FUNDAMENTALS OF LEADERSHIP: BMW Company case - Essay Example

Task Fundamentals of Leadership Introduction Leadership can be regarded as the most crucial component of an organization bearing in mind the running of its immense activities. Like the old cliche, leaders are made rather than born, it requires the yearning, and labor for a certain person to become triumphant, and be regarded an effective leader within an organization (Ramer 2008, 1). The arrangement and ways of doing things have to reflect the capacity to run activities in the most proficient manner. Learning to become an outstanding leader is assumed by many as a continuous process of self-study, edification, guidance and experience. Leadership can be regarded as, the process in which a certain personality within an organization influences others, into achieving a single goal or objective and in a manner that suggests, cohesiveness within that particular organization (Ramer 2008, 1). Leaders accomplish these processes successfully through the application of comprehension and proficiency obtained throughout the leadership process. Although, the leadership is something that a person obtains through learning skills and knowledge exhibited by leaders get influence from the leader’s personal attributes such as ideas, principles and moral code (Ramer 2008, 5). Therefore, it means that the familiarity, and skills acquired by a leader put in straightforwardly to the leadership abilities while, the personal attributes of the leader make the leaders bear certain unique characteristics (Ramer 2008, 2). Leadership requires people who have managed to understand completely, their individual needs and personality in order to be sure that the leader will eventually lead the rest of the organization, to the right direction. Lack of single-mindedness by leaders within an organization could only mean failure in the far end. Leadership involves four principal aspects and these are; the leaders themselves, the circle, communication and situation (Ramer 2008, 3). The leaders have to be honest towards the cohorts in terms of their abilities and weaknesses for an effective leadership. This becomes indispensable for creation of inspiration among the organization workers, in case the followers lack confidence in their leader, and then they may lose their inspiration. The leaders have to define the superlative style to run their activities efficiently by proper observation of their followers’ response towards various headship styles. The leaders have to recognize the approaches that engender the required motivation among the association employees, and any unusual response means a change towards that approach (Ramer 2008, 3). Communication can also be considered an essential component within an organization’s leadership success. The leaders and his followers have to establish an effective communication to build on the affiliation between the two. Leaders within a leadership model have to recognize the leadership approach that a certain situation requires. This means that the person involved in leadership ought to have a perfect understanding of the circumstances that exists within their field. In most cases, leadership aims at making the followers of a certain leader have the urge to pull off high target aspirations within the administrative context. Greater leadership entails finding and solving challenging processes, bearing a shared apparition with the followers, being the model all the way through the process and endow with encouragement towards the inner self (Ramer 2008, 5). Leadership requires an understanding of various theories that mostly commonly applied to the organizational procedures together with their applications in the real sense. In management, various theories are applied in the explanation of various supervisory concepts for success in its endeavors. Question 1 BMW CEO appears more to be a transformational leader in relation to the company’s strategies in achieving the laid down aspiration and objectives. The company had beforehand been underperforming before the CEO joined bringing the company into realizing various goals, one of which is the improved sales for the 2010 fiscal year. The CEO can be depicted as, a transformational principal, as he has been driving the company through rapid changes from the complex situation, in which the company previously was before they step into power. The leader being transformational first developed an appropriate target during the preparation of a strategy that suited the company. The CEO has managed to develop the vision into a reality throughout the associations with the staff and employees. The CEO managed to sell the vision that the management developed through open dialogues with the managers, staff, as well as the employees. Through the dialogues, the vision has become embedded into the company officials, and employees meaning that the transformation can be effected on the grounds that, every person has knowledge of the expected results. The knowledge of the people within the company about every detail concerning their expected results through the directions from the overall leader serves to motivate them into achieving the objective. The idea of transformation or change within the company can be substantiated by the project put forward by the CEO and the rest of the executives. The project named the E change LIFE project engages the managers in the encouragement to them and the other staffs into tackling the transformational process collectively. The project organizes workshops and designs that engage the employees in developments within the company. Milberg can be described as a sensible and levelheaded individual fit for driving the company into the required spirits for the execution of the different activities. He is indeed a person with passion and vision that can be substantiated; by the way, he managed to direct the company to success from the tough financial crises experienced before the take of office. Milberg has managed to bring the energy and enthusiasm required for the success of the company through the introduction of various aspects. He has brought the anticipated motivation for the company employees and the workers have endured in noticing the same. Milberg applies various features of the styles theory in the implementation certain aspects, in the company. He collectively involves the company workforce in the provision of new ideas, problems and solutions to these problems. The decisions are, therefore, developed through the employees contributions. Milberg also employs the Laissez Faire style for employees in which the employees are organized into groups. The groups are required to present results through utilization of the smaller details presented by the company managers on the task to undertake. The groups have to come up with the appropriate stratagems to deal with problems that come into their way with little consultation. The groups have to become innovative and creative to achieve the required output. The teams are multi-functional to allow the groups carry out their activities with the best minds at each aspect. Milberg also utilizes the aspect of the participative theory by allowing the company members have a feeling of relevancy within the company surroundings through involvement in decision making. Milberg, therefore, utilizes various aspects of the participative theory as he allows the inputs of the other company members in decision-making. Milberg can be observed to apply the theory of styles concerning the same point, as he allow the opinion of the other company members although, he retains the ultimate decision making ability. The thoughts or ideas of the others help him to come up with the best solutions to these presented challenges. This can be substantiated by the one-hour breaks that allow the company officials to have dialogues with the employees within the multi-functional groups developed by the company officials. Question 2 The company immensely applies the skills approach in technical skills, which can be, considered