It is also important to clearly see the meaning of leadership as it says, "It means to know

meaning". There are many ideas about leadership. Different scholars use different definitions.
Leadership is that "leadership is working together with the people or through the people to
achieve their goals." Some have argued that "leadership is the ability to influence people to reach
their goals." Leadership is said to be "a dynamic effort to achieve the goals of the organization
and to mobilize the members." By analyzing these definitions, we can see the meaning of the
leadership. In every definition of scholars, two basic elements are needed for every leader.
1. Goal
2. Group
These two factors are the foundation for the leadership. In addition, the leader has a goal to reach
with his followers. It is the leader who owns the two points. Therefore, the leader is the leader of
the group and the successful leader in the organization's goal. John C. Maxwell, a well-known
author on leadership, made it clear: "Leadership is a powerful influence." The definition is
simple but very useful. There is a statement I like about the influence of leadership. “A person
thinks that he/she is giving leadership. But if he/she does not follow him/her, he/she is not
Leading. It will be only walking. " Yes. Without Influence, it is impossible to attract more
people. There are many misconceptions about leadership. Some thinks that leadership is a
position of status. It is not possible to be a leader without high levels of influence, although it is a
senior position. Others think that leadership is management. Management is focused on keeping
systems and processes consistent, and leadership is influencing people to follow.

Challenges of Leadership and Learning

Organisation
5d ago

Types of Leadership Impacts on Organisational Learning (OL)

1. Laissez-Faire Leadership
Laissez-faire leaders delegate and generally take a hands-off approach, giving great levels
of autonomy to their employees to make their own decisions (Wong & Giessner, 2016).
Employees are expected to learn independently and have the freedom to choose what to
learn. While laissez-faire leadership style can achieve learning on an individual level, it
unfortunately doesn’t yield significant results on an organisational level. Mainly due to
the low engagement of employees and lack of an organisation-wide structure of learning
(Furtner, et al., 2013).
2. Transactional Leadership
Transactional leadership is fundamentally based on the concept of exchange between
leaders and followers (Howell & Hall-Merenda, 1999). Leaders use rewards and
punishments as a motivational driver for follower performance (Barbuto, 2005).
Transactional leadership can only capitalize on explicit knowledge at the workplace
(Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995; Lam, 2002). As such it impacts on OL are closely related to
compliance and incremental performance standards (Breevaart, et al., 2013).

3. Transformational Leadership
Using the four dimensions of transformational leadership, such leaders would positively
influence and inspire followers to self-actualisation, thereby achieving both individual
and organisational performance (Bass, 1990; Breevaart, et al., 2013). There is a particular
focus on continuous learning through mentorship and training programmes (Avolio &
Bass, 1995; Howell & Hall-Merenda, 1999). Transformational leadership fosters and
capitalise both tacit and explicit knowledge at the workplace (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995;
Lam, 2002).

“The day you stop learning is the day you stop living. We should all pick up new skills,
ideas, viewpoints, and ways of working every day.”
– Richard Branson

How Leadership Influences Knowledge Management

Successful OL requires an effective Knowledge Management model closely guided by
leadership influence. Knowledge Management involves 3 phases: knowledge creation,
sharing and exploiting; which are implemented across the 3 levels: individual, group and
organisational (Boisot, 1998). As each category has its unique requirements and issues,
leaders must vary their leadership styles in order to harness the value of knowledge into a
competitive advantage for the organisation (Yammarino & Sprangler, 1998; Yukl &
Howell, 1999).
In Table 1 below shows the relationship and impacts of Leadership and Knowledge
Management are shown across each level and category. For example, within the
Knowledge Sharing phase, we can trace how Individual learning progresses into Group
learning and ultimately leads to collective Organisational learning culture.

Table 1: Areas of Leadership and Scope of Knowledge Management

(Boisot, 1998; Yammarino & Sprangler, 1998; Yukl & Howell, 1999; Bryant, 2003)

Case Study 1: Starbucks

In 2008, CEO of Starbucks Howard Schultz changed the way he engaged his employees.
Everyone who worked for Starbucks, even the part-timers, were treated as partners
instead of mere employees. Every partner was groomed to be an extension of the
Starbucks brand (Leinwand & Davidson, 2016; Soundararajan, 2017). Schultz had used
Transformational Leadership to develop Knowledge Sharing. From the Individual
level, every partner is aligned with Starbucks’ corporate values and apart from mandatory
technical training, they were also motivated to attend additional programmes to further
their careers and individual growth. Thereafter, at the Group level, every partner shared
a common mind-set and actively engage in group learning activities from within each
café branch to each department in the organisation. Similarly, at the Group level, branch
managers and department heads are the Transformational Leaders. Lastly, at
the Organisational level, the collective efforts of every partner and the various
groups creates a positive culture of learning. Starbucks constantly improves and renews
their Training and Development programmes to remain relevant and future-ready
(Starbucks, 2020), thereby sustaining the competitive advantages in quality customer
experience, human capital growth and talent retention.

