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My vision of leadership or the way I imagine a good and effective leader is someone who is creative, passionate, responsible, understanding and able to effectively communicate and motivate members to contribute to achieve the desired goals.

The most relatable leadership style which can explain my vision of leadership is the transformational leadership style. The concept of transformational leadership was first introduced in the year 1973 by Sociologist James V. Downton and later was expanded by James Burns in 1973 (White 2018). A leader who practices transformational leadership establishes vision internally and emphasizes on individual influence, open culture, spiritual encouragement and intellectual stimulation of the followers to reach their goals (Nanjundeswaraswamy 2014). The leadership style can increase motivation of employees and can also produce higher levels of group potency (Nanjundeswaraswamy 2014). The information in the figure below was provided by Harvard Business Review which listed down some of the best examples of transformational leadership and their outcomes (White 2018).

Besides that, the leadership model that I believe is effective and have been using to guide my members is the situational leadership model. The model encourages me to understand the individual needs of my members and adjust the leading style (telling, selling, participating or delegating) to fit the development of the particular member (Anthony 2019).

Example of an inspiring leader:

Tony Fernandes, AirAsia

In my point of view, an effective leader should have empathy to be able to understand the feelings of others. As only from understanding, you are able to motivate and serve the needs of your followers through good relationship which will eventually bring benefit to the organization. According to a study, leaders have a very important role in establishing the organization culture that forms the rules, behaviours and values which can influence the achievement of the organization goals (Schien 2004).

Many observers believed that the success of AirAsia is due to the strong leadership of Tony Fernandes. Tony Fernandes practices the transformational approach and was able to form a good organizational culture which focuses on the importance of working as a team and having a good relationship with his employees (Kamisan and King 2013). There is no bureaucracy involved to make sure he is accessible to his employees who might have important and urgent things to discuss, as he thinks bureaucracy could impede growth (Kamisan and King 2013). Furthermore, he believes in developing talents and inspire employees to achieve their dreams. His motivation towards his employees made a big impact on the organization’s growth as employees are motivated to move forward towards the same direction as the organization (Kamisan and King 2013).

My feedback from colleagues and personality test (strengths and weaknesses)

Throughout the MBA course I was given the opportunity to lead my team in several assignments. The leadership trait that I was being rated the highest is the “Enable”. The feedback from my colleagues suggested that I actively listen to my members and have good cooperative relationship to enable them to contribute their diverse point of view before making a decision. However, the leadership trait that I was being rated the lowest is the “Challenge”. Opinions from my colleagues revealed that I rarely search outside of the group for innovative ways to improve.

Besides that, the results of the personality test from www.16personalities.com indicated that “Campaigner” (ENFP, -A/-T) personality type is relatable to mine. The strengths of this personality type which I can relate to are observant, good communication skills and friendly (16personality n.d.). Nevertheless, the weaknesses are poor practical skills and dislike being micromanaged or restrained by heavy-handed rules.

The strengths of the feedback and personality test results are align with my vision of leadership which focuses on the importance of teamwork, empathy and good communication skills to create a cooperative team to achieve goals. However, creativity to look for innovative solution and skills to follow through on projects are lacking.

What leadership skills to develop from the MBA course and how:

As I progress through this MBA program, I would like to further develop my communication skills. In my opinion, having good communication skills allow leaders to effectively articulate their vision clearly in order to motivate their followers to achieve goals. Therefore, I will proactively take up leadership roles in group projects to enhance my communication skills. Moreover, I will also actively participate in answering questions during lecture and to consciously practice my skills to convey my thoughts in a more structured manner which is easier for the audience to understand the entire context.

Reference:

Anthony, L. (2019) Define Situational Leadership [online] available from <https://smallbusiness.chron.com/define-situational-leadership-2976.html&gt; [19 March 2019]

White, S. (2018) What is transformational leadership? A model for motivating innovation [online] available from <https://www.cio.com/article/3257184/what-is-transformational-leadership-a-model-for-motivating-innovation.html&gt; [19 March 2019]

Nanjundeswaraswamy, S. and Swamy, R. (2014) ‘Leadrship style’ Advances in Management [online] 7 (2), 57-62. Available from <https://www.mnsu.edu/activities/leadership/leadership_styles.pdf&gt; [19 March 2019]

