Leadership Research and Leadership Studies †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Leadership Research and Leadership Studies. Answer: Introduction Amazon.com, Inc. is a company that deals in electronic business and cloud computing. It was founded in July 1994 by Jeff Bezos. The company is based in The USA, Seatale, Washington DC. Amazon is a tech giant and by market capitalization and revenue, it is the top internet retailer and in terms of overall sales, it is second with Alibaba toping. Its online website started as a bookstore but currently it has been diversifie to selling electronics, furniture, jewellery, food stuffs, audio, video and sofwares etc. Under its brand Amazon basics, it also deals in products that are low-ends. By the end of 2014, the online shopping company had 566, 000 employees. According to Carr (2017), mission statements should push organizations/ companies to accomplish their desired success in business. The business success is accredited to the mission and vision statements. Its mission statement and vision is to be earth's most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find an d discover anything they might want to buy online. An organizations success should be contributed to their resolute obligation and consistent execution of their mission and vision. An organizations value guides the organization actions and their perspectives and in turn guides and aids in describing its culture and beliefs (Jagelman, 2005). Values assist in confronting issues or problems. Amazons have values which also double up as their principles. These include; Customer obsession, Ownership, Hire and develop the best, Think big, Invent and simplify, Frugality, Bias for action, Dive deep, Vocal self-critical, Insist on the highest standards, ackbone and Deliver Results. Through putting down values, Amazon lays out its various expectations for its members. Organisations culture are the organizations underlying values, beliefs and assumptions that contributes to their distinct psychological and social work environment (Ovide, 2018). Amazon has pride in its organization having a reputation of working hard. According to DuBrin et. al, (2005), notes that Amazon has a culture that works incredibly hard. Their expectations and standards are described from their phrase unreasonably high. Change Initiative Change in businesses or organizations advances through little and imperceptible movement. Carr (2017) notes that in firms is normally in nature, change is evolutionary until it reaches a crisis moment that results into a paradigm shift. It is sometimes vital to push the evolutionary process to be able to go for extra rapid change. Change in dysfunctional cultures is an uphill task since its is not easily accepted and thats where good leadership should be incorporated. Organizations that have their leaders adjust to environmental change at the end survive and flourish just like Amazon.com, Inc. The leaders at Amazon have been in a position to change online shopping models due to change in competition and business environment. The leaders at the organization jolted the process of evolutionary change. Ovide (2017) asserts that change is a toll for adjusting to survival. Amazon launched as in 1994 as a model for selling books, through their leaders the company took an approach and identified their customers needs. They worked in a backward manner to to employ new ways to distribute their products and services.Such changes philosophy was based on listening to their customers will lead to failure and not listening will achieve similar results. To respond to changing environment, the company founded a strategy of selling their merchandize over the internet through external networks. They intern converted their competitors into partners who have aided them increasing their customer base via extended product lines Carr (2017). The change for Amazon seemed easy and was aided by a number of factors which include the organizations culture being open to change and the online shopping model was radical. For amazon, the market have responded kindly. To achieve results to nge initiative, the organizations leaders need to manage employee responses, sell change right and use emotional contagion Ovide (2017). Leadership styles and philosophies Jeff Bezo the founder of Amazon.com, Inc relevance in business has been forged through his transformational leadership. Transformational leadership entails instigating change in organizations or firms or businesses, oneself and others (Yi-Feng, 2011). Such leaders always motivate others to go an extra mile than they intended and thought was possible. Such leaders set expectations that are challenging but accomplish a higher performance at the end. Bezos leadership is believed to have followers who are satisfied and committed because such leaders majorly empower their followers. Through Amazons growth it is evident that the leader have abilities of inspiring, envisioning and innovating. The three metrics of transformational leaders are, core repositioning, financial performance and net growth (Miska Mendenhall, 2018). Through core repositioning, organizations in new growth businesses. Amazon has been able to increase its platforms in retails into new categories such as streaming content and food. In net growth, it has been fruitful in creating new products, services and business models. Through financial performance, it has improved its profit growth. At Amazon apart from transformational leadership, other leadership styles are depicted especially from the founder Jeff Bezo. Autocratic leadership is portrayed