Leadership and Performance in the Workplace
Woody’s Veneer Factory is experiencing decreased productivity, an increase in garbage removal costs, and a loss of revenue. The floor workers are grinding up good veneer, an activity that increases garbage fees and decreases productivity and money. There is loss of production because the workers are more concerned with their revenge on management than on being productive workers. They work together using hand signals and text messages to warn others that management is watching so that no one gets caught destroying good product. This paper will analyze different group and team concepts and provide examples of leadership theories that management can implement at Woody’s Veneer Factory.
If each group understood the concerns of the other, they could work together for solutions. Team building works best if there is an outside facilitator, who will help lead the groups to successfully becoming one team working for the same initiative because an insider may be biased toward one group or another, and therefore not be as successful (Spector, 2008).
Implementing Leadership Theories
Many industrial and organizational psychologists have studied leadership and the qualities necessary to be a good leader. This has resulted in the development of many leadership theories. One such theory that is applicable to the current situation at Woody’s Veneer Factory is the transactional theory or management theory. The basis of this theory is on a set of awards and punishments (Spector, 2010). Using the transactional theory, employees that perform their jobs well with little waste, will receive rewards, such as bonuses and raises in wages. While unproductive wasteful employees will receive strong reprimands and punishments, such as coaching’s, write-ups and ultimately termination of employment. This theory is also applicable to management as well. Management personnel that show negative or unsupportive attitudes toward the floor workers should face stern reprimands and punishments, including loss of privileges, suspension from work