...Leadership Style and Organizational Impact This article is from the June 2010 issue. By Michael A. Germano, J.D., M.A., M.S. Leadership has a direct cause and effect relationship upon organizations and their success. Leaders determine values, culture, change tolerance and employee motivation. They shape institutional strategies including their execution and effectiveness. Leaders can appear at any level of an institution and are not exclusive to management. Successful leaders do, however, have one thing in common. They influence those around them in order to reap maximum benefit from the organization’s resources, including its most vital and expensive: its people. Libraries require leadership just like business, government and non-profit organizations. Whether a public, special or academic library, that library’s leaders directly affect everything from patron experience to successfully executing stated missions, including resource allocation, services offered and collection development strategies. In fact, the influence of leaders and their effectiveness in moving people to a shared vision can directly shape the library’s people, its materials, how patrons use or interact with them and whether or not that experience is beneficial. With leadership potentially playing such a vital role in the success of information centers and patron experiences, it is useful to consider the different types of leaders and their potential impact on libraries as organizations. Current leadership...
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...Executive Summary Nokia’s reign as the world’s biggest seller of mobile telephones is under serious threat from its competitors such Apple and the introduction of new Android based mobile phones. The company fell short in the smartphone era and its position as the number-one phone seller in the global market is under threat. The case study provides a brief analysis of what transpired at Nokia and how the strategy implemented by the management team from the period of the 1990s up to the 2010 led to the company losing its market shares at both ends of the mobile phone industry. During the period of 1991 and 1992 the company lost FM482million ($120 million) on its major business activities. In 1992 a new group chief executive, Jorma Ollila was appointed. Jorma Ollila’s mission was to formulate a strategy that was going to rescue the company from its losses, into a profitable organisation. The report focus on Nokia’s reason to select one area of development out of four, the significance of the introduction of new Android software for Nokia’s chosen strategy and the importance of management teams to strategic choice. In dealing with the first section on the study case , the author analysed the three elements of the strategy context used by the management team and then discussed strategic risks associated with focusing on the single development area out of four. Lynch (2012:421) defines strategy context as being concerned with the circumstances surrounding and influencing the...
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...professionals into practical, how-to guidance on critical workplace issues and problems. These resources are supported by case studies, worksheets, and job aids and are frequently supplemented with CD-ROMs, websites, and other means of making the content easier to read, understand, and use. Essential Tools Pfeiffer’s Essential Tools resources save time and expense by offering proven, ready-to-use materials—including exercises, activities, games, instruments, and assessments—for use during a training or team-learning event. These resources are frequently offered in loose-leaf or CD-ROM format to facilitate copying and customization of the material. Pfeiffer also recognizes the remarkable power of new technologies in expanding the reach and effectiveness of training. While e-hype has often created whizbang solutions in search of a problem, we are dedicated to bringing convenience and enhancements to proven training solutions. All our e-tools comply with rigorous functionality standards. The most appropriate technology wrapped around essential content yields the perfect solution for today’s on-the-go trainers and human resource professionals. w w w. p f e i f f e r....
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...branded websites now allow consumers to book a flight online while travel portals such as Expedia, Priceline and Orbitz enable travelers to search airlines’ databases for the lowest fares. This paper will examine how the airline industry is using cost leadership, differentiation, innovation, operational effectiveness, and customer orientation strategies to effectively sell products and services by leveraging information technology. Priceline.com® uses a cost leadership strategy that allows airlines to offer the lowest available fare to consumers through a reverse auction process. For example, a person needs a round trip flight from Atlanta, Georgia to Dallas, Texas departing on November 5, 2010 and returning on November 7, 2010. She is willing to pay $200.00 for the ticket. This information is entered online at Priceline’s website. Priceline searches its database of participating airlines for available seats in this price range and displays them back to the customer. Priceline.com® broadened their low-cost leadership position by eliminating booking fees on airline tickets and offering “Pricedrop Protection on its published-price airfares” (Ek, 2009). In 2003 Delta Airlines launched Song, a low-cost airline that leveraged innovations in information technology to differentiate itself from others in the market. Song installed personal video screens on the back of every seat on their planes. These screens allowed passengers to enjoy inflight entertainment such as movies and video...
