Blog 4 : My development journey to being a leader in the future

My future vision is to one day become a leader in my own right. In order to become one, I am focussed on being a good listener, adaptable to changing situations and looking far in the future.Using my personal strength of good communication skills combined with easy going with different types of people, I am focused on becoming the best leader I can be for my organization in the future. I believe have these traits will be an advantage to myself as it will not limit me in one particular sector, instead these traits could be applied to all sectors.

My choice of leadership is the “Exemplary Leadership” by Kouzes and Posner. There are together 5 practices related to this model (Posner, 2017).

Exemplary leadership Table

Traits I share with the Exemplary leadership model

The first traits that I carry is the ability to listen to others well by incorporating many ideas into a decision which has proven to work well for me in the past. As incorporating ideas will mean less argument amongst the team and that everyone has an input at the decision. 

The second trait is that I am able to easily adapt to my surroundings, whatever the situation may be, I will try to understand the problems that are being faced and adapt myself to suit with the situation.

Career path

Having previous experiences in several industries, I found out that real-estate is the one that will best suit me. This is because it offers something unique such as all the properties are different, there are many options to choose from, something new every day that I learn but most important of all, I enjoy it.  

One of the leadership traits to have in a real-estate industry would be to learn to evolve with the market as it changes all the time (Golden, 2019). This part is where my adaptability comes in, essentially, I will be able to apply my trait in order to adapt to changing marketing’s. Secondly, having knowledge and good understanding can be an advantage, this is where I am able to listen and take in from others and then form a decision (Kapre.com, 2019). 

Feedback analysis

• Member 1 

My high school friend refereed me as to being very playful at times but when there are tasks to be completed, I am very punctual in terms of deadline and will always complete the work several days before the deadline in case of any changes or updates.  

• Member 2

My university friend always regarded me as easy going with anyone. Also that I really do listen to what others have to say before making the final decision. 

• Member3 

My previous boss at my old job has told me that I get along with everyone very well and that I am a very cheerful character, always making productive conversations and keeping the moral of the team high. 

Overall, I believe that I have a unique style to myself which is a positive thing. Also that I tend to get along with teams well no matter the situation. Always taking advice and inputting it into the end project. 

Development plan

The second model to be utilized is the “Johari Window”.

It is used to for an individual to develop self-awareness and others in order to achieve success. The model is divided into 4 main categories shown in boxes below. The first box is the “open” which is means it is known by yourself and seen and aware by other, nevertheless it can still be disturbing in some cases to talk about it. Secondly, the blind spot as the name suggest is something that you do not know but others do. The case that usually happens is where other people talk about you without you knowing, the trick is to let the blind sport person know. For instance, if she or has a body odor problem, this may cause issues within the working environment, colleagues should let the person know in order to resolve the situation and move on. Thirdly, “hidden area” is where it is known by yourself but not to others. This is for instance if I have a talent in singing, but others may not notice, sharing it to other will slowly turn the situation into Open space. Lastly, the “Unknown” which is both unknown by you and others, this will not come the subject of discussion as neither party knows about it.

References

Businessballs.com. (n.d.). exemplary leadership. [online] Available at: https://www.businessballs.com/leadership-models/five-practices-of-exemplary-leadership-kouzes-and-posner/ [Accessed 23 Jul. 2019].

Golden, J. (2019). 4 Features of Leadership and Management in Real Estate. [online] AboutLeaders. Available at: https://aboutleaders.com/leadership-real-estate/#gs.rnvjjn [Accessed 23 Jul. 2019].

Kapre.com. (2019). Top 10 Traits of a Good Real Estate Agent | Qualities of the Best | KapRE.com. [online] Available at: https://www.kapre.com/resources/real-estate/top-ten-traits-of-a-real-estate-agent/ [Accessed 23 Jul. 2019].

Bhaumik, P. (2019). Johari Window- A Tool To Build Awareness And Achieve Success. [online] The Minds Journal. Available at: https://themindsjournal.com/johari-window/2/ [Accessed 23 Jul. 2019].

