Assignment 1 Case Study 60 marks - 30% Read the case study, “Meg Whitman and eBay” then answer the questions that follow. Not all employment or business situations are the same and therefore require a...

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Meg Whitman - Case Study
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Meg Whitman - Case Study
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Comparison of the Various Leadership Styles
Various employment or business situations are not usually similar and thus each requires a different leadership style. Meg Whitman, CEO of e-Bay, provided hands on approach in management. She focused on hiring the right people and making strategic management decisions rather than leaving them to the employees. This can compare to a shift supervisor at Burger King where a hand on approach is likely to be adopted. A supervisor at Burger King needs to train their employees in a unique culture. The supervisor must ensure that employees are trained to value customers and ensure that customer satisfaction is their primary objective. A supervisor should also motivate employees by ensuring that they are adequately compensated for their hard work (Smith, 2012).
Her leadership style also compares to a shift supervisor who must ensure that employees display their soft skills when dealing with customers. Additionally, the supervisor must ensure that compensation given to employees is based on delivering what customers want. By ensuring this, the supervisor should adopt an annual review process, which will be used to determine salary increases for their employees. In the case of appraisals, the supervisor should recognise all the people involved in achieving the company goals rather than a particular individual (Smith, 2012).
As the CEO of e-bay, Meg Whitman displayed authoritarian kind of leadership, which was necessary because she had to change the existing ideologies. For a Minister of a church, the leadership style he or she is likely to be accustomed to, is shaped by the doctrines of the church. Thus, the likely leadership style to be adopted is that of a servant leadership exemplified by Jesus Christ. In addition, a church minister ought to display his or her soft skills in leadership such as good communication skills and sympathy. Church ministers should also be willing to listen to their congregation and offer help where appropriate (“Effective Leadership in the Church,” 2005, p.9, 10, 11).
A church minister should be well equipped with biblical principles, which can be achieved by constantly reading the Bible. The minister should emulate the example of Christ by following his doctrines when faced with challenging situations. The foundation of ministers’ leadership style should be based on love and are mandated to lead their followers in various church activities. A church minister should ensure that the principles laid down in the Bible in regards to the discipline of church members are adhered to. Additionally, experienced church ministers should train upcoming leaders in leading and guiding their congregation according to biblical principles (“Effective Leadership in the Church,” 2005, p.9, 10, 11).
Like Whitman’s totalitarian leadership style, a police superintendent ought to display a hand on approach in his or her leadership. Analysts claim that strong police leadership is the key to delivering improvements in their performance and reducing crime and the fear of crime. It has also been established that improved training, leadership and professionalism are required at all levels of the police service. Tackling crime is quite an uphill task and for this reason, there is the need for command. Most criminals have now devised crude means of performing criminal activities where some can even hack into computer systems to get sensitive information. There is the need to ensure that these criminal activities are cu
ed and vigilance is required on the part of police officers (Do
y, Anscombe & Tuffin, n.d, p.1, 2).
A police superintendent should have adequate knowledge of the rules and regulations that guide their conduct. For effective leadership, he or she must gain the trust, respect and confidence of staff and must be willing to value the effort of their junior officers. From a conducted research 25% of police officers cited having relevant knowledge and skills as being necessary for effective leadership. Moreover, commitment and dedication is indispensable in ensuring that police officers offer quality services to the public (Do
y, Anscombe & Tuffin, n.d, p.18).
Similar to Whitman’s leadership style that was guided by a vision, the President of the United States must be visionary. However, for the United States President, the number of people he or she leads is enormous. Thus, the decision making style to be adopted should be carefully chosen while there is also great need for delegation. In the United States, scholars argue that the president must have a compelling vision of the future of America (Mortensen, 2007, p.4).
Adequate knowledge on how to make decisions is necessary for an American president. Efficiency in decision-making is determined by ones ability to challenge the status quo and apply policies that are in sequence with the overall objective of an accountable leadership. Researchers argue that one of the most successful presidents of America adopted a decision making model that was consensus seeking and ensured that problems were debated. A president must also delegate authority but he or she must have an eye on everything that takes place rather than adopting hands off approach (Mortensen, 2007, p.4, 5).
Link between Strategic Direction and Leadership
Strategic direction and leadership go hand in hand because a good strategic direction determines the success of any organisation. Analysts point out that in determining strategic direction there is the need to specify the image and disposition that a firm seeks to develop over time. In framing the strategic direction, conditions such as opportunities and threats that are likely to face a firm in future are evaluated. More so, effectual leadership and instruction programs are necessary in...