Case Study 2: Toyota Motor Corporation

In 2004, Toyota launched their Innovative International Multi-Purpose Vehicles (MPVs)
Project (Toyota, 2004a). Toyota was expanding globally at a rapid pace and their
outdated ethnocentric staffing policies was hindering their cost effectiveness and product
relevance. The Japanese designers and engineers were inapt at making vehicles suitable
for American, European and African markets due to their lack of global exposure and
local cultural understanding (Ichijo & Kohlbacher, 2007). To better capture regional
markets and reduce costs, CEO Akio Toyoda had used a combination of both
Transformational and Transactional Leadership, across all 3 phases of Knowledge
Management. Liker (2004) famously coined this as an aspect of “the Toyota way”.

Toyota had transitioned into Regiocentric staffing policy, hiring local talents to gain a
better understanding of the market’s needs (Liker, 2004; Liker & Choi, 2004).
Under Knowledge Creation at the Individual level, Toyoda had the regional staff give
their feedback and interview local customers, creating extensive documentation and
guides on the local market demands. As part of the Knowledge Sharing at
the Organisational level, these information was shared online to all Toyota branches
and factories globally. Subsequently, under Knowledge Creation at both Group and
Organisational levels, Toyota designers and engineers were able to collaborate across
regions and come up with innovative new product solutions for each region
specifically. For example they launched MPVs in Africa with all-terrain drive, tougher
suspension, high ground clearance and a survival kit to better suit the harsh conditions
(Ichijo & Kohlbacher, 2007; Toyota, 2020b). As a further motivation under Knowledge
Exploiting, Transactional leadership was practised at all levels, attractive rewards were
set to highly incentivise improved performative achievements (Ichijo & Kohlbacher,
2007). CEO Toyoda’s grand plan not only helped Toyota to create vehicles better suited
for their regional markets, it has also increased the overall knowledge of the organisation.
This is one of Toyota’s hallmark competitive advantages (Liker, 2004).

Reflections
Personally, I’m most interested in Tranformational Leadership and its positive impacts on
the organisational. My nature of work is problem-solving and consultation, so I’m very
much going back and forth the phases of Knowledge Creation and Sharing. I now have a
very different understanding of my role as a consultant to my clients. Instead of fixing the
problem or providing solutions straight to the client, another approach could be
Transformational leadership in the sense of leading my client towards finding the
solutions themselves, thereby building their own internal capabilities as well.

Fundamentally, people are complex and leadership is also equally, if not more complex.
All of the theories and frameworks really do help to demystify and make leadership
easier to understand. However, as with all skills, practice makes perfect. Looking forward
to practising better leadership at the workplace.

