Management and Leadership Case Study: The Art of Leading Teams | UCD

Instructions

Read the following case study and answer the questions below.

Case Study: The Art of Leading Teams

Maria is a team leader at a software development company. She oversees a team of eight developers who are responsible for creating custom software applications for clients. Recently, the team has been struggling to meet project deadlines, and morale is low. Maria has noticed that team members are often working late hours and seem frustrated with each other.

Maria knows that as a leader, it’s her responsibility to address these issues and get the team back on track. She decides to take a proactive approach and schedules a team meeting to discuss the problems.

During the meeting, Maria asks each team member to share their thoughts on what’s been causing the delays and what they think could be done to improve the situation. After everyone has had a chance to speak, Maria summarises the key points and proposes a plan of action.

The plan includes setting clearer project timelines, assigning specific roles and responsibilities to each team member, and creating a system for regular check-ins and progress updates. Maria also suggests organising team-building activities to improve morale and strengthen team relationships.

Over the next few weeks, Maria implements the plan and monitors progress closely. She meets with each team member individually to discuss their specific roles and responsibilities and provides ongoing support and feedback. The team starts to work more efficiently, and morale improves significantly.

Questions:

Reflecting on your management and leadership module and supporting your answer

with appropriate leadership theories, concepts, and approaches.

• What specific leadership qualities did Maria demonstrate in this case study?
• What were some of the challenges that Maria faced as a leader in this situation?
• What could Maria have done differently to address the issues with the team?
• How can Maria sustain the positive changes in the team’s performance and morale over the long term?
• What are some additional strategies or best practices that Maria could implement to further develop her leadership skills?

Analyse a Case study, identify

key leadership qualities, evaluate challenges and potential solutions, and provide recommendations for sustained success.

Use Leadership and Management Theories to Support This Work