Leadership: Martin Luther King Jr. and Richard Branson - Case Study Example

Leadership: Martin Luther King Jr. And Richard Branson Insert Name Introduction Organizations operate under clearly outlined and preset guidelines that seek to enhance the achievement of the organization’s objectives derived from the organization’s vision statement. Leadership within an organization seeks to strike a balance between the achievement of the pre-determined objectives and the utilisation of resources (Koestenbaum 2002, p31). Leadership refers to the ability of an individual or a majority group of individuals to influence other members towards the achievement of a specified goal. The leadership concept arises from various leadership styles exhibited by various leaders depending on their leadership ideologies. Different leadership ideologies arise from the various schools of thought that combine different leadership elements such as personal attributes, skills and assumed positions (Bolden, Gosling, Marturano & Dennison 2003, p2). Leaders emerge from any sphere of life for example social, political and business among others (Giddens 1984, p76). This essay paper seeks to discuss about two leaders, their situational success and failures and management styles with the use of various leadership theories. Martin Luther King is renowned for his struggle against acts of social injustice and discrimination that were perpetrated against minority groups. Comparatively, Richard Branson is a renowned business leader with multiple organizations under his stewardship. MARTIN LUTHER KING Jr. Background King is regarded as a social leader due to his efforts and struggles in ending social injustices against minority groups within the society. As a civil rights movement leader, King had his fair share of successes and failure that can be attributed to his individual skills and leadership approach that he adopted. Having being brought up in a religious family, king appreciated the need to undertake a political action to end unjust practices conducted within the society. His main motivation was to ensure equality for all within the society and ensure that everybody lived their lives to their satisfaction (Kirk 2005, p16). King was chosen as the leader of the Civil Rights Movement by other prominent members of the black community mainly due to his education achievement. Besides the boycott, King organised several non-violent demonstrations that sought to persuade the government to establish equal rights within the society irrespective of the personal attributes of the people living within the community. This objective was eventually achieved despite the several demonstrations that turned violent as the law enforcers attempted to quell the demonstrations. In 1963, King became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts towards bringing social justice by adopting a non-violent approach. Five years later, the Civil Rights Movement’s leader was assassinated in unclear circumstances that include an alleged plot by the US Government (Kirk 2005, p227). Leadership Decisions and Situations Retired politician, Machiavelli argued that through social leadership, social stability and security can be achieved even in circumstances of unethical leadership practices. According to Machiavelli, leaders ought to have adequate skills that enable them to push through adverse circumstances. Leadership roles are very demanding and depending on the situation faced, leaders are able to prove themselves by enabling their followers sail through difficult situations. Basically, according the Machiavelli, leadership skills are in born and can hardly is learnt through training (Skinner 2000, p78). Individuals that have been raised from different backgrounds view situations differently and this determines to a great extent their approach towards dealing with the situation. Through his book, The Prince Machiavelli noted that individuals are prone to accepting social norms without having much of a choice. As a social tool, leaders ought to identify those basic social elements that have the capacity to unite the followers and thus ensure unity among the subordinates. Kirk (2005, p57) notes that King identified that by rising against social injustices perpetrated against members of the Black community, he was able to find a unifying factor that strengthened the social bond among the members of the Black community. However, he called for prudence in leadership where successful leaders anticipate future conditions and prepare in advance to avoid difficulties. From Machiavelli’s point of view, one of the best ways to anticipate and handle future uncertainties is through planning where the leader acquires, manages and deploys the required resources (Popkin & Stroll 1993, p29). Planning as a management practice requires the identification of objectives and the development of milestones towards ensuring their achievement. As a political ruler, Machiavelli advocated for the use of the army as this consolidated his leadership position. Through fear, leaders are able to impose their views on their followers. King noted that he needed high numbers of people in order to attract the attention of the government and have them consider his sentiments. Towards achieving this end, King motivated people by encouraging them to participate in the demonstrations as they were to benefit if the objectives were achieved (Kirk 2005, p99). After amassing the human capital required, he organized several demonstrations aimed at convincing the government to put an end to social injustices. The most memorable demonstration was set in Washington were 250,000 people attended the march and he delivered his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech (Kirk 2005, p76). According to Machiavelli, for a leader to succeed it is important to consider their personality, character and conduct. From the trait theory, individual leaders can be grouped according to their personality that arises from their traits. Notably, for a leader, people skills