References
Avolio, B. J. & Bass, B. M., 1995. Individual consideration viewed at multiple levels of
analysis: A multi-level framework for examining the diffusion of transformational
leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, Volume 6, pp. 199-218.
Barbuto, J. E., 2005. Motivation and Transactional, Charismatic, and Transformational
Leadership: A Test of Antecedents. Journal of Leadership & Organizational
Studies, 11(4), p. 26–40.
Bass, B. M., 1990. From Transactional to Transformational Leadership : Learning to
Share the Vision. Organisational Dynamics, Volume 18, pp. 19-32.
Bass, B. M. & Avolio, B. J., 1997. Full range leadership development: Manual for the
multifactor leadership questionnaire. Redwood City: Mind Garden.
Bhat, A. B., Verma, N., Rangnekar, S. & Barua, M. K., 2012. Leadership style and team
processes as predictors of organisational learning. Team Performance Management: An
International Journal, 18(7), p. 347–369.
Boisot, M. H., 1998. Knowledge assets: Securing competitive advantage in the
information economy. New York: Oxford University Press.
Breevaart, K. et al., 2013. Daily transactional and transformational leadership and daily
employee engagement. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 87(1),
p. 138–157.
Bryant, S. E., 2003. The Role of Transformational and Transactional Leadership in
Creating, Sharing and Exploiting Organizational Knowledge. Journal of Leadership &
Organizational Studies, 9(4), p. 32–44.
Furtner, M. R., Baldegger, U. & Rauthmann, J. F., 2013. Leading yourself and leading
others: Linking self-leadership to transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire
leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 22(4), p. 436–
449.
Howell, J. M. & Hall-Merenda, K. E., 1999. The ties that bind: The impact of leader-
member exchange, transformational and transactional leadership, and distance on
predicting follower performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84(5), pp. 680-694.
Ichijo, K. & Kohlbacher, F., 2007. The Toyota way of global knowledge creation – the
‘learn local, act global’ strategy. International Journal of Automotive Technology and
Management, 7(2), pp. 117-134.
Lam, J. Y. L., 2002. Defining the Effects of Transformational Leadership on
Organisational Learning: A Cross-Cultural Comparison. School Leadership &
Management, 22(4), p. 439–452.
Leinwand, P. & Davidson, V., 2016. How Starbucks’s Culture Brings Its Strategy to Life.
[Online]
Available at: https://hbr.org/2016/12/how-starbuckss-culture-brings-its-strategy-to-life
Liker, J. K., 2004. The Toyota Way. 1st ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Liker, J. K. & Choi, T. Y., 2004. Buidling deep supplier relationships. Harvard Business
Review, 82(12), pp. 104-113.
Nonaka, I. & Takeuchi, H., 1995. The Knowledge Creating Company. New York:
Oxford University Press.
Soundararajan, R., 2017. 5 simple lessons – Build a culture, the Starbucks way. [Online]
Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-simple-lessons-build-culture-starbucks-
way-rajesh-soundararajan/
Starbucks, 2020. Starbucks Careers: Culture & Values. [Online]
Available at: https://www.starbucks.com/careers/working-at-starbucks/culture-and-values
Toyota, 2004a. Toyota’s IMV Project Takes First Big Step Forward: Global Optimal
Production & Supply Network Starts With Pickup in Thailand. [Online]
Available at: https://global.toyota/en/detail/223095
Toyota, 2020b. Overview of Overseas Production Affliates – Africa. [Online]
Available at: https://www.toyota-global.com/company/history_of_toyota/75years/data/
automotive_business/production/production/overseas/overview/africa.html
Wong, S. I. & Giessner, S. R., 2016. The Thin Line Between Empowering and Laissez-
Faire Leadership: An Expectancy-Match Perspective. Journal of Management, 44(2), p.
757–783.
Yammarino, F. J. & Sprangler, W. D., 1998. Transformational and contingent reward
leadership: Individual, dyad, and group levels of analysis. Leadership Quarterly, Volume
9, pp. 27-54.
Yukl, G. & Howell, J. M., 1999. Organisational and contextual influneces on the
emergence and effectiveness of charismatic leadership. Leadership Quarterly, Volume
10, pp. 357-283.

Blog 5: Challenge of Leadership and

Learning Organisation
3d ago
Various leadership styles adopt by a different organisation for sustainability and
stay competitive
Each leader has a leading style which follows their personality and use it to develop
toward the need for the growth in the organisation. Different leadership styles use for
different organisation and different situations  (Burns, 1978). A start-up and an
established organisation have different needs and challenges which need a different type
of leadership  (Wilson, 2019). Leaders are important at all levels of the organisation and
can develop at different levels within the organisation (Newton, 2009). Some studies
provide on how leaders and their style promote the change (Bryman, 2004). Individual
leadership is a very important factor in innovation. To achieve sustainability in the
organisation, the leaders use the leadership style which can apply to the right situation of
the change  (By, 2005). The change is a process that is a challenge, to be successful, it
needs to be properly managed by leaders through the strategies, process and some form
of controls from their leading style. Below are some leadership styles which use by
leaders in different organisation or situation.

1. Autocratic leadership
Known as authoritative style and focus on result-oriented. The leader will decide by
himself without considering any input from the subordinate and often use the word “Do
as I say” (Martinuzzi, 2019). The leader involved and directed in every activity, which
not all employees can accept this style and result in high turnover (Sherman, 2019).