PeoriaMagazines.com. (2017). The Five Practices 30 Years Later…. [online] Available at: https://www.peoriamagazines.com/ibi/2017/nov/five-practices-30-years-later [Accessed 27 Jul. 2019].

Blog 3 :What do you need to know about the effect of Brexit on Great Britain

Brexit is a word which has been derived from a particular event where Britain is exiting the EU, hence the Brexit. On the 23 of June 2016, a referendum had been casted as to leave or remain within the EU (Wheeler, Seddon and Morris, 2019). As a result, 51.9% of voters voted to leave while 48.1% voted to remain. Therefore, in this situation, the Brexit plan had to be drawn up and initiated once the deadline was due. Further to note, over 70% of Britain came out to vote on that day which was about 30 million people (Wheeler, Seddon and Morris, 2019). 

As a result of the outcome of the vote, Sterling pound had the worse decline in 30 years history against the US. Also, at the time, Prime minister David Cameron who called on voters to remain in the referendum had resigned the next day after the results (Kenton, 2019).    

In recent events, the latest Prime minster Theresa May has also resigned due to no Brexit deals being accepted by the UK parliament (Milan, 2019). 

Impacts on business

One Brexit has taken full action, there are going to be major hits that the UK will have to take but with time, the UK will eventually make a comeback. 

Firstly, UK exports will take a toll as it exports more than £133 billion to the EU, the loss is expected to short roughly £4.5 billion a year. Export business will also incur tariffs set by the EU depending on how the deal is made, rendering UK to become far less competitive globally (Market-inspector.co.uk, 2019). Business within the Uk will also face employment shortages as there are over 2.1 million EU migrants working in both high skilled and low skilled works (Market-inspector.co.uk, 2019). 

Brexit on Mini cooper – current and potential 

As the Mini cooper is solely produced within the UK, the company faces serious threat due to Brexit crisis. Firstly, the company will be faced with tariffs which will be put onto cars when they ship to the EU. Also, material supplies will also become more expensive due to tariffs if set. Lastly, they face threat on workforce, as after the Brexit situation, unemployment rate is thought to increase (MINI Edmonton, n.d.). 

From assessing the current situation, Mini cooper has 2 options:

1. Remain its production plants within the UK and face consequences of the Brexit. By remaining its plant, Mini cooper will have stuck with its British Heritage which is one of its main selling points. However, with this method, they will have to incur heavy tariffs and potential threat on its just-in-time supply chain network and workforce. 
2. The second and better option in my opinion would be to relocate to Germany where the BMW group lies. Here, Mini Cooper will benefit with less tariffs, being close to the BMW group they will have less risk in terms of supply chain. Also, as they are located in EU, workforce would not be a problem. 

Lewin’s change management model

The concept of change has become more common in today’s modern world as the economy is more fragile and prone to change at any given time. Lewin’s change model consists of 3 main stages to help assist in change of an organization (Mindtools.com, 2019). 

The first step to implementing this plan is known as unfreezing the organisation. At this step Mini Cooper will have to send a message out to all parties involved explaining the current situation and why the organisation can no longer survive at this condition. The best way would be to give out facts such as financial figures, forecasts, or company facts in relation to Brexit. 

The second step will involve people accepting the truth and eventually open up to change.  This is where people will be the most supportive to the new change as they know it’s the only forward. To make things easier, Mini Cooper may also give a statement on how the new change will improve and benefit them. 

At the last stage is the refreeze of change, at this point things are starting to take shape and return to stable and normal processes. A clear sign of refreeze would be stable conditions, tasks, day to day operations. To help assist in the refreeze, Mini Cooper may ensure the employees with sense of stability.

A successful case of Lewin’s model implementation would be the case of applying bar codes in a medical administration. Due to many types of medication to be tracked and kept updated combined with consequences that follow due to wrong medication. A decision has been made to implement barcodes in order to eliminate these problems. The first step of unfreezing involves round table discussion of what the advantages are and how the change would benefit the community as a whole. Followed by the change state which involves physically implementing the new systems this includes the IT technicians, training programs and staff to be educated with the new systems. At the final stage is where all the stakeholders involve receive assistance where needed up until the process has fully been implemented and daily operations return to normal status (Sutherland, 2013).

