Free Essay

Leadership Challenge Resolution

In:

Submitted By SMMR2009
Words 1708
Pages 7
Leadership challenge resolution
Name
Dr. Peter Trakas
MGT 460
August 27, 2012

Leadership challenge resolution
Vodafone is a multinational company which operates mostly in Africa though its main origin is Britain. This company is a telecommunications company that deals mostly with telecommunications services provision including call and SMS services and internet provision services (www.eaag.org/index.php/component/content/article/113-).
This company is organized in form of teams where each team is charged with a specific task in the daily running of the business. With this company having other companies in it, it faces some problems in its organization. Most of these problems are in the operation strategies of the company which appears to be based in globalization. This challenge is mainly on one of its constituent companies, Safaricom, which is located in Kenya (www.eaag.org/index.php/component/content/article/113-).
Safaricom was started in Kenya back in the year 2003 with an aim of improving the general welfare of the Kenyan citizens. Being a telecommunications company offering mobile phone services and internet data communication, it has great impact on the Kenyan citizens’ lives. The mission statement of this company is to partner with local communities to address the social economic and environmental issues to foster long lasting and positive change. Closely related to this mission statement is the vision statement which states: a prosperous Kenya, where peoples’ lives are positively transformed. This has led to development of some core values of this company which may be outlined as: education, appreciation of the Kenyan cultural diversity environmental conservation and economic empowerment (www.eaag.org/index.php/component/content/article/113-).
Being one of the main service providers in Kenya, this company has more than four outlet offices which are all headed by a regional manager. These regional offices offer most of customer services but due to the high dynamicity associated with this field of technology, globalization is posing a threat to this company (www.eaag.org/index.php/component/content/article/113-).
Globalization aims at ensuring that there are no barriers in communication. This would mean that call transfer protocol across different service network providers to be the same as call transfer rates within the same network (www.eaag.org/index.php/component/content/article/113-).
This problem has posed a threat to this company since in Kenya there are other four major service providers namely Airtel, Essar Yu, Telkom wireless and Orange communication companies. These companies appear to embrace this part of globalization since they have all flat call transfer rates across all networks. This has made many of the former Safaricom subscribers to migrate to other service providers. The rates of mobile money transfer have also been revised and globalization also proposes the same idea of a flat transfer rate across the networks. This part is also very tricky since these companies offer this service and the transfer rates though not totally flat across the networks; the competitors have a lower rate compared to Safaricom (Jim, 2009).
Moving on to the other problem posed by globalization to this company, data transmission and connection costs have become a matter of who is more popular. All these companies have internet data services thus the completion is still on. Globalization calls for market liberalization. In a liberalized market, little or no government control is imposed thus the free forces of market fully determine the price of data. This has led to a drastic drop in data price as more internet service providers come into the industry making this company to result in reducing the cost of internet data bundles. The reduced rates of have led to reduction of anticipated profits resulting in lower sales returns.
The other issue that comes with globalization is reduced restriction in entry of players into a certain industry. This is what has made it very easy for companies to join the telecommunications industry thus a flood has occurred in this industry. Looking at a brief history of this industry in Kenya, mobile telecommunications industry began with Safaricom where the company enjoyed monopolistic advantages. In a span of about five years, there has been an addition of four more players in the industry. This has reduced the advantages that Safaricom enjoyed initially thus the company can claim this has brought a disadvantage to it (Marlene, 2001).
Lastly, with the much improved technology and fiber optic, there has been great revolution in the internet services. This has made Safaricom lose a share of its initial share in internet service provision to other players in this field. The earlier infrastructure has been rendered useless with the use of modems reduced to almost zero. This has made the company lose its revenue generated by sale and use of modems (Marlene, 2000).