since in most cases the founder monitors different operations/ activities on his own. Autocratic leadership is focused on the boss who holds all authority and responsibility according to (Bryant, 2017). He also posses strategic leadership as he has delivered exceptional strategies that has made the business to be successful. Team leadership style is also painted because he is in a position to give direction and purpose for the business. Team leadership entailed in the organizations vision that provides a vivid sense of purpose plus direction Being a leader in todays fast-paced business world and workplace have extra demands. It entails working with varied teams at times from different locations and time zones. Ospina (2017) points out that, while there are numerous leadership styles, those who are best share common traits. Organizations that have proved to be sustainable and successful have their leader having traits of a successful and powerful leader. At Amazon the key leader Bezo posseses a number of leadership traits. Innovative mind is one of them in that he has been capable of developing a largely renowned e-commerce website. Bezos innovative skills has proved that he is angry of always developing new things like Kindle an E-book device. Gyanchandani (2017) points out that leaders must encourage creativity through encouraging risk experimentation. The leader is also strategically patient but also defensively impatient which is seen in the organizations vision and through the phases the organization has undergone from startup to the current state. Building a team is an effective trait where by the leader admits that it is challenging to invent in the absence of underlying tools. Leaders effectiveness in attending to tasks and relationships Businesses that have been successful have had their leaders having leadership traits of successful and influential leaders. There is also discussion on leadership in the organization creating and maintaining their vision, and their effectiveness in managing conducive environment during the change process. Accomplishing success at the organization, the leaders highlighted how to use suitable tools and techniques to flourish. Human skills enable the use of knowledge and ability to work with various individuals and being aware of their perspectives to accomplish organizations vision. Promoting teamwork is vital to achieving organizational goals, effective communication and nurturing innovation. Perserverance through adversities is a trait that leaders at Amazon posses due to commitment to the organizations vision. The organization has faced challenges and their coonvictions have shown to be great e.g. Bezo noted that he had lost billions of dollar sin projects that failed. Bezo is a risk taker in that through making up his mind to start Amazon, he didnt have sufficient funds and new that there were chances of failing but he persevered and today the organization is among the most successful businesses. Jackson (2017) denotes that best leaders not only are risk takers and have confidence and when challenged, their possibility of giving in is close to impossible. Leaders who come up with the organizations vision always exhibit qualities that make them have the capability of creating and communicating the vision. Vision created should be inclusive to be able to unify their customers. Amazons vision is inclusive in that it targets building platform where its customers find or discover what they need online. The leaders were also able to create a vision that has clarity. Making visions that are easily understood is significant in promoting the organizations brand which reflects in its success. Having a clear vision for the future in a business, distinguishing and being able to take advantage of market opportunities and establishing strong leadership enables it to be upheld (Hoch, 203). Companies that have been successful have had their success attributed to innovation and upholding their vision. At Amazon, the leadership has been capable of maintaining the organizations vision in a number of ways. The company focuses on their customers through innovation and thinking big and thats where there effort is placed. Through stating that they are customer centric indicated that their main focus are their customers through solving customers problems and meeting their need. Cooper, Nieberding and Wanek (2013) demote that the better an organization,s customer service, the better the sales through customer loyalty. The company through their vision build their cutomers an electronic soulmate on their goal of tailored product recommendations. Maintenance of trust, confidence, ethical and legal behaviours Transformational leadership depicted at Amazon entails transformational leadership principles such as motivation, determination, mobilization, innovation and facilitation. In amazons innovations since its foundation has been consistent due to trust that they incorporate in their innovations. Confidence must go on par with risk during innovations which involves a lot of experimenting (Bligh, Pearce, and Kohles, 2006). Transformational leadership metrics such as net growth and core repositioning as noted by Jung and Valero (2015), requires ethics and trust for the metrics to be visible. Amazon has enjoyed the fruits of success through its evolution, which has been due to its strategic leadership style. The exclusive strategies are attained through their employees having trust in their employer. Their customers develop confidence in the products due to the strategic leadership employed. Through strategic leadership, the