Kamisan, A. and King, B. (2013) ‘Transactional and Transformational Leadership: A Comparative Study of the Difference between Tony Fernandes (Airasia) and Idris Jala (Malaysia Airlines) Leadership Styles from 2005-2009’ International Journal of Business and Management [online] 8 (24), 107-116. Available from <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279206034_Transactional_and_Transformational_Leadership_A_Comparative_Study_of_the_Difference_between_Tony_Fernandes_Airasia_and_Idris_Jala_Malaysia_Airlines_Leadership_Styles_from_2005-2009&gt; [19 March 2019]

Schein, E (2004) Organizational culture and leadership [online] 3^rd edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Available from <http://www.untag-smd.ac.id/files/Perpustakaan_Digital_2/ORGANIZATIONAL%20CULTURE%20Organizational%20Culture%20and%20Leadership,%203rd%20Edition.pdf&gt; [19 March 2019]

Anthony, S. (2017) What the Best Transformational Leaders Do [online] available from <https://hbr.org/2017/05/what-the-best-transformational-leaders-do&gt; [19 March 2019]

Forbes (2019) Tony Fernandes [online] available from <https://www.forbes.com/profile/tony-fernandes/#26233ceb686c&gt; [19 March 2019]

16Personalities (n.d.) CAMPAIGNER STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES [online] available from <https://www.16personalities.com/enfp-strengths-and-weaknesses&gt; [19 March 2019]

Part 1:

The organizational change can be explained as partial or complete adoption of new idea, concept or behavior by organizational members (Odor 2018). Businesses that fail to embrace change could lose their competitive edge and not able to meet customers’ changing needs (Richard 2019). An experiment was conducted in 2016 with the aim to observe 2,163 respondents from different levels in the organization to understand either they prefer to reach for something greater or to remain in the status quo. The results shown in figure 1, suggested that the percentage of people prefer to reach for something better and embrace change are higher in all levels (Murphy 2016).

Part 2:

However, the results in a study conducted in 2012 revealed that only one-third of organizational change efforts were considered effective and the low success percentage of the organizational change efforts are usually caused by the resistance to change on the part of employees (Pieterse, Caniels and Homan 2012). Resistance of change can be caused by many factors, for example the employees own personalities and preferences and also the lack of communication within the organization (Lowe n.d.).

The lack of communication between employees and leaders is one of the examples where the management’s involvement is important. The management can look into methods to ensure effective communication with the employees to inform the purpose of change and how it will be implemented to produce positive outcome for all. Moreover, the leaders can also guide the employees and implement the change in stages to properly manage it (Paycor 2016). Therefore, I disagree with the statement “there is little management can do about resistance to change” suggested by Mullins.

Lewin’s change model :

Kurt Lewin’s model of change can be applied in managing organizational change by leaders. The approach suggested that in order to change the organization, the people in the organization should be prepared and motivated to change and there should be a system to promote the change of behaviours of the people in the organization (Odor 2018).

Nevertheless, there are limitations to this model, one of the example is that the model is too conceptual and broad and the model assumed that organizations function in a well-structured state which most of the time is not true (Odor 2018). Besides that, the concept of “Refreeze” is too rigid and not practical to be applied in today’s complex and dynamic world which requires more flexibility (Odor 2018).

Kotter’s 8 step model of Change:

Kotter’s 8 step model was developed by a Havard Business School professor in 1996 (Hussain et al. 2018). The Kotter’s model change steps can be followed in the figure below and starts with the employees being convinced by the leaders that there is a need and urgency for change to occur.

The first advantage of the model is that it provides the change process in an easy step-by-step model and secondly the model focuses on involvement and acceptability of the employees to change which will make the transition easier (MSG n.d.). One of the major limitations of this model is that it appears to be too time consuming and secondly it is very mechanistic and skipping a step might result in serious issues (MSG n.d.).

Industry example:

Satya Nadella

Since Satya Nadella took over in early 2014 as the CEO of Microsoft, the market capitalization has increased from USD 302 billion to USD 681 billion in 2018 (Evans 2018). One of the major changes that Nadella had focused on to reinvent Microsoft, is the change of the culture of the company (McCracken 2018). Nadella intended to change the Microsoft’s culture which has a reputation as a hive of intense corporate in fighting (McCracken 2018).

