Buffalo Zoo Essay

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Case Study: Buffalo Zoo Individual Assignment #3 TRK049 Management Professor LaMarco Strong, positive leadership is a necessity for any business. With the backing from a strong leadership staff the workforce can accomplish anything. And when the employees are happy, productions and productivity go up. The Buffalo Zoo is a prime example of the dos and don’ts of management today. Donna Fernanades was hired on as the president and CEO in September 2000 to turn the organization around after some slum-filled years. The zoo was in dire need of updates and was under close watch due to some mishaps gone public. The employee morale was at an all time low to where they all carried around an anti-management attitude. This was a result of a very negative staff leading the organization. Once Fernandes was appointed she knew there was a lot of work to be done and it wasn’t going to happen overnight. Being a well educated individual and an experienced zoologist her transformational leadership methods came as a warm ray of sun to a deprived staff. She uses idealized influence to her advantage. She involves her staff in the decision making process because after all they are the ones who are doing the job every day. This helps build the staffs trust and respect. Intellectual stimulation reinforces the employees urge to try new approaches to things. Fernandes started her new career path with a few days with each zookeeper, working alongside them to get a feel for what a normal day was like. Then she would gather input from the employees and improve upon some of the procedures and policies to help the origination function better. Within a few months the staff’s view of management had completely turned around and they were working with her, not for her. They all had a sense of empowerment which in turn leads to a more productive and happier staff. She

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