Learning outcomes

Brexit has caused many problems which will reflect on operations of many businesses. Therefore, these businesses have to change in order to keep operations going. Especially in the modern world where change is becoming more common, businesses should get used to the process and treat it as a new frontier to a better organization.  Altogether, it’s important for Mini Cooper not forget about its roots and traditions after change has been initiated. 

References

Kenton, W. (2019). Brexit Definition. [online] Investopedia. Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brexit.asp [Accessed 21 Jul. 2019].

Market-inspector.co.uk. (2019). Impact of Brexit on Businesses in the UK | Market-Inspector. [online] Available at: https://www.market-inspector.co.uk/blog/2016/10/impact-of-brexit-on-businesses-in-the-uk [Accessed 21 Jul. 2019].

Milan, A. (2019). When does Theresa May step down as Prime Minister? | Metro News. [online] Metro.co.uk. Available at: https://metro.co.uk/2019/07/20/theresa-may-step-prime-minister-leave-10-downing-street-10431654/ [Accessed 21 Jul. 2019].

Mindtools.com. (2019). Lewin’s Change Management Model: Understanding the Three Stages of Change. [online] Available at: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_94.htm [Accessed 21 Jul. 2019].

MINI Edmonton. (n.d.). How Will Brexit Affect The MINI Cooper? | MINI Edmonton in AB. [online] Available at: https://www.miniedmonton.com/2018/08/28/how-brexit-will-affect-mini/ [Accessed 21 Jul. 2019].

ToolsHero. (n.d.). Lewin’s change model, discover new behavior change theory | ToolsHero. [online] Available at: https://www.toolshero.com/change-management/lewin-change-model/ [Accessed 21 Jul. 2019].

Wheeler, B., Seddon, P. and Morris, R. (2019). Brexit: All you need to know. [online] BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32810887 [Accessed 21 Jul. 2019].

Fairfield Citizen. (2019). Tearful Theresa May quits as Brexit breaks her premiership. [online] Available at: https://www.fairfieldcitizenonline.com/news/article/Tearful-Theresa-May-quits-as-Brexit-breaks-her-13890373.php [Accessed 24 Jul. 2019].

Reuters (2019). BMW interrumpiría producción de Mini si se atrasa Brexit. [online] El CEO. Available at: https://elceo.com/negocios/bmw-interrumpiria-produccion-de-mini-si-se-atrasa-brexit/ [Accessed 20 Jul. 2019].

Template, L. (2019). Lewin’s Change Management Model PowerPoint Template – Slide Ocean. [online] Slideocean.com. Available at: https://www.slideocean.com/downloads/lewins-change-management-model/ [Accessed 20 Jul. 2019].

Allegretti, A. (2019). What happens now that Brexit deal has been defeated?. [online] Sky News. Available at: https://news.sky.com/story/what-happens-now-after-brexit-divorce-deal-defeat-11678167 [Accessed 20 Jul. 2019].

Pandey, A. (2019). Brexit to cost billions in income losses across Europe | DW | 21.03.2019. [online] DW.COM. Available at: https://www.dw.com/en/brexit-to-cost-billions-in-income-losses-across-europe/a-47991332 [Accessed 20 Jul. 2019].

Sutherland, K. (2013). Applying Lewin’s Change Management Theory to the Implementation of Bar-Coded Medication Administration. Canadian journals of informatics, [online] 13(2). Available at: https://cjni.net/journal/?p=2888 [Accessed 28 Jul. 2019].

 

Blog 2 : What is leadership?

In the past, there has been many definitions by various authors and practitioners in regard to defining what leadership is. Therefore, to summaries, leadership is a form of power through social affluence. There are also many different styles of leadership, for instance; traits, personality, skill or attributes (Kruse, 2013). But most importantly, leadership will always exist with an end goal, there will always be a purpose for leadership. Leadership is also more than just organizing the efforts of people, instead it is the influence to push people to meet their goal (Kruse, 2013). Lastly, the correct leadership sets the tone and morale of the entire organization, with the wrong leadership, organizations may become crippled.

