FINAL
Project
Leadership
& Motivation
Steve Jobs, and his apple
Submitted date:
1st of December 2012
Disclaimer:
All material and
information in this document depend on independent research of the students
mentioned above related to Steve Jobs.
The material contained is
published and submitted for final project in the Leadership and Motivation course
in the Canadian University of Dubai November-December 2012.
Introduction to Leadership theories and its
concepts:
Leadership is a nebulous
word with countless definitions. The results of effective leadership are easily
recognized, yet, despite its many definitions, leadership itself remains
difficult to define , The way we study and define leadership has evolved
through all of human history to the premises, beliefs and understandings of
today’s culture For each worldview there is a complimentary leadership theory, which
differs—sometimes slightly and sometimes more strenuously—from preceding
theories , By looking at philosophies of leadership over time, similarities and
differences can be defined through the lens of worldview. A brief definition of
Ancient, Modern, Postmodern and Convergent worldviews will set the stage for
each of the major trends in leadership theory
There are many of
leadership theories such as:
1- Trait Theory
Assumptions
The trait model of
leadership is based on the characteristics of many leaders - both successful
and unsuccessful - and is used to predict leadership effectiveness. The
resulting lists of traits are then compared to those of potential leaders to
assess their likelihood of success or failure.
Scholars taking the
trait approach attempted to identify physiological (appearance, height, and
weight), demographic (age, education and socioeconomic background),
personality, self-confidence, and aggressiveness), intellective
(intelligence, decisiveness, judgment, and knowledge), task-related (achievement
drive, initiative, and persistence), and social characteristics (sociability
and cooperativeness) with leader emergence and leader effectiveness.
Successful leaders
definitely have interests, abilities, and personality traits that are
different from those of the less effective leaders. Through many researches
conducted in the last three decades of the 20th century, a set of core traits
of
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successful leaders have
been identified. These traits are not responsible solely to identify whether
a person will be a successful leader or not, but they are essentially seen as
preconditions that endow people with leadership potential.
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Among the core traits identified are:
Achievement drive: High
level of effort, high levels of ambition, energy and initiative
Leadership motivation: an
intense desire to lead others to reach shared goals
Honesty and integrity:
trustworthy, reliable, and open
Self-confidence: Belief
in one’s self, ideas, and ability
Cognitive ability:
Capable of exercising good judgment, strong analytical abilities, and
conceptually skilled
Knowledge of business:
Knowledge of industry and other technical matters
Emotional Maturity: well
adjusted, does not suffer from severe psychological disorders.
Others: charisma,
creativity and flexibility
Strengths/Advantages of Trait Theory
It is naturally pleasing
theory.
It is valid as lot of
research has validated the foundation and basis of the theory.
It serves as a yardstick
against which the leadership traits of an individual can be assessed.
It gives a detailed
knowledge and understanding of the leader element in the leadership process.
Limitations of the Trait Theory
There is bound to be some
subjective judgment in determining who is regarded as a ‘good’ or ‘successful’
leader
The list of possible
traits tends to be very long. More than 100 different traits of successful
leaders in various leadership positions have been identified. These
descriptions are simply generalities.
There is also a
disagreement over which traits are the most important for an effective leader
The model attempts to
relate physical traits such as, height and weight, to effective leadership.
Most of these factors relate to situational factors. For example, a minimum
weight and height might be necessary to perform the tasks efficiently in a
military leadership position. In business organizations, these are not the
requirements to be an effective leader.
The theory is very
complex
Implications of Trait Theory
The trait theory gives
constructive information about leadership. It can be applied by people at all
levels in all types of organizations. Managers can utilize the information from
the theory to evaluate their position in the organization and to assess how
their position can be made stronger in the organization. They can get an in-depth
understanding of their identity and the way they will affect others in the
organization. This theory makes the manager aware of their strengths and
weaknesses and thus they get an understanding of how they can develop their
leadership qualities.
Conclusion
The traits approach gives rise to questions: whether
leaders are born or made; and whether leadership is an art or science.
However, these are not mutually exclusive alternatives. Leadership may be
something of an art; it still requires the application of special skills and
techniques. Even if there are certain inborn qualities that make one a good
leader, these natural talents need encouragement and development. A person is
not born with self-confidence. Self-confidence is developed, honesty and
integrity are a matter of personal choice, motivation to lead comes from within
the individual, and the knowledge of business can be acquired. While cognitive
ability has its origin partly in genes, it still needs to be developed. None of
these ingredients are acquired overnight.
