Management Theory and Practice - Essay Example

The leaders, especially political leadership of the nations therefore, become major enabling elements of change. The paper would be discussing the leadership dynamics of Angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor of unified Germany. Angela Merkel, an exemplary leader of contemporary times Angela Merkel was an academician who had plunged into politics when efforts for unifying Germany had started with the fall of Berlin wall. Her party, ‘Democratic Awakening’ merged with Helmut Kohl’s ‘Christian Democratic Union’ in 1990.

She was the last spokesperson for DDR, East Germany party. She had become the youngest federal minister in Germany in 1991 when she was made part of reshuffled cabinet of Kohl as federal minister, Women and Youth from 1991 to 1994. She was minister of Environment, Protection of Nature and Reactor Safety, 1994-98. She continued to excel in her designated ministerial position and rose within the party position to take up Chairpersonship of CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 1993-2000. Her meteoric rise to General Secretary and later as Chairman of CDU had finally culminated in her becoming the Chancellor of unified Germany in 2005 (Mills, 2007).

Her leadership has been unique in many ways. She was the only woman leader who had rapidly gained popularity in the otherwise male dominated political arena of Germany. Her leadership was also exceptional because she had become a major representative of former East Germany and a symbol of new unified nation that promoted a policy of non differentiation and non partisan. Merkel has defied the gender stereotype that makes it difficult for women candidates to excel in adverse conditions. Her leadership style, decision making model and her inherent leadership traits became her major strength in a volatile socio-political environment of new face of unified Germany.

Leadership style The fall of Berlin Wall was momentous occasion in the history of Germany. It not only signified a new political equation of Germany on the world map but it also bespoke of the change that Germans were ready to embrace. Her fast track political career could best be attributed to her mixed style of leadership comprising of situational and transformational leadership style. She believed in taking advantage of the situation and ensured her position through strategic decisions that were designed to promote her long term goals of gaining political power.

She did not hesitate to criticise her mentor, Kohl, in 1998 when he became embroiled in a major scandal involving donation. It was an opportune moment to gain political leverage which she took and became Chairperson of CDU, the major political party of unified Germany (Langguth, 2005). Merkel is a leader who intrinsically believes that dynamic reforms are needed to bring in constructive change for socio-cultural and economic stability of the country. Bass (1999, p9) argues succinctly ‘transformational leader emphasizes what you can do for your country..’.

Merkel introduced dramatic reforms in the foreign policy. Hill (2010) affirms that Merkel has displayed exemplary leadership initiatives in ‘five critical areas: the economic crisis, social policy, global warming, foreign policy and, perhaps most importantly, in refashioning capitalism in the face of its near collapse’. It clearly shows her confidence in reforms for the wider welfare of Germany. Traits As a highly effective transformational