With this challenge in mind, several leadership skills have to involve in finding a long lasting solution. This solution must go through all the five stages of problem solution. In a much simpler structure, let us look into this challenge and resolve it professionally (Jim, 2009).
The first step in problem resolution is problem analysis. This would involve looking at the problem from all angles to understand it. In business, it might be called problem research. In our case, the main issue is the disadvantages associated with globalization in this company. This problem is still very broad thus redefining the problem to find the specific problems should be done. From market research analysis, the greatest impacts are on call transfer and internet data. This has led to definition of the actual problem thus as a leader, one can move to the next step (Marlene, 2000).
The second step is to generate ideas so as to solve this problem. This step is very critical since a number of possible solutions must be generated so as to fully cover the problem and find a solution. This step may involve writing down the possible solutions (Jim, 2009). In this case, the possible solutions may include: shun the whole idea of globalization , take active role in changing and adapting to the new technologies so as to keep in pace with the changes in the industry or even to use other competitive advantages to counter the effects of globalization. From a personal perspective taking the role of the leader, I would settle for two hypotheses of adapting to the new technology and use of other competitive advantages in the industry (Stewart, 2008).
The third step is to evaluate the hypotheses. This testing step comes with a lot of challenges since the hypotheses have to go through a series of evaluation tests to test its viability, practicability and effectiveness in addressing the problem. In some books this step is taken as giving back to the problem. It is believed that a person having a problem is still the best person to produce an answer. This means that the hypotheses are given back to the firm since the firm dynamics will produce the best solution. Other steps of evaluating a solution may include careful interpretation, study so as to understand the short term and long term effects of the solution and the effect of the solution to the whole firm in general. Looking at our case, the company may result in testing the hypotheses directly. This may be taken as putting on the music and sitting on the balcony (Jim, 2009). From the balcony, the leader will determine the effectiveness of the solution and determine the viability (leader implements a solution plan and then take some time off the high leadership seat to closely monitor the progress of the solution (Marlene, 2000)).
The fourth step is closely intertwined with the third step and involves making the best choice. The best choice is not only the most effective in dealing with the problem but also the one with the maximum lifespan of benefits. This step comes into play after the third step has produced more than one appropriate solution which has almost equal weights in meeting the problem demands. This step is quite tricky since it involves a lot of postulation and study so as to fully understand the phenomenon at hand. In this case, the adoption of new technology would come with a cost of continued loss of revenue on modems and subscribers. However, the company will in the long run have the ability to set up a modern telecommunications architecture which would be much updated. At the very end, the company may retain its market in internet service provision. In the case of call transfer, the company may accept the flat rate transfer but use technology to make its other service of mobile money very efficient. This will make the subscribers remain loyal to the company (Marlene, 2000). Turning to the other hypothesis, using other competitive advantages may appear the best solution for the moment. Postulating into the future, the company’s competitive advantages may be learnt of by the competitors thus come up with strategies to eliminate them. Therefore, this solution may serve short term advantage but prove ineffective in long term analysis (Ruth, 2001). In a personal capacity, I would first implement the second hypothesis as I slowly move to the first hypothesis. This will offer me a smooth transition which will see me and my company through the challenge (Stewart, 2008).
The last step is to plan the implementation procedure. This step is the one I have shallowly stated as implementing the second hypothesis followed by the first. However, this step requires elaborate structuring for the smooth transition to occur (Ruth, 2001). With these steps fully implemented and in the correct order, the company will definitely conquer the challenge (Stewart, 2008).
In conclusion, the knowledge gathered throughout this course has a very practical approach on the outer world. The topics themselves have enough to offer the learners thus I can confidently say the materials are a success.