One of the greatest leaders was Winston Churchill. His bold character lead the country through tough time when there was no one else. However on the other side, he developed a transformational style of leadership, in order to communicate with the public and allies or when he needed to be more sociable. These traits of Winston Churchill were essential to his success and until today, he still remains one of the greatest PM the UK has ever had.

Traditional top down leadership approach

The “Top-down” approach was initially started in the industrial period to give directions to unskilled workers. It is essentially thought to be the traditional style of management leadership styles (Clarizen, 2018). Also, in this approach, all decisions related to the organization operations will be made by top management or leaders (Clarizen, 2018). 

In some cases, top down approach may be the only way to propel the organization forward, as the leader sets a clear tone and expectations for individuals. Furthermore, employees will be more focused on their tasks which are assigned to the, rather than to worry about the next meeting. In other words, top down approach is more suited in situations where tasks are clear to employees and when things need be done to a high specification (Harper, 2015). 

Also, if the leader of the organization is talented, this will be a positive statement for that organization as its leader is in the best regards, potentially influencing employees along the way(Harper, 2015).

Conventional Bottoms up leadership approach 

Essentially the bottoms up leadership style is when leadership takes into consideration from all personnel of the organization, no matter if you are a high-ranking employee or you only work on basic tasks. These leaders will encourage the input from all parties in order to gather as much information and ideas from individuals from all parts in order to consolidate and come up with strategic plans (Eby, 2018). As this leadership style encourages open communications amongst all employees, more ideas are shared and passed with one another, essentially creating a more transparent and better decision-making process (Eby, 2018). This method also empowers each and every one of the employees, making them feel like they are part of the family, encouraging them work harder. 

Nevertheless, when all employees are involved in the decision-making process, there could be overwhelming amounts of ideas(Harper, 2015). Rendering managers to doubt on original plans or have a hard time creating a plan to reach goals. Also, in a highly competitive environment, employees may result in conflict in the case where an idea which has been put forward by another employee has become the management style which other parties do not agree with(Harper, 2015). 

The use of bottoms up approach has also been affiliated with modern organization due to the fact that, new fresh ideas are needed in order to propel the organization forward. For instance, companies such as IBM or The New York Times who have developed the bottom up approach has found the experience to be very fruitful, as they develop newer ideas and innovations which would otherwise never have been(Malsam, 2019).    

In conclusion

From the analysis made above it is clear that there are both pros and cons of the two leadership styles, as both styles are made for different purpose. On one hand the top down leadership approach is beneficial in getting the job done on time with all parties know what is expected out of them. Hence, this style is particularly good for jobs such as construction, jobs that require low skills or jobs that have pre-determined end goal. 

On the other hand, the bottoms up approach takes all employees ideas and thoughts into consideration, at the same time making them feel as they are part and connected to one another. This style is better suited for industries that are constantly changing, requiring new ideas. For instance, high skill jobs driven by social media or technology. As these jobs constantly require new ideas which can only be developed by vast ideas and not by the top managements.   

Opinion on the development of leadership styles based on research

In my opinion, top down leadership will always exist in the society as sometimes, things need to be done on time and precise. Nevertheless, bottom up approach will continue to prosper in the digital age, as it is those ideas from the employees that create technology and help the company to find new dimensions.

References

Artnet.com. (2019). Portrait of Sir Winston Churchill by Adam SherriffScott. [online] Available at: http://www.artnet.com/artists/adam-sherriff-scott/portrait-of-sir-winston-churchill-lkkvGL1gZkhxV8-pC3P25w2 [Accessed 24 Jul. 2019].

Clarizen. (2018). What Great Leaders Know About Top Down Management – Clarizen. [online] Available at: https://www.clarizen.com/great-leaders-know-top-management/ [Accessed 21 Jul. 2019].

Eby, K. (2018). Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Approach | Smartsheet. [online] Smartsheet. Available at: https://www.smartsheet.com/top-down-bottom-up-approach [Accessed 21 Jul. 2019].

Harper, M. (2015). Top-down vs. Bottom-up Management Styles | Compare Leadership Styles. [online] Touro University WorldWide. Available at: https://www.tuw.edu/business/top-down-bottom-up-management/ [Accessed 21 Jul. 2019].