Some key characteristics of autocratic leadership

– Retains power: Only a leader can have all the powers, authorities, controls and decides
on everything in the organisation (Brighthubpm, 2010).
– Distrust: leaders do not believe in the capability of their subordinate. They tend to
monitor their employees closely (Brighthubpm, 2010).

– Involved themselves in daily operation from all level without giving any power or
assign to subordinate (Brighthubpm, 2010).

– Disregard any opinions from subordinated (Brighthubpm, 2010).

– Accept all the responsibilities and wrap all the recognitions from work (Brighthubpm,
2010).

Application of the autocratic leadership style in the business and example

Martha Stewart is an American businesswoman, author, magazine publisher, CEO of
Martha Stewart Omnimedia, who use the autocratic leadership style to build her
successful business (Biography, 2014). The nature of her business is to provide reliable
sources of “how-to” to viewers for cooking recipes and writing books; thus, this type of
job requires high standard and cannot accept any mistakes. When asked how is her
working style, she said: “I can be fair and decisive, and encouraging as well as
demanding” (Today, 2005). The contribution of her success due to how she pays
attention to every detail in her work. Her style which makes her as autocratic leadership,
when she instructs the employees to do what she wants. She is demanding the perfection
of her staff and do things as what she wants. She is the only one who can make the final
decision in anything that she involved (Gren, 2015). Being good or bad of the autocratic
leadership, however, she proofs that it works if you applied and used in the right situation
will bring the organisation to be successful in the competitive environment
(ResourcefulManager, 2019).

Democratic leadership
Known as the participative leadership, leaders seek an opinion from the employees. They
share the information, encourage creativity, innovation, empowerment (Choi, 2007).
Democratic leadership is suitable in situations where employees or peers are skilled and
willing to exchange each other knowledge (Cherry, 2020).
Some key characteristics of democratic leadership
– Democratic leadership allows the employees to provide opinions or ideas and value
creativity (Cherry, 2020).

– The employees under democratic leadership have high morale in work as they have the
empower to perform their tasks (Cherry, 2020).

Application of the democratic leadership style in the sustainable business and

example
Larry Page, CEO and co-founder of Google, is an example of democratic leadership. His
personality and vision are the greatest contributions to build a successful and sustainable
business. He is inspiring and creative. He’s also determined, and collaborative (Sattar,
2017). His characters lead him to values the innovation and encourage his employees to
share innovative ideas and new thinking to organisation and pay attention to other’s
thought (Blazek, 2015).

Laissez-faire leadership
Laissez-faire leadership work the opposite way with autocratic leadership. The leader is
the hand-off from spending more time to supervise the employees. This leadership style
trusts the employees to do their task (TBS, 2019).

The characteristics of the laissez-faire leadership style are providing the freedom to
employees to manage their work with very minimum supervision, and the leader believes
in the ability of their staff to complete the assigned job (Mulder, 2017). The laissez-faire
style also provides the employees with more creative ideas and innovative when they
give the authority to decide on their work (STU Online, 2018).
Application of the Laissez-faire leadership style in the sustainable business and
example

This leadership style is not applicable in all organisations or situation; however, the
leader needs to find the right match to use this leadership to bring success to the business.
The characteristic of this leadership is to work best with very experienced and capable
employees. The famous leader like Warren Buffet also uses this leadership style in the
company he invested. He believed in choose the capable team and empower them in
managing the work to achieve his desire results (Nordmeyer, 2018).

Laissez-faire leadership style also uses in the initial start-up of the organisation where
innovation is significant to determine the success of the company from the start (STU
Online, 2018).
Robert Noyce and Moore started Intel Corporation in the 1960s. Initially, Noyce uses a
laissez-faire leadership style to attracted to the brilliant engineering and work together to
invent the microchip. In 1971, Intel introduced the first microprocessor combine with
single silicon chip to store and process information. It was very successful and became
leading in the microprocessor chip (Dannis, n.d.). He adopted a casual working
environment where allow the ideas and creativity to grow, and this has stayed until today
in Silicon Valley (Chowdhury, 2011). However, in the production line to produce the
chip, Intel can combine to autocratic style to ensure the quality of the products or
democratic style to continue growth in the organisation.

Reflection
The above discussion has shown that the leader plays an important role when coming to
the way they apply their leadership style to achieve the sustainability of the organisation.
Each leadership style has a positive impact as well as negative impacts, however, as the
leader who is the one to lead the organisation, need to understand which type is the best
match to obtain the organisation’s goal and apply it effectively.

