Multistream Leadership at Work in Hawaii

Multistream Leadership at Work in Hawaii

 

Introduction

       In this Case study an attempt will be made to analyze unique characteristics of servant leaders and multisteam leadership, also describe   these distinctiveness apply to Neubert and Buscher (Owners and managers of Lei Lei’s Bar and Grill).

Characteristics of Lei Lei’s Leaders / Proprietors

       Lei and Lei’s Bar and Grill is an organization with a purpose and the need to achieve this purpose efficiently and effectively creates the necessity for leadership.

It is Mike Neubert’s and Ian Buscher’s job (as organizational leaders) to plan, organize, provide direction, and exercise control over organizational resources, material and human, in order to achieve organization’s objectives. The most important purpose of their leadership behavior is to influence organizational member’s action, to attain organization’s goals (Kanungo, 2001).

Being Multisteream leaders, the proprietors and managers of Lei Lei’s Bar & Grill Mike Neubert and Ian Buscher (Dyck , 2010, p.467) are characterized by:

        Self confidence.  The source of self - confidence is not thin air, and it is not something that they hand it to leaders at birth. Therefore Mike Neubert and Ian Buscher developed their self – confidence through hard work during a gradual process over the years. In contrast with their mainstream colleagues their confidence does not come from believing  that they are smarter and better than other, but comes from their believe on the capability of the members of the organization (Geczy, 2006).

       Desire to lead. Mike Neubert and Ian Buscher demonstrated a desire to lead  based on their motivation to serve the others . In contrast with mainstream leaders Mike and Ian contained  and utilized that desire not  only for their own personal gains but also to serve their employees, clients and to facilitate other’s gain (Dyck ,2010, p.460).

       Drive. Lei Lei’s leaders (Mike and Ian) are driven by a desire to make a difference in their restaurant and their community. In other words their drive is not just to get ahead but also to make a positive difference ,and foster a verity of forms of well – being (Dyck ,2010, p.460).

       Honesty and integrity. Mike Neubert and Ian Buscher as multisteram leaders consider honesty as the best policy while running their organization and they value honesty and integrity

not because enhances their restaurants reputation and is good for business  but also  because they believe these features are good and right regardless of the circumstances (Dyck ,2010,p.461).

      

        Intelligence and job relevant knowledge. Mike and Ian are not only owners of lei lei’s but they are also, managers, servers, cooks, therefore they are not only intelligent but they obtain a high knowledge relevant to their job. Finally as multistream leaders they utilize their intellect and knowledge to best serves their stakeholders interest (Dyck, 2010, p.462).

Lei Lei’s Bar & Grill proprietors (Mike Neubert & Ian Buscher) as Servant Leaders

       The natural feeling of desire to serve others first, followed by conscious choice and aspiration to lead, makes Mike Neubert and Ian Buschar Servant leaders (Spears, 2004).

Despite their success as owners Neubert and Buschar work extra hours as cooks, or servers to minimize the bur out of their members (Dyck, 2010, p.462).

While working and leading their organization they do not neglect to assist their member to “grow as person “, become wiser, healthier, autonomous by offering them good benefits, paying good wages and offering enough hours so that members of Lei lei’s do not have to take second jobs to make their end meet (Dyck, 2010, p.462).

       Besides their great communication and decision - making skills, Lei Lei’s owners listen intently to their members attempting to identify their needs. They try to empathize and understand their members even if their behavior or performance needs improvement. At lei lei’s members admire their manager for their persuasion, since they prefer to convince their members rather than coerce compliance (Spears, 2004)

Four Styles of Leading and Lei Lei’s Bar & Grill Managers

       Empowering. Every organization is characterized by unique situation, and this situation is the base to determine which leadership style is most effective for organization.