are important since they have to study their follower’s mood for them to determine the best approach and response to a situation. Irrespective of a leader’s capabilities and credentials, negative publicity can ruin a leader’s control over his subjects (Popkin & Stroll 1993, p107). This is because the leader will seem incompetent in his decisions and actions hence being unable to lead the subjects in the right direction. When faced with certain situations, leaders ought to undertake wrong actions that have to be undertaken diligently to avoid hurting their reputation. Machiavelli noted that leaders are to be loved and feared by their subjects where he suggested the later. Apparently, King’s subject loved him and although Machiavelli argued that leadership is effective through fear, King proved that participative leadership is more effective. Machiavelli noted that modern leadership requires competent advisors that assist in governance (Popkin & Stroll 1993, p116). Effective leaders recruit competent assistants with the required competence in governance issues. In compensation for their hard work, these individuals are rewarded with honour, wealth and power that consolidate their loyalty to their leader. King appointed reputable member of the Black community to oversee the demonstrations in various cities. In return, these members were appointed into high administration offices as representatives of the Black community. King realised that members of the Black community were the minority and only through adequate representation could they participate in the nation’s governance. Due to the competency of the appointed leaders, members of the Black community were able to push for the enactment of the Equal Rights Bill. As a leader, King was very ethical in the sense that he often engaged his subjects into dialogue prior to deciding on the most appropriate course of action. According to (Lussier & Achua 2001, p147), ethical leaders take into consideration the interests of their organization as well as those of the various stakeholders within the organization. Apart from the human element, other ethical leadership elements include the situation faced by the entire organization; leader’s thought processes and the outcomes of their decisions. King met with the top political brass for negotiations, and through his strong leadership skills, he never gave up on the objectives of the civil movement. Additionally, he took responsibility of the movement’s failures as he was its driving force. Ethical leaders lead from the front line that also results into their subjects undertaking ethical practices hence enhancing integrity within the organization. RICHARD BRANSON Background Unlike King, Branson is renowned for his prowess in the management of businesses across the world. Many business researchers have termed him as a business leader with a social touch. Majority of Branson’s business ventures are aimed at alleviating poverty and disease within the society. It is towards this end that Branson engages in multiple corporate social responsibility programs designed to improve business activities and living standards in the society (Bower 2009, p9). Born in 1950, Branson began his entrepreneurial activities at the age of 16 when he opened his first business that published a student magazine. Four years later, he opened a mail order record retailer that later turned into a music record shop. Increased activity in the music industry saw the record store burgeon its activities and recognised among the top recording studios in the world. The 80’s saw a new dawn for Branson as he acquired companies one after another. Due to these acquisitions, Branson had to change his company’s name severally to suit the businesses that he was involved in. Currently, Branson’s Virgin Group manages over 200 businesses involved in all business industries such as transport, hospitality, leisure and technology among others. Leadership Decisions and Situations As a social reformer and philosopher, Jeremy Bentham championed for the derivation of leadership from the utilitarianism principle. According to the philosopher, leadership actions ought to enhance social happiness that defines the basic concept of utility (Popkin & Stroll 1993, p69). From the utilitarianism principle, happiness is synonymous with pleasure and the absence of pain within the society or among one’s subjects. Bentham (2009, 14) states that towards scientifically proving his theory, Bentham developed a calculus formula that takes into account various variables such as intensity and duration of pleasures and pains. Branson developed the Virgin group of companies while pursuing happiness by using his talents. Towards the birth of the Virgin brand, Branson utilised his sporting talent to engage in commercial business ventures. His first business that was a student’s magazine was aimed at providing students with entertainment information among other information about their various interests. Branson’s business activities project him as a utilitarian who aims at achieving the social interests first and the other interests later. The Virgin group comprises of over 300 companies that have their own management teams. Branson acts as a mentor to the management team and has a limited role in the active management of the companies. With preset objectives, the management team identifies the best approach towards the realisation of these objectives through efficient resource utilisation. With the Leissez-Faire leadership style, members of the management team are able to achieve happiness by selecting what they want and how they want to achieve their objectives. Happiness is evident through enhanced job satisfaction and productivity levels exhibited by the employees. From Bentham’s theory, rights and duties that are associated with leadership positions are legally derived from the governing principle (Bentham 2009, p56). That is, positions of power grant the occupant various powers, duties and rights to undertake various actions. Therefore, moral