References http://www.eaag.org/index.php/component/content/article/113- Stewart, M. 2008. Five steps of problem solving. Retrieved from http://leadonpurposeblog.com
Ruth B. 2001. Psychology review: Hypothesis Evaluation from Bayesian perspective. Perceptronics Inc.
Jim H. 2009. Adaptive leadership: accelerating enterprise agility. Thought works printing press.
Marlene C. 2000. Briefcase books series: Leadership skills for managers. McGraw Publishers

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Impact Of Emotionally Intelligent Leadership On Staff Nurse Empowerment

...ability needed in order to succeed in leadership and management. As the field of healthcare changes, Timmins (2011)explains that communication has become a fundamental element of care at every level of nursing practice. Studies have shown that managers spent 70 to 90 percent of their time in communicating with their teams and others at the workplace. According to Mike Myatt (2012), Effective communication is an essential component of professional success, “whether it is at the interpersonal, intergroup, intragroup, organizational, or external level”. Examination of great leaders shows that It is simply impossible to become a great leader without being a great communication. The literature on effective...

Words: 1066 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Npda Concept

...arguments and ideas about the resolution. The concept of the counter case is a central part in the NPDA debate where the proposition team affirms the motion presented to the debaters, and the opposition team, which opposes the resolution and/or the case, brought out by the proposition team. In other words,the NPDA debate is made up of two competing teams who represent two different sides of an issue. The proposing team defends the motion, presented to the debaters laying out the facts it has supporting the motion and providing an argument that validates the motion. Consequently, the opposing team can then make good use of the concept of the counter case. This is where the opposing team refutes or challenges the resolution while at the same time expressing their views that disagree with the proposition teams plan and idea (Rainbolt, & Dwyer, 2011). The opposing team debates on the issue differently and challenges the propositions suggestion. The opposition team responds to the proponent’s statements and puts into consideration the other side of the debate trying to sound more persuasive and reasonable. The counter argument presented by the opposing team thus provides reasonable doubt to the proposition team’s opinion. The proposition team on the other hand has to be ready to explain out how the resolution is true. It argues out that the resolution statement is sufficiently true. This team has to discuss and explain that 51% of the time the resolution is true (Crossman, 2006)....

Words: 882 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Ellen Moore (a): Living and Working in Korea

...The case “Ellen More (A): Living and Working in Korea” shows us how the Systems Consulting Group (SCG) is struggling with challenges stemming from cultural difference, gender difference in leadership (even though the gender difference was ratified in the earlier stages), lack of direction from leadership, fundamental challenges with cultural hierarchy and authority, challenges with group dynamics, low morale, and communication barriers. Due to the cultural diversity, communication barrier has posed the biggest challenge. Secondly, difference in perception is another big challenge. In North America, the culture differs from Korea where it is very direct and uses explicit communication. Example: giving direct feedback or compliments to high performing workers is normal, however, it is not socially accepted in Korea as the employees are treated with the same level of respect. On the other hand Korean culture is indirect and they almost never ask questions when in doubt as it depicts that is unclear and can be taken as disrespectful. In addition, the Confucianism of Korean cultures teaches to show respect to teachers and managers. Soon after Ellen’s arrival and spending some time in Korea, she discovered that the Korean consultants had less experience. During the short tenure of the project, she could sense the tension arising between her and the co-manager Jack Kim. Jack had made it clear in his communication style to the group that he was the boss and with his demeanour...

Words: 936 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Conflict Resolution in High School

...Conflict Resolution in High School Youth conflict resolution has been around for a while and has been very successful in some schools. The biggest problem has been keeping a program going. Training, funding, and finding time to keep it a part of a school are difficult challenges. Conflict resolution means teaching young people new and different ways to resolve disputes without resorting to verbal or physical violence. Many adolescents today are caught up in situations of teen conflict that they cannot manage – jealousy, name calling, teasing, gossip, stealing another’s property, dating and friendship issues, and bullying and outright aggression. Schools are frequently the center of many of these tensions. Conflict can also branch out from the school and lead to problems in the community. Conflict resolution education is an important component in violence prevention and intervention program in schools and youth communities. It is used in approximately 15% of schools in the United States. The most successful programs seem to be those that offer a comprehensive approach to problem-solving, teaching effective listening and communication skills, and critical and creative thinking with an emphasis on personal responsibility and self discipline. Sweeney and Caruthers (1996) define conflict resolution in a concise way, “the process used by both parties in conflict to reach a settlement.” Conflict is basically the result of two or more people possessing differing opinions...