organization has a policy against discrimination and harassment. Am azon provides equal opportunities in all employment aspects and doesnt allow harassment or discrimination of its employees. Such organizations conducts entails ethics which are achieved through proper leadership. Amazon also posses autocratic leadership where most decisions are made at the top leadership, Amazon acquired Whole foods. This brought it into an interesting problem in the USA antitrust law. It portrays both legal and ethical conducts in its leadership styles. While change is inevitable, various organizations handle it differently and institutions that involves one person, barriers to change normally arise. The organisations employees will act differently to change as some are enthusiastic and will embrace it, others are fearful and most likely will resist (Suk Bong, Kihwan Seung-Wan, 2017). Employee involvement is significant in dealing with barriers to change. It should also include employee den making in order to make them feel valued and have possession in the change result. It is a method that averts too much feedback after change which might cause paralysis. Excellent leadership is required I handling change. Avolio (2014) asserts that excellent leadership on how to execute plans appropriately and good leaders provide focus and motivate for the change. Effective communication also prevent change barriers. It assists in initiating acceptance among the employees and customers. As much as employees need to know bout the change, they al so should be aware of its effects. The organization can ensure that their processes arent complex to make planning and implementation processes easier. Organizatinion complexity can be broken by utilizing a highly effective, quality and diligent change and project management approach. Working in small doses aids in managing change barriers because it doesnt overload employees with instant changes. It makes them focus on easy and digestable chunks knowing that more is on the way. Conflict arises in organization due to change and it is inevitable and in most cases employees or customers are never prepared to handle it. It takes careful strategies to ensure that the impact is not felt or barred completely. Conflicts can easily be dealt with by getting to its root issue, considering all, the parties that are involved and having those involved create a resolution protocol. Handling one issue at a time, timing the conflict and avoiding it also is important. Leaders effectiveness in establishing and maintaining a constructive climate through change process Taking market leadership risks creates conducive environment for the change process. It is in this line that it took Amazon.com, Inc to get its core business transactions from where it was to its current status. At first the company tried Amazon auctions, it then changed to zShops and finally to Amazon Market place. Kohn and OConnel (2007) denotes that invention and failure cant be separated and invention involves experimentation which entails taking risks and good leadership. When employees are made to think like the business owners, then it creates a motivating climate in the work environment. Amazons leadership has been able to attract and retain employees who are motivated and its bonuses and profit sharing enable workers contribute in the companys success. The leadership at the organization has created a culture that is right for the company. The organization never claims hat an approach that they come up with is theirs. A company must not be about a set of goals, but be able to decide on what matters or projects are important be able to repeat them. They should also ensure that employees and customers buys in the important projects or matters. Leaders avoiding bureaucracy create conducive environment through change by empowering people.Comtinuous empowerment results into averting bureaucracy as pointed out by Cole (2012), and to keep innovating, power should be pushed down in the organization. Conclusion Amazon.com, Inc leadership has brought it great success through online shopping idea. Through their leadership skills, the leaders at the organization have used their knowledge and competencies to achieve the organizations vision. Amazons founder Bezo over the years have been able to understand their customers needs. Its with the understanding the top leadership that it has been in a position to transform the organization to focus on its customers needs. Success at the company is attributed to essential leadership skills which include technical kills,conceptual skills and human kills. Bezos clearly highlighted how to use suitable tools and techniques to flourish. Human skills enable use of knowledge and ability to work with various individuals and being aware of their perspectives. Most of the leaders skills were ability to use concepts and skills to work that are key in creating a strategic plan and vision for the organization. The leadership from the organization have high expectat ion from their employees. This has created a more so efficient machine that is capable of making same day deliveries across USA and other parts of the globe. The leadership has a belief that customer is the king making them to centre they focus on what their customers need or what they arent in need of. It is important to note that , effective leaders impact their business effectiveness by inspiring and motivating their workforce. Employees who are loyal and committed expect provision of clear vision from their leadership. References Avolio, B. J. (2014). 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