...Business Ethics Business speculators believe that ethical leadership is all about good character of leaders. Ethical leadership is regarding raising the bar, generating value for stakeholders, assisting people to understand their dreams and expectations, and doing these duties with the intensity and significance that ethic connotes. Ethical leaders speak directly to people about their identity and life conditions and they pay special attention to developing the people. Simply I would like to say ethical leaders are common people like us, who are leading their life as examples for people to live better. In this paper, I will explore the leadership style and methods of Robert Nardelli who was named Chief Executive Office of the Home Depot in 2001 (Ries, 2009). Robert Nardelli Leadership Style Home Depot Robert Nardelli presented many latest initiatives to the corporate world such as company-wide analytics, centralized buying and better information systems, these are important for the company to remain competitive. Anyhow, most of his changes results in reduced productivity, significant dissatisfaction, low morale, and high turnover. This result was considered as the most dissatisfaction of customers in retailing history (Brabec, 2006). On the American customer satisfaction index (ACSI), home depot had customer satisfaction scores of 74 in the year 2001. In 2005 anyhow, customer satisfaction score of home depot fell to 67, which was the worst performance on ACSI that year...
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... Coverdale BUS 610 Professor Magdy Hussein September 22, 2014 Introduction: With business ethics there are many different things to consider. Some leaders have a very difficult time grasping the importance of ethics within their organization, while other even though they try to be ethical, still have some flaws. Even though things went ugly for Robert Nardelli I believe he stood his ground and made an example of what it is to be a business person on top of the game. Trait Theory Robert Nardelli’s leadership style and whether or not his actions rose to the level of being unethical will be discussed. While ethics of an organization play an extremely important role within a leader’s actions, the theories that make up that same leader tell a further story into the aspects of their leadership style. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator has been widely used and has helped a lot of people discover new things about themselves and others. This trait theory has been used in organizations all over the world to understand their employees better in an attempt to utilize their specialties and creativity. The trait theory explains the ability that leaders have to be able to leader across various industries with such skill. Robert Nardelli’s leadership style was very interesting. In some ways he was considered a mastermind the way he raised the company’s profits and brought more organizational structure. The problems became when begun when...
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...the elements interrelate to form this definition? The five key elements of leadership are influence, leader-followers, organizational objectives, people, and change. When it comes to the leader-follower element, leaders and followers influence each other. This relationship leads to the next element that is influence where the leader uses power, politics, and negotiating to sway followers on their opinions. In order for a manager to be effective, they need to influence their employees by communicating ideas to gain acceptance. Then motivate their employees to support and implement the idea at hand through change. in order for a company to stay relevant in the ever changing economy, they need to continuously change with technology, theories, and such. And in doing so, a company’s organizational objectives are met through the same vision shared by employees. Effective leaders motivate employees to think outside the box and push their limits all while keeping in mind what is best for the company. 3. Are leaders born or made, and can leadership skills be developed. The definition of leadership is very complex with many different characteristics, some are developed and some are part of the personality a person is born with. Everyone has the potential to lead if the effort is put in, and weaker skills can be developed through trainings, or a person knowing their weaknesses...
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...decipher his leadership style, the paper will incorporate three leadership theories discussed within our text. The first leadership theory is the “Trait Theory”. Assumptions from the great man theory lead us to believe that people are born with inherited behaviors; certain traits, characteristics, and behaviors indicate that an individual is a born leader. A great leader is also born with a natural mixture of leadership traits. The second leadership theory is “Behavioral Therapy”. Assumptions with the behavioral theory indicated that leaders are groomed and prepared; they do not come prewired with innate leadership characteristics. The behavioral characteristics of a successful leader is a learned and honed skill attained through intense mentoring and practical experience. The last leadership theories this paper will discuss are the “Situational and Contingency Theories. Assumptions with the situational theory are, as the name suggest and based upon a leader taking the best course of action while taking into account the situation at hand. Based or dependent upon various situational factors, assumptions of contingency theory include proficiency and behavior of followers and the style of leadership the leader chooses. Next, using my personal opinion, text material, and research: this paper becomes the judge and jury determining if Robert Nardelli actions while CEO of Home Depot were ethical or unethical. “To me, it really seems visible today that ethics is not something...
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...GOOD LEADERSHIP Good leadership is a crucial characteristic in organizations of all kinds. Qualities such as kindness, sincerity, honesty, and credit-sharing encourage productivity among colleagues and subordinates and stimulate and flow of ideas that will accomplish the organization's goals. It is often said that a good leader takes people, not where they want to go, but where they ought to be. This is true in the business world because it is a leader's responsibility to direct others in a way that is beneficial for the organization and to inspire them to be as productive as possible. Doing so requires the synthesis of many good qualities. It is important to remember that leaders may not necessarily be managers, but may simply be a fellow employee, who through hard work has become the pillar of the company. Leadership is defined as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals” (pg402, Organizational Behavior, S.A. Judge and T.A. Judge, 2006, 12th Ed.). A good leader is one that is interested in the welfare of the people they lead. Just because someone has been placed in a leadership capacity does not mean they can lead and /or motivate employees. Not all leaders are managers and not all managers are leaders. To lead effectively requires the ability to influence people for the good, and to inspire someone to bring out their hidden talents and skills. Everyone has potential and value. A good leader...