What I learned from the above leadership styles is a leader needs to maintain the check
and balance from all levels and ensure it apply in the right situation. To bring a positive
change in my organisation, understating the individual characteristic for my employees
also as important. When we talk about the leader, we also talk about the followers and
everyone has their style of working. The organisation success needs a good leader;
however, the leader also needs to have support for his strong team to achieve the
objective.

References
Biography, 2014. Martha Stewart Biography. [Online]
Available at: https://www.biography.com/business-figure/martha-stewart
[Accessed 07 May 2020].
Blazek, K., 2015. An Inspiring leadership Style – Google CEO Larry Page. [Online]
Available at: https://www.truscore.com/resources/inspiring-leadership-style-google-ceo-
larry-page/
[Accessed 08 May 2020].
Brighthubpm, 2010. A Critique of the Autocratic Leadership Style. [Online]
Available at: https://www.brighthubpm.com/resource-management/75715-a-critique-of-
the-autocratic-leadership-style/
[Accessed 08 May 2020].
Bryman, A., 2004. Qualitative research on leadership: a critical but appreciative
review. The Leadership Quarterly, 7(1), pp. 73-83.
Burns, J., 1978. Leadership. New York, NY: Harper and Row.
By, T., 2005. Organisational change management: A critical review. Journal of Change
Management, 5(4), pp. 369-380.
Cherry, K., 2020. The Democratic Style of Leadership: Characteristics, benefits,
drawback and famous example. [Online]
Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-democratic-leadership-2795315
[Accessed 08 May 2020].
Choi, S., 2007. Democratic Leadership: The Lessons of Exemplary Models for
Democratic Government. International Journal of leadership Studies , 2(3), pp. 246-247.
Chowdhury, R., 2011. Robert Noyce, The Father of Silicon Valley. [Online]
Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/robert-noyce-the-father-of-silicon-valley-
2011-12?IR=T
[Accessed 08 May 2020].
Dannis, M. A., n.d. Robert Noyce. [Online]
Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Noyce
[Accessed 08 May 2020].
Gren, C., 2015. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, a shining business empire. [Online]
Available at: https://www.industryleadersmagazine.com/martha-stewart-living-
omnimedia-a-shining-business-empire/
[Accessed 07 May 2020].
Martinuzzi, B., 2019. The 7 Most Common Leadership Styles (and How to Find Your
Own). [Online]
Available at: https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/trends-and-
insights/articles/the-7-most-common-leadership-styles-and-how-to-find-your-own/
[Accessed 07 May 2020].
Mulder, P., 2017. Laissez Faire Leadership. [Online]
Available at: https://www.toolshero.com/leadership/laissez-faire-leadership/
[Accessed 08 May 2020].
Newton, S., 2009. New directions in leadership. Construction Innovation, 2(2), pp. 129-
132.
Nordmeyer, B., 2018. Who Uses Laissez-Faire Leadership?. [Online]
Available at: https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/uses-laissezfaire-leadership-12436.html
[Accessed 08 May 2020].
ResourcefulManager, 2019. 11 Great Leaders: How They Achieved Success. [Online]
Available at: https://www.resourcefulmanager.com/guides/successful-leaders/
[Accessed 08 May 2020].
Sattar, S. B., 2017. Leadership Wualities, skills and style of Larry Page. [Online]
Available at: https://www.thestrategywatch.com/leadership-qualities-skills-larry-page/
[Accessed 08 May 2020].
Sherman, F., 2019. ypes of Organizational Leadership. [Online]
Available at: https://bizfluent.com/list-6672244-types-organizational-leadership.html
[Accessed 07 May 2020].
STU Online, 2018. What is Laissez-Faire Leadership? How Autonomy Can Drive
Success. [Online]
Available at: https://online.stu.edu/articles/education/what-is-laissezfaire-leadership.aspx
[Accessed 08 May 2020].
TBS, 2019. 10 Organizational Leadership Styles — Study Starters. [Online]
Available at: https://thebestschools.org/magazine/organizational-leadership-styles-study-
starters/
[Accessed 08 May 2020].
Today, 2005. Home confinement tough for Martha Stewart. [Online]
Available at: https://www.today.com/popculture/home-confinement-tough-martha-
stewart-1C9481171
[Accessed 07 May 2020].
Wilson, F., 2019. Seven Leadership Styles — Examples That You Need to Know. [Online]
Available at: https://dzone.com/articles/seven-leadership-styles-examples-that-you-need-
to
[Accessed 07 May 2020].