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...How Is Organizational Health Measured? The Organizational Health Instrument is a diagnostic tool for assessing the internal workings of organizations. These ten dimensions were conceptualized by Matthew Miles and operationally defined by Fairman, Holmes, Hardage, and Lucas-Renne during a three-year, three-phase project that culminated in a valid and reliable instrument that was copyrighted in 1979. Educators in 23 states have used the Organizational Health Instrument as a diagnostic tool for improving leadership and organizational effectiveness. The Organizational Health Instruments (OHI) consists of 80 item statements, eight for each of the ten dimensions. All members of a work unit respond to these questions. (To provide confidentiality of responses, data are collected in a group setting using a set of standardized data collection procedures.) Individuals respond to each question based upon their perceptions. Response choices are: Strongly Agree, Agree, Undecided, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree. Based upon these collective responses, raw scores are established for each of these ten dimensions. A line graph is created for each administrative unit, which contrasts the leader's perception with the composite view held by the work unit. The raw scores are converted into percentile scores. All certified staff completes the organizational health instrument, which assesses an organization's internal workings. The ten dimensions used are as shown below: ...
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...Discuss the reasons behind the current enthusiasm for transformational leadership and comment upon the adequacy of the theory Introduction On the threshold of the 21st century, organizational strategy highlights the importance of the effective utilization of knowledge and human resources (Ying, Ken and Ting, 2012). To compete in such circumstances with the rapid diffusion of information, organizations must improve employees’ professional skills and knowledge to maintain their competitive advantage to some degree. In this case, understanding the effectiveness of leadership is crucial. The evolution of leadership theories have generally transited from a stage that focused on personal features to the next, which is more dependent on the interaction between leaders and subordinates. Recently, leadership research has accentuated the effectiveness of transactional and transformational leadership (Tyssen, Wald and Heidenreich, 2014). Compared with transactional leadership, some scholars have argued that transformational leadership could result in a higher level of work engagement in a dynamic environment (Brief and Weiss, 2002). However, although transformational leaders could bring positive affect on employers’ behavior in several aspects and could also instigate a collaborative work environment, it is possible for employers to become over-reliant on them. In addition, it is undeniable that cultural values will have a pervasive influence on different aspects of management and...
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...BHM329 STRATEGY, CHANGE AND LEADERSHIP Number of Aston Credits: Number of ECTS Credits: 15 7.5 Staff Member Responsible for the Module: Dr Yves Guillaume Work & Organisational Psychology Group Aston Business School, South Wing, Room 8017, Extension 3252 Email: y.r.f.guillaume@aston.ac.uk Dr Nicholas Theodorakopoulos Work & Organisational Psychology Group Aston Business School, South Wing, Room 8015, Extension 3472 Email: n.theodorakopoulos@aston.ac.uk Availability: See Blackboard or contact WOP Group Administrator Mrs Jenny Thomson, SW802, Extension 3257 Pre-requisites for the module: None. Mode of Attendance: On Campus Module Objectives and Learning Outcomes: Enhance understanding of different forms and levels of organisational change, using key concepts from organisational theory and practice. Introduce students to theoretical concepts and tools that can be used to manage effectively organisational change. To provide students with the most current, and best available scientific evidence on approaches of leadership effectiveness and development in organisations to enable students to critically evaluate the validity and usefulness of these approaches. To provide students with the knowledge and practical skills to enable them to work most effectively in organisations through leading and influencing At the end of the module students will be able to: Appreciate the organisational and environmental factors that drive organisational change. Understand different...