Kruse, K. (2013). What Is Leadership?. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/04/09/what-is-leadership/#586d8e835b90 [Accessed 21 Jul. 2019].

Malsam, W. (2019). Top Down vs. Bottom Up Management: What’s the Difference?. [online] ProjectManager.com. Available at: https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/top-down-vs-bottom-up-management [Accessed 21 Jul. 2019].

Human Business. (2016). The bottom-up approach – Human Business. [online] Available at: http://www.humanbusiness.eu/bottom-up-approach/ [Accessed 20 Jul. 2019].

Witt, D. (2017). A Bottom-Up Approach to Leadership that Works. [online] Blanchard LeaderChat. Available at: https://leaderchat.org/2017/05/11/a-bottom-up-approach-to-leadership-that-works/ [Accessed 20 Jul. 2019].

Organizationalphysics.com. (2016). [online] Available at: https://organizationalphysics.com/2016/10/13/top-down-vs-bottom-up-hierarchy-or-how-to-build-a-self-managed-organization/ [Accessed 20 Jul. 2019].

Erickson, R. (2018). How To Gain Respect & Admiration As A Leader: Avoid These Mistakes!. [online] Ryder and Nicole Erickson. Available at: https://ryderandnicoleerickson.com/gain-respect-leader-avoid-mistakes/ [Accessed 20 Jul. 2019].

Samur, A. (2019). Collaborative leadership: moving from top-down to team-centric. [online] Several People Are Typing. Available at: https://slackhq.com/collaborative-leadership-top-down-team-centric [Accessed 20 Jul. 2019].

 

Blog 1 United Airlines culture clash

Purpose of this blog 

The purpose of this blog is to analyse the current organisational culture that United Airline has developed, for instance why it may benefit or damage the organisation’s reputation. After that, we will examine the possible changes which will improve on the existing organisational cultures, at the same time applying frameworks to assist in changing to a new approach. As a result, United Airlines could benefit in changing from existing to a new organisational culture. 

Defining Organisational culture 

Simply put, organisational culture is the way things are done in an organisation. It is the shared values amongst employees of the organisation, usually beginning from top of management (gothamCulture, n.d.). The shared values can be seen as an expression in self conduct, interactions, how things are done with the customers (gothamCulture, n.d.). Most importantly, organisational culture is an unwritten rule where employees act accordingly to the norms of the organisation Cummings & Worley (2004). 

Why is organisational culture vital in businesses?

A culture could be seen as how employees interact with not only one another at workplace but to outsiders in an organisation, hence the importance to keep a high standard of motivation throughout (Moseley, 2019). Employees at the same firm may have different goals and ways to get to their objectives creating difference within the same organisation. However, it is the organisational culture that brings commonality within organisations, no matter how big differences might be for instance, backgrounds, families, race (Juneja, 2015. The Culture enables employees to sense unity, bringing people together to create one big family or shared values (Juneja, 2015). 

Current organisational culture of United Airlines

United Airlines has had a long history of poor organisational culture where bad incidents keep on happening over and over, whereby these incidents could easily be avoidable if there were better cultures in place. For instance, there was an incident in 2017 whereby a rightful passenger was dragged out of his seat just before the plane was about to taxi due to overbooking of the flight (Victors and Stevens, 2017). After a short period after the controversial incident, United Airlines then miss handled pets. Essentially killing one of the dogs and then sending another dog to a wrong destination (Matousek, 2018).   

What are the downsides of the current organisational culture?

• 

• 

After incidents happening one after another, it seems that United Airlines are not able to control their situations. In fact, it is entirely up to the organisational culture which dictates the events that had been had been happening. The result after the incident where a man was dragged out left United Airlines $800 million short the day after (Thompson, 2017). In the case of United Airline, organisational culture was more of a statement to every employee rather than thoughtful training or commitment training which would have led to a more educated decision making process(Thompson, 2017). As when don’t right, organisation culture can direct employees to behave rationally without training in unforeseen circumstances. 

