After reading Chapter 3, The Skills Approach, please discuss the following questions on Case C3.1:  a Strained Research Team on pages 60-62 in our text Leadership:

Based on the skills approach, how would you assess Dr. Wood’s leadership and his relationship to the members of the Elder Care Project team?  Will the project be successful?
Based on readings, does Dr Wood have the skills necessary to be an effective leader of the research team?
The skills model describes three important competencies for leaders:  problem solving skills, social judgment skills and knowledge.  If you were to coach Dr Wood using this model, what competencies would you address with him?  What changes would you suggest that he make in his leadership?

Case 3.1: A Strained Research Team
Dr. Adam Wood is the principal investigator on a three-year, $1 million federally funded research grant to study health
education programs for older populations, called the Elder Care Project. Unlike previous projects, in which Dr. Wood
worked alone or with one or two other investigators, on this project Dr. Wood has 11 colleagues. His project team is made
up of two co-investigators (with PhDs), four intervention staff (with MAs), and five general staff members (with BAs).
One year into the project, it has become apparent to Dr. Wood and the team that the project is underbudgeted and has too
few resources. Team members are spending 20%30% more time on the project than has been budgeted to pay them.
Regardless of the resource strain, all team members are committed to the project; they believe in its goals and the
importance of its outcomes. Dr. Wood is known throughout the country as the foremost scholar in this area of health
education research. He is often asked to serve on national review and advisory boards. His publication record is second to
none. In addition, his colleagues in the university know Dr. Wood as a very competent researcher. People come to Dr.
Wood for advice on research design and methodology questions. They also come to him for questions about theoretical
formulations. He has a reputation as someone who can see the big picture on research projects.
Despite his research competence, there are problems on Dr. Woods research team. Dr. Wood worries there is a great deal
of work to be done but that the members of the team are not devoting sufficient time to the Elder Care Project. He is
frustrated because many of the day-to-day research tasks of the project are falling into his lap. He enters a research
meeting, throws his notebook down on the table, and says, I wish Id never taken this project on. Its taking way too
much of my time. The rest of you arent pulling your fair share. Team members feel exasperated at Dr. Woods
comments. Although they respect his competence, they find his leadership style frustrating. His negative comments at staff
meetings are having a demoralizing effect on the research team. Despite their hard work and devotion to the project, Dr.
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Wood seldom compliments or praises their efforts. Team members believe that they have spent more time than anticipated
on the project and have received less pay or credit than expected. The project is sucking away a lot of staff energy, yet Dr.
Wood does not seem to understand the pressures confronting his staff.
The research staff is starting to feel burned out, but members realize they need to keep trying because they are under time
constraints from the federal government to do the work promised. The team needs to develop a pamphlet for the
participants in the Elder Care Project, but the pamphlet costs are significantly more than budgeted in the grant. Dr. Wood
has been very adept at finding out where they might find small pockets of money to help cover those costs.
Although team members are pleased that he is able to obtain the money, they are sure he will use this as just another
example of how he was the one doing most of the work on the project.

Questions
1. Based on the skills approach, how would you assess Dr. Woods leadership and his relationship to the members of
the Elder Care Project team? Will the project be successful?
2. Does Dr. Wood have the skills necessary to be an effective leader of this research team?
3. The skills model describes three important competencies for leaders: problem-solving skills, social judgment skills,
and knowledge. If you were to coach Dr. Wood using this model, what competencies would you address with him?
What changes would you suggest that he make in his leadership?