Newspaper Attacks On The Swedish Municipal Workers’ Union

The Swedish municipal workers’ union Kommunal faced a severe crisis that disturbed the stability of the union and affected its image and legitimacy. This unexpected event was mismanaged at first and caused which damaged the union reputation and resulted into negative outcomes.

To get this straight, Newspaper attacks from the local newspaper Aftonbladet tarnished the reputation of the union by exhibiting sensitive information. This media attack raised the threat for Kommunal who was not prepared for this. In fact, this is the first mistake of Kommunal, an organization is expected to prevent crisis by being prepared and developing a crisis management plan, which would make the organization less vulnerable for incoming crisis. Additionally, Kommunal did not act in time, and this is the second mistake. According to article 1, the key of handling a crisis situation is by acting swiftly, being agile in the decision making process without hesitating or wasting time, otherwise, the impact of the crisis will expand. Bosse asserts that having big ears and delegating with a firm hand will dampen negative outcomes of the crisis.

The 4C framework from article 2 focus on four major factors of crisis: causes, consequences, caution and coping. Based on Kommunal crisis, the main causes were mentioned above, as for the consequences, Kommunal suffered from acute psychological issues, more than 10000 employees quit, and people have been traumatized by this hapless event, and by result, lost their managerial confidence. From a social political view, negative outcomes which ensued from this scandal is the collapse of social order, more than 10000 employees were withdrawing from the union and no longer see values in it. This turnover is usually triggered as a defense mechanism (article1). Furthermore, the cashier was suspected of bribery and forced to resign from his job. The former chairman of Kommunal Annelie Nordström was accused of corruption as well. To solve this dilemma, as a caution, she stood up against this crisis and tried to clean up all the mess left behind. She attempted to clean up this scandal by shifting the company’s climate into a healthy climate. Additionally, she acted with integrity by apologizing to the members of the union. As a conclusion, Kommunal failed in handling their crises, and ended up with a tremendous employee turnover and a ruined reputation.

Annelie Nordström and Bosse Carlsson demonstrated behavioral leadership style during the guest lecture, which I will develop further in this answer. This approach presume that an effective leader should be able to balance two leadership styles, varying between them according to different situation. On the first hand, relationship-oriented leadership is mainly concerned by employees and effective communication. On the second hand, task-oriented leadership focuses on determining goals and the way to achieve them. Both of Bosse and Nordström were asserting that depending on the situation, they have to adapt their own style of managing.

• Relation-Oriented leadership: Relationship-oriented leaders focus on motivating, encouraging, and enhancing their followers. This style emphases the effectiveness of team collaboration and teamwork. Effective communication with the team will enable the leader to dampen negative outcomes of the crisis by providing the crucial instruction and information required to overcome this hurdle. By showing empathy and assertiveness, leaders could restore calm and push forward their followers. Bosse suggested that having an organizational healthy climate where all members feel involved could prevent, and somehow reduce the negative impact of crisis. This behavior will generate a better team learning which allows employees to be ready for potential crisis. Bosse asserts that training programs will help employees get a better understanding of crisis and will develop the indispensable skills to overcome it.
• Task-oriented leadership: Task-oriented leaders focus on the task and the necessary procedures that need to be performed in order to achieve the goal, with less concern to employee’s needs. In time of crisis, a leader find himself forced to make decisions under pressure, and as an emotional response, taking control of the situation and acting with clear authority is vital for restoring order. Furthermore, Focusing on the main mission will become his priority.

Delegate with a firm hand

To resolve this dilemma, crisis management requires leadership behaviors that fosters members to be actively involved in knowledge learning and strategies creation. Neglecting employees’ welfare and focusing on the main task is sometimes crucial.

What I have learned during this guest lecture is that a crisis can hit in the most unexpected moment, the more you prepare for it, and the less you firm will be vulnerable. The first step is to detect signals and warnings that announce the arrival of crisis, take it away before it happen if possible. Otherwise, I have to act early without hesitation, by daring to take control, make risky decisions, sharing power and delegation with firm hand. Crisis can sometimes results in negative emotions such as fear, which will affect my judgement and decision making under pressure. As a leader, by combining agility and creativity, I will prepare myself for multiple eventualities.

Prevention and preparation for a crisis is a crucial task for every organization. This can be done by the creation of a team of experts, who are able to handle the situation. Providing managerial coaching sessions and training programs at least twice per year will provide employees the necessary skills to be prepared for potential crisis. Occasionally, using temporary solutions or hiring external people can be supportive.

Creating of a healthy climate where all members feel involved will help to reduce confusion. Effective communication is essential for restoring employees’ confidence. I shall manifest empathy and inspire altruism for his followers. Having big ears will and paying attention will ensure their well-being and safety.

The most important thing that I have to keep in mind is to never underestimate media and never lie. Acting with complete integrity can prevent these negative outcomes. In that way, audiences will be more forgiving and this could ensure the recovery from the crisis and enhance my organization resilience through learning from prior experiences.