Leadership Styles And Performace In Multinationals College Essay Help

Introduction

It is difficult to understate the significance of leadership to the organization's performance and productivity. Leadership serves multiple functions within an organization, and numerous success-critical aspects depend on leaders. First, exceptional leadership may assist individuals, groups, and the organization as a whole in adapting to numerous new circumstances and conditions. Changes offer enormous obstacles for businesses because the current business climate is so unstable in virtually every industry.

Therefore, it is essential that they have competent leaders who can ensure that their employees can adapt to new job requirements. Additionally, businesses have a chance of surviving in a complex and highly competitive business climate due to the fact that inventive and highly knowledgeable executives enable them to compete with rivals (Maxwell 2007). Effective leadership is also capable of mitigating risks for the organization by distributing resources efficiently in order to attain the desired outcomes.

Creating a group of devoted employees who are committed to the organization's objectives is one of the most important success factors (Bernard 2003). In order for people to feel appreciated and content with their jobs, leadership should rely on the workers' knowledge and expertise. According to Keller (2006), good leadership is being inclusive and allowing employees to participate in the organization's decision-making process.

In addition to establishing firm standards and goals that must be followed by all employees, leaders are responsible for evaluating the performance of their followers and rewarding them based on their efforts (Kolenda 2001; Sipe & Frick 2009). Employees should also receive ongoing training so that they can contribute to the organization's innovation and keep pace with its evolution (Malik, Danish & Munir 2012). According to Rothfelder, Ottenbacher, and Harrington (2012), leadership techniques play a vital effect on job satisfaction, which has a significant impact on the organization's success.

Apple Inc. is one of the world's largest and most successful corporations. The corporation has dominated the technology market for the past many years and continues to hold the top spot in terms of both service quality and quantity. Steve Jobs is the founder and CEO of the company. Jobs was a renowned figure who is still regarded as one of the most well-known and skilled visionaries and transformational leaders.

His leadership strategy is typically associated with the success of the organization. Steve Jobs was a creative and visionary individual, which is why innovation remains one of the company's basic pillars. As a leader, he was able to influence and inspire those around him. Jobs was able to assemble a team of exceptionally experienced and brilliant individuals that believed in the organization's mission and were dedicated to its aims, thereby propelling the company to the forefront of its industry. He was a source of motivation and a model for his employees (Jobs &Thomas 2011). Tim Cook, his successor, has also displayed great leadership and management skills, which have contributed to the company's success. Tim is able to manage the organization even better, making it more people-oriented, as a result of Steve's failures.

Apple Inc. and two of its most notable executives are thus a fascinating and instructive example. Both Steve Jobs and Tim Cook can be described as visionary and transformative leaders of the highest caliber. The Apple Company has become one of the most well-known and prosperous corporations in the world. In light of this, a number of questions arise. Was it Steve Jobs and Tim Cook's leadership style that boosted the productivity of Apple's employees and contributed to the company's success? Was this style of leadership adequate for the Apple Company? If so, which specific policies, acts, or judgments had the most impact?

These are the issues that a future study should investigate. The answers to these questions will provide executives and policymakers at all levels with an invaluable opportunity. They will expose participants to many aspects of leadership and change management. The Apple case study and the knowledge of how Steve Jobs' and Tim Cook's leadership styles affected the company will play a crucial role in ensuring that managers understand leadership styles that can increase the productivity of their employees and, as a result, implement strategic plans to gain a competitive advantage.

The impact of leadership styles on the success of an organization have been the subject of a number of previous studies. For example, research has revealed inconsistencies between transformational and transactional leadership. Some research reveal a significant association between transformational leadership style and not transactional leadership style (Allen & Wilburn 2002). Nonetheless, the conclusions are not conclusive, as the collected data indicate that despite the leadership style, certain organizations nonetheless achieve a notable level of performance. Therefore, the planned research for this project will make a substantial contribution to the existing body of knowledge regarding the value of effective leadership styles.