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... They can emerge from a group and provide vision and motivation to those around them. Management deals with the complexity of the organization and works with planning, organizing, leading and controlling to bring about order and consistency in the organization. Trait Theories of Leadership ➢ Theories that consider personality, social, physical, or intellectual traits to differentiate leaders from nonleaders ➢ Not very useful until matched with the Big Five Personality Framework ➢ Essential Leadership Traits – Extroversion – Conscientiousness – Openness – Emotional Intelligence (Qualified) ➢ Traits can predict leadership, but they are better at predicting leader emergence than effectiveness. Behavioral Theories of Leadership ➢ Theories proposing that specific behaviors differentiate leaders from nonleaders ➢ Differences between theories of leadership: – Trait theory: leadership is inherent, so we must identify the leader based on his or her traits – Behavioral theory: leadership is a skill set and can be taught to anyone, so we must identify the proper behaviors to teach potential leaders Important Behavioral Studies Ohio State studies were able to narrow it down to two dimensions – initiating structure and consideration. Initiating structure is when the leader is able to define and structure their role and that of their employees to work toward the goals of the organization...
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...Leadership and business performance Assignment of “a good leader influence a group of individuals to achieve a common goal and perform well, without having to watch over them” Word count: 2,927 Introduction Leadership is always considering as an important managerial topic because a good leader does not only able to guide behaviors from followers, but also leads individuals within an organization to achieve their common objectives (Morrill, 2010). The commonly accepted definition of leadership is contributed by David and Vince (2008, p2), who defined leadership as a person has “abilities of leading a group of people, and also has abilities of supporting group of people to achieve common objectives”. More specifically, Bass (1990) defines leadership as the ability to adapt the setting so everyone feels empowered to contribute creatively to solving the problems. The primary aim of this assignment is to critically discuss the topic of “a good leader influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal and perform well, without having to watch over them.” In order to answer this question well, the author selects Steve Jobs as the leader, and then with reference to Apple Inc to discuss why a good leader as Jobs influences group of individuals without watching them. As an essay based assignment, the author organizes this paper in three main parts, including introduction, main body and conclusion. In introduction section, the definition and importance of leadership...
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...During the first half of the semester I was exposed to the concepts of leadership and the qualities that will make or break good organizational leaders. Moreover the ability to understand a person’s personality trait and how we can use to our advantage was also an important part of this course. To showcase my understanding of the subjects learned so far, I will review all the chapters done one by one and share my findings. We will start with our textbook by Lussier & Achua. Chapter 1: Who is a leader? According to Lussier and Achua (2014), in this chapter we try to understand what leadership is about, the three levels of leadership analysis, and four major leadership paradigms. In this chapter we studied why leadership is important and how companies like GE and Domino’s enhance their employees’ leadership skills set and become leaders in their industry. According to George (2015), gone are the days when managers could ensure success by relying on their knowledge of local markets, operating skills, technical understanding, and financial acumen. Today they must be skilled in aligning their multicultural organizations around the company’s mission and values. Hence this chapter helps an individual to understand the different types of leaders and their quality, and when to use them based on the situation. In this chapter we learned about the five key elements about leadership such as leader-follower, influencing, organizational objectives, change, and people. Understanding...
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...candidate will succeed. Following the directions of the personality test, keeping the results private while not invading personal privacy makes personality tests as part of the interviewing process ethical and meaningful. There are several types of tests that an employer can use to test a candidates personality. They range from self-assessment questionnaires to more structured and measureable tests like computer adaptive tests. Each test has its own strengths and theoretical background, and employer’s need to find a test that works best for their company. Employers use personality profiles so that they can choose a candidate with the right personality traits to fill the position. Knowing that you need a self-motivated or persistent person is very important when asking questions during an interview. The more specific the questions that the employer asks the more accurate the answers will be about that candidates’ true personality. Since a person’s personality doesn’t generally change significantly in adulthood, the results should show tendencies of the potential candidate. The biological theory of personality suggest that genetics are responsible for personality. Research on heritability suggests that there is a link between genetics and personality traits. The behavioral theory of personality suggests that personality is a result of interaction between the...
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...Leadership Theory, particularly in the realm of education, is a growing field of study and practice. Many school leaders, whether they are formal leaders such as director and heads of school or informal leaders such as teachers, students, and parents, act from instinct and experience. This is often very effective and sometimes, not so much. Come learn about the latest theories and models of leadership that can help you be more intentional and effective in your decisions and actions. Interest in leadership increased during the early part of the twentieth century. Early leadership theories focused on what qualities distinguished between leaders and followers, while subsequent theories looked at other variables such as situational factors and skill levels. While many different leadership theories have emerged, most can be classified as one of eight major types: 1. "Great Man" Theories: Great man theories assume that the capacity for leadership is inherent – that great leaders are born, not made. These theories often portray great leaders as heroic, mythic and destined to rise to leadership when needed. The term "Great Man" was used because, at the time, leadership was thought of primarily as a male quality, especially in terms of military leadership. Learn more about the great man theory of leadership. This theory applies to Montessori schools because it takes a special individual to teach children at a Montessori level. There are different types of learning and every individual...
