Leadership and Team Working - Assignment Example

Leadership 04211 Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Question number Leadership style and context 3 Question number 2: Leadership and Team Working 5 Reference list 9 Question number 1: Leadership style and context Introduction: Gray and Field (2010) defined that leadership is one of the most important terms in the contemporary business environment. Firms are using the leadership traits of the employees or management in order to set challenging goals and achieve those through effective guidance. Efficient leaders are able to act quickly and make remedial decisions for overcoming different types of the challenges faced in the operational process. Globalisation is forcing the firms to meet difficult operational and managerial circumstances (Barnett and McCormick, 2012). Competition, financial crisis, distinct legal rules, tax rates, cross cultural conflicts and changing customer demands are the major challenge faced by the international firms Like Nike, Adidas, Tesco and many other international firms. Efficient leaders will be making prominent decisions to meet the external challenges. Therefore, leaders are supposed to evaluate risks involved in the strategic fits. This study will be aimed to outline the leadership style and context in different international firms like Nike, ASDA, Adidas and Tesco. Analysis: Multinational and multidepartment leaders of the above mentioned firms must have excellent communication skills, confidence, managerial skills and analytical skills (Fitriati, Romdana and Rosyidi, 2014). Leadership styles and approach are getting distinct as per characteristics of leaders, socio cultural background. In the international environment, different types of leadership styles and behaviours are observed such as behavioural, transformational, transactional, LMX and situational are the major leadership traits. On the other hand, there are several behavioural theories on leadership like McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y which was developed in the year 1960, Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid developed in 1964, Lewin’s Leadership style and Charismatic leadership theories (Gray and Field, 2010). Transformational and transactional types of leadership differ due to the authoritarian management and participative managerial behaviours of the leaders or managers. In the multinational firms, leadership is developed mixed approach of putting authoritative decisions on the employees as transformational leadership and using participative approach which is transactional leadership in order to direct followers in meeting success (Fitriati, Romdana and Rosyidi, 2014). On the other hand, Kurt Lewin outlined that the leadership styles are mainly of three types like autocratic, democratic and Laissez-faire. Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid refers that the leaders are having concern for the employees or followers and they also have the concern for efficiency or the results or tasks (Franco and Matos, 2013). Fitriati, Romdana and Rosyidi (2014) opined that in the multinational firms like Tesco, Microsoft, Adidas, Nike and Walmart, leaders are responsible to guide their employees to achieve operational success. They are using Leader-Member Exchange theory rapidly to increase efficiency of the leaders. Mainly the theory is stating that major leadership traits and responsibilities are disseminated among the other employees. Role-Taking, Role-Making and Routinization are the key strategic parts of the leadership traits in the international aspects. Situational leadership styles are applied by various international firms. Leaders are using telling, selling, participating and delegating approach. In the multinational context, firms are developing strategic dimensions based on Leader-Member Exchange and Situational leadership traits for expansion and growth to gain more profitability and explore emerging markets. Internationalisation will seek for developing strategies for managing multi cultural traits in the manufacturing and service providing firms. Barnett and McCormick (2012) argued that, leadership styles are adding value and they are leading firms for successful operational capacity and increase the growth. Leaders are interacting with the employees to gain the insight on multicultural factors and developing unique culture in the multinational branches. They are guiding the employees as per the core purposes of the firms. International leaders are increasing the consistency in the performance of employees. Gradually, firms increase sustainable achievement and result. In addition, international leaders are facing huge complexity regarding the cross cultural conflicts, governance rules and linguistic issues (Gray and Field, 2010). Therefore, Leader-Member Exchange and Situational leadership types of the leadership will be helping the international firms in meeting effective conttraol. In the international firms like Nike, Tesco, Adidas, Microsoft, Ford, Walmart and many other multinational firms’, leaders are responsible for managing and leading the employees. They are supervising variety of cultures, empowering innovation, developing measures to win in competition and they are also maintaining sustainability issues in the global environment. Such organisations are having huge employee groups, thus, appraisal and motivational policies are playing crucial role in increasing the efficiency among the employees. These policies are increasing the commitment and loyalty among the employees. Leaders evaluate the employees in terms of managing skills and outlining the requirement for development (McKenna, 2006). Example: Grocery and merchandise retailing industry of UK is leaded by Tesco. They are having the operational setup at 12 different countries and having the employee base of more than 500000 during the year 2015. The firm is meeting its customers through 6800 international Supermarket, Hypermarket and Superstores. Thus, Tesco is required to maintain proper leadership style to control and operate their employees (Tesco plc, 2015). Transformational and transactional leadership styles are adopted by Tesco. Tesco leaders are using people-oriented style to organise and support their employees and followers. This approach is helping Tesco leaders in developing the skills of followers. Task oriented leadership are increasing the profitability of the Tesco and gaining customers satisfaction. Leaders disseminate roles among the employees; guide them as per predetermined structures and monitoring the performance of the followers (Tesco plc, 2015). Conclusion: Tesco leadership helps in mitigating the challenges of gender and cultural diversity in the multinational aspects. The firm is managing the culture and values related challenges quite efficiently