Questions and Objectives in Research

The purpose of this study is to investigate leadership styles, with a particular emphasis on the profiles of Steve Jobs and Tim Cook at Apple Inc. The research issue is whether the leadership style advocated by Jobs and Cook can boost staff productivity and create a competitive edge. Thus, the precise aims of the study are as follows:

To analyze critically the relationship between leadership style and employee motivation in an organization. Evaluate critically the relationship between visionary and transformational leadership and the impact on the organisation's ability to create a competitive advantage. Using a case study of Apple Inc. under the leadership of Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, analyze critically the relationship between visionary leadership and the productivity of an organization.

Literature Review

Leadership is a vast idea that is revered, practiced, and studied everywhere. Numerous historical studies have examined leadership styles and ideas, their implementations inside organizations, and their effects. Even while scholars have diverse perspectives on every facet of leadership, they all agree that the phenomena is too tough and complex to be precisely defined or characterized (Gratton & Jones 2004). Still, most definitions of leadership emphasize the creation of a vision and the methods necessary to attain the established objectives, as well as the capacity to motivate followers (Northouse 2001).

The roots and history of leadership can be traced back to the 'Great Man' thesis, which asserts that leadership is founded on genetic elements, i.e., leaders are born with their abilities and cannot be transferred to others (Northouse 2001). With the passage of time, individuals began to recognize the theory's flaws (while it is still used as a foundation for understanding leadership styles, it does not explain how things operate in reality) (Chardan & Devi 2014). Instead, scholars began to examine leadership from a behavioral standpoint. This is when the situational theory of leadership came into prominence; it argued that leaders should always assess the given scenario and pick an appropriate leadership style (Chardan & Devi 2014).

Chardan and Devi (2014) defined a leadership style as a collection of organizational patterns. These are interaction patterns between leaders and their followers, according to Kolenda (2001). Transformational and transactional styles of leadership are the most prevalent, and hence serve as the basis for numerous studies. Obviously, these two styles of leadership share similarities with others. For instance, visionary leadership might be compared to transformative leadership.

Leadership and Business Performance

Numerous experts have emphasized that leadership is a crucial idea for any organization. There is no doubt that it has a substantial impact on the company culture and behavior. However, academics are uncertain on organizational performance.

According to Rafferty and Griffin (2004), there is a direct correlation between leadership and performance. According to numerous additional research, strong leadership has a positive effect on organizational performance. Abbas & Asghar (2010), for instance, asserted that competent executives assist businesses in addressing new difficulties, which enables the organization to evolve and run more effectively.

A company's success can be understood in terms of maximizing profits, creating high-quality products and services, employing effective marketing techniques, and generating excellent financial returns. According to Polelle (2008), all of these are determined by the leadership quality of the organization. However, performance is also dependent on the amount of worker productivity, which is in turn intimately linked to employee pleasure. In order to flourish and get a competitive edge, a business must increase employee satisfaction (Johnson 2007).

Leadership transformation and organizational performance

Transformational leaders are characterized by their ability to convince, inspire, and motivate others by leveraging their own beliefs and values. In this instance, followers do not work for the leader; rather, they collaborate and complement one another (Kline 2010). This, in turn, inspires subordinates' trust in their boss and leads to their allegiance. As a result of motivation and inspiration, employees prioritize the organization's objectives over their own, hence enhancing productivity and the growth of the business (Kouzes & Posner 2003).

According to Kouzes and Posner (2012), transformational leaders are charismatic, motivators, intelligent, and concerned. Moreover, transformational leaders are intelligent, intelligent, and concerned. Being charismatic enables a leader to have a clear vision and plan for the organization, as well as to inspire followers and instill confidence in their leader and the organization's goals.

