Leadership and management style in practice king Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and sir Alex Ferguson - Essay Example

You are to choose a person that is a Leader and a different person who is a Manager. You are to Critically Analyse their leadership and Management styles respectively. You are then required to compare and contrast your chosen leader and manager. 1. Introduction The decisions of leaders and managers in various political and economic frameworks are likely to be based on different criteria – being influenced by the local politics, economy and culture but also by the personal perceptions and beliefs. In the literature, there are certain standards used for evaluating the quality and the effectiveness of leaders’ and managers’ decisions; also, leadership and management styles have been categorized using specific terms and conditions. These frameworks/ theories are quite important in order to understand the key characteristics of the style of leaders and managers worldwide. This issue is discussed in this paper; reference is made to the leadership style of king Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and the management style of sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of Manchester United; the leadership style and the management style of the above two individuals are compared trying to identify the principles and the criteria which are most likely to affect modern leaders and managers. Also effort is made to understand the hierarchy of priorities for leaders and managers worldwide – even if they activate in different social frameworks. It is concluded that leaders and managers have to face similar challenges even if their power and the resources available for the realization of their plans are differentiated. 2. Leadership and management style in practice – king Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and sir Alex Ferguson 2.1 Leadership style of king Abdullah One of the key priorities ‘for all Saudi monarchs in the 20th century has been the modernization of the country’ (BBC News, 2011); in the past the country’s development had faced delays because of the lack of sufficient funds for supporting such initiatives. However, since the appearance of oil as the country’s major product, the improvement of the country’s position in the international community has been continuous; the above trend has being supported by all the country’s governors, including the king Abdullah. King Abdullah was appointed as the ruler of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1996; probity was perceived to be one of his key characteristics (The New York Times, 2010). It was for this reason that his appointment as the country’s ruler was believed to help towards the update of the country’s practices in the international relations arena. More specifically, up to the appointment of king Abdullah as the ruler of Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s policy in regard to its relations with the neigbouring countries was strongly influenced by the views of the American governments on this field. Reference is made specifically to the development of efforts for ‘establishing piece with Israel by setting the term for the withdrawal of Israel from all territories occupied since 1967’ (The New York Times 2010). King Abdullah was the one who first doubted the effectiveness of such policy, criticizing the lack by American governments of sufficient monitoring and review of the relevant plan (The New York Times 2010). In this way, the ability of King Abdullah to use his power for enforcing the role of his country within the international community was made clear. Another important challenge that the King Abdullah had to face was the control of the negative criticism towards Saudi Arabia after the events of the September the 11th – where ’15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis’ (The New York Times 2010). The king had to establish a series of measures for improving the image of Saudi Arabia globally – which was severely harmed because of the practice of Saudi governors in the past to show tolerance to the development of extremism across the country (The New York Times 2010). In other words, the key advantage of king Abdullah compared to the country’s governors in the past has been its ability to face successfully a series of different challenges which appeared simultaneously: apart from the plans for the country’s development in industrial and educational area, the improvement of the country’s image in terms of safety (Bumiller 2011) and the increase of its power in influencing the international relations referring to the greater region, are certain of the challenges that king Abdullah has to face as the ruler of Saudi Arabia; up today, it seems that the above challenges have been managed successfully, improving the role of Saudi Arabia as a mediator in international crises. 