Helen Nelson Case Study Harvard Case

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Case Summary Professor David Beaufort was the department chair of the political science department for seven years. He led the department using a structural frame including rules and regulations; the faculty strictly followed him without question. According to the dean and provost the political science department was organized, well run and did not cause any problems. Professor David Beaufort died suddenly. His replacement as department chair was Helen Nelson who came from another college in a neighboring city. Her attempts to lead the department using a democratic leadership style and human resources frame was not well received from the faculty and met with resistance. The students began complaining and the dean and provosts are questioning if hiring Helen Nelson was a mistake.
Primary Problem & Secondary Problem The primary problem is that the political science department is struggling to adjust to Helen Nelson’s human resource style of leadership resulting in low morale and resistance. David Beaufort, former department chair, led the department using the structural frame and led with a top down approach. The faculty had little input regarding decisions but the atmosphere was predictable and everyone knew exactly what to
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She can do this by setting up individual meetings with faculty, specifically those faculty members who are the leaders in the department. By asking for help and feedback, the hope is that the faculty will begin to trust her. Furthermore, Nelson will hopefully see this situation from the faculty’s perspective. Nelson should set up a meeting with the dean and provost and ask exactly what they expect of her as the department head and listen very carefully to what they say. After gathering information from the faculty and feedback from the dean and provost, then Nelson can make a plan and share it with the

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