2- Transformational Leadership Theory
Assumptions
People will follow a
person who inspires them.
A person with vision and
passion can achieve great things.
The way to get things
done is by injecting enthusiasm and energy.
Style
Working for a
Transformational Leader can be a wonderful and uplifting experience. They put
passion and energy into everything. They care about you and want you to
succeed.
Developing the vision
Transformational
Leadership starts with the development of a vision, a view of the future that
will excite and convert potential followers. This vision may be developed by
the leader, by the senior team or may emerge from a broad series of
discussions. The important factor is the leader buys into it, hook, line and
sinker.
Selling the vision
The next step, which in
fact never stops, is to constantly sell the vision. This takes energy and
commitment, as few people will immediately buy into a radical vision, and some
will join the show much more slowly than others. The Transformational Leader
thus takes every opportunity and will use whatever works to convince others to
climb on board the bandwagon.
In order to create followers,
the Transformational Leader has to be very careful in creating trust, and their
personal integrity is a critical part of the package that they are selling. In
effect, they are selling themselves as well as the vision.
Finding the way forwards
In parallel with the
selling activity is seeking the way forward. Some Transformational Leaders know
the way, and simply want others to follow them. Others do not have a ready
strategy, but will happily lead the exploration of possible routes to the promised
land.
The route forwards may
not be obvious and may not be plotted in details, but with a clear vision, the
direction will always be known. Thus finding the way forward can be an ongoing
process of course correction, and the Transformational Leader will accept that
there will be failures and blind canyons along the way. As long as they feel
progress is being made, they will be happy.
Leading the charge
The final stage is to
remain up-front and central during the action. Transformational Leaders are always
visible and will stand up to be counted rather than hide behind their troops.
They show by their attitudes and actions how everyone else should behave. They
also make continued efforts to motivate and rally their followers, constantly
doing the rounds, listening, soothing and enthusing.
It is their unswerving
commitment as much as anything else that keeps people going, particularly
through the darker times when some may question whether the vision can ever be
achieved. If the people do not believe that they can succeed, then their efforts
will flag. The Transformational Leader seeks to infect and reinfect their
followers with a high level of commitment to the vision.
One of the methods the
Transformational Leader uses to sustain motivation is in the use of ceremonies,
rituals and other cultural symbolism. Small changes get big hurrahs, pumping up
their significance as indicators of real progress.
Overall, they balance
their attention between action that creates progress and the mental state of
their followers. Perhaps more than other approaches, they are people-oriented
and believe that success comes first and last through deep and sustained
commitment.
Discussion
Whilst the
Transformational Leader seeks overtly to transform the organization, there is
also a tacit promise to followers that they also will be transformed in some
way, perhaps to be more like this amazing leader. In some respects, then, the
followers are the product of the transformation.
Transformational Leaders
are often charismatic, but are not as narcissistic as pure Charismatic Leaders,
who succeed through a belief in themselves rather than a belief in others.
One of the traps of
Transformational Leadership is that passion and confidence can easily be
mistaken for truth and reality. Whilst it is true that great things have been
achieved through enthusiastic leadership, it is also true that many passionate
people have led the charge right over the cliff and into a bottomless chasm.
Just because someone believes they are right, it does not mean they are right.
Paradoxically, the energy
that gets people going can also cause them to give up. Transformational Leaders
often have large amounts of enthusiasm which, if relentlessly applied, can wear
out their followers.
Transformational Leaders
also tend to see the big picture, but not the details, where the devil often
lurks. If they do not have people to take care of this level of information,
then they are usually doomed to fail.
Finally, Transformational
Leaders, by definition, seek to transform. When the organization does not need transforming
and people are happy as they are, then such a leader will be frustrated. Like
wartime leaders, however, given the right situation they come into their own
and can be personally responsible for saving entire companies.
3- Transactional Leadership
Assumptions
People are motivated by
reward and punishment.
Social systems work best
with a clear chain of command.
When people have agreed
to do a job, a part of the deal is that they cede all authority to their
manager.
The prime purpose of a subordinate
is to do what their manager tells them to do.