Proposed strategies to improve existing organisational culture

Proposed strategies to improve existing organisational culture

When trying to plan for a large-scale change in culture it is important to update those who are involved in the process so that they understand why change is needed and what will be the outcome of it. Hence, the “ADKAR” model has been suggested to help assist in smooth transition of the culture change. Awareness, is the beginning of the process which notifies all those involved why a change is needed in the organisation, giving then reasons and and current status. Desire, as in those who are involved need to be supportive of the change and is keen on new methods. Knowledge, those who are involved need to receive training on how to change, in order to coordinate and be in the same direction of change. Ability, employees much possess the need for change and want to change with the system, employees shall not stick to old methods.  Reinforcement, employees must always be kept on track, any deviation will steer the change backwards into old methods, therefore there needs to be means of sustaining change (Mierke and Williamson, 2016).   

For instance, change should be initiated by assigning a new CEO in order to establish change towards a new direction. Furthermore, as CEO is the head of the company, it is more likely that those who are at lower ranks will follow action (Growth Engineering, n.d)

Developing a charter statement

In this section we will be utilising the Iceberg framework to assist United Airlines in developing visible and invisible aspects that it shall focus on, in order to achieve a new and better organisational culture. Most important of all, United Airline shall focus on putting customer service at the centre of decision making when dealing with every situation due to past events which are describes above (Krüger, n.d.). 

Visible

• Develop consistent customer service 
• Improved customer service level
• Accommodating customers who may have delay problems

Invisible

• Training on how to deal with difficult situations 
• Training on internal operations
• Active strategy reinforcements 

References

gothamCulture. (n.d.). What is Organizational Culture? | Complete Definition and Characteristics. [online] Available at: https://gothamculture.com/what-is-organizational-culture-definition/ [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].

Juneja, P. (2015). Importance of Organization Culture. [online] Managementstudyguide.com. Available at: https://www.managementstudyguide.com/importance-of-organization-culture.htm [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].

Matousek, M. (2018). United Airlines has a long history of infuriating customers — here are its worst customer service incidents. [online] Business Insider. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/united-airlines-worst-customer-service-incidents-2018-3?r=US&IR=T [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].

Moseley, C. (2019). 7 reasons why organizational culture is important. [online] Blog.jostle.me. Available at: https://blog.jostle.me/blog/why-is-organizational-culture-important [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].

Thompson, S. (2017). How a Disconnected Corporate Culture Cost United Airlines $800 Million Overnight. [online] Inc.com. Available at: https://www.inc.com/sonia-thompson/how-a-disconnected-corporate-culture-cost-united-airlines-800-million-overnight.html [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].

Victors, D. and Stevens, M. (2017). United Airlines Passenger Is Dragged From an Overbooked Flight. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/10/business/united-flight-passenger-dragged.html [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].

Cummings, Thomas G. & Worley, Christopher G. (2004), Organization Development and Change, 8th Ed., South-Western College Pub.

Mollie West Duffy. (2017). Monthly Culture Inspiration December 2017. [online]  Available at: https://molliewestduffy.com/designing-culture/2017/12/17/monthly-culture-inspiration-december-2017 [Accessed 21 Jul. 2019].

thehindubusinessline. (2019). United Airlines suspends Newark-Mumbai operations indefinitely. [online] Available at: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/logistics/united-airlines-suspends-newark-mumbai-operations-indefinitely/article28094509.ece [Accessed 19 Jul. 2019].

One Clear Message Consulting. (2019). Challenges to making your Organisational Culture Change stick. [online] Available at: https://www.oneclearmessage.com/challenges-to-making-your-organisational-culture-change-stick/ [Accessed 19 Jul. 2019].

Exathetpo.gq. (2017). Bloomberg businessweek subscription customer service : Best long island bars. [online] Available at: http://www.exathetpo.gq/moso/bloomberg-businessweek-subscription-customer-service-2887.php [Accessed 19 Jul. 2019].

Ethics Unwrapped. (2019). United Airlines: Grounded – Ethics Unwrapped. [online] Available at: https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/video/united-airlines-grounded [Accessed 19 Jul. 2019].