Leadership Style for R&D Head of Apple - Essay Example

Leadership Style for R&D Head of Apple Inserts His/Her Inserts Grade Inserts (01, July, Introduction Leadership is a very important aspect in management today. Globalization has increased competition in all fields of businesses therefore leadership has a lot to do with the possible success and failure of any company. In this report I will be talking about the leadership in Apple and how a Research and Development Head can improve the performance of the company. Leadership approaches that will be successful for this position will be discussed in the report. The problems the company is facing right now will also be discussed and how a Research and Development Head can solve those problems. Background Apple is a well known name in computers, cell phone and other electronic devices. The company is best known for ties innovation in electronic devices. Their cell phone I phone 4 was named as the smartest cell phone in the world1. The name of Apple is associated with products that are innovative and provide a wide range of services at affordable prices. This is one reason why sales of Apple occur on a global level. The company faced some problems when it launched its I Phone 4 version. People were having problems with the antenna2. Now the company is preparing to launch another advance model of I Phone and it wants to make sure that problems of last year are not repeated. This is a big issue company is facing today and a Research and Development has a lot to do with it. They have to ensure through testing and retesting that all of the parts are working properly before the launch so that the company should not face embarrassment. The crisis of leadership is also a problem in Apple because its CEO Steve Jobs is a charismatic leader towards whom everyone looks up to. Now he cannot solve all the problems that employees experience and therefore many problems occur. The figure of Steve Jobs has done wonders for the company but it is important that leadership is strong at all levels. Only then an organization can function in a better way. This is lacking in the organization and this ought to change. The leadership crisis and the problems with the new model cell phone are closely related to each other. It was because of this crisis that I Phone 4 problem took place in the first place. Leadership at the top is amazing but leaders are not present at lower levels. This issue is causing the problem and a Research and Development Head can solve these problems through his leadership. There are many styles of Leadership like transformational leadership, charismatic leadership, situational leadership, transactional leadership, quiet leadership, participative leadership, and servant leadership. All these styles are based on certain assumptions. No one style of leadership is better than others rather all of them are applicable in different organizational settings. The Research and Development Head at Apple should follow participative leadership because of the organizational culture of the company. Apple is an innovative company that comes up with new technology products. In such a company innovative is important and above all that is why such companies usually have a clan culture3. In such a culture people interact with each other and organizational hierarchies are flat. Same is the case with Apple therefore in order to lead an important position at the company participative leadership is the most suitable option for the Research and Development Head. Participative Leadership attempts to involve many people in the decision making process and in this employees are empowered4. In this way everyone has a role to play in the decision. It is believed that if everyone is made part of a decision then employees will work hard to achieve their goals. Participative style of leadership allows employees to take part in decision and therefore they decide their own goals. In this way they are motivated to achieve those goals. Another reason why participative leadership will work in Apple is that the problem that the company is facing will only be solved if people who have the knowledge of the products are involved in the decision making. It is very important to understand the nature of the problems that are in any product before it is launched in order to save the company from any kind of embarrassment. Middle level employees are the ones who know the most about any product because they are directly involved in the making of that product. In participative leadership it is important that the leader allows employees to take part in the decision making but it is also important that leader maintains the right to accept or reject those decisions. This is essential in order to maintain stability in the work place. Employees have a tendency to make extreme decisions and it is important that leader ensures that decision is in the best interest of the company. Other styles of leadership like situational or transformational leadership are not fit for the Research and Development Head working in Apple. Situations like that of Apple will not change because they are innovating on a regular basis. And they already have a transformational leader Steve Jobs, so all that Apple wants is a leader that will include the middle levels employees into decision making process. This will solve the problems that the company is facing today. Other leadership styles like servant leadership will also not work because technology products are complex and sometimes decision making has to be made by the experts. This is why servant leadership will not work. The capability of the decision making should be in the hand of the leader but opinions of everyone should be taken and accommodated. Disadvantages of Participative style of Leadership There are also some disadvantages of participative style of leadership. Involving employees may lead to many opinions and more time to come up with a decision5. Time is essential for a company like Apple and they cannot afford to lose time. Decision making process will take a longer time under this style of leadership. Also the veto power is still in the hand of the leader so it can make the whole process like an authoritarian leadership. It is on the discretion of the leader whether to go with the decision of the employees or with his own. This is another added disadvantage of participative style of leadership. But even with all these disadvantage participative style of leadership is the best for the Research and Development Head of Apple. It is best suited for the company and can help the company solve the problems it is facing today. Summary and Conclusion Apple is a well known name in the cell phone and other electronic gadgets market. The company is famous for its innovative products but is facing problems after the new I phone 4 version was giving some problems to the customers. This tarnished the company’s reputation. Participative style of leadership can solve the problem of Apple. The head of Research and Development can involve all the concerned parties in the decision making process and can solve the problems company is facing today. This style is most appropriate for the company. Bibliography Beyer, J &Browning, L. 1999. Transforming an industry in crisis: Charisma, routinization, and supportive cultural leadership, The Leadership Quarterly, 10(3): 483-520 Crane, D. 1976. The Case of Participative Leadership, Business Horizons. Accessed on 01 July 2011 from http://www.mahaz.com/ucf/EIN5108/participative/jm/case_for_participative_management.pdf Goldman, David. 2010. 5 problems plaguing the I Phone 4, CNN Money. Accessed on 01 July 2011 from http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/technology/1007/gallery.iphone_problems/index.html Morris, Clayton. 2010. I Phone 4 Review: The best Smartphone ever? Fox News.com. Accessed on 01 July 2011 from http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/06/24/iphone-review-best-smartphone-on-market/ Somech, A. 2005. Directive versus Participative Leadership: Two Complementary Approaches to Managing School Effectiveness, Educational Administration Quarterly, 41(5): 777-800 Read More