Style
The transactional leader
works through creating clear structures whereby it is clear what is required of
their subordinates, and the rewards that they get for following orders.
Punishments are not always mentioned, but they are also well-understood and
formal systems of discipline are usually in place.
The early stage of
Transactional Leadership is in negotiating the contract whereby the subordinate
is given a salary and other benefits, and the company (and by implication the
subordinate's manager) gets authority over the subordinate.
When the Transactional
Leader allocates work to a subordinate, they are considered to be fully
responsible for it, whether or not they have the resources or capability to
carry it out. When things go wrong, then the subordinate is considered to be
personally at fault, and is punished for their failure (just as they are
rewarded for succeeding).
The transactional leader
often uses management by exception, working on the principle that if something
is operating to defined (and hence expected) performance then it does not need
attention. Exceptions to expectation require praise and reward for exceeding
expectation, whilst some kind of corrective action is applied for performance
below expectation.
Whereas Transformational
Leadership has more of a 'selling' style,
Transactional Leadership, once the contract is in place, takes a 'telling'
style.
Discussion
Transactional leadership is based in contingency, in
that reward or punishment is contingent upon performance.
Despite much research that highlights its
limitations, Transactional Leadership is still a popular approach with many
managers. Indeed, in the Leadership vs. Management
spectrum, it is very much towards the management end of the scale.
The main limitation is the assumption of 'rational
man', a person who is largely motivated by money and simple reward, and hence
whose behavior is predictable. The underlying psychology is Behaviorism, including
the Classical Conditioning of
Pavlov and Skinner's Operant Conditioning. These
theories are largely based on controlled laboratory experiments (often with
animals) and ignore complex emotional factors
and social values.
In practice, there is sufficient truth in
Behaviorism to sustain Transactional approaches. This is reinforced by the
supply-and-demand situation of much employment, coupled with the effects of
deeper needs, as in Maslow's Hierarchy. When
the demand for a skill outstrips the supply, then Transactional Leadership
often is insufficient, and other approaches are more effective.
4- Situational Leadership Theory
Assumptions
The best action of the leader depends on a range of
situational factors.
Style
When a decision is needed, an effective leader does
not just fall into a single preferred style, such as using transactional or transformational
methods. In practice, as they say, things are not that simple.
Factors that affect situational decisions include
motivation and capability of followers. This, in turn, is affected by factors
within the particular situation. The relationship between followers and the
leader may be another factor that affects leader behavior as much as it does
follower behavior.
The leaders' perception of the follower and the
situation will affect what they do rather than the truth of the situation. The
leader's perception of themselves and other factors such as stress and mood
will also modify the leaders' behavior.
Yukl (1989) seeks to combine other approaches and
identifies six variables:
Subordinate effort: the motivation and actual effort
expended.
Subordinate ability and role clarity: followers
knowing what to do and how to do it.
Organization of the work: the structure of the work
and utilization of resources.
Cooperation and cohesiveness: of the group in
working together.
Resources and support: the availability of tools,
materials, people, etc.
External coordination: the need to collaborate with
other groups.
Leaders here work on such factors as external
relationships, acquisition of resources, managing demands on the group and
managing the structures and culture of the group.
Discussion
Tannenbaum and Schmidt (1958) identified three forces
that led to the leader's action: the forces in the situation, the forces in
then follower and also forces in the leader. This recognizes that the leader's
style is highly variable, and even such distant events as a family argument can
lead to the displacement activity of a more aggressive stance in an argument
than usual.
Maier (1963) noted that leaders not only consider
the likelihood of a follower accepting a suggestion, but also the overall
importance of getting things done. Thus in critical situations, a leader is
more likely to be directive in style simply because of the implications of
failure.
5- Contingency Theory
Assumptions
The leader's ability to lead is contingent upon
various situational factors, including the leader's preferred style, the
capabilities and behaviors of followers and also various other situational
factors.
Description
Contingency theories are a class of behavioral
theory that contend that there is no one best way of leading and that a
leadership style that is effective in some situations may not be successful in
others.
An effect of this is that leaders who are very
effective at one place and time may become unsuccessful either when
transplanted to another situation or when the factors around them change.
This helps to explain how some leaders who seem for
a while to have the 'Midas touch' suddenly appear to go off the boil and make
very unsuccessful decisions.