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...the potential to be innovation leaders for tomorrow. However there are some gaps in their capabilities which need to be removed. The first of these bottlenecks is the lop-sided focus of innovation on customer and product centric aspects with very little focus on internal aspects such as infrastructure and support activities. We still consider innovation as a means for radical change and do not use the value of innovation in our regular work. Managers today have a tough task in ensuring that innovation is effective. Our study reveals that organizations are doing well in devising an approach to innovation, but often we falter at the point of implementing innovation initiatives. In addition, Indian businesses do not measure the effectiveness of innovation to be able to make necessary improvements to their approach. This is an area where managers should focus if they want to contribute to India’s growth as an innovation hub. Across organizations, leadership and organizational culture come across as the major drivers and facilitators of innovation. These can be effective metrics to measure the effectiveness of innovation across any organization. Since innovation itself is a way of doing things differently, existing measures such as ROI should not be applied to measure innovation. Lastly, Indian businesses consider innovation as a means to an end and not the end itself. Such an approach is appropriate if organizations are able to efficiently handle innovation activities. But given...
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...“Alan Mulally, CEO, Ford Motor Company” Chiquetta Silver BUS 520 Dr. Amine Ayad May 15, 2011 Discuss the role of leadership and how it can impact organizational performance. Leadership is the process of developing ideas and a vision, living by values that support those ideas and that vision, influencing others to embrace them in their own behaviors, and making hard decisions about human and other resources (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p.4). Leadership is guiding people toward productive results to achieve the goals of the organization. It involves influencing people to move from where they are to some new place. An effective leader has the ability to motivate and influence others. Leadership influences organizational performance depending on the level to which the leader enables managers and team leaders to plan, organize, control, and act effectively. By accepting authority, responsibility, and accountability, managers can confidently face though situations that require decisions made. Both the manager and the subordinate must know how to distinguish right from wrong by using sound judgment. Likewise, the leader must to learn his own strengths and weaknesses at work as well as his personal life and seek new professional skills. Everybody has different opinions and attitudes towards values, lifestyles, and behaviors. Thus, an effective leader will use diversity at the workplace to combat the fierce competition in the market place. Cultural diversity within the...
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...ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN, AND EFFECTIVENESS MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. The chief of one police force emphasizes the number of arrests while another police chief emphasizes community outreach. Which effectiveness value is the second police chief most likely using? a. human relations b. open-systems c. rational-goal d. internal-process ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 73 BLM: Apply 2. Top managers have a number of roles in the achievement of organizational effectiveness. Which of the following is included in an examination of the internal environment? a. opportunities b. weaknesses c. uncertainty d. resource availability ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 52-53 BLM: Understand 3. Top managers have a number of roles in achieving organizational effectiveness. Which of the following is included in an examination of the external environment? a. threats b. mission c. production technology d. strengths ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 52-53 BLM: Understand 4. What do the choices top managers make about goals, strategies, and organizational design have a tremendous impact on? a. organizational profitability b. organizational efficiency c. organizational effectiveness d. organizational market share ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 53 BLM: Remember 5. What is top management doing when looking for strengths and weaknesses? a. assessing the external environment b. analyzing the competition c. evaluating the internal situation in order to define its distinctive competence d. determining the effectiveness of operational outcomes ANS:...
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...identifies competencies that may aid role effectiveness at senior managerial levels. It fills a research gap: while managerial roles and competencies have been studied fairly extensively, their relationships have not been demonstrated. The performance of senior level managers — and therefore of the organization — depends upon how well they play their varied roles. In this paper, the roles of senior managers have been categorized into nine strategic, nine operations-related, and nine leadership roles. Strategic roles relate to such matters of long-term and organization-wide import as policy formulation, setting of long-term objectives, articulation of a vision of excellence for the organization, contributing to the organization’s growth and diversification, procuring of strategic resources and intelligence, etc. Operations-related roles cover implementation of policies and changes, setting short-term targets, work allocation to staff, operating a control system, crisis management, etc. Leadership roles encompass inspiring subordinates, developing effective relationships, getting cooperation, emphasizing core values and norms, mentoring, fostering teamwork and collaborative effort, effective conflict resolution, etc. Forty-five senior manager-level competencies have been categorized into six groups as follows: competencies related to contextual sensitivity (power structure management) management of initiatives introduction of innovations resilience and effective coping through problem...
