Leadership Styles That Ron Sim Demonstrates - Case Study Example

EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS CASE STUDY Student’s Name: ID Number: Lecturer: Date: 441674 – EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS CASE STUDY Q1. What characteristics of the various leadership styles does Ron Sim demonstrate? Introduction Leadership is a significant aspect that determines the fate of an organization. It refers to the capacity to influence behavior of other people in a group. Leadership directs activities and makes a deliberate effort to set goals (Kattan, & Fox 2013). It also motivates others to work towards certain direction. Considering this description, it is clear that every organization requires a leader for survival and sustainability. During challenging moment in business, organisations rely on leadership for direction. In respect of this, OSIM International Limited is able to create a competitive edge in the world market due to effective leadership. Ron Sim is able to influence people around him such as his employees towards achieving organisational goals. Characteristics of Various Leadership Styles Ron Sim demonstrates various aspects of democratic leader in this particular company. He leads others in doing what he believes. His tireless effort in convincing employees about the value of this company speaks a lot concerning his role as a leader. As a large organisation with branch outlets across various parts of the world, Ron Sim delegates most essential duties to his employees to supervise and oversee operations. He does not use his position to bulldoze others into following what he wants. As a great leader, he portrays willingness to work hence influencing employees’ commitment. There is no element of unilateral decision in OSIM International Limited. Ron Sim involves other people in decision making thus enhancing commitment towards achieving organisational objective. There is also an aspect of participative leadership whereby Ron Sim works along with his employees. He has a sense of responsibility to the team hence creating confidence. To demonstrate this aspect, employees rely on him for guidance as well as strength. He is kind of a leader everyone in the company wishes to associate with him. To him, democratic leadership style seems to favour him and the organisation at large. Performance is impressive and always consistent thus a core reason behind company success in its line of business (Mendenhall, Oddou, Osland, & Maznevski 2012). The leader is there to provide essential guidance and motivation rather than inflict fear and threat. Although he has the capacity to use force, Ron Sim utilises his leadership skills to influence and make things work. Conclusion Autocratic leadership does not produce sustainable performance. It is important for leaders to respect and appreciate values of employees within the organisation. Many leaders who use force and threats in an organisation end up losing employees’ trust and confidence. Innovation comes when employees have sufficient freedom to make major decisions. OSIM records consistent performance in innovation in the market because the leader motivates employees to perform. In addition, they have confidence in him, which makes it easy for them to accept and trust him. Such kind of leadership style has significant contribution towards Ron Sim’s individual achievement as well as organisational success. It is therefore important for business leaders to adopt the same style for effective operation. Q2. What sources of power and influence does Ron Sim possess and apply in his leadership role? Introduction Power is the capacity to control or influence behaviour within an organisation. There are various sources of power. The source determines the type of power a leader has. These sources include legitimacy, reward, expert, information and affiliation among others. However, extent of control depends mainly on the source of power (Haslam, Reicher, & Platow 2013). Ron Sim had sufficient influence on his employees and world of business at large. Due to various sources of power, he is able to retain great influence on his employees directly and to the business sphere through his company. Through such influence, he has won various awards both locally and globally. He also influences other institutions in countries like Singapore hence effective leadership. Sources of Power for Ron Sim Ron Sim has a legitimate power – Being a founder of OSIM International Limited, it gives him automatic legitimacy of becoming a business leader. Officially, he is the man behind the existence and operation of businesses within the organisation. Legitimacy comes along with power and influence on other employees due to appreciation of the official role a leader plays in the company. Note that legitimate power relates to the position the leader holds but does not lie on a person. People respect the position but not the position holder. In this case, Ron Sim ability to influence people is partly associated with his legitimacy as a company founder. Expert power – people associate this kind of power with leader’s knowledge and special skills. People with professional skills influence others since they have significant contribution towards organisational achievement (Johnson, 2011). Ron Sin is an ideal example of leaders with expert power in an organisation. The leader is always in front line doing what other specialists do. He perfects his skills by leading others in production as well as marketing. For OSIM to be where it is, Ron Sim has great impact on it. He is also an expert in management whereby he motivates his employees and controls operation. Such expertise makes him a great business leader with sufficient influence on people’s decision. Affiliation power – associating with high calibre people may also have power and influence. When the business associates itself with great achievement, it takes a leading role in the market. There is power in association/affiliation. People always believe in such a leader who has global recognition (Johnson, 2011). Ron Sim is influential because of his affiliation with great institutions such as Business Times and Ernst & Young. Winning a global reward has important impact on personal and business influence. OSIM leader also associates with institutions in Singapore hence extending his power base. In respect of this, the leader always influence people around him and assumes a leading role in the market. It creates sustainable competitive edge, which is essential in company profitability. Reward Power – For one to possess this power, he or she need to be in a senior position within the organisation. As a founder of OSIM International Limited, Ron Sim has adequate ability to reward employees through appointment or any other form of appreciation. With this capacity, he is in good position to influence behaviour of employees (Haslam, Reicher, & Platow 2013). Employees may strive to advance interests of this particular organisation with an aim of getting a noticeable reward from Ron Sim. Conclusion Some leaders have more powers and higher influence than others. It depends on specific sources of power a particular leader possess. Some