Comparative Analysis of the Leadership Styles

Case Study
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The assigned case study is a comparative analysis of the leadership styles of three project managers who were tasked with overseeing the transformation of three plants across Europe. To begin with, the case study examined the manufacturing plant in Nimes, France that was spearheaded by a dynamic plant manager called Gerald. The plant was severely understaffed because of its small size but was still expected to develop complex products compared to the other plants. As such, Gerald was faced with a daunting task from the get go and received little support from the employees who were already overwhelmed with their core duties. Nonetheless, Gerald swiftly called in a team meeting where he offered clarity on the roles and responsibilities expected of each of the employees based on their skills (Banerjee, 2017). This was an important step because it assisted to avoid confusion and foster accountability. While some of the members initially felt short-changed and overworked, Gerald’s charm and comforting traits helped to get them onboard eventually. On the same breadth, he hired temporary employees to assist on some of the routine duties which identified him as being empathetic and keen on meeting the project’s deadline. Secondly, Gerald took up a hand-on approach by chipping in various IT-related tasks. For instance, he led the data conversion exercise. Through taking the lead in various matters, he created a cohesive and compassionate environment that is vital to the success of a project. Thirdly, Gerald also celebrated the achievements and strides taken by the team members throughout the project which made them feel valued and appreciated. Similarly, he received and incorporated feedback from team members in all decisions (Banerjee, 2017). Consequently, they put in extra effort to ensure the success of the project.
The case study also examined the inputs of the plant manager in Gothenburg, Sweden. The plant was double the size of that in Nimes and was led by Lucas Olson. He was qualified and lauded for his engineering skills but severely lacked in IT transformation experience. Lucas embraced a hands-off approach and even hired Johan as project manager to oversee matters at the plant (Banerjee, 2017). While Johan had some transformational experience, he was but a part-time employee and had no rapport with the other members. As such, there was disinterest from the other business function leads. Johan also took up most of the responsibilities ins...