Steve Jobs Management Style - Essay Example

Steve Jobs applied an approach that theorists never understood and would contradict. Verganti describes Job’s management style as “management by meaning” because of the scope of Job’s managerial decisions and objectives that focused on establishing value for both clients and employees (Verganti 2011, p. 1). The management approach identifies people’s psychological and social aspects and seeks to create meaning to people through incorporating their “rational, cultural, and emotional dimensions” (Verganti 2011, p. 1). This defines an abstract management approach that transcends a variety of management and leadership styles with the aim of meeting clients' and employees’ needs. Jobs, especially after being asked to resign from Apple’s top management, incorporated democratic, visionary, and transformational management styles that he applied according to situations and desired meanings to be created (Dhima, Qorri, Arapi, and Sinani 2011, p. 7). Christopher also offers an account of Job’s transformational leadership style in the company and identifies him among the top visionary leaders and managers of the period (Christopher 2012, p. 357).

Job’s management style and its development from an experience in his career suffered a setback proved a success and led Apple to an innovative era. The diversified approach to Job’s management identifies effectiveness to meeting his ultimate objective of maximizing utility among employees and customers and the three incorporated management styles, democratic, transformational, and visionary management styles, succeeded in meeting employees' needs towards output that generated products for customers’ utility. The transformational management style benefited Jobs’ approach because of its ability to empower and motivate employees towards achieving desired objectives. The developed potentials among employees and their desire to deliver culminated in the realized innovation and development of new products at Apple. Visionary managerial style, with its elements of developing a vision and influencing the vision on employees, also posed an important role influencing Job’s success upon his return to Apple’s top management. In its scope, the visionary approach to management and its motivating aspects of setting real or virtual goals influenced managers and employees in the organization to strive for success under a healthy competitive environment. The democratic management approach and its effects of devolved authority among members of an organization and a resultant level of commitment identify the style’s ability to capture employees' and managers’ commitment to organizational goals. Further, implementing the different management styles under a situational approach enhances success in management. These concepts, associated with a high level of utility and innovation within the organization, are consistent with the consequent customer utility through the developed products that Apple attained under Jobs management (Verganti 2011, p. 1; Dhima, Qorri, Arapi and Sinani 2011, p. 7).

Job’s management approach identifies an integration of different management styles with the aim of creating meaning among employees and customers. Advantages of the different management approaches demonstrate Job’s success in management that revitalized Apple into an innovative company. The management style was therefore successful.