To sum up from different leadership as above, what is the best or most effective leadership
styles?
Leadership and management styles vary on one end it is the control style of leadership and on the
other end it is the participative style which is also known as Democratic Leadership. It depends
on the situation and the people that we're dealing with. For example, when there's a blaze, a fire
chief takes a control style of leadership most of the time. He needs to be in charge and direct the
troops. He has the overall vision of what's going on but what happens when there is no fire, what
is the fire chief do with his troops? well, he engages in activities like – Debriefing, Problem
solving, Training, Coaching and Giving feedback. Listening to what their experience was at the
last fire. What do leaders and managers and organizations do every day? They are fighting
problems which are like fire that are urgent and have to be addressed immediately. And that’s
why the participative style of leadership is most effective if we want to take on a leadership style
that contributes to productivity to continuous improvement and to have people participating in
those types of activities. To take on a participate of leadership style requires the leader to reflect
upon his own personal style or his preferred style and also to develop the skill set in leadership
and management order to be effective at being a participate style of leader. This means skills
such as listening, training, coaching, giving feedback, problem solving group meetings, running
group meetings. So, these are the skills that take time to develop. Each leader has their own
personal strengths and challenges when it comes to taking on participative leadership style. For
some leaders and managers, it's more natural to be a control type of leader. For others, it’s easier
to be a participative style of leader. This really requires a leader to understand themselves and
work on challenges use their strengths appropriately and to also understand the people that we're
dealing with.
A person who knows the way, walks in the way and shows how to walk is called a leader. A
leader is a person who can prove the difference between success and failure. A good leader
knows how to turn his or her ideas into success in the real world. Here are ten qualities of good
leaders.
Honesty and Integrity
Honesty and Integrity are two of the main components of a good leader. Without these qualities,
the followers cannot be honest too. Those who are firm in their values and core beliefs become
successful leaders. A person without morals cannot be a good leader.
Trust
To be an effective leader, one needs to be trustworthy so that others can follow his or her
command. If the leader does not trust in own decisions and qualities, his or her could not expert
his or her followers to believe them. Although trust should not be overstated, followers must at
least be able to reflect the credibility that they have as a leader.
Keep Alive
The most difficult task for a leader may be to get others to follow him or her. Only if a leader can
set a good example for himself or herself will be able to wake up those who follow them. When
under pressure, a leader needs to show stability and stimulate.
Diligence and Passion
As a leader, he or she must be self-motivated. The dedication and enthusiasm of the followers
has helped the followers to become more self-respecting and to refresh their members.
Good Communication
The leader needs to communicate clearly to the followers about the vision and the goals. Without
conveying the message to them effectively, it is not called an effective leader or a good leader.
Words have the power to inspire people. Better use of words can lead to better results.
Decision Quality
A good leader must be able to make the right decision at the right time. The decisions which the
leaders made have a big effect on the followers. A leader should think carefully before making a
decision and must stand firm once after decided.
Accountability
Every member of his/her team needs to make sure they are accountable for what they do. If they
do well, they need to be commended, but if they are struggling, they need to be made aware of
their mistakes and work together to improve. Good ethic and accountability are the qualities of
an effective leader.

Delegation and Authorization

As a leader, he/she cannot do and look after in everything. For a leader, it is important to focus
on the key responsibilities and delegate the rest. Without this management, the followers will
become distrustful and lose sight of the important things.
Creativity and Innovation
‘Innovation is the difference between a leader and a follower’ says Steve Jobs. As a leader, at the
same time, creativity and innovation are needed. Constant updating and creative thinking can be
a catalyst for itself and the team to emerge from the crowd.
Empathy
The leader must be considerate of his/her followers. Most leaders practice authoritarianism and
show no sympathy for their followers. As a result, he/she lost the close connection between
him/herself and the followers.
How can cultural diversity be managed
in a multinational organisation?
Mar 1, 2020
Leader, is a person who influences a group of people towards achieving a common goal.
Clearly, “there is no one size that fits all” leadership approach that will result in high
work performance, as well as approach to upkeep happy perspective within a group of
individuals led by a group representative or a group leader (Bush, 2018). But there are
effective measures to take into consideration to best fit the effectiveness of leadership in
an organisation. As an example, the characteristics of a leader and the characteristics of
the followers in an organization play an important role in shaping the culture of the
organization. How leaders manage (or handle) and tackle people from a diverse culture in
an organization, has a direct impact towards achieving the goal of the organization, as the
spirit of teamwork, effective communication, is influenced by the effectiveness of
leadership and management in an organization (Seymen, 2006).