Nadella recognized the need to include everyone in the organizational change process by using what he calls as the top-down and sideways approach. The intention was to involve all levels of the organization to go through restructuring and a cultural change which can infuse a culture of accountability in the organization and the inclusivity makes the transformation smoother for the employees (Andrewspence 2014). In one example, once a year Microsoft invites all employees to attend the annual meeting. The highlight of the meeting is the hackathon event which encourages thousands of employees from different departments to work on projects together and in 2017 more than 18,000 employees participated (Stolzoff 2019).

Conclusion:

Change is inevitable and it is sometimes necessary which can be seen in the example of Microsoft. Organizational change can bring value to the company when the process of change can be managed effectively. The models such as the Lewis’s change model and Kotter’s 8 step model provide guidance for leaders to apply to transform the organization. Besides that, one of the most important factors that should be considered by leaders is the importance of effective communication. The leaders must make sure the employees understand the purpose, the plan and the potential outcome of the change and involve all related individuals to manifest a sense of inclusivity among employees.

Word: 810

Reference:

Andrewspence (2014) WHAT MICROSOFT CEO SATYA NADELLA CAN TEACH YOU ABOUT LEADING YOUR TEAM DURING CHANGE [online] available from <https://www.andrewspenceonline.com/what-microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-can-teach-you-about-leading-your-team-during-change/&gt; [17 March 2019]

Evans, B. (2018) The #1 CEO Of The Year In The Cloud Wars: Microsoft’s Satya Nadella [online] available from <https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobevans1/2018/01/10/the-tech-industry-ceo-of-the-year-microsofts-satya-nadella/#42918466c627&gt; [17 March 209]

Lock D. (2018) Charting For Change In The Workplace [online] available from <https://www.humansynergistics.com/blog/culture-university/details/culture-university/2018/01/31/charting-for-change-in-the-workplace&gt; [17 March 2019]

Lowe, J. (n.d.) Why Do Employees Resist Change? [online] available from <https://www.predictivesuccess.com/blog/why-do-employees-resist-change/&gt; [17 March 2019]

McCracken, H. (2018) Transforming culture at Microsoft: Satya Nadella sets a new tone [online] available from <https://www.intheblack.com/articles/2018/06/01/satya-nadella-transforming-culture-microsoft&gt; [17 March 2019]

MSG (n.d.) Kotter’s 8 step Model of Change [online] available from <https://www.managementstudyguide.com/kotters-8-step-model-of-change.htm&gt; [17 March 2019]

Murphy, M. (2016) New Data Shows That Leaders Overestimate How Much Their Employees Want To Change [online] available from <https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2016/02/19/new-data-shows-that-leaders-overestimate-how-much-their-employees-want-to-change/#62920476162f&gt; [17 March 2019]

Odor, H. (2018) ‘Organisational change and development’ European Journal of Business and Management [online] 10 (7), 58-66. Available from <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324166817_Organisational_Change_and_Development&gt; [17 March 2019]

Paycor (2016) Overcoming Employee Resistance To Change In The Workplace [online] available from <https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/change-management-in-the-workplace-why-do-employees-resist-it&gt; [17 March 2019]

Pieterse, J., Caniels, M. and Homan, T. (2012) ‘Professional discourse and resistance to change’ Journal of Organizational Change Management [online] 25(6) 798-818. Available from <https://www.ou.nl/Docs/Faculteiten/MW/artikelen%20Thijs%20Homan/PIETERSE%20CANIELS%20AND%20HOMAN%202012%20-%20JOCM%2025(6).pdf> [17 March 2019]

Quain, S. (2019) What Causes Resistance to Change in an Organization? [online] available from <https://smallbusiness.chron.com/causes-resistance-change-organization-347.html&gt; [17 March 2019]

Richards, L. (2019) Why Is Change Important in an Organization? [online] available from <https://smallbusiness.chron.com/change-important-organization-728.html&gt; [17 March 2019]

Stolzoff, S. (2019) How do you turn around the culture of a 130,000-person company? Ask Satya Nadella [online] available from <https://qz.com/work/1539071/how-microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-rebuilt-the-company-culture/&gt; [17 March 2019]

It is often being assumed that an individual in the management is a leader. However, leadership and management activities are not synonymous although they do overlap (Lunenburg 2011). Management can be explained as the organizational process that is involve in the setting of the organization goals, strategy planning and managing the resources to achieve the goal. (Hissom 2009). On the other hand, leadership can be explained as a relationship through which an individual influences the actions or the behavior of others (Mullins 2010). The activities of leadership includes, developing vision for organization, align people with the vision though communication and through motivation. (Lunenburg 2011).  The effective combination of both leadership and management are required in order to develop a successful organization (Lunenburg 2011).

