Turning Around a Struggling Team: Capstone Case Study in Leadership and Organizational Behavior

Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Fritz Jeffry Z. Briones
2025
TURNING AROUND A
STRUGGLING TEAM:
LEADING WITH
PURPOSE, TRUST,
AND EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE

This case study examines the
successful turnaround of a
chronically underperforming
and disengaged team
through the application of
emotionally intelligent and
purpose-driven leadership.

The team faced persistent challenges, including:
MISSED DEADLINES UNCLEAR ROLES LOW MORALE LEADERSHIP TURNOVER

Rather than imposing rigid
performance directives, the
leader prioritized
understanding the human
dynamics at play by
conducting one-on-one
dialogues to uncover root
causes such as distrust,
emotional disengagement,
and confusion around
expectations.

Using principles from transformational leadership,
emotional intelligence, psychological safety, and
adaptive leadership, the approach centered on
rebuilding trust, motivation, and clarity.

Team goals were realigned, roles clarified,
and a system was put in place to recognize
both individual and group contributions. This
helped build a culture where everyone felt
included and responsible, leading to better
collaboration, more engagement, and
higher rates of task completion.

In the end, this case shows that good
leadership isn’t just about hitting targets
—it’s about creating an environment
where people feel seen, supported, and
empowered. By combining theory with
real reflection, this story offers a
practical and inspiring model for
leading change with compassion,
clarity, and credibility.

KEYWORDS
Transformational leadership
Emotional intelligence
Psychological safety
Team performance
Change management
Burnout prevention
Leader-member exchange (LMX)
Organizational culture

As a team leader, I stepped into a role where the group I was given was clearly
struggling. They were missing deadlines, morale was low, and people seemed
disengaged. On top of that, there had been frequent leadership changes, leaving
the team feeling unsure of their direction and disconnected from their work.
WHAT HAPPENED?

I realized early on that pushing for results wouldn’t
fix the deeper problem. So, I decided to talk to
each member one-on-one. Those conversations
shifted everything. The issue wasn’t skill—it was
clarity, trust, and recognition. Many felt like their
roles were blurry and that their efforts didn’t
matter.
WHAT HAPPENED?

To move forward, I helped the team get back on the same
page. We reset our goals, clarified who was responsible for
what, and launched a simple recognition system to
highlight both big and small wins.
WHAT HAPPENED?

These included weekly shout-outs and monthly
acknowledgments tied to our shared goals. It
didn’t fix things overnight, but it started
rebuilding trust and motivation within the group.
WHAT HAPPENED?

PRACTICAL
INSIGHTS:
DIAGNOSING
THE CORE
CHALLENGES
“What looked like a performance
issue on the surface was actually a
leadership and culture issue
underneath.”

Instead of jumping into action plans, I
leaned into adaptive leadership
principles (Heifetz, 1994). I took time to
understand the root causes and
included the team in shaping the way
forward.
INSIGHTS

Transformational
leadership (Bass, 1985)
guided my approach—I
focused on creating a clear,
meaningful vision while
offering support on an
individual level.
INSIGHTS

Emotional intelligence (Goleman, 1998) played a big role too. I
listened more, paid attention to emotional cues, and worked on
staying grounded, especially when emotions were running high.
Psychological safety became a top priority.
INSIGHTS

Within two months, we saw some real progress:
Task completion
jumped by 40%,
showing renewed
momentum.
People started
collaborating
naturally again,
breaking down
silos.
A company-wide
survey showed a
20% rise in
engagement for
our team.

But of course, not everything went smoothly.
One teammate felt the new structure was too
controlling. Another got burned out from the
emotional weight of change. These reminded
me that leading change isn’t just about systems
—it’s about people. And people need time.

PRACTITIONER TAKEAWAY:
MANAGING RESISTANCE
AND BURNOUT

Change brings discomfort. Some
resist, some burn out. That’s
normal—but as a leader, how I
handled it made the difference.

Psychological safety (Edmondson, 1999)
became our anchor. I encouraged open
conversations, even uncomfortable ones.

I also learned to pace things better. Kotter’s model (2012)
taught me that pushing too hard can backfire.

The SCARF model (Rock, 2008) helped me understand what
made people defensive—loss of certainty, status, or autonomy.

I adjusted. I brought
people more into the
decision-making
process and kept
things transparent. It
helped reduce
anxiety and
confusion.