But what is cultural diversity? Cultural diversity is a form of respect, and appreciating the
differences in culture of an individual disregard of sexual orientation, age, ethnicity,
gender, and social status (Rowena, 2007). “Everyone should be treated fairly, with
respect and dignity, regardless of where they come from, ethnic history, religion, etc”,
said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc.
Cook also reiterated that diversity and innovation is closely linked, where diversity is the
future of the Apple. Why do people in the organization practice cultural diversity? Or
how important is cultural diversity in a workplace? Cultural diversity in a workplace
enhanced innovation and drives creativity, as there are various and different incoming
opinions coming from different perspectives and experiences. With that said, people are
more willing to give of themselves when they feel that they are being recognized and
embraced. Also, sense of belonging is very important (according to the Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs), where cultural diversity wouldn’t be complete without creating the
sense of belonging towards each individuals from various culture (Kira, 2019). But what
if cultural diversity is not the primary concern?
Bank of China (Malaysia) – Penang branch
In a duration of 7 months when I worked in Bank of China (Malaysia) Berhad, as an
entry-level, somewhere in 2019, I witnessed the culture of the organisation in Bank of
China (Malaysia) Bhd. It was my first job, after graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in
Finance, also my first experience working in a foreign-based bank, where travelling to all
BoC branches in Malaysia was mandated in my job scope. I witnessed a culture where
the people in the organisation were dominated by the Chinese, in a range of 70 to 80%
were made up of the local Chinese, where diversity of culture can be improved and
should be addressed. Let’s say by creating more job opportunities for individuals from
different culture.
 Bank of China (Malaysia) – Headquarters, KL

Bank of China Limited (BOC) is one of the big 4 commercial banks, based in Beijing,
China, with more than 30 countries the bank operates in (Georgia, 2012). Hofstede in his
theory of research, Hofstede’s six dimensions of culture which consist of individualism,
power distance, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and individualism, has highlighted
the importance of culture and how to manage the differences. The culture in BoC is low
in power distance, as the disparity that occurs between individuals with authority and less
power is low, where people were all equally respected disregarding their status.
Similarly, uncertainty avoidance is low, as the feeling of confusion or threatened by
uncertainty is low, because the organisation of the company emphasizes compassion, and
the quality of life rather than assertiveness. Moreover, the culture of the organization is
more towards collectivistic culture, as connection between one another is highly
prioritized, where people are cooperative and socially interdependent with one another.
On the other hand, how does this relate or compared to the approaches adopted by the
global leaders in managing the organisation’s culture?
Let’s take Alibaba Group into measures.

Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, also known as Alibaba Group, is a Chinese multinational
conglomerate holding company, which nature of business is into E-Commerce,
technology and retail. With only 45 employees back in 2000, to over 27,000 employees
up to date (Tony, 2018). Ma has shared that “technology is not Alibaba’s core
competency, rather, it is the company’s culture”. Jack Ma disregards cultural differences,
but the attitude of the employees. Reasons being, Ma mentioned that “customer’s first,
employee second, and shareholders third’. With the right attitude of the employees, it
directly influences the perspective of the customer towards the organisation as this is how
the employees are influenced by the organisation.

As follows outlined the implementable strategies in which cultural diversity can be

managed in the current circumstances as faced by Bank of China (M) Berhad, by using
 the Lewin’s 3-stage model of change – Unchange, Freeze, Refreeze (Laurie and Gill,
2016).

Le
win’s 3 stage model of change

The goal is to enhance cultural diversity in the organization, hence implementable

