Leadership and Decision-Making Styles
Name
Institution
Introduction
The Vroom, Yetton, and Jago managerial decision-making model aims at ending the myth about managers who incorporate democracy are better while those that do not are bad. The decision decided upon by managers should be dependent on the nature of the unique situation. The Vroom, Yetton, and Jago model hence helps to diagnose tasks in determining the most efficient leadership style foe managers to incorporate to get something done. The model states for effective decision making. The decision must have the functions of quality, acceptance, and time. Quality refers to whether there is an alternative solution to deal with the problem and if some alternatives can lead to better results than others. Acceptance deals with whether employees must accept the problem’s solution for the problem to be eliminated or to attain a specific objective. Time on the other side relates to the amount of time is available to deal with the problem or attain the goal. This essay is going to analyze the T-Mobile and Sprint merger using the Vroom, Yetton, and Jago model (Rigolosi 2005).
Question one
The T-Mobile and Sprint merger has faced challenges either by attorneys and consumers who feel like the merger is going to reduce competition and resultantly lead to a surge in prices for consumers. This challenge hindered the merger for some time. First, it is essential to note that the two companies are facing stiff competition from the two telecommunication giants in the USA (Yao 2014). T-Mobile and Sprint do not have the finances to compete effectively because Verizon and AT&T have a great market share in the industry (Gelles 2014). The merger is also going to result in the company facing strict regulatory scrutiny due to fears of price surges for their customers to bear. Because of problems the companies might face, there is a need for quality on decisions being made before the merger to solve these challenges.
On the second question from the model, there is enough information to make high-quality decisions. The failed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile acted as a significant source of information to the T-Mobile and Sprint merger. AT&T withdrew the bid to merge with T-Mobile because of the options given for the merger. The options included the sale of a large portion of T-Mobile assets to Leap Wireless to alleviate concerns by the FCC concerning monopoly in the industry. Failure of this acquisition by Leap Wireless would increase costs to the consumers and harm innovation in the wireless market (De La Merced). The merger of T-Mobile and Sprint has prior information on such regulations being imposed on their merger, and they can use it to find a way to counter it or try and fit in the regulatory measures. Additionally, there are a lot of successful merger stories that can act as a relevant information source.
Thirdly, the problem is structured. The merger story of these two companies is not an issue that has just been brought to the table recently. It is a matter that has been on a discussion for about two years. The time limit for the merger hints that the management from both companies have been on intense discussions on having alternatives for the challenges that face the merger. They have, therefore, come up with other options and business evaluation techniques to assist them in decision making.
The acceptance of the decisions by the other subordinate members is also essential in the merger. The other staff members in the two companies have to accept the decisions concerning the well-being of the company because it should take a democratic approach. Mergers often lead to organizational changes in different aspects, which needs high-level cooperation among subordinates. It is, therefore, essential for the managers to manage employee resistance that may result because of changes in the organizations.
I cannot make decisions by myself if I am the manager because it might get some resistance from subordinates. The spirit of democracy where an all-inclusive method is sufficient to prevent resistance because people will come to a common consensus when the issue is brought to the table, and it’s discussed across everyone. In this merger, there are complex decisions, legal aspects, financial issues, and organizational restructuring that have to be considered. It is, therefore, wise to involve subordinates because they can also give more ideas since they have in-depth knowledge of the business operations.
The subordinates also share the organizational goals to be attained in solving the problem. The employees are motivated to work, focusing on the set goals. It is clear that when the companies merge, they are going to have a higher financial position as compared to the original companies. With this advantage in the market, they are going to compete favorably with the leading companies in the industry. The subordinates have to be to attain the set goals.
Finally, disagreement among subordinate is likely to occur if they are not consulted in the decision making procedure in solving problems. In most cases, mergers can result in the layoff of some workers, and because of this, some employees will have a fear of losing their jobs. This fear will arise to conflicts and disagreements between them and top management. The companies, however, involve them in discussions to give them a platform to address some of the problems they might encounter with the merger.
Question 2
From the Vroom-Yetton mode, the best decision-making style appropriate for the merger will be to involve sharing of the problem with subordinates as a group, collectively obtaining their ideas and suggestions. Finally, the decision is made that may or may not reflect the entire subordinate’s influence. Since most managers are risk-takers, more is supposed to be done, and critical thinking is required to cater for the well-being of the company. Being the manager, he should be able to make wise decisions while eyeing the future. For example, the manager can decide to take the weaker position in the merger even though previous discussions were against it if he sees a potential of growth in the merger (Stanford 2007).
The results from the model are surprising because they ended up bringing a similar solution I had in mind before the decision making analysis. The model is useful because of the time factor it has in problem-solving, where it makes it quite fast. The CII style of decision making brings the idea of group decision making with the flexibility of making stiffer decisions by the manager if the need arises. From my research, it is the best kind of style that I will propose for the company.
Question 3
In conclusion, I think the model is an excellent decision-making tool for managers, and it brings flexibility because of the various types of decision making styles it is categorized. I would recommend the executive members in different organizations to obtain training in this model to assist in their decision-making skills. Training will increase their knowledge of how to deal with problems facing their organizations. The model can be improved by including the personality trait of managers. Different managers have different personalities, and it contributes to how they deal with problems. If they make the questions precise, it would also aim at improving the effectiveness of the model.
References
De La Merced, M. (2014, Aug 07). The Sprint ends its attempt to purchase T-Mobile. International New York Times [ProQuest]
Gelles, D., & Michael J De La, M. (2014, Jun 05). T-Mobile and Sprint were zeroing in on merger. New York Times [ProQuest]
Rigolosi, E. (2005). Chapter 6: Diagnosing the task. Management and Leadership in Nursing and Health Care: An Experiential Approach. New York, NY, USA: Springer Publishing Company, 2005. [eBook Academic Collection.]
Stanford, N. (2007). Decision making. Guide to Organisation Design: Creating High-Performing and Adaptable Enterprises. Profile Books/The Economist, London, GBR, pp. 225-231. [eBook Business Collection]
Yao, D. (2014). Moody’s: Sprint/T-Mobile merger faces negative free cash flow until at least 2018. SNL Kagan Media & Communications Report [ProQuest]