THE EDGE CAFÉ

The Edge Café

The Edge Café

Introduction

The main purpose of this research report is to make an analysis on the case of the Edge Café and to apply leadership theories on the Karen Jones and Simons. This paper also analyzes the different communication ways and communication barriers which were being faced by the Karen Jones and Simons in this case study.

Discussion

Current Anticipated Problem

The main problems in this case are the lack of communication between the owners and the staff and also the lack of leadership abilities in Karen & Simon.

Leadership Theories

There are so many leadership theories which help one to understand the basic functions of leadership.

Many leadership theories have been suggested since time immemorial (Connell, 2000) l. Early leadership theories focused on the behaviour and qualities of successful leaders where as later theories gave more importance to the role of associates and followers. Some of the leadership theories are as follows:

Trait Theory; According to Trait theory, few people are born with qualities that are suited to leaderships. People who transform into good leaders posses right combination of leadership qualities. Through this approach, people with such leadership qualities could be separated and then people with such qualities could be recruited or selected into leadership positions (Cantrell, 2009). This approach was commonly used in military and is even today used to recruit candidates for commission.

The Trait Approach arose from the “Great Man” theory as a way of identifying the key characteristics of successful leaders. It was believed that through this approach critical leadership traits could be isolated and that people with such traits could then be recruited, selected, and installed into leadership positions. This approach was common in the military and is still used as a set of criteria to select candidates for commissions.

The problem with the trait approach lies in the fact that almost as many traits as studies undertaken were identified (Busenitz, 2009). After several years of such research, it became apparent that no consistent traits could be identified. Although some traits were found in a considerable number of studies, the results were generally inconclusive. Some leaders might have possessed certain traits but the absence of them did not necessarily mean that the person was not a leader.

Although there was little consistency in the results of the various trait studies, however, some traits did appear more frequently than others, including: technical skill, friendliness, task motivation, application to task, group task supportiveness, social skill, emotional control, administrative skill, general charisma, and intelligence. Of these, the most widely explored has tended to be “charisma” (Bennis, 2009).

Contingency Theory

This theory focuses on variables that are related to environment and that would determine which style of leadership is suitable for a particular situation. It says that it is impossible to determine which leadership style will suit best for any situation. Success depends on qualities of followers and other variables. Whilst behavioural theories may help managers develop particular leadership behaviours they give little guidance as to what constitutes effective leadership in different situations (Connell, ...