duties and rights require moral governance positions that are impossible to have. Due to this, individuals exercise their moral duties and rights at their own peril depending on their personalities and leadership traits. As a business leader, Branson maintains various duties and rights over his subjects who in this case are the various management teams of the over 300 companies (Bowen 2009, p15). These duties and rights enable him to influence the decisions of his subjects as well as provide them with guidance in matters pertaining to the management of their companies. However, as a business leader, Branson cannot be able to change the moral obligations of his subjects since they are unique among individuals. This is encompassed by the very fact that individuals have different cultural backgrounds that are characterised by varied moral behaviours. Leaders have the skills and capacity to influence the actions of their subjects that can be achieved through a number of modalities such as coercion, threats or rewards. Therefore as a leader, Branson has the capability to influence the moral actions of his subjects hence enhancing moral responsibility among the subjects. Bowen notes that, as an environment sensitive leader, Branson expects that his subjects undertake actions that seek to preserve the environment for future generations (2009, p67). Although he cannot monitor individual actions, Branson has to ensure that his subjects understand the need to preserve the environment According to Bentham’s point of view, leaders within their society or industry come out as emancipated people with the capacity to enlighten fellow members within the society. This was Bentham’s first assumption towards the development of the utilitarian theory that puts social interests before individual interests. While developing this theory, Bentham's first assumption was overshadowed by the belief that social development is as a result of level of literacy within the society. The basic assumption underlying this belief pertains to the need of individuals to collectively make rational decisions based on social benefits in the long run (Bentham 2009, p67). Through his Virgin Group, Branson seeks to emancipate the members of the society by encouraging them to venture into commercial business activities with a social touch (Bower 2009, P41). As a role model, he has proven that there are fortunes to be made from commercial activities with a social touch. Having learnt the secret, Branson has the capability to inform the members of the public and assist them in making rational decisions that positively impact on the society. From his background, it is evident that Branson was brought up in a modest family of six that places him in a better position to understand the plight of the socially disadvantaged. As part of his past experiences, Branson has practical knowledge that he can use to assist the less privileged towards realising their full potential irrespective of their personal weaknesses. According to Bentham, rational decision making arises from the availability of adequate information pertaining to the pending decision. An educated society has the capacity to unite and identify social interests that are to be achieved to ensure future development. The achievement of social interests results into happiness for the members hence its conformity with the utilitarian principle. From Kant’s moral philosophy theory, he noted that the morality of an individual’s actions arises from their motives (Hinman 2006). What they seek in achieving through their actions determines to a great extent the morality of their behaviour. As a leader, Branson might make decisions directed towards the development of the society. He requires of his subjects to follow suit and act in the best interests of the society (Bower 2009, P110). However, his subjects might have other intentions by adhering to the standard behaviours set by their leader. Therefore, despite Branson having the society’s interests at heart, the actions of the subjects cannot be considered morally upright due to the various motives. Recently, the business magnate has ventured into underdeveloped nations with an aim of improving the living standards of the residents. With this objective in mind, Branson seeks to emancipate the residents by encouraging them to establish business with a social perspective. However, it is not certain that once these businesses are up and running, the business owners will consider either the social or commercial aspects of businesses. As a leader therefore, Branson ought to retain the executive powers of his constituent companies to ensure the initial objectives are achieved with minimum diversions. Branson comes out as an ethical business leader that considers his followers as stakeholders striving to achieve similar objectives. In his work relationship, Branson maintains a two-way conversation hence enhancing decision making through the consideration of numerous opinions and perspectives (Bower 2009, P36). Ethical leaders strive to create a suitable working environment for their subjects to ensure harmonised operations with a high success rate. Through participative leadership style, leaders embrace teamwork that is a core value of most business organizations. Teamwork fosters individual skills development among the subjects hence ensuring maximum utilisation of the available resources. Comparison between Richard Branson and Martin Luther King The contingency or situational leadership theory was developed by Fred Fielder where he identified that leaders arise as a result of confidence or trust that the subordinates have in them (Bolden, Gosling, Marturano & Dennison 2003, p8). Basically, situational leaders are elected by the subordinates that believe that the leader will be able to get them through the present situation. Such leaders often exhibit leadership skills and characteristics that appease the subordinates who believe in their capabilities. Mulhern (2007, p67) provides that contingency leadership degenerates