Margaret Thatcher Case
Margaret Thatcher Case Study
ORGB 321 Leadership
McGill University
Adam Fischer (260518805)
Anaelle Haddad (260636750)
Daniel Aleman (260521566)
Professor Patricia E. Hewlin
January 27, 2014
Problem and Issue Identification
The case we studied alludes to Margaret Thatcher, a British politician who would eventually become Prime Minister. Her rise to power was not easy, starting with the fact that she was born in a modest family in a time when women were still fighting for equal rights. Her father’s right wing political views, which Thatcher adopted, were also not the most favored during a time of industrial expansion. This case illustrates power dynamics and the fact that power and leadership have always been two faces of the same coin. By analyzing Thatcher’s career, we’ll be able to gain a deep understanding of how individuals utilize power and become eminent leaders.
We will be analyzing three main figures in the case to understand the use of power in different contexts: Thatcher’s father, Heath, and Margaret herself. Analysis
We will begin by analyzing Margaret’s Individual Sources of Power.
Starting off as a woman in “a world where men were the only people who mattered” Margaret
was not able to leverage Legitimate Power in the first part of her life and had to rely on expertise to fuel her legitimacy. She developed her Expert Power through hard work, strict education, and competitiveness. As she gradually climbed the echelons of society, entering Oxford and becoming president of the Conservative Association there, her title served her ambition by giving her a solid basis for Expert Power. She continued to build on this source of power by getting a degree in tax and law.
Her Expert Power allowed her to be elected in the Finchley constituency, which provided her with a “position
ORGB 321 Leadership
McGill University
Adam Fischer (260518805)
Anaelle Haddad (260636750)
Daniel Aleman (260521566)
Professor Patricia E. Hewlin
January 27, 2014
Problem and Issue Identification
The case we studied alludes to Margaret Thatcher, a British politician who would eventually become Prime Minister. Her rise to power was not easy, starting with the fact that she was born in a modest family in a time when women were still fighting for equal rights. Her father’s right wing political views, which Thatcher adopted, were also not the most favored during a time of industrial expansion. This case illustrates power dynamics and the fact that power and leadership have always been two faces of the same coin. By analyzing Thatcher’s career, we’ll be able to gain a deep understanding of how individuals utilize power and become eminent leaders.
We will be analyzing three main figures in the case to understand the use of power in different contexts: Thatcher’s father, Heath, and Margaret herself. Analysis
We will begin by analyzing Margaret’s Individual Sources of Power.
Starting off as a woman in “a world where men were the only people who mattered” Margaret
was not able to leverage Legitimate Power in the first part of her life and had to rely on expertise to fuel her legitimacy. She developed her Expert Power through hard work, strict education, and competitiveness. As she gradually climbed the echelons of society, entering Oxford and becoming president of the Conservative Association there, her title served her ambition by giving her a solid basis for Expert Power. She continued to build on this source of power by getting a degree in tax and law.
Her Expert Power allowed her to be elected in the Finchley constituency, which provided her with a “position