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...LEADERSHIP IN THE WORKPLACE Presented to: Cindy Murphy Management 1115 – Leadership By: Bermina Benson October 12th, 2011 Leadership in the workplace 1) Introduction 2) Leadership a) What is Leadership b) Leadership versus Management defined c) The importance of Leadership in today’s workplace discussed d) Leadership trends and priorities 3) Compare and contrast leadership styles a) Pros and Cons of leadership styles 4) Conclusion Introduction This paper is an attempt to briefly explore the concept of leadership and how it differs from management. Sometimes leadership and management may seem similar; they may be used interchangeably, and may even occupy the same social space in institutions and organizations; the two concepts are different in a fundamental way. Those differences will be discussed. Businesses succeed and fail on the strengths of their business models. These models are conceived and guided by leaders. Why then do some businesses fail when their business models are best conceived? Can it be traced to the changing trends in leadership or the leadership style one adopts? These questions will be discussed as well. What is Leadership? Leadership is a skill that embodies vision, inspiration, and human passion, according to Harvard professor Abraham Zaleznik. It is a critical management skill which arises out of desires – the passion and vision of the...
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...Leadership Theory and the positive effects on an organization Introduction Leadership is a way of motivating a group to enable them to achieve their aims. It also involves being responsible for the group as a whole. A leader is either appointed by the senior levels of management or elected by the group. However, it has been argued that a leader can not have all the skills required therefore the optimum will be to have as a leader someone who is flexible but when it is required s/he will let the leadership to the others. Leader and Manager – Definitions Although no ultimate definition of leadership exists (Yuki, 2002), the majority of leadership definitions reflect some basic elements, including “group”, “influence” and “goal” (Bryman, 1992). A general definition would be that “a leader is someone who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal”. There are 3Ps that are related with the term “leader” and these are: People, Purpose and Person. A leader is a person that is deeply committed to the goal and s/he will try to achieve it even if nobody follows him/her. A leader is someone who has a personal vision and in order to achieve it s/he needs the help of others. The leader should communicate his/her vision in such a way that the followers will share it and the goal will become a common goal. The leader needs the trust of the followers. Some people are more effective than others at influencing people. This effectiveness has been attributed to leadership...
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...software, and personal computers and the best-known products include Iphone, Ipad, Mac line of computers and other hardware and software products. And according one of the most recent brand study carried out by the global brands agency Millward Brown, Apple has overtaken Google as the world’s most valuable brand (Bbc.co.uk 2011). Figure 1 Steve Jobs and the most recent Iphone 4 in white Source: Yohe 2010 1.2 Industrial environment introduction As claimed by Hill and Jones (2008, p.100) that for the last 20 years, fast growth of the power of the computer has greatly attributed to the high extent of innovation and a turbulent environment in the personal computer industry. There are a number of players and potential entrants in the industry that drive up the competition and such fierce competition again is enhanced by the fast technological innovation resulting in the fact that no single company, no matter how large and power it is once, could maintain absolute competitive advantage for a long time. For example, in the 1980s Apple Computer manage to build up a competitive advantage based on the combination of a proprietary disk operating system and an intangible product image but such competitive advantage was lost to Microsoft when the similar system, Microsoft’s Windows operating system with many similar features was released in the...
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...ANALYSIS OF LEADERSHIP THEORIES Student’s name: University: Date of submission Analysis of Leadership Theories Introduction One of the challenges facing contemporary leaders is the ability to solve complex issues in a collective, innovative, collaborative and timely manner. The ability to tackle such challenges requires leadership that is not limited by the theories and stylistic tactics but spans across the spectrum of traits and skills in order to arrive at cognitive and innovative solutions. This type of leadership can be defined as being adaptive. The modern leader should be able to walk through problems and come up with solutions that is not only timely but also sustainable over a long period of time. The modern leader should also have the ability to adapt to all the challenges facing contemporary leadership. The term adaptive has been used because it combines all the basic characteristics drawn from leadership theories and are necessary to tackle various challenges. Therefore, the adaptive leader, used in this case as the contemporary leadership model, shall be created from the following analysis. Criteria for Analyzing the Contemporary Leadership Theories One of the most suitable criteria for analyzing the effectiveness of a leader is by looking at the ethics and effectiveness of the leader. Ethics shall define how the leader relates to his/her followers while effectiveness relates to the actions and decisions made by the leader. ...
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