Words: 3213 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

Politics in Zambia

...no doubt that society would reprimand any citizens for not respecting each other or for publicly bringing down their dignity to disrepute. UPND believes that Politicians are supposed to be individuals of integrity and responsible leaders of our country, yet actions of some politicians in the ruling government appear like people who do not want to serve the interests of the Zambians but their own interests. It shouldn't be a mystery to anyone why things don't get done in Zambia when we see how the ruling Government and some opposition leaders talk to one another other. The question is why have our politicians that are in Government become so malicious toward those in the opposition over the years? • Is it that they do not have true leadership attributes, • Or is it that they are just power hungry, • Or is it that our culture has lost its identity, that our leaders do not exhibit good morals • Or is it that they may have just done away with their dignity, • Or is it that possibly our African politics have been marred and corroded with the western type of politics. Some politicians seem to have lost their true identity and dignity as Africans, their culture and their morals don’t seem to be there. The aim of...

Words: 3384 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Organizational Conflicts

...Organization Conflicts within the Clayton County Board of Education Course Project Outline Professor GM 591 21 June 2011 * * I. Introduction The organization that will be focused on is the Clayton County Board of Education. The board consists of nine citizens who are elected by the community. The Clayton County Board of Education is responsible for the programs, finances, education, employment, and other policies within Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS). CCPS is a school district located in Jonesboro, Georgia. The system is the fifth largest school district in Georgia and is comprised of over 50,000 students. The district is considered a Title 1 school because of its high percentage of low-income families (SACS Report).. Although the district receives government grants and various allocations to improve school conditions, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) revoked accreditation for the district in 2008. The Clayton County Public School system was the third school district to lose accreditation in over forty years (SACS Report). As a resident of Georgia, it is important the school systems are effective and can adequately educate children. I have family and friends that live throughout the state of Georgia. The loss of accreditation hinders children and their education. Students attending CCPS faced difficulty being accepted into colleges and universities. They also faced dilemmas retaining various scholarships. Not only were students...

Words: 3991 - Pages: 16

Free Essay

Stock/Inventory

...Conflict Resolution Techniques to Address a Specific Departmental Issue Between a Supervisor and an Employee Conflict Resolution Techniques to Address a Specific Departmental Issue Between a Supervisor and an Employee My critical thinking paper will focus on the following, delegation, conflict resolution, and motivation. I discuss and explain my experiences and others at my organization of employment throughout my paper. Leadership is necessary to my organization, but has room for improvement. Due to the numerous employees and managers there are many different personalities that must interact. Many managers delegate task and jobs to an employee the task must be properly identified for achievement. Once the job is delegated to an employee, First off the right employee must be chosen for the job. Precise directions must be delegated to the employee. Throughout the process, progress of assignment must be monitored, follow up checks should be made to determine how well the job is coming along, and positive feedback should be given in order to achieve the best outcome possible. Managing employees is a tough task and challenge that should always be taken seriously. An effective delegator should have the skills and ability to clearly describe the position within an organization. A strong and effective delegator is the most powerful management and leadership skills a manager can have. Having the ability to delegate effectively will certainly get the...

Words: 1234 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Groups, Teams, Andconflicts

...Teams, and Conflict Fred Lombardo MTG/311 May 31, 2015 John Clair Groups, Teams, and Conflict University of Phoenix Material Team Strategy Plan 1. Complete the following table to address the creation of teams at Riordan Manufacturing. Strategy | Strengths | Weaknesses | During forming stage members roles are defined | By defining roles everyone is aware of each other’s roles are and exactly what their part is, and what is expected of them. | Some members may not like their roles and act out in dysfunctional behavior, or power struggles may form | While in the storming stage strategy’s to resolve conflicts are employed | The hierarchy of the group can begin to demonstrate leadership qualities | Avoidance of power struggles and not willing to use conflict resolution just yet. | Norming stage open lines of communication | Cohesiveness develops due to camaraderie and group identity. | Gossip starts in group from disgruntled members | performing stage plan for team goals | Group energy guides Team to achieve goals. | Disgruntled members can corrupt group energy while slowing production down. | Adjourning stage team is rewarded for reaching team goals. | Wrapping up, group member’s celebration festivities of completing goals. Members esteem at a high. | Disgruntled member create negative results if allowed to participate in festivities | 2. Identify the team formation strategy that is most suitable for Riordan Manufacturing, and provide the rationale...

