Case Study: Vision Assignment

Vision Case Study Situations

Thematic Question: How do leaders use vision to influence the direction and commitment of leadership?

Vision Case Study: Creating Kingdom-Building Opportunities

The Players

• Paul, Department Head in the Hap Arnold University School of Aeronautics
• John, Director of the Aircraft Maintenance Technician Program in the School of Aeronautics

The Situation
The Hap Arnold University School of Aeronautics Aircraft Maintenance Technician Program (AMTP) has long been recognized locally as an outstanding program in which every graduate of the Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certification program has a good job waiting for them upon graduation. Employers love the graduates for their values and work ethic going into the workplace. Despite those outstanding metrics, the program was struggling to fill its classes and remain a solvent program in the university. It seemed everything that John, the Director of the program, did to market the school and recruit students was making no impact, and enrollment continued to decrease despite the nationally publicized shortage of aircraft mechanics for the foreseeable future. John was working overtime as Program Director and as the primary program recruiter visiting high schools, trade shows, and other venues. Industry leaders and recruiters came to the school on a regular basis looking for students to hire, offering scholarships, and offering assistance in recruiting more students to the outstanding program. The program had great people and excellent resources, but not enough students to remain solvent. Something was missing and a solution was needed. Actually, what was needed was a vision.
As the School of Aeronautics grew in overall student enrollment in its other degree programs, the school was able to add a Department Head position, which would oversee degree programs associated with aviation maintenance and other disciplines, as well as the AMTP, as part of the department portfolio. The new Department Head, Paul, had been a part of the AMTP since coming to the school several years prior as a faculty member, and he knew the AMTP very well, including all of its strengths and weaknesses. In the new construct of Departments within the School of Aeronautics, John as Program Director reported directly to Paul, and John still supervised the AMTP instructors and staff. Paul immediately set out to develop a vision for his Department and for the AMTP with a goal not only to increase enrollment, but also to make a strong positive impact on the local community by creating opportunities for local high school students to obtain a marketable certification in the aviation field and obtain a higher education degree, thus also providing a pipeline of workers for aviation companies in the region and beyond.
Pauls’ vision for the AMTP was well aligned with the School of Aeronautics vision, which is: to impact the world for Christ as the preeminent center of aerospace education. He conceptualized the vision, and he focused recruitment programs to the area high schools, while also utilizing available resources being offered by industry and government sources. One initiative included offering a portion of the A&P certification program curriculum to students while still in high school giving them high school and college credit, thus saving them college tuition money. Paul did not do everything on his own. His vision became a shared vision with the entire department and school. Everyone in the department knew what was at stake, and they became committed to the vision and to following Paul’s lead for increasing student enrollment, as well as stepping beyond their normal boundaries by taking their curriculum to the high schools. Commitment to the vison was seen when every staff member voluntarily and enthusiastically participated in evening open houses at the AMTP facilities. Translating Paul’s vision into action generated interested and enthusiastic responses, generating increasing enrollment. While a big goal was to get enrollment up, Paul never lost sight of the ultimate university vision of training and developing champions for Christ, i.e. making disciple makers. As new AMTP instructors and staff came into the program, Paul would have to ensure they also would understand the vision and would have opportunities and mentoring to develop into leaders themselves. A growing program demands new leaders who can lead competently and continue to take the vision well into the future.

Questions for the Case Study
1. Identify two leadership issues or dilemmas, faced by the Academic Department Head, Paul in developing the leaders under his supervision. Explain your reasoning for picking the issues you pick.
2. Compare and contrast this situation to a similar situation you may have personally faced, experienced, or observed as a leader, or as one being led, or as an observer on the side-lines.
3. Using the Module Two leadership trait of Vision as the conceptual foundation for your mini case study, analyze and explain the importance of vision in dealing with this situation in terms of mentoring, discipling, and coaching others for leadership. Use at least five lesson topics in Workbook 2: Vision to support your analysis and explanation. You should utilize and cite concrete support from the Scripture, Stories, and/or Principles to Absorb sections of the Workbook lessons.
4. Contrast this situation with the situation Luke 9:51-62 and/or in Joshua 24:1-28. Thought Question: How does God want us to exercise vision in our relationship with Him as leaders and in mentoring, discipling, and coaching others to become leaders?
5. Describe and explain lessons derived from your critical analysis that may be applied and practiced in a future similar situation in which you may mentor, disciple, and coach others in their leadership development.

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