The team’s struggles were rooted in
deeper organizational issues—unclear
roles, constant leadership shifts, and lack
of connection to purpose. Without
direction or trust, even the most skilled
teams can drift.

By reconnecting the team to a
common goal, encouraging honest
conversations, and creating a more
predictable, respectful environment,
we slowly rebuilt motivation and
clarity.

APPLIED THEORY:
UNDERSTANDING THE
ROOTS

This situation reflected a
breakdown of the
psychological contract
(Rousseau, 1995)—that
unspoken agreement
between people and their
workplaces around fairness
and expectations. Once
broken, it’s hard to rebuild
trust.

Systems thinking (Senge, 1990) helped me look at the
big picture—not just what was happening, but why.

I also drew from Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) theory (Graen &
Uhl-Bien, 1995), which emphasizes the importance of strong, trust-
based relationships between leaders and team members.

“That focus helped
rebuild accountability
and trust.“

CONCEPTS I USED FROM
THE GROUND

Throughout this journey, I leaned on several core
leadership and organizational behavior theories:

Inspiring a shared vision and energizing the team.
TRANSFORMATIONAL
LEADERSHIP
(BASS, 1985)

Practicing empathy and self-awareness.
EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE
(GOLEMAN, 1998)

Making it safe for people to speak up.
PSYCHOLOGICAL
SAFETY
(EDMONDSON, 1999)

Building trust-driven relationships.
LEADER-MEMBER
EXCHANGE
(GRAEN & UHL-BIEN, 1995)

Creating fairness in recognition and workload.
EQUITY
THEORY
(ADAMS, 1965)

Managing change with attention to human triggers.
SCARF
MODEL
(ROCK, 2008)

“One clear example: I let the team
co-define their updated roles.
That small act helped reduce
ambiguity and made people feel
more in control.”

LESSONS FOR
PRACTITIONERS AND
LEADERS

The biggest
takeaway? Listening
matters. People
don’t just need
direction—they need
clarity, appreciation,
and trust.

Change can’t be rushed. Even good
changes can be overwhelming. I learned to
look out for burnout and resistance early,
and to create ongoing spaces where
people could voice concerns or share
feedback.

REFLECTIONS
FOR
SUSTAINABLE
LEADERSHIP

Real leadership is deeply
relational. People do
better when they feel
connected and
purposeful (Avolio &
Gardner, 2005).

Soft skills like
empathy, fairness,
and emotional pacing
are not optional—
they’re essential.

Listening isn’t passive.
It’s a leadership tool
for understanding
and action (Bennis,
2009).

Burnout isn’t about
weak individuals—it
reflects poor
leadership design
(Maslach & Leiter,
2016).

Leadership isn’t about
control. It’s about creating
clarity, consistency, and
care.

This experience reminded me that leading
change is both challenging and fulfilling. By
balancing leadership theory with empathy and
presence, I was able to help a struggling team
recover and thrive. Leadership, I’ve learned, is
not just about goals and plans—but about
people, purpose, and presence.

Adams, J. S. (1965). Inequity in social exchange. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in
experimental social psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 267–299). Academic Press.
Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to
the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315–338.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.001
Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press.
Bennis, W. (2009). On becoming a leader. Basic Books.
Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work
teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.
https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999
Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
REFERENCES

Heifetz, R. A. (1994). Leadership without easy answers. Harvard University Press.
Hochschild, A. R. (1983). The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling. University of California Press.
Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Harvard Business Review Press.
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Burnout: A multidimensional perspective. Routledge.
Rock, D. (2008). SCARF: A brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others. NeuroLeadership Journal,
1(1), 1–9. Adams, J. S. (1965). Inequity in social exchange. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology
(Vol. 2, pp. 267–299). Academic Press.
Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of
leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.001
Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press.
Bennis, W. (2009). On becoming a leader. Basic Books.
Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly,
44(2), 350–383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999
Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
Rousseau, D. M. (1995). Psychological contracts in organizations: Understanding written and unwritten agreements.
SAGE.
Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Doubleday.
REFERENCES

This project is not officially affiliated with or
endorsed by Tecnológico de Monterrey. All logos
and trademarks remain the property of their
respective owners. Content is based on the
author’s best recollection and reflective learning.
Ethical standards were followed; all references
are anonymized to protect privacy.
DISCLAIMER

Fritz Jeffry Z. Briones
fritz.jeffry.briones@gmail.com
THANK
YOU!

Turning Around a Struggling Team: Capstone Case Study in Leadership and Organizational Behavior

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