into charismatic leadership whereby the leader is able to convince the subordinates towards implementing an approach aimed at achieving a specific objective. Secondly, contingency leadership requires the subordinates to undertake routine tasks that are segregated by the organization structure. Their tasks are repetitive hence the specialisation of labour. Lastly, the leader assumes absolute power within the organization whereby they have the right to punish and reward the subordinates. In majority, this theory gives rise to autocratic leadership styles where the leader single-handedly determines the best approach and imposes it on the subordinates. Situational leaders usually exhibit the assertive, alertness, decisive, energetic, dominant and self-confident leadership traits (Bolden, Gosling, Marturano & Dennison 2003, p9). As an eloquent and charismatic leader, King was able to influence the actions of other people and lead the protests without facing internal wrangles. Other prominent Black leaders expressed confidence in his leadership skills and chose him as the movement’s leader mandated with coordinating and planning its activities. Branson on the other hand, is a charismatic leader who seeks to interact and motivate with his employees towards ensuring sustainable business practices (Mulhern 2007, p65). Both leaders exhibit the assertive, decisive and dependable leadership traits as noted by Fred Fielder. The behavioural leadership theory emerged as a result of weaknesses in the trait theory that identified various traits and skills that leaders exhibited. According to the behaviourists, traits were not quantifiable hence the birth of the behavioural theory (Shriberg, Shriberg & Kumari 2005, p91). This theory stated that as individuals, leaders have their preferred styles as well as various levels of interaction. The theory’s developer McGregor, grouped leaders into two distinctive groups namely Theory X and Y managers (Bolden, Gosling, Marturano & Dennison 2003, p7). Conclusively, theory X managers prefer autocratic leadership whereas the theory Y managers adopt a participative leadership style. From the behavioural theory, King can be classified as a theory X leader as he believed that the subordinates have to be motivated, re-assured and directed towards the achievement of an objective. Members of the Black community required some organised approach to ensure success in their protests. On the other hand, Branson comes out as a theory Y leader where he understands that subordinates are fully engaged and committed towards the achievement of objectives that are clear and achievable. Through his regular interactions with the various interest groups, Branson seeks to inspire them on the need to achieve the preset objectives hence enhancing their commitment. Theory X leaders exhibit the dominant leadership trait whereas the Theory Y leader exhibits the cooperative leadership trait. The managerial grid theory focuses on production and employee welfare extremes of an organisation. When these extremes are plotted on a grid, five leadership styles emerge that are participative, free-reign, autocratic, balanced and poor leadership styles (Bolden, Gosling, Marturano & Dennison 2003, p8). King’s leadership style can be categorised as balanced as he sought to involve the subordinates but to a limited degree into the decision making process. This style results into non-optimal production levels and subordinate satisfaction. Mulhern (2007, p106) states that leadership skills such as eloquent speaking, persuasive and social skills are necessary to ensure confidence among the subordinates. However, Branson adopts the participative leadership style that ensures interaction between the management, employees and customers. With this leadership style, production is optimal as well as satisfaction among the employees. Conclusion Many theories have been put forward by philosophers with the intent of ensuring moral responsibility in leadership. Leaders have the capacity and power to influence the actions of their subjects that should be done in consideration of other social and individual interests. As human beings, leaders have to mind the welfare of their subjects as well as that of their organisation to ensure the achievement of their organisational objectives. Ethics in leadership seeks to ensure that the organisational objectives are achieved through the appropriate and legal means. Apparently, ethical leaders adopt participative leadership styles that enhance teamwork within the organisation. However, these theories have their weaknesses and none of the philosophies and theories single-handedly defines leadership. References Bentham, J 2009, Utilitarianism, London: Bibliobazaar Plc. Bolden, R, Gosling, J, Marturano, A & Dennison, P 2003, A Review of Leadership Theory & Competency Framewrk, Accessed on February 7, 2010 from < http://www.leadership-studies.com/documents/mgmt_standards.pdf > Bower, T 2009, Branson, Birmingham: Fourth Estate. Giddens, A 1984, The Constitution of Society. Cambridge, Polity. Hinman. LM 2006, Kant & Kantian Ethics, Accessed on Feb. 16, 2010 from < http://ethics.sandiego.edu/theories/kant/ > Kirk, JA 2005, Martin Luther King Jr, New York: Pearson Longman. Koestenbaum, P 2002, Leadership: A Phil. For Leaders 2nd Ed, California: John Wiley & Sons. Lussier R., and Achua C.E., 2001, Leadership: Theory, Application and Skill Development, 3rd Ed, Thomson South-Western College Publishing, USA Mulhern, DG 2007, Everday Leadership: Getting Results, Michigan: Univ. of Michigan Press Pech, RJ 2006, An Entrepreneurial Decision Process Model Describing Opportunity Recognition, European Journ. of Innovation Mgmt; Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 61-78. Popkin, RH & Stroll, A 1993, Philosophy Made Simple 2nd Ed, Boston: Doubleday Pub. Shriberg, A, Shriberg, D, & Kumari R, 2005, Practicing Leadership Principles & Applications, 3rd Edition, John Wiley & Sons Inc, USA Skinner, Q 2000, Machiavelli: A Very Short Intro., London: OUP. Read More