Steve Jobs Leadership free essay sample

However, there are limitations to Jobs leadership at Apple with factors such as shareholders,   corporate governance, corporate social responsibility policies and critical management studies all factors which restrict his leadership to an extent. Due to what Steve Jobs has achieved in his career, and his leadership style, this has made him a hugely well liked man. An example of this popularity is, â€Å" Steve Jobs is thought of very highly not just by those within his industry, but the wider business community. Even Bill Gates, seen as Jobs’ nemesis, has a great deal of respect for his rival. ( www. telegraph. com ). This portrays how highly Jobs is regarded, and the degree of appreciation which he has exerted from others. Steve Jobs is seen as an idol and role model in the eyes of many people. Steve Jobs is an ethical leader. He does a lot of good out with the business scene. We will write a custom essay sample on Steve Jobs Leadership or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Jobs got highly involved in trying to get a living organ donor registry for California, with Jobs joining the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger in introducing the legislation. The perception among people is that Steve Jobs played a prominent role in getting the legislation passed. An example of this recognition is, â€Å" the idea of a registry for living kidney donors only gained enough political support from Alquist’s senate colleagues and the governor to make it into the formal bill this past March thanks to one man : Apple CEO Steve Jobs. â€Å" ( www. businessinsider. com ). This shows that Jobs is an ethical leader, as it is not only within Apple he strives for improvement, but outside Apple, he strives to improve issues which he feels should be bettered and which are beneficial to communities. The type of culture which Steve Jobs has created at Apple is Organizational. According to Edgar Schein, who is a highly respected man having made a mark in organizational development, organizational culture is about being creative and developing inventive products, for example, â€Å" Inspired by Schein’s thinking and that of other management gurus’, managers wholeheartedly embraced the idea of organizational culture during the 1980’s to the point where you were nobody unless you were working on creating a dynamic and innovative corporate culture. ( Jackson and Parry, 2008; p. 65 ). This is exactly the style of leadership which Jobs has put into place at Apple, as he constantly strives to bring out premium products of huge quality. He endeavours to develop unique products which have never been seen before, to gain a competitive advantage. The cultural dimension of leadership at Apple is Collectivism. Jobs has created a structure within the company whereby all me mbers of a team work hard of each other, and also where each team leader manages his or her team effectively. The Collectivism dimension is described as, â€Å" In collectivist societies leaders will be expected to keep the good of the in – group uppermost in their minds. â€Å" ( Jackson and Parry, 2008; p. 70 ). This is the dimension of leadership in place at Apple as Steve Jobs has the ability to praise employees in areas in which they have done a good job, and tries to keep a positive mentality across the team. Steve Jobs possesses positive leadership attributes, for example, he is intelligent, he has a dynamic personality and he is a motivational leader. An example of his impressive attributes is, â€Å" Mr Jobs had built a reputation as a demanding leader who could take technologies and make them popular with the general public. â€Å" ( www. bbc. co. uk ). Steve Jobs has highly impressive leadership attributes, and he is a huge reason as to why Apple has been such a successful company. Leadership is â€Å" critical in codifying and maintaining an organizations’ purpose, values, and vision. â€Å" ( PM World Today Journal ). Having good leadership methods in place at an organization is vital in bringing success to a company. Steve Jobs is highly stimulated and has a strong idea of what he wants for Apple to achieve in upcoming periods. He is a transformational leader, and this, â€Å" represents the most popular current view of leadership. This leader is characterised by a capacity to create a highly motivating and absorbing vision of the future, and has the capability to energise others to pursue the vision. â€Å" ( Claremont McKenna College Journal ). Jobs has put in a huge effort to create a strong framework of control and direction, for example, â€Å" Since returning to Apple, Steve has put as much energy into creating a strong management structure as he has into the products. â€Å" ( www. ft. com ). This is highly effective leadership, trying to improve the design of the organisation in order to achieve more efficiency. Part of looking at leadership from a critical perspective includes looking at leadership discourse. Having looked at the different types of leadership discourse, the most appropriate choice for Steve Jobs as a controller is Iron Cage. Iron Cage leadership is about getting the most production possible through guidance. An example of this is, Comfortable iron cage maximises production through increased motivation and promoting personal growth and team work. ( Hibbert, 2011, p. 9 ). This is exactly the type of leadership which Steve Jobs has developed at Apple. He is a highly motivational leader, and he tries to install this characteristic into his workers. Steve Jobs also places much emphasise on good team working abilities, as this is vital in obtaining success. An example of the importance of team work within an organisation is, The increased pressure on professionals to perform their tasks at faster speeds, and with more quality creates the need for team work. ( Psychology and Human Development Journal ). The vitality of effective team work is portrayed by this example, and one of Steve Jobs major objectives is to maintain a workforce which strives to co-operate and work for each other. It could be suggested that at Apple, Steve Jobs follows the team leadership model. This model seems appropriate to Jobs’ leadership style, as it is described as, â€Å" Leaders can use the model to help them make decisions about the current state of their team and the specific actions they need to take, if any, to improve the team’s functioning. â€Å" ( Northouse, 2010, p. 256 ). This is the model which Steve Jobs relates to. He is constantly trying to enhance any areas of the team which could be amended, to try and maximise efficiency within his teams, as this is going to improve the chances of his teams developing products of their maximum capabilities.