with the help of unique organisational cultural challenges. Efficient leadership style is helping Tesco to gain sustainability in the global retail industry. Their multidepartment leaders are able to develop strategies as per the mission and vision strategy. This policy will be helping the firm in meeting the demands of the customers and enact immediately to meet the competition from Walmart, ASDA, Sainsbury, ALDI and many other international grocery and merchandise retailing (Tesco plc, 2015). Question number 2: Leadership and Team Working Introduction Team working can be defined as the operational process where multiple numbers of individuals are working jointly so that they can achieve organisational goals easily. Teamwork is getting crucial strategic fit for the international businesses. Organisations are developing multipurpose teams so that they can achieve the unique goals quite easily. Leadership and team working traits are interlinked with each other. Leaders have to motivate, apprise, developing skills among the employees. Efficient teams will be requiring efficient leaders to increase the integrity and knowledge sharing (Motsiri, 2008). Colleagues will be helping others new to meet the various circumstances efficiently and achieve results. Main aim and objectives of the current segment is outlining the effects of skilled and efficient teams in operational growth and sustainability. Team working practises are facing intense challenges from linguistic issues, cross cultural traits, economic issues and lack of communicational confidence. Analysis: Teamwork demonstrates that employees will be divided into small groups in terms of co-operate, implement individual skills and collect productive feedback about the operational policies. However, team composition will get complex with the issues like personal conflict which exists among the employees or individuals. International multi department leaders have to deal with various expertise teams for variant operational programs. Leadership can be defending as the traits or activity of leading peoples or the organisational members to achieve organisational objectives. However, team working facing certain complexity in the multinational firms due to the leadership structure. Linguistic differentiation, cross cultural backgrounds and financial reformations are creating limitations in the success of the teams. Thus, team leaders are playing crucial role in terms of managing member’s skills capabilities and increasing the efficiency of teams. Major drivers of the effective team members are developing trust, increase engagement among the team members, creating debating situation for increasing the efficiency, increase commitment towards team roles and responsibilities, and result orientation. Major multinational organisations are linking team working and leadership so that they can create certain difference among the employees. The firms are using situational and transactional leadership so that leaders can guide team members more effectively. Such leaders are opting different strategies. Energizing the team members are one of the major motivational policy of the leaders. Leaders of the organisations like Nike, Adidas, Tesco, Walmart and Microsoft are bringing obsession and positive energy among the workplace and employees so that they gain confidence to meet all types of challenge like competition and economic crisis (Motsiri, 2008). However, lack of communication and analytical skills are reducing the potentials of sharing information, skills, knowledge and potential risks of the operational policies and merge various technological up gradation in the strategic factors (Randall, 2012). Leaders of Multinational organisations should be having highly efficient communication skills so that they can influence the team members. This trait will be helping the leaders to disseminate goals and objectives among the employees. Transactional and situational leadership styles are effective enough to gain efficiency of teams (Schmid, 2006). Team leaders should be an effective listener, so that they can communicate with the employees and gain the brief idea on the issues faced in the operations. Effective leaders will be gaining proper idea on the requirement of the training and development, development of works place safety and negotiate different needs of the employees. Team leaders of Nike, Adidas, Tesco, Walmart and Microsoft are using such trait to show proper values and consideration to the employees and motivate team members (Barnett and McCormick, 2012). Problem solving and analytical skills of the leaders helps the team mates. Leaders guide the employees in each complex situation with viable solution. Nike, Adidas, Tesco, Walmart and Microsoft are empowering team leaders to employ more innovative solutions and meet the operational success. Apart from this, experience and competence of the leaders are also ensuring mentoring employees or followers, encourage those employees and motivate team members to increase the skills and competency. Conclusion: Nike, Adidas, Tesco, Walmart and Microsoft are having highly efficient teams consisting of skilled employees. Such employees are helping them in producing high quality footwear and sportswear products. Nike is facing competition from Adidas, Puma, Reebok and many other international brands. Expertise teams will be helping the firm to increase compatibility (Fitriati, Romdana and Rosyidi, 2014). Reference list Barnett, K. and McCormick, J., 2012. Leadership and Team Dynamics in Senior Executive Leadership Teams. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 40(6), pp.653-671. Fitriati, R., Romdana, R. and Rosyidi, U., 2014. The Practice of the School Principals Leadership in Sekolah Indonesia Kuala Lumpur (SIKL): The Study of Leadership Styles and Techniques with Cognitive Mapping Approach. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 115, pp.258-268. Franco, M. and Matos, P., 2013. Leadership styles in SMEs: a mixed-method approach. Int Entrep Manag J, 11(2), pp.425-451. Gray, I. and Field, R., 2010. Effective Leadership, Management and Supervision in Health and Social Care. Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd. McKenna, E., 2006. Business psychology and organisational behaviour. Hove [England]: Psychology Press. Motsiri, T., 2008. The correlation between the principals leadership style and the school organisational climate. Nikebiz.com, 2015. 5.2.2 Our Employees - NIKE, Inc.. [online] Available at: [Accessed 11 May 2015]. Randall, R., 2012. Awards, honors and new team members. Strategy & Leadership, 40(3). Schmid, H., 2006. Leadership styles and leadership change in human and community service organizations. Nonprofit Management Leadership, 17(2), pp.179-194. Tesco plc, 2015. Tesco plc. [online] Available at: [Accessed 11 May 2015]. Read More