sources are temporary while others are permanent hence determining extent of influence. Ron Sim has sufficient influence due to various sources he possesses. People just accept him as a leader since he does not rely on single source of power. In this regard, he influences people within an organisation, in business and entire society until he gets prestigious awards. Q3. Which leadership traits are apparent in Ron Sim’s leadership approach? In your answer, provide examples from other leaders who have also shown some of these leadership traits. Introduction One can easily identify a leader by looking at his or her traits in the course of business operation. These leadership traits create personal initiative to lead others. Some of these traits require a lot of courage and willingness to take a risk (DeRue, Nahrgang, Wellman, & Humphrey 2011). They become evident mostly in challenging atmosphere where one needs to provide leadership. When the business is facing undesirable competition, leaders apply these traits to make it survive. They are natural characteristics that differentiate leaders from mere participants. Ron Sim, a business leader portrays these traits clearly hence reaps fruits of success. Leadership Traits in Ron Sim’s Approach Drive is one of the essential leadership traits apparent in Ron Sim’s approach. Ron has always portrayed the desire to progress and prosper. He has a natural commitment that produces excellence in his line of business. Due to this trait, he is able to remain on top of competition and wins international awards. He also attracts other interests in developed countries like Singapore. He values innovation and resilience, which makes the company remain relevant due to constant improvement of products as well as consistent performance. The fact the organisation has branch network across the world indicates that the leader is ambitious and energetic. Whenever one mentions this trait, Mahatma Gandhi comes to limelight due to his ambitions to achieve his leadership goals (Mendenhall, Oddou, Osland, & Maznevski 2012). Self-confidence – Most leaders always believe in themselves and pursue their goals without doubts. In this respect, other people seek encouragement from them (DeRue, Nahrgang, et al 2011). Ron Sim is able to lead by example in convincing employees and customers that OSIM is the best company in health products. He imparts values to his subordinates by always working towards his goals. Like Ron Sim, Richard Branson also portrays self-confidence in business. Besides having several limitations, the entrepreneur goes on to fulfill what he believes. Job – relevant knowledge – A good leader stays ahead of others in an organisation. There is no way one can lead when he or she does not know what goes on in business operations (Haslam, Reicher, & Platow 2013). Ron Sim is excellence on this aspect since he leads others in doing the job. Besides being a leader, he has the relevant knowledge on what goes on in an organisation. He does the job practically together with his employees thus providing morale to them. Dan Akerson, CEO for General Motors is another business leader who has job-relevant knowledge on auto motives. He is able to lead in production as well as other areas such as sales. Conclusion People identify leadership quality through these traits among others. If a leader cannot exhibit them in an organisation he leads, then such leadership is questionable. Leadership traits aim at stamping an authority on other people. In fact, personal influence and power is more vested on traits than titles. In this regard, some people become leaders even without formal appointment. Traits serve as a confirmation of personal responsibility as a leader within the organisation. Q4. Would you describe Ron Sim as more of a transactional or transformational leader? Justify your answer with examples from the case study. Introduction Managers and business leaders apply different management and leadership styles in their daily operations. The kind of leadership one employs depends on various factors such as personal initiative and organisational goals and objective (Hargis, Watt, & Piotrowski 2011). Transactional leadership is for those who wish to maintain normal operation of the company. Leaders ensure that employees follow procedures without deviation to avoid conflict. In this case, leaders lack eye of the future since their concern is maintaining current situation. On the other hand, transformational leadership takes the challenge of trying new things until the organisation goes to another level (Bass, & Riggio 2012). They are risk takers who concentrate on better future than current status of the company. Ron Sim’s Case on Leadership Roy Sim suits transformation leadership since he constantly shows interest of improving quality through innovation. Consistent opening of branches in strategic locations proves that the leader has great concern for the future than today. From the case study, Roy Sim is committed to research and high achievement in terms of leading this particular market. Ron Sim has a ready vision on how to survive during hardships. The case also shows the aspect of diversification and expansion of branch network to access global market. Such leadership is nothing less than transformation since the leader is ready and willing to take the business to another level (Bass, & Riggio 2012). Conclusion Every business is guided by distinct principles and policies, which enable it to achieve its goals. However, success or failure depends on leadership efficiency and effectiveness. Leadership style is the key determinant of outcome. Transformational leadership is ideal in business with great vision. In this case, leaders pay special attention on creating sustainable progress for current and future performance. However, transactional leadership tends to suit projects with definite lifespan. Leaders ensure that employees stick to formal procedures to maintain workflow. Reference Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. 2012. Transformational leadership. Psychology Press. DeRue, D. S., Nahrgang, J. D., Wellman, N. E. D., & Humphrey, S. E. 2011. Trait and behavioral theories of leadership: An integration and meta‐analytic test of their relative validity. Personnel Psychology, 64(1), 7-52. Hargis, M. B., Watt, J. D., & Piotrowski, C. 2011. Developing Leaders: Examining the Role of Transactional and Transformational Leadership Across Contexts Business. Organization Development Journal, 29(3). Haslam, S. A., Reicher, S. D., & Platow, M. J. 2013. The new psychology of leadership: Identity, influence and power. Psychology Press. Johnson, C. E. 2011. Meeting the ethical challenges of leadership: Casting light or shadow. Sage. Kattan, M., & Fox, T. L. 2013. The Leader of the Band: A Study of Personality and Leadership Styles. In Allied Academies International Internet Conference (Vol. 15, p. 93). Mendenhall, M. E., Oddou, G. R., Osland, J., & Maznevski, M. L. (Eds.). 2012. Global leadership: Research, practice, and development. Routledge. Mendenhall, M. E., Oddou, G. R., Osland, J., & Maznevski, M. L. (Eds.). 2012. Global leadership: Research, practice, and development. Routledge. Read More