Leadership model:

The Situational Leadership Theory was developed by Blanchard and Hersey and is one of the well-known theories in the study of management and leadership (Meier 2016). The model encourages leaders to adjust their management or leadership style to fit the development level of their subordinates referring to the 4 quadrants in the graph (Anthony 2019).

Based on the model above, the leader has the flexibility to choose the best quadrants with leadership styles which is most effective to influence staff based on the staff’s needs or development stage and in this case improve the level of development and performance of the staff (Cote 2017). However, as this model requires the leader to consistently try to discover the characteristics of the staff in different stages thus the leader might be too focus on the efforts to adjust the leadership style to suit the needs of the staff in short term and loses sights of the long-term implications of a leadership approach (Kokemuller 2018).

Good leadership example:

Sir Richard Branson

Richard Branson is a successful entrepreneur and businessman who founded the Virgin group which in 2018 brings in more than USD 21 billion in annual revenue (Business Insider 2018). Richard Branson is one of the great leaders who has his own unconventional leadership approach to lead his employees. One of his strong beliefs is that a company should firstly take care of the employees and in turn the employees will look after the customers (Schwantes 2017). Furthermore, he provides the space for his employees to thrive without his supervision as he believe that by doing so can improve their leadership skills and confidence so that the business can run effectively without his presence (Mcdonald n.d.). In 2014, Richard Branson announced that around 170 employees at Virgin were given as much time off as they like as he believes in providing them the flexibility to work and focusing on the job getting done is more important than focusing on the number of days of work (Tabaka 2014).

Bad leadership example:

Elon Musk

Elon Musk who is a well-known entrepreneur that brought companies such as Tesla, Space X to where they are today. Although he had built a few very impressive companies but Elon’s impulsive behavior had drawn criticism from his staffs, investors and also the public (Dishman 2018). Furthermore, in the past Elon Musk’s aggressive production goals to achieve his vision have led to cases of injuries of the employees (Wong 2017). According to the Guardian, ambulances have been called more than 100 times since 2014 as employees suffered from dizziness, chest pains and fainting due to the long working hours and hard jobs and this led to the dissatisfaction of the workers (Wong 2017).

Conclusion (point of view in CMI 2013 & recommendation for managers):

I agree with the point of view suggested by the CMI 2013, stating that there is no single ideal leadership style as the best approach should vary according to the circumstances and individual characteristics. As currently many company leaders are aware that four different generations (Veterans, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y) which have different preferences, strengths and weaknesses in different areas are now working together thus it is best to avoid stereotyping altogether (Brooks 2017). For example, the generation Y prefers learning while doing the job and also favor regular coaching and feedback from the superior and on the other hand the Baby Boomers are more receptive to classroom learning to enhance their soft skills (Macaulay 2017). Therefore, by understanding the individual characteristics of each staff and implementing the concept of Situational Leadership Theory, the leader can effectively lead the diverse staffs who are more receptive to certain leadership style.

Reference:

Anthony, L. (2019) Define Situational Leadership [online] available from <https://smallbusiness.chron.com/define-situational-leadership-2976.html&gt; [2 March 2019]

Brooks, G. (2017) Four Tips To Managing Four Generations In One Workforce [online] available from <https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2017/11/01/four-tips-to-managing-four-generations-in-one-workforce/#31f038565a94&gt; [2 March 2019]

Business Insider (2018) ‘Richard Branson is sitting on a $5 billion fortune but spent years cringing over displays of wealth — see how the eccentric billionaire likes to spend his money’. Business Insider Malaysia [online] 10 October. available from <https://www.businessinsider.my/virgin-group-richard-branson-net-worth-spending-2018-10/?r=US&IR=T#&gt; [2 March 2019]

Business Wire (2018) Alibaba Group Founder Jack Ma to Donate US$10 Million to Establish Africa Entrepreneur Prize [online] available from <https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180808005615/en/Alibaba-Group-Founder-Jack-Ma-Donate-US10&gt; [2 March 2019]

Cook, S. and Macaulay, S. (2017) Learning & development: Across the generations [online] available from <https://www.trainingjournal.com/articles/opinion/learning-development-across-generations&gt; [2 March 2019]