strategies were such that to elevate a 30% of a mixture of Indian (15%) and Malay (15%)
in the main office (HQ), in 3 years from now. To achieve the set goal, the company
should start recognizing the need and importance of a diversity of culture (Unfreeze).
Likewise, to provide trainings on diversity management to the employees to raise
awareness. The implemented strategy, is foresee to be beneficial to the organization.
Why? When observed closely, inclusion of diversity from various background could
directly or indirectly influence the revenue of the organization. Reasons being, when
observed closely towards the Malaysian local competitors bank, in terms of their
customer base, it was noted that the local banks have a vast customer base from different
culture, which is linked to the profit of the organization. If Bank of China (M) started to
hire employees from different culture (Change), this may potentially increase the
customer base (of a diverse culture) of the organization. Additionally, with the
organization’s culture where respect is highly prioritized, it is foreseen that the
employees in the organization can easily adapt to the changes of the implemented
strategy (Refreeze).
In conclusion, organisations should employ individuals from a diverse culture to better
understand the culture of other countries which in turn benefits the organisation as the
shared values of people from a diversified of culture shares the benefits of exchanged
knowledge and understanding, as well as elevation in respect and develop mutual trust
between the people in the organisation. Hence, a win-win situation for both the employee
and the organisation. Also, with mutual trust and respect within the people in the
organisation creates a smoother management approach to the leader of the organisation.
With this effort can surely elevate the said company to a higher level.

References:
Bush, T. (2018). Leadership and context: Why one-size does not fit all. Educational
     Management Administration & Leadership, pp.46(1), 3–4.
Georgia, M. (2012). “Safeguarding National Credibility”: Founding the Bank of China

     in 1912. Twentieth-Century China, 37(2), pp.139-160.

Kira, L. (2019). Motives, Managers, and Maslow: The Hierarchy of Needs in

     American Management. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2019(1), pp.69-

     75.

Laurie, J., and Gill, C. (2016). “Management and Organisational Behaviour”. UK,
      Pearson (11th Edition), pp.50-70
Rowena, F. (2007). Diversity in Diversity: Changing the Paradigm. Journal of Ethnic
     And Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 16(3-4), pp.113-121.
Seymen, A. (2006). The cultural diversity phenomenon in organisations and different

     approaches for effective cultural diversity management: a literary review. Cross

     Cultural Management: An International Journal, 13(4), pp.296-315.

Tony, F. (2018). Private Enterprise Development in a One-Party Autocratic State:

     The Case of Alibaba Group in China’s E-Commerce. Issues & Studies, 54(01),
     pp.24-31

Seven Effective Leadership Skills to

Manage 21st Century Workforces
May 5, 2020

 inclusive leadership
 Leadership
 leadership coaching
 leadership development
 Leadership Qualities

Leadership in the 21st century is seen very differently from how it was assessed in
previous times. No longer is a person accepted as a good or effective leader if he or she
simply commands, does not accept advice or criticism and does not aim to generate 
a genuine team spirit.
Effective leaders include everyone. Here are seven skills which demonstrate inclusive
leadership.

1.       Effective Communication

Communicate effectively and regularly to ensure understanding, clarity of roles,

alignment and responsibilities. Personalise your approach for each individual team
member, celebrate differences and keep an open mind while listening. Use empowering
language and give constant encouragement.
2.      Be Proactive
Instead of simply noticing a problem and ignoring it, address and resolve the issue as
early as possible. Leaving unresolved problems simmering under the surface often leads
to festering resentment among your team. Examine workflows, discuss any issues with
the team member in question and resolve problems promptly.

3.      Facilitate Teamwork and Collaboration

 You can foster collaboration and get buy-in from every member of your team by
consciously using every opportunity to engage the whole team in any discussion or
project. Develop a team identity by establishing a clear vision and common
goals. Encourage team members to get to know each other and focus on building rapport
and trust.
4.      Leverage Your Team’s Strengths
Be aware that each team member will bring their unique strengths to the table. As the
leader, ensure that each team member shines in their role by assigning tasks that leverage
their unique talents. Take the time to become familiar with their individual strengths,
passions and skills.
5.      Develop Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills
 Fault-finding, favouritism and unconscious bias detract from finding fair solutions to the
problem at hand. Speak to the employees concerned and make unbiased decisions that
address fundamental issues.
6.      Learn to Give – and Take – Constructive Feedback
Provide constructive feedback to your team on areas they can improve on. Avoid making
personal and negative remarks. Focus on taking corrective measures, setting measurable
goals and implementing proactive strategies. After offering constructive criticism, follow
up and provide feedback to the employee regarding how they are performing.

7.      Develop Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence helps you connect with employees, understand their concerns and
empathise with their problems. Identifying your own biases helps you understand your
own limitations and makes you a better leader. Listen actively to your team’s ideas and
concerns and factor in their feedback into your decision-making.
Symmetra’s online diversity program helps you to appreciate which inclusive leadership
skills you possess and which are missing or require improvement. Our suite of programs
provide you with insightful tools, techniques and skills that help harness your team’s
strengths.