West Fertilizer Company: Transactional Leadership Analysis

Three instances of failed leadership have been identified at West Fertilizer Company (WFC): failure to file proper hazardous materials disclosures to local stakeholders, failure to have a sprinkler system that would alert emergency responders of an impending incident, and failure to store hazardous materials in a properly. Had the organization possessed appropriately developed leaders, more likely than not, these failures would not have occurred. As working with hazardous materials elevates the importance of sound leadership, WFC must invest both time and resources to establish transactional leaders. Transactional leadership focuses on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance (Ifeanyi and Odumeru, 2013). It is a style
Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, “owners or operators of facilities that have hazardous chemicals present at the facility in quantities equal to or greater than set threshold levels must submit either Tier I or Tier II form by March 1” (United States Environmental Protection Agency, N.D.). This is an annual requirement mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As such, it is perplexing that WFC could overlook a yearly requirement for several years. Had transactional leadership been in place, there would have been a structured policy to ensure the filing
The importance of WFC enforcing a structured environment cannot be overstated. As aforementioned, it is more likely than not, that Tier II disclosures in the past were not filed properly due to faulty processes. Introducing set deadlines, and allocating responsibilities to specific jobs will produce structure within the organization. This will decrease the probability of oversights and omissions going forward. Faulty processes, also transferred to WFCs practice of storing hazardous materials next to combustibles. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, employees should receive training and education, to implement proper work practices, equipment, and controls, to reduce workplace accidents involving the moving, handling, and storing of materials