Cote, R. (2017) ‘A Comparison of Leadership Theories in an Organizational Environment’ International Journal of Business Administration [online] 8(5), 28-35. Available from <http://www.sciedu.ca/journal/index.php/ijba/article/view/11836/7283&gt; [2 March 2019]

Dishman, L. (2018) These are the best and worst leaders of 2018 [online] available from <https://www.fastcompany.com/90278934/these-are-the-best-and-worst-leaders-of-2018&gt; [2 March 2019]

Hissom, A. (2009) Introduction to Management Technology [online lecture] module BMRT 11009, 26 October 2009. Kent State: Kent State University. Available from <http://www.amyhissom.com/MyWritings/Management.pdf&gt; [2 March 2019]

Inc42 (2014) 10 Things Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Jack Ma And Alibaba’s IPO [online] available from <https://inc42.com/entrepreneurship/10-things-entrepreneurs-can-learn-jack-ma/&gt; [2 March 2019]

Kokemuller, N. (2018) Negatives of a Situational Leadership Style [online] available from <https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/negatives-situational-leadership-style-12378.html&gt; [2 March 2019]

Laurie J. Mullins. (2010) Management & Organisational Behaviour.  England: Pearson Education Limited

Lunenburg, F. (2011) ‘Leadership versus Management: A Key Distinction—At Least in Theory’ INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, BUSINESS, AND ADMINISTRATION [online] 14. Available from <https://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/comp3120/local_docs/readings/Lunenburg_LeadershipVersusManagement.pdf&gt; [2 March 2019]

Matousek, M. (2019) Elon Musk says Tesla will probably not be profitable in the first quarter of 2019 [online] available from <https://www.businessinsider.my/elon-musk-tesla-probably-not-profitable-q1-2019-2019-2/?r=US&IR=T&gt; [2 March 2019]

Mcdonald, S. (n.d.) Why Richard Branson Is a Leader to Follow [online] available from <https://richtopia.com/inspirational-people/sir-richard-branson-leader-quotes-tips&gt; [2 March 2019]

Meier, D. (2016) ‘Situational Leadership Theory as a Foundation for a Blended Learning Framework’ Journal of Education and Practice [online] 7(10), 25-30. Available from <https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1099593.pdf&gt; [2 March 2019]

Schwantes, M. (2017) Richard Branson Reveals 3 Important Lessons Most Leaders Learn Too Late in Life [online] available from <https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/richard-branson-reveals-3-of-his-own-brilliant-habits-for-successful-leadership.html&gt; [2 March 2019]

Tabaka, M. (2014) Why Richard Branson Thinks Unlimited Vacation Time Is Awesome–and You Should Too [online] available from <https://www.inc.com/marla-tabaka/richard-branson-s-unlimited-vacation-policy-will-it-work-for-your-business.html&gt; [2 March 2019]

Wong, J. (2017) ‘Tesla factory workers reveal pain, injury and stress: ‘Everything feels like the future but us’’. The Guardian [online] 18 May. available from <https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/18/tesla-workers-factory-conditions-elon-musk&gt; [2 March 2019]

Yahoo Finance (n.d.) Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA) [online] available from <https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/BABA/&gt; [2 March 2019]

Introduction:

In recent years significant changes such as the increasing multicultural societies, looser migration rules and regulations and organizational mergers and acquisition in other countries have contributed to the changes in the workforce (Banfi 2015). Furthermore, the increase of globalization in today’s world also encourages people from diverse beliefs, background and cultures to interact more (Green et al. n.d.).  Therefore, organizations now are becoming aware of the importance of recognizing the diverse characteristics of different individuals (Banfi 2015).

Advantages & Challenges:

A diverse team or workforce can provide multiple benefits to the organization. It encourages team work and the exchange of different ideas as each team member can contribute a different perspective to solve problems to produce the best outcome (Bedi, Iakra and Gupta 2014). Moreover, a diverse group creates opportunity for individuals to be exposed to new ideas, cultures and perspectives, thus stimulates learning and growth (Bedi, Iakra and Gupta 2014). Lastly, workplace diversity can significantly strengthen the organization’s relationship with some specific group of customers by assigning them to the right employee from the diverse group, thus making communication more effective (Bedi, Iakra and Gupta 2014).