Discussion
Contingency theory is similar to situational theory
in that there is an assumption of no simple one right way. The main difference
is that situational theory tends to focus more on the behaviors that the leader
should adopt, given situational factors (often about follower behavior),
whereas contingency theory takes a broader view that includes contingent
factors about leader capability and other variables within the situation
6- Behavioral Theory
Assumptions
Leaders can be made, rather than are born.
Successful leadership is based in definable,
learnable behavior.
Description
Behavioral theories of leadership do not seek inborn
traits or capabilities. Rather, they look at what leaders actually do.
If success can be defined in terms of describable
actions, then it should be relatively easy for other people to act in the same
way. This is easier to teach and learn then to adopt the more ephemeral 'traits'
or 'capabilities'.
Discussion
Behavioral is a big leap from Trait Theory, in
that it assumes that leadership capability can be learned, rather than being
inherent. This opens the floodgates to leadership development, as opposed to
simple psychometric assessment that sorts those with leadership potential from
those who will never have the chance.
A behavioral theory is relatively easy to develop,
as you simply assess both leadership success and the actions of leaders. With a
large enough study, you can then correlate statistically significant behaviors
with success. You can also identify behaviors which contribute to failure, thus
adding a second layer of understanding
7- Great Man Theory
Assumptions
Leaders are born and not
made.
Great leaders will arise
when there is a great need.
Description
Early research on
leadership was based on the study of people who were already great leaders.
These people were often from the aristocracy, as few from lower classes had the
opportunity to lead. This contributed to the notion that leadership had
something to do with breeding.
The idea of the Great Man
also strayed into the mythic domain, with notions that in times of need, a
Great Man would arise, almost by magic. This was easy to verify, by pointing to
people such as Eisenhower and Churchill, let alone those further back along the
timeline, even to Jesus, Moses, Mohammed and the Buddha.
Discussion
The 'great man' theory
was originally proposed by Thomas Carlyle.
Gender issues were not on
the table when the 'Great Man' theory was proposed. Most leaders were male and
the thought of a Great Woman was generally in areas other than leadership. Most
researchers were also male, and concerns about and areocentric bias were a long
way from being realized.
It has been said that
history is nothing but stories of great men. Certainly, much has this bias,
although there is of course also much about peoples and broader life.
Introduction to Steve Jobs
As one of the leaders who
changed the technology in the 21st century, STEVE JOBS made our life
brighter, smarter and more familiar with technology than before.
Steven Paul Jobs was born
on February 24, 1955, to Joanne Schieble (later Joanne Simpson) and Abdulfattah
"John" Jandali who gave their unnamed son up for adoption. His
father, Abdulfattah Jandali, was a Syrian political science professor and his
mother, Joanne Schieble, worked as a speech therapist. Shortly after Steve was
placed for adoption, his biological parents married and had another child, Mona
Simpson.
It was not until Jobs was
27 that he was able to uncover information on his biological parents.
As an infant, Steven was
adopted by Clara and Paul Jobs and named Steven Paul Jobs. Clara worked as an
accountant and Paul was a Coast Guard veteran and machinist. The family lived
in Mountain View within California's Silicon Valley. As a boy, Jobs and his
father would work on electronics in the family garage. Paul would show his son
how to take apart and reconstruct electronics, a hobby which instilled
confidence, tenacity and mechanical prowess in young Jobs.
Not long after Jobs did
enroll at Homestead High School (1971), he was introduced to his future
partner, Steve Wozniak, through a friend of Wozniak's.
After high school, Jobs
enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Lacking direction, he dropped out
of college after six months and spent the next 18 months dropping in on
creative classes.
Jobs later recounted how
one course in calligraphy developed his love of typography.
In 1974, Jobs took a
position as a video game designer with Atari.
Several months later he
left Atari to find spiritual enlightenment in India, traveling the continent
and experimenting with psychedelic drugs.
In 1976, when Jobs was
just 21, he and Wozniak started (Apple Computers).
The duo started in the
Jobs family garage, and funded their entrepreneurial venture after Jobs sold
his Volkswagen bus and Wozniak sold his beloved scientific calculator.
Wozniak conceived a
series of user-friendly personal computers, and—with Jobs in charge of
marketing—Apple initially marketed the computers for $666.66 each. The Apple I
earned the corporation $774,000.
