Leader / Follower Relations in City Hall

Work, within the City of Richmond, is structured into a huge assortment of different departments ranging from the financial department and human resources, to waste management. Within each department there are different portfolios. There are heads of each department that work directly with the Mayor and play a vital role in all the major decisions that affect the production of the city. Then there are the heads of different portfolios that work together and report to the department heads. The structure of how work is directed is similar to the centralized hierarchy of departments and portfolios. The department heads receive information and they separate the task into different parts and give them to each portfolio. It more of a standardized procedure of work structures because the managers of each portfolio then assign tasks to their subordinates. When the tasks get done they are just relayed back up to the department heads.

The leadership styles do differentiate based age and years worked at the position. The individuals that are older and work lower positions are extremely laid back. The younger people that hold those same lower level positions such as interns and temps are way more engaged and trying to exceed expectations. The younger and older people in high positions have that same level of drive to exceed expectations, but they tend to be more relaxed and lenient in their overseeing of production. People that don’t necessarily have formal leadership roles impact the group dynamics differently informal leaders influence the work culture by their actions. Some are more comical and influence the social scene of the work environment. Some are just so driven and hardworking their actions speak volume and influence others.