Consequently, being charismatic typically goes hand in hand with being a motivator. Leaders can also set ambitious but attainable objectives for their team, thereby fostering the self-development of followers. It boosts employee loyalty and enhances their understanding of organizational objectives (Matha & Boehm 2008). As a result of his third attribute, a transformational leader generates novel concepts. Lastly, transformative leaders care about the well-being of their followers. They recognize the importance of empowering people through training and mentoring initiatives. They also treat them with respect and dignity, guide them, and assist them in reaching a specific degree of maturity, so enhancing their organizational productivity.

According to Harold and Fedor (2008), transformational leadership takes into account the possibilities of leaders providing incentives to employees as a means to motivate them, which should increase employee happiness. However, Harold and Fedor's (2008) findings do not establish a foundation upon which transformative leadership transcends to result in organizational success.

Leadership transitions and organizational performance

Transactional leadership comprises a scenario in which the leader pays followers compensation proportional to the value added to the organization. The leader directs and supervises the completion of tasks in the organization by the followers to ensure that the organization's goals are realized (Miller 2012). The explicit framing and clarification of organizational goals, coupled with the availability of appropriate incentives to recognize success, inspires followers to exceed expectations (Northouse 2010). In addition, followers are aware of the consequences of poor performance, which motivates them to strive for excellence (Northouse 2010).

Johnson (2007) emphasized the significance of transactional leadership based on a compensation system when discussing this leadership style. However, Johnson (2007) did not discuss the positive or negative impact of the reward system on work satisfaction and organizational success.

Steve Jobs as a Leader of Vision

Visionary leadership is required in the present business environment for firms to adapt to change, remain competitive, recruit and retain talent, etc. An good leader should be able to adapt to workplace issues and explain the organization's objectives. Therefore, leaders must be able to comprehend emotions and apply this knowledge to improve teamwork and productivity (Kafetsios et al. 2009). All of these were abilities possessed by Steve Jobs.

Steve's mentality as a winner, along with his enthusiasm and determination, allowed him to develop a large firm and recruit personnel. He was a source of motivation and a model for his followers (Jobs & Thomas 2011). The entire company culture was based on his personal ideals and philosophies. He urged people to work diligently, elevating the organization well above its competitors. As an advocate of face-to-face communication, Steve was able to receive feedback and comprehend people's needs and feelings (Polelle 2008). Tim Cook, upon succeeding Steve, demonstrated in many ways that he, too, was a brilliant leader.

Existing research gaps

The literature suggests that leadership style has a significant impact on the functioning of an organization. For instance, as indicated previously, employees’ contentment is a significant aspect in the organization’s performance. Therefore, in order to prosper and obtain a competitive advantage, businesses must enhance it. However, academics hold widely divergent views regarding whether or not leadership affects employee happiness.

For example, Kippenberger (2002) established the relationship between these two variables, although Sakiru et al. (2013) hold the opposite view. Similarly, there are individuals who believe that strong leadership has a favorable effect on organizational performance and those who assert that there is no correlation between the two. Divergent perspectives have resulted from the existence of a knowledge gap, which is a result of the fact that the arguments are derived from various research that have studied various leadership principles. Therefore, additional investigation is required. A respected leader (Steve Jobs) and a reputable company (Apple Company) have been selected for further research.

Methods

In order to answer the research question and accomplish the study's stated objectives, the research must examine the phenomenon of leadership styles and their impact on organizational performance and change (with the primary focus on leadership of Steve Job and Tim Cook and its impact on the Apple Company). Applying a quantitative strategy is the most effective method for achieving this objective. Quantitative research is appropriate since it can offer a full understanding of leadership styles and their impact on performance. The study will only utilize secondary data acquired from respectable and trustworthy sources. After collecting the data, it will be analyzed rigorously with statistical methods to verify that the conclusions produced reflect a unified view of leadership.

Research Plan

I would recommend employing the cross-sectional research strategy for this project, in which empirical data on high-profit returns are collected and analyzed. The design is appropriate for the research since repeated cross-sectional studies provide a pseudo-longitudinal study (Vogt, Gardner and Haeffele, 2012). Thus, it makes it possible for researchers to acquire empirical data for the analysis process. The cross-sectional analysis will

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