Real Business
It can be difficult for a business to improve how it operates from inside the organization. Sometimes, an outside perspective is needed. The large discount retail store you work for wants to improve its in-store restaurant management team.
Your Role
Companies like Target and Walmart often work with outside consultants—people who are not employees of the company but who are hired on a contract basis to help with a specific project. As a Leadership Consultant, you’ve been hired by a large discount retail company to help the company improve its leadership structure and approach to management.
WHAT IS A LEADERSHIP CONSULTANT
A leadership consultant is a person called in to a company, be it a large corporation or a small business, to evaluate how it operates and make recommendations for improvement. Leadership consultants are typically hired when a business is struggling and needs to make changes in order to remain profitable. Such consultants are often highly educated in the field of business and have experience in managerial roles.
INSTRUCTIONS
Step1: Organizational Structure
Take a look at the Organization Chart provided by the company.
- Based on your knowledge of hierarchies, would you say that this team has tall structure or flat structure? Explain your answer.
Step 2: Human Resources
The company would like to improve the culture of its team and the quality of its work. Its leadership has provided you with a Process Chart detailing how it currently applies Human Resources best practices.
- What step of the Human Resources Cycle is missing? Explain why it is important to include this part of the process.
Note: You should complete Step 3 after reading the material in Week 9.
Step 3: Leadership Style
You have been asked to help improve the leadership style of the team leader in order to meet the team’s performance goals. The team leader has given you a description of what is most comfortable in terms of leading others.
- Identify this leader’s style of leadership, and list two benefits and two drawbacks to that style as it relates to the performance of the team.
