Robin Hood Case
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Robin Hood Case
The type of leadership that Robin Hood practices is free-reign leadership. In free-reign leadership, the head does not directly control and supervise the subordinates. This is seen from the fact that he claims not to know most of the men in his group. Instead, the subordinates operate solely and they attempt to show their value by making various accomplishments. This differs from a democratic leadership where all members of a group are involved in the decision making process. It also differs from an autocratic leadership where the leader makes all decisions and the subordinates cannot challenge him.
The type of power that Robin Hood has is legitimate. He started the group known as the Merrymen and was their leader right from the beginning. Along with his deputies, Robin Hood is a key member of the team. Because of this legitimate power, the rest of the Merrymen respect Robin Hood and go along with the decisions he makes as the leader.
The best motivation for Robin Hood’s men is on the social scene. One thing that the men all have in common is that they left a society within which they felt exploited and disenfranchised. This means that the Merrymen’s strongest rallying point is that they provide each other with a sense of belonging. To motivate his men, Robin Hood should engage them in team building activities. For Robin Hood, motivation comes in the form of self-actualization. Robin Hood desires to overthrow the sheriff’s regime and this is a tall order for him. His pursuit of this cause suggests that he has already acquired his physiological, safety, social and esteem needs. His motivation comes from the fact that victory over the sheriff will give him a high sense of self-fulfillment.
As a leader, Robin Hood needs to have skills that will enable him to drive the Merrymen to success. He needs to be capable of thinking on behalf of the whole group and making decisions that will have a positive effect on the entire entity. To achieve this Robin Hood needs conceptual skills. These skills will help him analyze and understand abstract ideas and concepts. Using these skills, Robin Hood can analyze the Merrymen as a single entity and understand the small intricacies and interrelationships that develop within the group. As a leader, Robin Hood also needs to have critical thinking skills. These skills will be crucial if he is to scrutinize problems and come up with effective solutions.
Robin Hood’s subordinates require skills that will help them operate effectively as a team. They need to have time management skills so that the team can work efficiently. If all of the Merrymen perform their tasks on time, the team will not lag behind. However, if certain members are always late then it is possible for the entire group to be delayed as well. The Merrymen also need technical skills. For the members of the team, their individual roles are very important. They need to be able to perform their tasks with excellence. That is the reason why Little John spends time making sure that their archery is near perfect. If all team members are good at what they do, then they will be able to carry their weight and support the whole group.
One decision that Robin should make is to reduce the number of Merrymen fighting with him. Doing so would reduce the resources that the Merrymen are using. It would also make it easier for the team to coordinate and work together. Robin Hood should also refuse to work with conspirators. Working with them would force the Merrymen to move into an entirely new field, unfamiliar to them. In this new field, the Robin Hood and the Merrymen would be out of their depth and it is likely that they would lose out in the end. Lastly, Robin Hood should not impose a fixed transit tax. If he did so, he would become like the sheriff and that would work against the Merrymen. Instead, he should consider expanding the area within which the Merrymen operate so that they can be able to ambush more caravans.