De Pena, Ruben-LDRS 600 VA- Case Study 8-1 Page 1 of 6

LDRS 600 VA
Professor Karl Klein
Case Study # 8-1
KENNY: AN EFFECTIVE SUPERVISOR

1. How do you explain Kennys acceptance by so many other people and the respect
they have for him?
Kenny exhibits very unusual leadership skills, which I believe translates into so
many wonderful reviews starting from the Maintenance Manager, Kennys Boss. Among
other things, he says that [Kennys] very knowledgeable in the maintenance area []
[and] He is better organized than most supervisors, and there is less confusion in his
department than elsewhere in the company (Mosley et al, 2011, p. 261).
Additionally, the Production Manager regards Kenny as someone who doesnt give
the production people any hassle. He doesnt ask a lot of questions about why production
wants it done. Instead, he tells the production people what needs to be done and why.
[Moreover], [h]es good with people a great leaderand his crew work well together
(ibid, p. 261).
Not surprising, Kennys old crew has a very good opinion about him as well.
Among other things they say that Kenny is fair, has good attitude, and has a leadership
style that is concerned about and looks out for the welfare of his people (ibid, p.
261).
What about his new crew, the one everyone used to hate at the plant? They, too,
were amazed about Kennys incredible leadership skills, his ability to transform this
lowest-producing team into the top-productive crew in the plant. They said nice things

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about him, such as He treats us fairly and equally (ibid, p. 261) and that He never
appears to get angry; hes always the samecool, calm, and collected (ibid, p. 261).
This last part (keeping his emotions in check), seems to have been very crucial in
Kennys well-deserved respect across the board. I believe everyone noticed the effective
way he buffered his old crew from the former autocratic and ineffective Plant Manager
and how he handled the most difficult situations with his crew while keeping morale high
and, consequently, peak production.
In sum, when he worked for his former boss, the tyrant Plan Manager, his new boss, and
different teams across the plant, I believe he was able to succeed because he was an
adaptive, servant leader, with outstanding emotional intelligence. In this respect, Mosley
et al (2011) state that
[] Adaptive leadership is about organizational members taking a hard look at
the past to identify what to hold on to, while deciding what needs to go. Employee
participation in the change process is the key, because with adaptive problems,
many times the employees themselves are the source. If your people are
empowered to evaluate the past and explore new ideas and ways of operating,
they will be more motivated to implement the changes. [A]daptive Leadership
requires an experimental mindset approach, not an Ive got the answer mindset.
Its not enough to have a vision for the future and to identify a critical path for
moving forward. Adaptive leaders have to understand that todays plan is simply
todays best guess [] (p. 242).
As for servant leadership, it is not a quality that that Kenny definitely possesses
because his style Defines success as giving and measures achievement by devotion to

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serving and leading. Winning becomes the creation of community through collaboration
and team building (ibid, p. 243).
Lastly, Kenny was very emotionally intelligent. He had The capacity to
recognize and accurately perceive ones own and others emotions, to understand the
significance of these emotions, and to influence ones actions based on this analysis; an
assortment of skills and characteristics that influence a persons ability to succeed as a
leader (ibid, p. 249)
2. Can all supervisors operate the way Kenny does and be effective? Explain your
answer.
Not necessarily, because
[...] Common sense dictates that the situation face by a supervisor should have a
major influence on his or her leadership style. A platoon leader, directing troops
in combat, an airline pilot who suddenly has engine trouble, or a supervisor faced
with an immediate safety crisis would certainly not call for a group meeting and
get people involved to deal with the emergency (ibid, p. 230)
Moreover, there are cases that a transitional leadership style is also needed along
with the transformational qualities in leadership that Kenny exhibited. I can argue these
leaders need to have a full understanding of their respective organizational structure to be
able to operate effectively. In the military example that quoted above, for example, I am
not sure Kennys style would be completely effective because of the transactional, topdown leadership style that has been prevalent for generations. Simply put,
[] These [transactional] leaders identify desired performance standards and
recognize what types of rewards employees want from their work. They then take
actions that make receiving these rewards contingent on achieving performance

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standards. In essence, this exemplifies an exchange process, a quid pro quo or I

will do this if you will do that (ibid, p. 240)

3. Given Kennys effectiveness in his present job, would you recommend promoting
him into high levels of management? Explain.
Absolutely! Kenny exhibits important characteristics of a Theory Y leader,
including his demonstrated philosophy that The average human being learns, under
proper conditions, not only to accept but also to actively seek greater responsibility..
(ibid, p. 229). Kenny would be an excellent top management leader that would be able to
inspire others to follow his steps. Unpresented production and productivity should be
evident given his record of accomplishment. He also deserves to be promoted to high
levels of management, because I believe he recognizes that
When going into positions of greater responsibility, it is very important for a leader to
know his or her own strengths and to be aware of areas needing help and improvement
(ibid, p. 247)

4. Review the characteristics of transformational leadership (Exhibit 8-9). Which

Characteristics apply to Kenny?
It is hard not to pick all of them, but here are the ones that I believe are the most
prevalent:

Listening- He listened to anything they lowest performing team had to say

toward improvement

Empathy- He understood and attended even to some of his employees

personal problems

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Persuasion- He was able to persuade the Hells Angels to try his new
approach

Commitment to the growth of the people- As a servant leader, his

employees empowerment and growth are crucial to him.

Stewardship- Particularly with his time and dedication to the company

Building community- His capacity to reach out to other departments (like

Production) was incredible

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References
Mosley Jr., D. C., Mosley Sr., D. C., & Pietri, P. H. (2011). Supervisory Management. Mason,
OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.