Leadership Traits, Behaviors and Styles - Assignment Example

Leadership traits, behaviors and styles Born in Chieti, Italy in 1952 to parents Maria and Concezio Marchionne, Sergio Marchionne grew up immersed in the Italian culture for the first fourteen years of his life. His family then relocated to Toronto, Canada to avoid the tumultuous conditions in Italy. While in Canada, Marchionne learnt how to speak English fluently. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto and his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Windsor. He then went on to pursue his law degree at New York University. His exceptional education background provided him with ample high-level employment opportunities. However, of significance to the study is Marchionne’s tenure as CEO of Chrysler, an automobile company based in the United States. Marchionne took over as CEO in 2009 replacing Robert Nardelli, at a time when Chrysler faced huge financial constraints. The fact that he had turned Fiat, an Italian based automobile company into a profitable organization, made him the ideal candidate for the job. Marchionne managed to repay Chrysler’s loans to the government six years in advance and re-built Chrysler as a profitable automobile empire within a very short time (Wernle, 2010). Explored in this essay includes Marchionne’s leadership and personality traits, behavior orientation, and leadership style. Leadership and personality traits The Five Factor Model (FFM) outlines five personality dimensions, which include Neurotism, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Extraversion and Openness (OCEAN). Within each dimension are primary factors, which describe in detail individual qualities. Personality psychologists such as Eynseck infer that an individual’s personality encompasses a combination of both dispositional and situational factors. Dispositional factors account for internal factors such as temperance and cognitive and genetic predispositions among others. Conversely, situational factors account for external factors predisposed by the environment such as media, family and peers among others. The analysis of personality dimensions proposed by the FFM enables one to analyze an individual in a holistic manner without the overlapping of qualities, which are specific to each dimension. As such, a person either falls on one end of the high-low continuum of each dimension. Sergio Marchionne is high in conscientiousness, low in neuroticism, high in openness to experience, moderate in extraversion, and low in agreeableness. Conscientiousness encompasses an individual’s inclination towards being involved and dependable. As a CEO, Sergio adopts a more hands on approach, which enables him to engage directly with employees across the organization. Neuroticism refers to one’s tendency to experience negative emotions often such as anger and anxiety. Marchionne’s demeanor alludes to his ability to control his emotions. In fact, Marchionne’s dress code, his preference for casual outfits in favor of corporate business suits shows his relaxed nature. Openness to experience encompasses a person’s ability to appreciate aesthetics, their heightened level of curiosity and fondness for new adventures. Marchionne’s ability to adapt to his different roles while working for different companies shows his openness to experience. In addition, his love for classical music also shows his appreciation for aesthetics. Extraversion encompasses an individual’s ability to engage in social interactions. Marchionne is able to engage socially with others; however, he also prefers immersing himself in his work for extensive periods. Finally, agreeableness refers to an individual’s ability to co-operate with others while being compassionate. Marchionne does not allow himself to be attached emotionally to his employees, as he is preoccupied with results. This enables him to remain objective especially when making decisions pertaining to hiring and firing of employees based on their work output (Wernle & Ciferri, 2009). As a leader, Marchionne exhibits the following leadership traits, competence, intelligence, inspirational and forward-looking. Marchionne’s extensive work experience and his education background in law and accounts make him a competent and intelligent leader. He is able to use experiences as a guide for his current undertakings; for example, he adopted strategies that proved successful in turning Fiat into a successful company in his management of Chrysler. Marchionne is also an inspirational leader whereby, he was able to repay Chrysler’s loans to the government six years in advance despite the economic recession. Finally, Marchionne is forward-looking. His business decisions take into account the organization’s future prospects (Wernle, 2010). Task-oriented behavior Marchionne’s management techniques exemplify his task-oriented behavior. He is more concerned with his employees’ ability to accomplish the tasks assigned to them. As such, Marchionne values employees with innovative opinions regardless of the status. Among his fundamental management philosophies includes “results over promises”, which attests to his preoccupation with task accomplishment. Marchionne invests in talent whereby, he is able to hire personnel that are more than capable of handling the job while concurrently firing personnel that fail to deliver on their assigned tasks. His awareness that a motivated workforce plays a pivotal role in determining output compels his use of motivational techniques. Marchionne is renowned for his inclination towards using many of Herzberg’s hygiene factors guaranteed to fuel job satisfaction such as responsibility, achievement, growth and recognition of achievement. Marchionne expects his employees to take responsibility for their actions, which helps to reduce friction between employees, as each person is aware of their responsibilities prior to the commencement of a certain task. The identification of problems becomes easier, as each employee accounts for their actions. Marchionne applauds his employees’ successful completion of tasks and their ability to take initiative; for example, he applauded employees for persevering challenges prior to the merger between Fiat and Chrysler (Wernle, 2010). Leadership style On his first day at Chrysler, Marchionne had his office moved to the engineering department’s workspace. This was unlike his predecessors, who had their offices at the building’s pent-house. This shows his preference for a more hands-on, collegiate style of leadership. Marchionne delegates tasks to his employees and gives them the leeway to make their own decisions without having to consult. Initially, Chrysler’s organization culture was bureaucratic, characterized by employees’ inability to make decisions solely. Marchionne flattened the structure and adopted a laissez-faire leadership approach. He sought to empower employees while concurrently reduce the time used to make decisions. In addition, he hoped to increase employees’ accountability levels (Wernle, 2010). Conclusion In conclusion, Sergio Marchionne remains an inspirational leader for his ability to motivate his employees and turn bankrupt companies into profitable entities. His personality and leadership traits contribute to his success as a leader. Conversely, his preference for task-oriented behaviors and his use of a laissez-faire leadership approach contribute to his company’s profitability. References Wernle, B. (2010). Inside Chryslers Mind. Automotive News, 84(6396), 1-1, 19. Wernle, B., & Ciferri, L. (2009). Life Under Marchionne: New Stars, Hasty Exits. Automotive News, 84(6381), 1-1, 42. Read More