However, diverse teams will also lead to several challenges if they are poorly managed. The ethnic and cultural difference is one of the challenges, as the diverse group consist of multiracial and multicultural individuals, it is expected that discrimination or hostility can happen in the workplace environment (Cletus et al. 2018). Furthermore, communication among the diverse group can also lead to confusion among members and lack of teamwork within the group if the members fail to communicate effectively (Cletus et al. 2018). Lastly, the generation gap is also one of the challenges, the different generations such as the generation X, generation Y and baby boomers, can produce small-knit groups and causes divisions in the organization (Cletus et al. 2018).

TUCKMAN’s model:

In order for the leader to properly manage a diverse group especially forming a new group to complete a task, the Tuckman’s model can be used as a guide. The group formation model is developed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, the model suggested that groups inevitably go through 5 different phases which leaders have to recognise the 5 phases then perform their role to lead effectively (MSPguide n.d.).

However, there are some limitations to this model as all groups are different and may react differently in situations (Heel 2017). Furthermore, the model also failed to explain how to precisely identify groups which are progressing though a stage and how it can be affected by external influences (happy manager n.d.).

Hostede’s 6 Cultural dimensions

The fact that globalisation is constantly growing in today’s world, more people are working in groups with people from other cultures (Wegelius 2013). Leaders need to understand the influence of culture in order to effectively manage a diverse cultural team. To do so, the Hofstede’s 6 cultural dimensions can be applied as a guide.

However, there are limitations to the application of Hofstede’s model, one of the most popular criticisms is that his work assumes the domestic population is a homogenous whole but most nation consist of different ethnic units (Jones 2007). Furthermore, some researchers also suggested that due to the rapidly changing global environments in today’s world, the model is too old and thus not able to provide any modern value (Jones 2007).

Organization example: Hilton

Hilton is a leading global hospitality company with a worldwide revenue of 9.14 billion USD in 2017 (Fortune n.d.), the company has more than 5,600 properties in 113 countries and territories under 16 world class brands (Hilton 2018). For the company, diversity is at the core of their Vision, Mission and Values. They believe that understanding their team members’ different perspectives along with guests, owners, partners and suppliers is important to drive their competitive performance globally (Hilton 2018a).

Thus to cultivate innovation and a globally competitive business, the organization have been implementing their strategy to promote and leverage diversity and inclusion through a framework of Culture, Talent and Marketplace initiatives since 2010 (Hilton 2018a). One of the examples of their efforts in promoting diverse culture, Hilton created Team Member Resource Groups (TMRGs) which are consist of more than 7,500 members from different backgrounds to advance company goals from their unique viewpoints (Arlotta 2018). The company’s effort is also recognised publically where in 2018, Hilton claimed the number 1 spot in the Fortune’s list of “The Best Workplaces for Diversity” (Fortune n.d.) and also ranked number 1 best workplace for parents by Great Places to Work (Hilton 2018).

Conclusion and recommendation:

In my opinion having a diverse workforce creates a creative and innovative environment where different individuals can contribute unique ideas and solutions to grow the company. To manage a diverse team may be challenging as it involves the collaboration of many individuals from different backgrounds and the leader. Therefore, leaders need to understand and respect the differences of each member and lead the team in a way that the differences of the members can complement each other to create a synergic effect which produces a high-performance team.

Reference:

Arlotta, C. (2018) With new diversity & inclusion post, Hilton sets global goals [online] available from <https://www.hotelbusiness.com/with-new-diversity-inclusion-post-hilton-sets-global-goals/&gt; [17 February 2019]

Bedi, P., Iakra, P. and Gupta, E. (2014) ‘Workforce Diversity Management: Biggest Challenge Or Opportunity For 21st Century Organizations’ IOSR Journal of Business and Management [online] 16 (4), 102-107. available from <http://iosrjournals.org/iosr-jbm/papers/Vol16-issue4/Version-3/P01643102107.pdf&gt; [17 February 2019]

Banfi, Z. (2015) Managing the diverse workforce [online] Master’s Thesis. University of Ljubljana. <http://www.cek.ef.uni-lj.si/magister/banfi1968-B.pdf&gt; [17 February 2019]

Green, K., Lopez, M., Wysocki, A. and Kepner, K. (n.d.) Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges, and the Required Managerial Tools [online] available from<http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.548.9931&rep=rep1&type=pdf&gt; [17 February 2019]

Cletus, H., Mahmood, N., Umar, A. and Ibrahim, A. (2018) ‘Prospects and Challenges of Workplace Diversity in Modern Day Organizations: A Critical Review’ Holistica 9 (2), 35-52. 

