed. NJ: John Wiley & Sons. . Nelson, D & Quick, J.C. (2008). Understanding organizational behaviour.3'd ed. Mason: Thomson. Schubert, M. (2006). The Australian. August 2006, p. 2. Read More