In Lei Lei’s case it managers prefer to be empowering in their behavior ,they choose to trust members of their organization to make informed decision and to be wise in caring out their task - by freeing experienced employee to decide how to best do their jobs (Dyck , 2010, p.467). While honoring the power and potential of their employees Lei lei’s managers worked behind scenes to provide resources and decision – making freedom for their empowered members within the scope of the organization’s mission

       Enabling. Neubert and Buscher were mainly concerned with having their employees learn the necessary skills for long –term performance by sharing or explaining information related to the job (Dyck, 2010, p.466). For instance, each Lei Lei’s employee regardless of his/her experience in the industry ,is not given a defined role , but begins by doing the “dirty work “  and pitching in to whatever  else needed to be done .During the orientation period employees learn through experience  the many ways to live out the “aloha spirit of joyful service”. That defines Lei Lei’s way of doing business(Dyck, 2010, p.467).Learning over immediate productivity is an invisible source  of  socio emotional support , on the other hand  Neubert and Buscher are visibly involved  in providing information and guidelines , but they are less apt to focus on immediate productivity.

       Equipping. Neubert and Buscher were sensitive on creating a favorable environment for their employees who gradually, continuously and frequently were learning from on-job training with Lei lei’s experienced cooks and wait stuff (Dyck, 2010, p. 465, 467). The reason behind was to ensure that Lei lei’s employees were encouraged to build on their success, try new approaches, and learn transferable and adoptable skills to better respond to work challenges.

       Engaging. Lei Lei’s managers attempted to create a sense of belonging by frequently inviting their employees – cooks, servers, hosts, bus persons to join in a shared meal after closing. This way Neubert and Buscher  focused on intrinsic motivators (in contrast with mainstream managers who focus  on extrinsic motivators)  with the purpose to increase their employees self – respect and joy  in coming to work and enhance self – worth and significant contribution   by perceiving themselves as fulfilling and meaningful part of Lei Leo’s  team .    

The Influence of Expansion on Neubert & Buscher Ability to be Servant Leaders

       Being servant leaders Neubert and Buscher must focus on serving others  including their employees, costumers ,  and community, making them priority number one, ensuring that  those served grow as persons, and while being served they become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous(Spears, 2004).

      If  Neubert and Buscher will expand  their management  practices  to other restaurants ,their ability to continuously be servant leaders could be limited and possibly negatively affected  ,since  they will have more employees, more, costumers, more communities,  in other words to many more responsibilities to take care off. Another contradict between expansion and servant

leadership is “financial concentration” meaning by expanding Lei Lei’s manager’s focus would shift from “serving other’s interest s“towards “serving their own financial interest “.The only way this could somehow become possible is , if  Neubert and Buscher would train and educate other individuals to become servant leaders like themselves, which is going to require tremendous time and effort  and possibly  effect(in negative way)t their performance as servant leaders on Lei Le’s restaurant.

Transferring Lei Lei’s Management Practices to Existing Restaurants

       Most of the restaurants today perform by following traditional management practices, in other word these existing restaurants have already adopted mainstream approach as their main core, and these existing restaurants have already established a culture. Changes in existing restaurants will likely provoke changes in their existing culture and in their ability to adopt, explore knowledge. This especially, when new knowledge related to costumers and other internal, external stakeholders must be included in the transformed organization (Christensen, 2006).

          Transferring Lei Lei’s management practices to existing restaurant will require an organizational change. Especially concentration will be emphasized on changing organizations structures, changing their system and finally changing employees (Dyck, 2010, p.  391).

Since no change goes unchallenged, transferring lei lei’s management to existing restaurants will be faced with resistance (resistance from employees, from costumer’s etcetera). Therefore it comes down to: Is this dramatic change worth it? How is this change going to affect stakeholder?

Conclusion

       Lei Lei’s Bar and Grill is an organization that chose to adopt multistream approach and this approach is working well for all its stakeholders. Transferring this approach to other existing organization could be a great challenge and the success of this transformation is very doubtful. Every organization is characterized by its unique environment, structure, system and management approach must be chosen very carefully to greatly compliment organizational characteristics.

References

Christensen, S. K. (2006). Losing Innovativeness: The challenge of being acquired.

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Dyck, B. & Neubert, M. J. (2010). Management current practices and new directions.

       Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Geczy, F. (2006). Learn the power of self – confidence. CabinetMaker.

       Chicago: 20, 30 – 33.

Kanungo, N. R. (2001). Ethical values of transaction and transformational leader.

       Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences. Halifax: 18, 257 – 266.

Spears, C. L. (2004). Practicing servant – leadership. Leader to Leader.

       San francisko: 2004, 7 – 12.