Words: 1152 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Becoming An American Entrepreneur

...I would like to obtain my Educational Doctorate in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Conflict Resolution so that I will have the appropriate skills and qualifications to become an effective leader in my company, who is able to mediate internal and external conflicts while strengthening my abilities to successfully aid in employee training and development, which I have discovered a real passion for. I recognize that the Ed. D. will prepare me for a hands-on leadership role by using existing research and practical instruction, which in turn, will give me the opportunity to advance my career and assume a greater role as a respected leader within my company. When considering my intent for the Educational Doctorate program at...

Words: 1007 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Conflict Management

...SAT2 - Leading and managing conflict resolution For this discussion, the topic of “leading and managing conflict” will be applied to the new manager. To begin with, good communication leads to an effective leader. In addition, effective conflict resolution requires good communication. To begin, the Self-Portrait of My Communication Effectiveness Assessment is provided below to help new managers identify their communication style and determining its effectiveness. Table 1: A Self-Portrait of My Communication Effectiveness Instructions: The following statements relate to various aspects of communication effectiveness. Indicate whether each of the statements is mostly true or mostly false, even if the most accurate answer would depend somewhat on the situation. Asking another person who is familiar with your communication behavior to help you answer the questions may improve the accuracy of your answers. | | MostlyTrue | MostlyFalse | 1. When I begin to speak in a group, most people stop talking, turn toward me, and listen. | | 2. I receive compliments on the quality of my writing. | | 3. The reaction to the outgoing message on my voicemail has been favorable. | | 4. I welcome the opportunity to speak in front of a group. | | 5. I have published something, including a letter to the editor, an article...

Words: 1099 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Three Most Pressing Issues in Organizational Behavior and the Practices That Might Be Implemented

...behaviors and attitudes of people in an organization. After all human behaviors and attitudes determine effectiveness of any organization. The approach used in studying OB is the system approach. In other words, this approach interprets people-organization relationships in terms of the whole person, whole group, whole organization, and whole social system. Its purpose is to build better relationships by achieving human objectives, organizational objectives, and social objectives. In this paper we propose to study leadership, motivation and organizational conflict, as among the most pressing issues in organizational behavior. Further, we shall discuss how these issues can be addressed. Critical role of motivation It is critical for managers to understand why and how employees are motivated if they are to make full use of a worker’s capacity to learn and perform. For a manager, motivating employees to learn and perform at their best is a complex and difficult challenge. No two individuals, that is, no two employees including the two who are doing the same job are alike. At any time two different individuals will have two distinct needs and desires. Moreover, what motivates an employee to perform well today may not motivate him the next year, or next week, or even next hour. However, a motivated set of employees represent tremendous promise. When employees are motivated performance, learning, and satisfaction can improve dramatically from which everyone including the organization...

Words: 2709 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Leadership

...Helping an International Friend Develop as a Team Leader Gena Lucas Leadership Strategies February 29th, 2016 Strayer University International Leader In a diverse world many companies include employees from different races, nationalities, religions and age groups to become leaders within the company. A multicultural leader is a leader with the skills and attitudes to relate effectively to and motivate people across race, gender, age, social attitudes and lifestyles. (DuBrin, 2013) As a team lead in my company, I have been tasked with coaching a multicultural employee into a leadership position. I feel that as a leader, my job is to motivate and influence anyone who wants to take the task on as being a leader. As a leader, I do recommend that anyone taking on the task of showing others how to become a successful leader should be aware as DuBrin stated “of overt and subtle cultural differences”. Conflicts with Work on Days of Religious Significance There are many conflicts with having employees work on days where they have religious obligations. As a leader, you have to be aware of these conflicts and how to handle them. One conflict that can arise is how the employee dress or groom themselves. There are some religions that require women to wear head dressings or prohibit men from cutting their hair. Another conflict that an employee may have is needing time off for religious holidays or breaks during the day for prayer with a schedule that...

