CIT is one of the strategies that is used in different settings, including the corporate sector. It entails using a specific set of procedures to collect detailed observations concerning human behavior that is of immense assistance and meets the methodologically defined criteria (Hughes et al., 2007). Once these observations have been collected, organizations can use them to keep track of incidents and later used in solving practical problems that arere-founded on broad psychological principles. On most occasions, a critical incident is often described as having a positive or negative impact on a given phenomenon or activity (Hughes et al., 2007). Although critical incidents can be collected in various processes, the interview process is one of the common methodologies that are often used. Using interviews in critical incident reports is essential since it lays a foundation for collecting detailed data that aids in determining whether given criteria are met in given circumstances (Hughes et al., 2007). CIT is one of the effective developmental tools that organizations can use, hence the need to implement its use in diverse departments. By using CIT, I interviewed three employees working in different organizations and occupy different leadership positions. Therefore, this essay seeks to expound on the interview process with the three participants by including raw data supported by different scholarly sources.
Summary of the Interview Process
The interview process included three individuals working at different managerial levels in different profit and non-profit organizations. By using CIT, I collected direct observations geared towards gaining knowledge on the performance of different departments. Subsequently, the CIT interview laid a foundation for exploring specific human activities with the primary aim of exploring areas for future research. While interviewing the three individuals helped me in gathering information about the participant’s status, experiences, and practices.
Interview# 1: A Receptionist
The first person that I interviewed was a receptionist working in one of the leading companies in the U.S (Blue Apron Inc.). According to the interviewee, working as a receptionist has taught him about how having varied leadership skills contributes to organizational success. The receptionist notes that being a receptionist requires one to have outstanding qualities because they encounter a wide range of challenges while working. Some of the skills that receptionists need to have includes being aware of the different aspects that are happening within an organization. Apart from these activities, a receptionist is required to fulfill different activities including booking different meetings, arranging couriers among others. After his retirement, the officer decided to work as a counselor in a hospital, mainly attending to army officers who have had negative experiences while working in different stations. According to the receptionist, interacting with her leaders in the facility where he was working was stressful because his leader was authoritative and needed him to follow all the instructions he was given without question. The demanding nature of their leader resulted in him wanting to quit working in the organization since he could not keep up with the growing work stress. The receptionist noted that he could miss work at least two times per week.
Leadership is one of the important aspects that determine the organizational success and satisfaction of employees. To be an effective leader, one needs to ensure that he maintains good relationships with their junior members (Bratton, 2020). Additionally, leaders need to ensure that they maintain good interpersonal relationships with the employees. Maintaining outstanding relationships between a leader and an employee is important since it helps create room for open communications and reduces stress within the workplace (Bratton, 2020). Despite the receptionist experiencing different challenges at his place of work, he still respected his leader because of the guidance he constantly gave them in matters concerning the accomplishment of specific when handling different clients within the organization.
Interview # 2: Chef
The current changes in our societies have resulted in many women occupying various leadership positions including those in the hospitality industry. Based on the current literature, women leaders tend to be more transformational compared to their male counterparts. Subsequently, women serve as role models to their subordinates hence driving organizational change. Generally, women tend to be more caring, empathetic, and advocate for authentic communication, which helps meet all organizational objectives.
The second person that I interviewed is a lady who works directly and indirectly with different people in the hospitality industry. She goes by the name Mary. According to Mary, she works under the supervision of a fellow lady. Throughout the five years they have interacted with her supervisor, they have developed a rapport that helps enhance their work experience.
Mary notes that her supervisor is a transformational leader since she strives to inspire her and drive change within the organization. Subsequently, Mary notes that her supervisor is energetic, inventive, and likes taking risks in different ventures within the organization. One problem noted by Mary is that although she is also a leader, she lacks the necessary skills needed to execute activities. For instance, Mary notes that when working with the other women, she has forgotten to communicate on several occasions, leading to delays in accomplishing specific tasks. Additionally, Mary notes that she fails to schedule meetings with her members. As a result, this makes it impossible to understand some of the problems that her members face. Despite Mary’s weaknesses, she notes that her current supervisor has molded her into becoming a better leader by sharpening some of her skills. Additionally, interacting with her current leader has helped her build the confidence needed to handle different types of clients.
Interviewee # 3: Works in the delivery department
Leaders working delivery departments need to possess numerous leadership qualities since they are faced with extraordinary challenges (Osula & Ng, 2014). Some of the challenges they face include long working hours with limited resources (Osula & Ng, 2014). Despite such challenges, these leaders need to develop strategies that will help them address the vast needs of their customer segments and organization at large.
The third person that I interviewed works as a delivery person. According to the interviewee, having strong leadership skills is key to the success of any organization. The interviewee further notes that working in the delivery department, one needs to be compassionate and have a positive mission of assisting others and . According to the delivery’s department leader, for the past three months he has been working for the company, he believes he possesses the necessary qualities that can be used to transform the organization. The interviewee is compassionate, honest, and takes his works seriously. Before working in the delivery department, the interviewee notes that he has worked with different leaders who positively impacted his leadership skills. Based on the lessons learned by the interviewee, he notes that one needs to be well-established to impact positive skills on an individual. When I asked the interviewee about his opinion on specific leaders, he noted that every leader has different personalities; as a result, they have different influences on people.
Conclusion
CIT is one of the tools that an organization can use to develop certain human behaviors and make meaningful conclusions. However, when conducting interviews, the interviewers need to ask questions that can be answered systematically. When these behaviors are adequately understood, it lays a foundation for learning how the explicit behaviors positively or negatively impact a given group. One important aspect that a leader should possess is effective communication. When leaders communicate effectively with their subordinates, it lays a foundation for meeting organizational goals, leading to increased productivity.
References
Bratton, J. (Ed.). (2020). Organizational leadership. Sage.
Fay, D., Bagotyriute, R., Urbach, T., West, M. A., & Dawson, J. (2019). Differential effects of workplace stressors on innovation: An integrated perspective of cybernetics and coping. International Journal of Stress Management, 26(1), 11. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-44265-001
Hughes, H., Williamson, K., & Lloyd, A. (2007). Critical incident technique. Exploring methods in information literacy research, 28, 49-66.
Osula, B., & Ng, E. (2014). Toward a collaborative, transformative model of non-profit leadership: Some conceptual building blocks. Administrative Sciences, 4(2), 87-104. Zenger, J., Folkman, J. (2019, September 23). Research: Women Score Higher Than Men in Most Leadership Skills.