Three years after the
release of Apple's second model, the Apple II, sales increased by 700 percent,
to $139 million.
In 1980, Apple Computer
became a publically traded company, with a market value of $1.2 billion on the
very first day of trading. Jobs looked to marketing expert John Scully of
Pepsi-Cola to help fill the role of Apple's president.
Departure from Apple
However, the next several products
from Apple suffered significant design flaws resulting in recalls and consumer
disappointment.
IBM suddenly surpassed Apple sales,
and Apple had to compete with an IBM/PC dominated business world. In 1984,
Apple released the Macintosh, marketing the computer as a piece of a counter
culture lifestyle: romantic, youthful, creative. But despite positive sales and
performance superior to IBM's PCs, the Macintosh was still not IBM compatible.
Scully believed Jobs was hurting Apple, and executives began to phase him out.
In 1985, Jobs resigned as Apple's CEO
to begin a new hardware and software company called NeXT, Inc.
The following year Jobs purchased an
animation company from George Lucas, which later became PIXAR Animation
Studios.
Believing in PIXAR's potential, Jobs
initially invested $50 million of his own money into the company. PIXAR Studios
went on to produce wildly popular animation films such as Toy Story, Finding
Nemo and The Incredibles.
PIXAR’s films have netted $4 billion.
The studio merged with Walt Disney in 2006, making Steve Jobs Disney's largest
shareholder.
Reinventing Apple
Despite PIXAR’s success, NeXT, Inc.
floundered in its attempts to sell its specialized operating system to
mainstream America.
Apple eventually bought the company
in 1997 for $429 million. That same year, Jobs returned to his post as Apple's
CEO.
Much like Steve Jobs instigated
Apple's success in the 1970s, he is credited with revitalizing the company in
the 1990s. With a new management team, altered stock options and a self-imposed
annual salary of $1 a year, Jobs put Apple back on track. His ingenious
products such as the iMac, effective branding campaigns, and stylish designs
caught the attention of consumers once again.
Pancreatic Cancer
In 2004, he had a successful surgery
to remove the pancreatic tumor. True to form, in subsequent years, Jobs disclosed
little about his health.
Recent Innovations
Apple introduced such revolutionary
products as the Macbook Air, iPod and iPhone, all of which have dictated the
evolution of modern technology.
In 2008, iTunes became the second
biggest music retailer in America-second only to Wal-Mart. Half of Apple's
current revenue comes from iTunes and iPod sales, with 200 million iPods sold
and six billion songs downloaded. For these reasons, Apple has been rated No. 1
in America's Most Admired Companies, and No. 1 amongst Fortune 500 companies
for returns to shareholders.
Final Years
On October 5, 2011, Apple Inc.
announced that co-founder Steve Jobs had died. He was 56 years old at the time
of his death.
1.
External
Environment & Strategic Challenge:
what was the leader trying to do?
Why and how.
Steve
Jobs was trying to create a new computer model in his early years, later he
discovered that the technology could help him to do more than designing
computers and video games, and after he left Apple in the first time, he
created NeXT and later he bought PIXAR and invested his own money in it to produce wildly popular animation films such as Toy Story,
Finding Nemo and The Incredibles.
He wanted to create an
excellence in technology design.
WHY?
Because he loved what he
was doing, he started that passion. As a boy, Jobs and his father would work on
electronics in the family garage. Paul would show his son how to take apart and
reconstruct electronics, a hobby which instilled confidence, tenacity and
mechanical prowess in young Jobs.
How?
· In
Apple’s early days, Steve recognized that Palo Alto, California was the
epicenter of innovative computer technology. Steve wanted his company to be
associated with this place – but Apple was still headquartered out of a garage
in nearby Los Altos.
· Jobs’
solution was to set up a PO Box in Palo Alto and hire a voice answering
service. A potential client would get the impression that Apple was a big
company in the heart of Silicon Valley – even though the truth was that it was
still just two sweaty guys in a garage across town.
· Jobs and
Wozniak ran out of money while developing the first Apple computer. Instead of
giving in, Jobs sold his van and Wozniak sold his graphing calculator. When
there’s a will, there’s a way.