Words: 1377 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Leadership, Motivation and Organizational Conflict

...LEADERSHIP, MOTIVATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT MOST PRESSING TOPICS IN ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR Organization behavior is the study of behaviors and attitudes of people in an organization. After all human behaviors and attitudes determine effectiveness of any organization. The approach used in studying OB is the system approach. In other words, this approach interprets people-organization relationships in terms of the whole person, whole group, whole organization, and whole social system. Its purpose is to build better relationships by achieving human objectives, organizational objectives, and social objectives. In this paper we propose to study leadership, motivation and organizational conflict, as among the most pressing issues in organizational behavior. Further, we shall discuss how these issues can be addressed. 1. Critical role of motivation It is critical for managers to understand why and how employees are motivated if they are to make full use of a worker’s capacity to learn and perform. For a manager, motivating employees to learn and perform at their best is a complex and difficult challenge. No two individuals, that is, no two employees including the two who are doing the same job are alike. At any time two different individuals will have two distinct needs and desires. Moreover, what motivates an employee to perform well today may not motivate him the next year, or next week, or even next hour. However, a motivated set of employees represent tremendous...

Words: 2740 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Hrm Conflict at a Workplace

...conflict.  Explain your answer and respond to at least two other students' postings.  Your original post is due Thurs. Mar. 12 by 11:59PM with two response posts due no later than Sun. Mar. 15 by 11:59PM. (5) Developing effective conflict resolution skill sets are an essential component of a building a sustainable business model. Unresolved conflict often results in loss of productivity, the stifling of creativity, and the creation of barriers to cooperation and collaboration. Perhaps most importantly for leaders, good conflict resolution ability equals good employee retention. Leaders who don’t deal with conflict will eventually watch their good talent walk out the door in search of a healthier and safer work environment. It is essential for organizational health and performance that conflict be accepted and addressed through effective conflict resolution processes. While having a conflict resolution structure is important, effective utilization of conflict resolution processes is ultimately dependant upon the ability of all parties to understand the benefits of conflict resolution, and perhaps more importantly, their desire to resolve the matter. While conflict is a normal part of any social and organizational setting, the challenge of conflict lies in how one chooses to deal with it. Concealed, avoided or otherwise ignored, conflict will likely fester only to grow into resentment, create withdrawal or cause factional infighting...

Words: 376 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Sat 2 Leadership

...best function and each team member accepted a specific responsibility. We agreed on the following goals: Have task two be a first time acceptance, have a better understanding of leadership styles and how they work together, use this task to make us better leaders and commit to the most open and honest communication with our team members. The goals for each week were set to aid us in accomplishing the team goals. Our tasks were clearly outlined in the week assignment to include due dates for each assignment as well as the specific items to be completed. Our team also created a team identity “Dynamic Dames" this was an indication from the first meeting that the team was energized to complete the task and goals ahead. C1a. Achievement of Goals Our team was very serious in working towards achieving its goals. Assignments were turned in a timely fashion and each task was met weekly. There were two instances when team members needed an extra day to turn in the assignment. They effectively communicated their challenge and ask the team for their understanding. Our team leader was time on task with her task and hand the same expectations of her team members. Team members agreed to communicate every Monday evening by 8:00 pm and each member lived up to that method of communication. The different leadership styles of the team members were displayed in the information they provided on the Monday check in email. Some team members provided detail information while others were very limited...

Words: 1260 - Pages: 6