2.2 Management style of sir Alex Ferguson Sir Alex Ferguson is the manager of Manchester United; having a significant experience in managing football teams – since 1974 when he was appointed as the manager of East Stirling, sir Alex Ferguson has repeatedly proved his competence in the specific field (Barclays Premier League 2011). In fact, during his work as football manager, he has achieved a series of important awards, such as the UEFA Champions League in 1999/2008, the European Super Cup in 1983/ 1991 and the Inter-Continental Club Cup in 1999 (Barclays Premier League 2011). Alex Ferguson ‘took the control of Manchester United in 1986’ (Barclays Premier League 2011) and has remained in this position since then. Among his strengths, emphasis should be given on his ability to make players to put all their efforts in each match (Barclays Premier League 2011). His ability to impose respect on his commands is also unique, keeping the team well organized and controlled, a fact that has highly supported its performance, as proved in the team’s success up today (Barclays Premier League 2011). Moreover, being in the field since 1974, has a great experience in resolving problems and identifying effective strategies for competing successfully the opponents, a characteristic which has been proved valuable every time that the players had to face psychological games (Barclays Premier League 2011). On the other hand, his failure in understanding his own mistakes has been one of his weaknesses, being criticized, in certain cases, as arrogant towards the match officials (Barclays Premier League 2011). In any case, his achievements as a manager of one of Britain’s major football team cannot be denied; this fact is reflected in his recent nomination – in May 2011 – as ‘Manager of the Year’ (Mail Online, 20 & 24 May 2011). His nomination has been based on his total achievements in the specific field – referring mostly to ‘the winning of 12 Premier League titles’ (BBC News, 2011). 2.3 Comparison and contrast of king Abdullah and sir Alex Ferguson The leadership style of king Abdullah has certain similarities with the management style of sir Alex Ferguson; at the same time, differences seem to exist between the above two individuals who are involved in different activities and who tend to use different approaches in resolving daily problems. However, the above individuals have different power and position; moreover, they have different environment and perceptions. For this reason, the comparison of their practices and success cannot be direct; rather, this comparison should be based on the level at which they managed to respond to their role, as this was role has been perceived by theorists who studied the particular subject. In accordance with Omolayo (2007, p.1) ‘the coordination with subordinates should be one of the key priorities for modern leaders’; on the other hand, Wu (2008) noted that the quality and the effectiveness of leadership is judged in accordance with ‘the traits, the behaviour and the influence of the leader’ (Wu 2008, p.37). On the other hand, the success of a leader is closely related to its ability ‘to achieve the targets he sets’ (Mei-Liang et al. 2008, p.62). Moreover, Kong et al. (2009) noted that alternative modes of leadership (such as the transformational leadership) can be used instead of traditional styles of leadership when the latter cannot respond to the needs of the particular environment (Kong et al. 2009, p.949). From another point of view, not all leadership styles can be appropriate for any social and economic environment - for instance, not all leaders could meet the requirements of the attachment theory on leadership (Davidovitz et al. 2007, p.32). The success of a manager in any organizational context seems to be depended on his ability to fight bureaucracy and suggest effective and simple plans (Mhozya 2010, p.647). Moreover, Fungwu et al. (2006) noted that the leadership styles of modern managers are likely to be divided into four major categories: ‘selling, telling, participating, and delegating’ (Fungwu et al. 2006, p.434). The ability of a manager to respond to the requirements of his role will be evaluated based on his responsiveness to the above tasks; communicating with employees would be also another characteristics of successful managers, indicating their ability to keep balance within their organization (Thau et al. 2007, p.250) In order to evaluate the leadership style of king Abdullah, it would be necessary to refer primarily to the general framework of this leadership style – meaning its classification, using the literature published in the particular field. In accordance with Ghuman (2010) the leadership styles used by modern leaders could be categorized as follows: autocratic leadership, paternalistic leadership, consultative leadership and participative leadership (Ghuman 2010, p.398-399). After reviewing the characteristics of the above styles, it could be noted that the leadership style of king Abdullah is more close to the autocratic leadership, a leadership style that is characterized by the absolute power of the leader to decide, being based on ‘a