essential for the company’s success. The company official present the technical skills throughout the company in which all the company employees, have the familiarity and the competencies required to develop a team that offer proficiency in the production of the different car brands. The arrangement of the workers into self-managed groups helps to ensure that the set goals are achieved perfectly without any glitches on the consumer products. The firm has managed to achieve even the advanced technical skills by tackling problems from various motor brands. The technical hold up teams provides the needed help to each other to provide the best services to consumers. The skill approach arranges the three skills into technical, human and conceptual. The technical is well established by employees who work on the customer orders with the required expertise to provide the best cars within Munich and around the globe. Despite the fact that, the company has exceptional human and theoretical skills the technical support still bears the most prominent part of the company success. The human and the conceptual skill present various components that assists the technical skills to carry out their activities efficiently. The human skills help or enable the technical skills develop the ability to work collectively as team members. The conceptual skills enable the company to comprehend and decide the appropriate actions that are required in various fields within the company. The conceptual skills, therefore, help the practical teamwork in the most resourceful manners. According to the provision of Katz, the top management exhibits low technical skills with high human and theoretical skills. Within the mid-level, management, the technical skills are low while the human skills are high, and the conceptual skills are mid or between low and high. Under the supervisory management, the technical skills and human skills are at the peak with the conceptual skills being at the lower end. This means that the people at the bottom of management, the technical skills are at the peak while, at the top management, the technical skills are at the lower end. The technical skills are, therefore, required more at the lower level of an employee’s position as well as lower conceptual skills. In BMW Company, the technical skills contribute indirectly to the results of the company. Through the leader competencies, with provision of proper guiding principles, the technical teams manage to meet up the collection goals of the company. This indicates that the outcomes or success of the firm occur as an indirect contribution from the competent leaders who include the CEO and other staffs. The management drives the supplementary part of the organization into success through the provision of certain pertinent information. The management also contributes directly to the success of the company through their acquire competencies. Question 4 BMW being a global company has to come up with the excellent strategy to bring about its set goals. Applying the leadership grid proposed by Blake and Mouton, the accomplishment of the goals can effectively be established. The company bears high regards for its employees while still taking care of the high production that is the sole goal of most companies. Therefore, taking into thought the leadership grid, goal accomplishment in BMW Company falls under the team or the sound approach. The employees in BMW company contribute immensely to the company’s success as well as show commitments through the way they organize their teams to realize substantial outputs. The managers have high concerns for the employees as well as production (Ramer 2008, 7). For production, the employees are organized into groups that are assesses in terms of the outcome that they present. The people who immensely contribute to the teamwork get rewards from the top management as a way of motivation. For the employees, they at times receive breaks to take on nature walks in certain periods in their lives in the company. However, the manager only gives directives to workforce who are in groups, they still have to transcribe on the progress otherwise the results presented may not be sufficient. The company insists on the managements system where the workers perform under low supervision although, in the precedent, the workers used to get numerous supervisions. The manager heartens teamwork and commitment for the BMW Company employees. These serve to make the employees have the feeling of belonging. The employees in this company are able to understand the organizational purpose as well as determine the production requirements (Ramer 2008, 5). The workforces in this company bear the feeling of constructiveness that contributes to higher satisfaction and production. For these reasons, BMW can satisfactorily be placed on the team or sound style grid (Ramer 2008, 5). Effective headship has seen the company through success in the period in which Milberg has been in control. The teams instituted, within BMW’s work environment, to help achieve high output in the excellent manner. The teams are made up of multi-functional faction members in an attempt to solve any problem internally within these groups. The company also encourages the team members to cultivate leadership characters by giving them the mandate to conduct their activities without so much supervision from the managers. The team members develop these characteristic after which they utilize them, in the teamwork by applying the necessary leadership strategies that improve the productivity of a certain team, and overly the production for the company. The teamwork by the company’s employees helps in the adoption of transformation leadership in that they share ideas on the way forward for the company. The top management organizes meetings with the employees in order to get solutions to problems, as well as new ideas concerning the company. The managers in the company endow with a greater understanding of all the company activities. The workers get encouraged, by the managers to reflect beyond, the technical part and institute business concepts into their work. The company presents the workforces with the needed environments for them to be effective in their work through the provision of independence within the groups. The teams within the company working environment have the desirable self-rule and group responsibility that provide the continuous progress within the company. The groups have to toil as a team to achieve the intended goals and this can only be possible through a better coordination of the group proceedings. Provision of incentives to best workers aims at triggering the urge to achieve notable success. The management also carries out trainings for the team members in order to improve the running of group activities. The training mainly transpires, among the group leaders, to allow for effective management of team activities. Conclusion Leadership within an organizational context offers a formidable challenge to most people especially if a person does not possess the knowledge and skills to run the organization. The leaders, therefore, have to bear these skills and knowledge in order to succeed in implementing the relevant policies to lead a group of individuals in success. The theories presented helps in imparting the theoretical part of leadership into an individual after which these individuals can apply the knowledge in real life circumstances. The CEO in BMW Company bears the qualities that have driven the company into success soon after the other leader drove the company into massive losses. The leaders, therefore, need to have certain concepts readily available to help in evaluation of problems and providing the best solutions to problems. The leaders have to obtain a satisfactory relationship with their employees in order to help solve a common predicament in the excellent manner. Bibliography Ramer (2008), Concepts of Leadership, Dec 18, 2011. Accessed on < http://www.ramergroup.com/pdfs/Concepts-of-Leadership.pdf > Read More