Jim Davis Case Study Analysis: The Problem Of Leadership And Power

Leadership and power have a fine line in which they were most effectively together. In that relationship it is important that a good sense of credibility is established in order to achieve and maintain a status. The problem at hand is how Jim is going to handle reprimanding Patty while maintaining a working relationship with her, along with developing leadership for himself and cross functional skills among Allen’s subordinates. What Jim Davis could do to come to a resolution is that he could compromise with Patty on her status within the group and differentiate himself from Allen and Mr. Johnson.

There are so many problems within this case study, but the biggest dilemma that Jim is facing is how to reprimand Patty. There is no certainty that Patty is actually sick or if she is just testing his authority. Therefore, he has to find a way to maintain the relationship for the business’s sake, because with her 25 years she could be a potential mentor to the other branch managers that don’t have as much experience. Another problem is that with he is relying too much on the guidance of Mr. Johnson and Allen. Neither one of them have the past credibility to advise Jim what to do, especially since Allen can’t keep his subordinates in check as it. Meeting with Johnson and Allen is more about Jim leaning on them, thus he doesn’t have to make the hard decision all by himself.

My advice to Jim Davis, to fix his problems as an effective power base, is to gain legitimacy. Jim needs to stand on his own as head of business development, he needs to know what type of leading style is going to use. In this case, he needs to influence Patty that the whole idea to cross functionally train is a good thing, that way he can build a sense of credibility through his accomplishment of successfully training branch managers. He could use a tougher approach and give an ultimatum of his way or the highway but that is extreme. Now, as for disciplining Patty, it can become hairy due to the fact he can’t prove her intentions. The best way to handle this is to give her the benefit of the doubt and communicate with her. Out of the five conflict handling intentions that chapter 14 talks about, Jim should take advantage of the situation and use it work on collaboration and compromising. If he compromises with Patty and gives her the opportunity to become a mentor and if she feels like she has more power, it is more likely that she will be more on board than before, instead of fighting little things.

In conclusion, Jim can come out of this conflicting situation with Patty, as a leader that uses his power for the best interest of those his decisions are affecting. Jim is providing a larger skill base for brand managers when helping himself gain leadership skills and establishing power. Nothing good would have come from Jim accusing and using his power to punish Patty, there is always a higher road