· As CEO
of Apple, Jobs earned $1 a year. Jobs wasn’t incentivized by his salary, but by
his own unrelenting pursuit of excellence. (Then again, his expansive stock
holdings may have been some incentive.)
· Jobs
hired passionate people and cultivated exceptional company cultures at both
Apple and PIXAR – and their work speaks for itself.
2.
Strategic
Vision: what was the leader’s vision and
desired outcome for the organization and this specific situation; external
pressures & challenges. How successful was she/he in achieving their vision
and desired outcome?
The next several products
from Apple suffered significant design flaws resulting in recalls and consumer
disappointment.
IBM suddenly surpassed
Apple sales, and Apple had to compete with an IBM/PC dominated business world.
In 1984, Apple released the Macintosh, marketing the computer as a piece of a
counter culture lifestyle: romantic, youthful, creative. But despite positive
sales and performance superior to IBM's PCs, the Macintosh was still not IBM
compatible. Scully believed Jobs was hurting Apple, and executives began to
phase him out.
In 1985, Jobs resigned as
Apple's CEO!!
But he began a new
hardware and software company called NeXT, Inc.
The following year Jobs
purchased an animation company from George Lucas, which later became PIXAR
Animation Studios.
Believing in Pixar's
potential, Jobs initially invested $50 million of his own money into the
company. Pixar Studios went on to produce wildly popular animation films such
as Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles.
Pixar's films have netted
$4 billion. The studio merged with Walt Disney in 2006, making Steve Jobs
Disney's largest shareholder.
Apple eventually bought
his company in 1997 for $429 million. That same year, Jobs returned to his post
as Apple's CEO.
With a new management
team, altered stock options and a self-imposed annual salary of $1 a year, Jobs
put Apple back on track. His ingenious products such as the iMac, effective
branding campaigns, and stylish designs caught the attention of consumers once
again.
Jobs wasn’t incentivized by his salary,
but by his own unrelenting pursuit of excellence. (Then again, his expansive
stock holdings may have been some incentive).
3.
Leader: strengths, weakness, traits, especially
in this specific situation.
Strength:
Steve’s ability to anticipate future
trends helped Apple dominate now-burgeoning markets like digital music sales
(through the iPod and iTunes Store).
Weakness:
Steve Was Tyrant - those who worked for and with Jobs described him as a
tyrant, they feared meeting in an elevator.
Traits:
· One more thing that he never Settled for the norm, he was always
saying: Stay hungry, stay foolish.
·
He embraced the failure
he had. Eventually Jobs regained control of Apple, but his failure of getting
kicked out of his own company helped push him to gain more experience at other
companies, and make Apple an even great company.
4.
Leading
Others: kinds of influence and ability
to lead; impact on the situation
Steve
was an expert in his field, so he used his Rational Persuasion to argue
logically to show a proposal is feasible, and he was Apprising by explaining
how carrying out a request and show how it will benefit APPLE.
He
was Inspirational Appeals person cause he turned all APPLE’s products into
beautiful designs that people get attached emotionally when they see it.
Steve
used his Legitimate power to eliminate 35 products of APPLE when he re-joined
them back, and hired new managers to do that. And he Pressure on his employees
and even he let them miss their holidays to meet deadlines.
5.
Organization: Designing and leading the organization to
the desired outcomes.
· When he
came back to APPLE, he found that Apple suffering horribly because they had no
focus, his first line of action was to axe all of the unimportant products and
focused on the most important products.
· Believing
that ‘’Less is more’’ Whenever he worked on an Apple
product, rather than thinking about which features he could add he would think
about which features he could remove.
6.
Evaluation
of the Leader: Level of leadership (
Levels 1-2-3) ; evaluate as a leader—how successful.
Commitment,
dedication
Steve
Jobs was in Level 3, He had a vision by turnening the technology into a life
style, and that what happen to Apple when it transferred from producing
computers into producing media products such as iTunes and iPad.
He
was cruelly honest, he didn’t like to “sugar-coat” things.
Not only that, but being brutally honest with those around him helped him make
some revolutionary changes and lasting impacts.
He was committed to
what he was doing, when he had ran out of money when he started Apple, he
didn’t give up, he sold his mini van.
And when he left Apple
in the first time and created NeXT, he invested in buying PIXAR from his own
money.
References:
WIRED . COM
Harvard Business Review:
Strategy Business:
RUTGERS business school:
