A recent article from CBS News provides good insight into how a Hillary Clinton presidency might be managed. As we have pointed out in an earlier blog, the Clinton approach to management is basically transactional. That means there will be enforced standard operating procedures, clearly defined and rigid organizational structure, reliance on loyalty to the detriment of ability, and reluctance to make meaningful changes in operation. These characteristics are clearly pointed out in the CBS article defining some of the operational problems exhibited by the Clinton campaign.
As pointed out in the article, the disciplined and leakproof operations of the top five campaign managers “have kept an iron grip on everything from ideas to access.” In particular, Penn is targeted for his “myopic focus on issues, his dismissal of the need for Hillary to get personal and address her likeability problem, his unusual dual role as top strategist and pollster, and his famously rough manner.” These issues have impacted significantly and detrimentally on the morale of other members of the campaign team. While there have been some changes in the organizational makeup of the team, these changes have been too late in coming and were not significant in scope. The transactional focus of the Clinton campaign indicates that this is the dominant style of the candidate and will carry over into the White House if she is elected.
Clinton’s position that she will bring change to the administration was largely forced on her by the charismatic and transformational approach of her adversary, Barack Obama. Transformational leaders, such as Obama, are comfortable with change and are able to provide the structure necessary to make the needed changes succeed. Obama’s definition of change is quite different from that of Clinton’s. His will be a more far reaching approach that will impact on the directional change in government ask for by the voters during the last congressional elections. Sadly, Clinton will only be able to make minor visionary changes that will, in the long run, not be significant in changing the direction of our government. Her staff, if she is elected, will suffer the same ailments exhibited by her present campaign team and her administration will fail miserably.