Wegelius, L. (2013) THE IMPACT OF MULTICULTURALISM ON GROUP WORK [online] Bachelor’s thesis. Turku University of Applied Science. <https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/64576/Wegelius_Laura.pdf?sequence=1&gt; [17 February 2019]

Jones, M. (2007) Hofstede – Culturally questionable? Australia: University of Wollongong

Sordo, A. (2015) Beyond Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory: Approaching a Multicultural Audience [online] available from <https://www.skyword.com/contentstandard/marketing/beyond-hofstedes-cultural-dimensions-theory-approaching-a-multicultural-audience/&gt; [17 February 2019]

Fortune (n.d.) Best workplace for diversity [online] available from <http://fortune.com/best-workplaces-for-diversity/hilton-1/&gt; [17 February 2019]

Heel, A. and Ektuna, T. (2017) Developing teams in startups A case study on startup team dynamics [online] MA dissertation. Lund University. <http://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=8913995&fileOId=8914007&gt; [17 February 2019]

Hilton (n.d.) Hilton website [online] available from <https://www.hilton.com/en/corporate/&gt; [17 February 2019]

Hilton (2018) Hilton Ranked #1 Workplace for Diversity and Parents in 2018 [online] available from <https://newsroom.hilton.com/corporate/news/hilton-1-workplace-for-diversity-and-parents&gt; [17 February 2019]

Hilton (2018a) Diversity & Inclusion at Hilton [online] available from <https://newsroom.hilton.com/assets/HWW/docs/2018/2018_Internal_Diversity_and_Inclusion_Brochure%5B2%5D.pdf&gt; [17 February 2019]

MSPguide (n.d.) Tuckman (forming, norming, storming, performing) [online] available from <http://www.mspguide.org/tool/tuckman-forming-norming-storming-performing&gt; [17 February 2019]

The happy manager (n.d.) Teamwork theory [online] available from <https://the-happy-manager.com/articles/teamwork-theory/&gt; [17 February 2019]

Theories of ethics:

The 2 theories of ethics which are teleological theories and deontological theories will be discussed to illustrate the different ideas of ethics. As White, R explained, that deontological theories are duty based, which means to say morality consists in the fulfilment of moral obligations or obeying absolute moral rules, irregardless of the consequences (Ronald n.d.). On the other hand, teleological theories locate moral goodness in the consequences of the action and not by the action alone (Ronald, n.d.). Both of the theories have their limitations in addressing all ethical issues by itself. For teleological theories, the concept suggested that as long as the consequences are favourable any actions are theoretically defensible (White 1993). In the case of deontological theories, it is the inflexibility and total lack of compromise of the theories which makes it difficult to obey in certain cases (White 1993).The benefit in terms of deontological, according to Hourdequin (2014) it captures the moral intuition that certain actions should not be practiced, regardless of their favourable outcome. On the other hand, in term of the teleological theories, it is more flexible which is easier to apply in complex situation in the 21^st century (Duffy n.d.).

The 4-V model of ethical leadership:

The 4-V model, was developed by Dr.Bill Grace and the model can simply be explained as a system that aligns the internal substances, such as beliefs and values with the external ones which are behaviours and actions for the goal of achieving the common good (Kar n.d.).

Values = Encourages us to discover and understand the values at the core of our identities, which can influence our decision making in everything we do.

Vision = The ability to frame our actions, which often involve services to others which connects our values to vision.

Voice = The individual should articulate the vision to motivate and inspire the others to act and realize the vision.

Virtue = The common good or virtue can be fostered by practicing virtuous behaviour.

Industry examples:

AirAsia: Tony Fernandes

In view of ethical leadership, besides having a leader showing the right values, the leader’s actions in handling difficult situation should be taken into account as well (Edward & Lisa 2014). Tony Fernandes the CEO of Airasia group embodies the characteristics of an ethical leader. With his goal in making the slogan “now everyone can fly” come true, he is able to make flights cheaper and affordable for everyone (The Sun Daily 2017). Furthermore, he places the well-being of his employees one of the top priorities in Airasia. The headquarter, Redq was designed with staffs’ happiness and health in mind which includes child care services, gym and other necessities (Airasia press 2018).  Tony Fernandes’s ethical leadership can also be seen when dealing with difficult situation. In March 2018, AirAsia’s baggage handlers were caught throwing customers’ luggage which drawn a lot of public attention, Tony Fernandes took responsibility and apologised (Fong 2018). To address the issue internally, he had also personally advised his staffs in a very positive manner to handle the luggage with care. His action is effective in overcoming the incident as the staffs can be seen being more careful when handling the luggage (The Straits Times 2018).