centralized system of power’ (Ghuman 2010, p.398). The above style has a series of advantages, including ‘the strong motivation of the leader’ (Ghuman 2010, p.398), the limited time required for the development of decisions in periods of crises – in such cases there is no need for the relevant decisions to be discussed with subordinates and in this way time is saved in responding to the crises (Ghuman 2010, p.398). Moreover, there is no need for trying to identify subordinates and consultants with high skills and competencies since these people would only have to follow the instructions of the leader; in other words, the risk for failures in choosing subordinates is limited (Ghuman 2010, p.398). On the other hand, the above leadership style may be difficult to be always welcomed by the public; the increased power of the leader may be negatively criticized in cases where there is opposition between the leader’s decisions and the views of the public on critical issues. Moreover, under certain terms, the decisions of the leader can be ineffective if there is no time for appropriate planning and the leader fails to estimate the full implications of a specific decision, a problem which can easily occur in cases of unexpected political or economic turbulences or issues that need to be addressed with no delay, for instance, the case of damages for extreme weather events (Ghuman 2010, p.398). In the study of Pride et al. (2009) reference is made to the authoritarian leader – a leader acting similarly to the autocratic leader, the laissez-faire leader – who gives to his subordinates the freedom to take decisions, and the democratic leader – who ‘gives part of his authority to others’ (Pride et al. 2009, p.179) aiming to ensure the participation of all members of his team in the development of key decisions. Another term used for describing the leadership style of these characteristics is the term ‘decide style’ in which subordinates have only ‘the power of proving information and not of suggesting solutions’ (Hellriegel et al. 2007, p.225). The leadership style of king Abdullah, as described above, meets the terms of the autocratic – or else, authoritarian style, giving to the leader a unique power to decide on all the issues related to its area of power, in the specific case, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As of the management style of sir Alex Ferguson, this could be evaluated by referring primarily to the relevant literature. As of managers, their management style is related to the methods chosen in regard to specific processes, including the decision making process, the management of total quality and the planning process (Pride et al. 2009, p.181). It should be noted that the methods mentioned above have been incorporated in two major categories, which are known as theory X and theory Y of management. In accordance with theory X the key priority of managers would be the close monitoring of employees who, in the context of this theory, are likely to avoid working appropriately and effectively unless they are closely controlled (Andrews 2008, p.118). On the other hand, the theory Y of management is based on the view that ‘people are naturally inclined to work’ (Andrews 2008, p.118). However, they should be adequately motivated as in this case their performance would be significantly increased (Andrews 2008, p.118). Moreover, in accordance to Martin et al. (2010) the evaluation of the style of managers would be based on certain determinants: ‘the organizational mechanisms, the experience of the manager, the personal beliefs on management and the personal characteristics/ background of the manager involved’ (Martin et al. 2010, p.202). In other words, apart from the existing theory on management, the personal perceptions, beliefs and experience of each manager can be used for evaluating his decisions and initiatives in the context of his role. Sir Alex Ferguson has managed to respond to the requirements of his role, apart perhaps from the issue of effective communication with the players; respect is important for a successful management; however, effective communication is also crucial for developing a management style which will be viable in the long term. 3. Conclusion The examination of the leadership and management styles of king Abdullah and sir Alex Ferguson has proved that leaders and managers can evaluate differently the needs of their environment. Moreover, the different position of leader and manager in terms of power, does not allow the same level of independency in developing critical decisions. This means that leaders have, by their position, an advantage towards managers, who cannot be totally independent in taking initiatives within their organization. The above fact has been made clear by reviewing the decision making criteria of king Abdullah and Alex Ferguson; the former has the absolute control on his country’s affairs, while the former has to align his decisions with the culture of his organization but also with the willing of the organization’s president and its shareholders. It has been made clear that the difference regarding the level of power of leader, compared to that of the manager, can have a series of implications for the effectiveness of their decisions but also for their responsibility; in the case of Alex Ferguson, the failure of one or more of his decisions may be justified by referring to the factors intervening in the relevant plan; in the case of king Abdullah, such explanation is difficult to be accepted, taking into consideration the level of his power. On the other hand, the total independency from subordinates, as existing in the case of king Abdullah can reduce the chances of failures caused by incompetent coordinates, while Alex Ferguson has necessarily to deal with such risks. In the above context, it could be concluded that both king Abdullah and sir Alex Ferguson have responded to the demands of their role, even if their power to impose their decision is differentiated. As for the differences identified between the above two individuals, these could be characterized as expected taking into consideration the differences in their environment - political, economic and social – but also in their personal experiences and perceptions. References Andrews, G. 2008. Canadian Professional Engineering and Geoscience: Practice and Ethics. Belmont: Cengage Learning Davidovitz, R., Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P., Izsak, R. 2007. Leaders as Attachment Figures: Leaders’ Attachment Orientations Predict. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 93, No 4, pp.632-650. Available from Fungwu, T., Tsai, M., Fey, Y., Wu, R. 2006. A Study of the Relationship between Manager’s Leadership Style and Organizational Commitment in Taiwan’s International Tourist Hotels. Asian Journal of Management and Humanity Sciences, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 434-452. Available from Ghuman, K. 2010. Management: Concepts, Practice & Cases. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Education Hellriegel, D., Slocum, J. 2007. Organizational behavior. Belmont: Cengage Learning Kong, S.C., Ogata, H., Arnseth, H.C., Chan, C.K.K., Hirashima, T., Klett, F., Lee, J.H.M., Liu, C.C., Looi, C.K., Milrad, M., Mitrovic, A., Nakabayashi, K., Wong, S.L., Yang, S.J.H. (eds.) (2009). Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computers in Education [CDROM]. Hong Kong: Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education, pp. 945-949. Available from Martin, J., Fellenz, M. 2010. Organizational Behaviour & Management. Belmont: Cengage Learning Mei-Liang, C., Sheng, H., Kuang-Jung, C. 2008. A Study of Leadership Styles and Direct Employees’ Perceptions toward Privatization – A Case Study of Taiwan Railways Administration. The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning Vol. 4, Num. 2, pp.61-78. Available from Mhozya, M. 2010. The perceptions of Senior Management Teams’ (SMTs) dominant leadership styles in selected Botswana primary schools. Educational Research and Review Vol. 5 (11), pp. 646-650 Available online at Omolayo, B. 2007. Effect of Leadership Style on Job-Related Tension and Psychological Sense of Community in Work Organizations: A Case Study of Four Organizations in Lagos State, Nigeria. Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology. Volume 4 Number 2. Available from Pride, W., Hughes, R., Kapoor, J. 2009. Business. Belmont: Cengage Learning Thau, S., Aquino, K., Wittek, R. 2007. An Extension of Uncertainty Management Theory to the Self: The Relationship Between Justice, Social Comparison Orientation, and Antisocial Work Behaviors. Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 92, No 1, pp.250-258. Available from: Wu, M. 2008. Comparing Expected Leadership Styles in Taiwan and US. China Media Research, 4(1): 36-46. Available from Online Sources Barclays Premier League. 2011. Sir Alex Ferguson. Available from BBC News. March 26. 2011. Saudi Arabia. Country Profile. Available from < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/country_profiles/791936.stm> BBC Sport. May 23, 2011. Sir Alex Ferguson scoops LMA manager award. Available from < http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/13514227.stm> Bumiller, E. April 6, 2011. Defense Chief Is on Mission to Mend Saudi Relations. The New York Times. Available from Mail Online. May 20, 2011. That's another double... Manchester United's legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson named manager of the year - and star defender Nemanja Vidic wins player of year award. Available from < http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1389223/Sir-Alex-Ferguson-Nemanja-Vidic-named-manager-player-season.html> Mail Online. May 24, 2011. Ferguson scoops Manager of the Year award... and then lauds 'courageous' Carlo. Available from < http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1390212/Sir-Alex-Ferguson-wins-Manager-Year-award.html> The New York Times. November 29, 2010. Abdullah, King of Saudi Arabia. Available from Read More