Duo Relationship-Oriented Leadership

A prevalent style of leadership at Mahony Dagman Inc. is the integrative theory of a high LPC leader. Theorist, Martin Chemers, highlights the difference between a low and high LPC (least preferred coworker) leader. A low LPC leader is task-focused demonstrating the traits of clarification, controlling discussions, and keeping the team on task. A low LPC leader excels in high control situations (clear task, supportive followers) by meeting the primary goals. On the other hand, a high LPC leader is relationship-oriented which is where the leader encourages participation, is supportive, and boosts team morale. A high LPC leader excels in moderate control situations (clear task, but unsupportive group dynamic) by practicing participative leadership through adding knowledge and creativity to encourage team cohesion. They can also thrive in a low control situation (unclear task, but supportive group dynamic) by emphasizing morale building to create a more productive attitude.

Both Maureen and Mohammad are clearly people-oriented individuals. Specifically, Maureen’s occupation calls for her to be relationship-oriented, and that is exemplified when interacting with not only her clients and peers, but with me as well. Both of them highly encourage me to be proactive in the tasks they assign me, ask me to be vocal, and are supportive throughout the work days. With larger assignments, they encourage me to complete the tasks at a rate that is comfortable for me by allowing room for me to create my own goals for the day. When something is unclear about a specific task I’m working on, they are very responsive when I ask for clarification.

As their relationship-oriented style of leadership is effective by creating a welcoming work environment, sometimes there is an imbalance of low LPC leader characteristics with a lack of clear directions. When working at a small company, it is hard to find clarification without having to go directly to the supervisors. It can be hard for me to complete tasks with ambiguous directions, and I have found that the best solution to this is simply just asking. Since they are so busy with multiple projects going on, they sometimes don’t realize the tasks they give me are unclear. So, when I ask, I get the clarification I need.