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...Topic Page no. 1. Letter of Transmittal 03 2. Acknowledgement 04 3. Abstract 05 4. Introduction 06 5. Description 07 6. Advantages and Disadvantages 14 7. Suggestions 16 8. Present and Beyond 17 9. Reference 18 Leadership: Leadership is the process by which a manager directs guides and influences the work of others in attaining specified goal. Leadership involves 1) Exerting influence over other members of a group 2) Helping a group achieve its goals. Leadership and management are two terms that are often confused. John Kotter of the Harvard Business School argues that “Management is about coping with complexity. Good management brings about order and consistency by drawing up formal plans, designing rigid organization structures, and monitoring results against the plans. Leadership, in contrast, is about coping with change. Leaders establish direction by developing...
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...Business Ethics Tajah Yesher El BUS 610 Week # 4 Instructor: Barbara-Leigh Tonelli November 3, 2013 Introduction Robert Nardelli was heavily criticized for his leadership style and methods he used during his tenure as CEO of Home Depot. The purpose of this paper is to describe Robert Nardelli’s style of leadership and take a position on whether or not his actions rose to the levels of unethical. This paper will attempt to incorporate the trait theory, behavioral theory, and situational and contingency theories then determine whether Roberts’ Nardelli’s actions were ethical or unethical. History Robert Nardelli was born in Old Forge Pennsylvania on May 17, 1948. Nardelli served in the Reserve Officers Training Corp. While serving in the reserves in 1971he earned a B.S. in business. Upon graduation Nardelli joined General Electric (GE). His father had also been employed there as an engineer and middle manager. In 1975 Nardelli went on to earn an M.B.A. from the University of Louisville, in Kentucky while working at GE. BY the year of 1988 Nardelli had climbed the corporate ladder and had become a company vice president. During his time at GE , they passed him over for a general management position so he left to take a position as a division leader with Case Equipment Co. Later, Nardelli returned to GE as the head of its appliance-manufacturing subsidiary in Canada from 1991-1992 and then held the top jobs at GE Transportation...
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...encompass all of these elements; being aware of your thoughts and actions, behaving in a way that encourages others to follow your behavior and inspiring others to improve upon their actions. “For success it is not enough to understand the industry, the technology and business models.” (Rizzatti 2005) Successful leaders have the expertise required for a position but also influence unity towards organizational goals. Any manager or leader, who strives for success, should acquire certain valuable characteristics. These characteristics will help determine the effectiveness of the leader. “Effective leadership is one key element in the success of a group and virtually anyone can learn to be an effective leader.” (Success by Design) Modern theories of leadership suggest that the skills needed to become an effective leader can be learned. The future of business is uncertain...
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...Eileen Wibbeke Abstract This paper will analyze and evaluate ten leadership theories, including Tuchman’s model for team development. We will also discuss internal environments which will affect a global firm, including differences in language, culture, politics, and technological ability. Finally we will examine how to meet the challenges of these internal environments using various sources of power. Meeting Leadership Needs in an International Environment Due to the globalized economies and international firms, leaders are needed to bring vastly diversified teams together. Understanding leadership theories will help a firm understand how to recruit or develop leaders that will meet their needs. However, there are about as many theories on leadership as there are individuals who study leadership. In our discussion, we will analyze and evaluate ten theories of leadership, and then we will focus on generally recognized commonalities of these theories in building a cohesive team. We also need to understand the difficulties introduces by diversified international teams. Some of these issues are introduced by internal environments including culture, language, politics, and technology. We also need to understand appropriate actions in meeting these challenges. Analysis and Evaluation of Different Leadership Theories The first leadership theory is the Complexity Theory of Leadership. This theory consists of interacting units that are both dynamic and adaptive (Yukl, 2013)...
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...see a lack of morals, values, and ethics incorporated into the business. Many businesses feel as if there is no room for ethics in the business world and that the relationships built should focus solely on the generation of revenue. According to Merriam Webster dictionary, we can define ethics as, “the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation.” Every company has a code of ethics in order to determine the company’s culture and values. It also acts a driving force behind any decisions made by top executives. In market where there are so many profit-based businesses, often times we see the many difficulties in balancing the pursuit of profits while staying true to their code of ethics. The balance of ethical practice and profit maximization causes companies to face difficult decisions and many times businesses choose profit maximization. Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer transactions require frequent interaction. In every type of business transaction, whether it is B2B or B2C, there is going to be different motivation behind it, which will determine the nature of their interaction. Is it possible to find statistical data that can determine a relationship between the love of money and unethical behavior? And if so, is this relationship affected by gender or college major? We will be answering these questions by the usage statistical...
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