Theranos: Elizabeth Holmes

In the case of Theranos, a health care company which was founded in 2003 and was once valued at $9 billion had lost its value as the company was committing massive fraud (Robinson 2019). The company had made false claims, that it’s device could test for multiple health conditions with only a few drops of blood and the claims have misled doctors, patients and the investors (BBC news 2018). The non-ethical behaviour and practices of the leaders of the company have negatively affected the entire organization, the founder Elizabeth Holmes settled charges with the Securities and Exchange commission in March 2018 and had to pay a fine of $500,000 and was also banned for 10 years from serving as an office or director of a public company (BBC news 2018).

Conclusion & recommendation:

Being an ethical leader provides significant positive impact towards the business organization, conversely if leaders are not ethical it can damage the image of the entire business (Kar n.d.). In the example of Theranos, it is very evident that by using unethical business practices to gain short term reward, will eventually lead to more serious problems that will affect the company. On the other hand, ethical practices within the company which have to be demonstrated by the leader, will be able to overcome challenges effectively which can be seen in the case of Tony Fernandes. Thus, the 4v-model of ethical leadership can be used to guide leaders, to cultivate the ethical behaviour from the inside out and also able to influence the entire organisation to practice them. Furthermore, in deciding for solution in an ethical dilemmas, both deontological and teleological theories have their own advantages which can be used to complement each other to overcome the limitations of the other. However, most importantly being a leader, ethics should always be one of the important factors in making important business decisions.

Reference:

AirAsia Press Release (2018) Prime Minister of Malaysia officiates AirAsia’s RedQ [online] available from < https://www.airasia.com/jp/en/press-releases/prime-minister-of-malaysia-officiates-airasia-redq.page&gt; [27 Janaury 2019]

BBC news (2018) ‘Theranos founder hit with criminal charges’. BBC News [online] 15 June. Available from <https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44501631&gt; [ 27 January 2019]

BBC news (2018) ‘Theranos: Scandal hit blood-testing firm to shut’. BBC News [online] 5 September. Available from < https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45418615&gt; [ 27 January 2019]

Fong, F. (2018) ‘Tony says sorry after AirAsia baggage handlers caught throwing luggage’. New Straits Times [online] 22 March. available from <https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/03/348191/tony-says-sorry-after-airasia-baggage-handlers-caught-throwing-luggage&gt; [27 January 2019]

Hourdequin, M. (2014) Environmental Ethics: From Theory to Practice [online] London: Bloomsbury available from <https://media.bloomsbury.com/rep/files/9781472508089_Ch02_Online.pdf&gt; [27 January 2019]

Kar, S. (n.d.) ‘Journal of Business and Management’. Ethical Leadership: Best Practice Success [online] 112-116

Newsroom Airasia (2018) Tony Fernandes [online] available from <https://newsroom.airasia.com/leadership/2018/3/28/tony-fernandes&gt; [29 January 2019]

Robinson, T. (2019) The Inventor examines the $9 billion Theranos scandal, and blames Silicon Valley [online] available from <https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/25/18197713/the-inventor-review-theranos-scandal-silicon-valley-startup-elizabeth-holmes-fraud-sundance-2019&gt; [29 January 2019]

Ronald, F. (n.d.) Moral Inquiry [online] available from <http://faculty.msj.edu/whiter/ethicsbook.pdf> [27 January 2019]

The Straits Times (2018) ‘Netizens tickled by AirAsia baggage handlers ‘kissing’ check-in items’. The Straits Times [online] 28 March. available from <https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/airasia-baggage-handlers-kiss-check-in-items-after-complaint-about-spoilt-bike&gt; [27 January 2019]

The Sun Daily (2017) ‘I will not stop until everyone can fly: Tony Fernandes’. The Sun Daily [online] 26 December. Available from <https://www.thesundaily.my/archive/i-will-not-stop-until-everyone-can-fly-tony-fernandes-DUARCH514536&gt; [27 January 2019]

White, T. (1993) Ethics [online] New York: Macmillan Publishing available from <http://bourbon.usc.edu/engr102-f09/ethics.pdf&gt; [27 January 2019]

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton