The Legislative Goal: A New Road

Tyler Blauvelt

Background and the Task at Hand

A city council is trying to build a new road to connect the local high school with a main street leading to downtown. This town has needed this road for years and has finally secured funding to build said road fully. The council has elected a tenured council member, named Ben, to lead a special committee to identify how and where it is best to build the road, and eventually to hire a construction company to pave the road. This committee is made up of a newly elected council board member, who often finds himself getting off task, but is a highly passionate individual, an older gentleman who has served on the council for years and likes to take charge when tasked with a job and has overseen projects similar to this one before, and a councilmember who was formerly a construction worker before being elected to the city council.  It is Ben’s job to make sure all input is considered and valued while simultaneously making sure that the group gets the road details finalized before summer so construction can start and finish in time for the upcoming school year.

Challenge

Ben recognizes that the committee he is working with has varying personalities and strengths. Using the concept of Path-Goal Leadership Theory, and his understanding of small group power dynamics. He feels that he must adjust his leadership style to ensure that the work is done correctly and in a timely manner.         

There are personality differences that Ben recognizes that may derail group progress (ex, the older gentleman is stubborn and bullheaded, the younger member is not being as active in discussions as other members, etc.). Ben must manage these differences and ensure that the task at hand is done on time.

Discussion Questions

1. Directive Leadership: Ben understands the varying background and experience levels of his committee. To what extent should Directive leadership be used to help properly attain the committee’s goals?
2. Supportive Leadership: Some members of the committee may have less experience than others. To what extent should supportive leadership be used so that planning can be an optimal process for everyone involved?
3. Participative Leadership: Some committee members may have more knowledge and experience than others. How can Ben make sure all members’ voices are heard and taken into consideration, especially without causing personality clashes within the committee, which could lead to significant delays?
4. Achievement-Oriented Leadership: Ben recognizes that there are strict deadlines for the decisions and planning that his committee is in charge of. How can he set ambitious/realistic goals to motivate and make sure everything is done on time?
5. Follower and Task characteristics: Based on the information you have on each committee member and the information about the task at hand, what types of leadership styles would work best for Ben and his committee to accomplish their task?

Learning Objectives

Understand how to apply the Path-Goal Theory in a practical scenario.

• Recognize the importance of adapting leadership styles based on follower needs and task characteristics, particularly when in a situation where a clash of personalities can become an issue.
• Analyze different leadership behaviors (directive, supportive, participative, and achievement-oriented) and their impact on a group’s ability to accomplish a task.  

• Understand how leadership and power dynamics work in a group setting.

Author Bio

Tyler Blauvelt is an undergraduate student with an intense passion for everything politics. He is majoring in Political Science and Public administration. He aspires to eventually be a politician and in that position help people to the best of his ability.

License

This case study is licensed CC BY 4.0.