Leadership and Management, Theory and Practice Assignment Sample

Introduction Of Leadership and management, theory and practice Assignment

In the framework of the reflective report, the chosen organization is Google, and this paper appraises my leadership experience. Based on my observations of leadership in action at Google, this report aims to critically reflect on my leadership style and find opportunities for development. Introduction, Google Overview, Reflection on Leadership Experience, and Action Plan are included to describe the report's objectives into four sections.

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Overview of Google

A multinational technological corporation, Google focuses on providing services and goods for the internet. When they were Stanford University PhD candidates in 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded it. The company aims to organize the world's information and benefit everyone (Crowley, 2022). The company's most important services and products include Google Search, Maps, YouTube, Chrome, and Android.

The distinctive corporate culture at Google, founded on ideas like innovation, agility, and openness, is well-known. The organization encourages employees to take chances and seek novel ideas by fostering a creative and entrepreneurial work atmosphere (Westerman & Bonnet, 2015). Focusing on employee empowerment and encouraging a collaborative and inclusive atmosphere are traits that define Google's leadership approach. The organization's leadership team comprises executives who are leaders in their industries and dedicated to fostering innovation and expansion.

In general, Google is a business that emphasizes creativity, teamwork, and diversity. It is a pioneer in the technology sector and has greatly influenced how people access and use information in the current digital era.

Review of the literature

Many models and frameworks have been offered, and leadership and management ideas have been researched and developed for decades. The report will examine some of the most well-known theories and models of leadership and management in this literature study, including contingency theory, situational leadership, transformational leadership, trait theory, and others.

One of the earliest and most extensively researched leadership theories is trait theory. According to this notion, effective leaders have a particular set of innate qualities that cannot be learned, including intelligence, confidence, charisma, and resolve (Bush, 2020). The complicated nature of leadership has been criticized as oversimplified by this theory, although it nonetheless serves as the basis for numerous other hypotheses.

According to Hersey and Blanchard's situational leadership theory, the best leadership approach differs based on the circumstance. According to the theory, a leader should modify their approach according to the developmental stage of their followers. It suggests four leadership philosophies: directing, coaching, supporting, and delegating. This theory has been used extensively in organizational settings and is currently regarded as a useful framework for comprehending leadership in a variety of situations.

James MacGregor Burns' transformational leadership theory emphasizes the leader's capacity to inspire and motivate subordinates to realize their greatest potential. According to this notion, idealized influence, inspiring motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration are the four main characteristics of transformative leaders (Amanchukwuet. al 2015). Higher levels of employee engagement, job happiness, and organizational performance have all been associated with transformational leadership.

According to contingency theory, the best leadership approach depends on various contextual variables, including the leader's personality, the followers' traits, and the task's nature. This theory contends that there is no best leadership style and that each scenario requires a different approach from the leader. One of the most well-known theories in this category is Fiedler's contingency theory, which contends that a leader's success is influenced by both their leadership style and the favorableness of the circumstance.

Authentic leadership, servant leadership, the leader-member exchange theory, and the path-goal theory are other leadership and management theories. According to the path-goal idea, a leader's role is to provide followers with the support and direction they need to attain their goals (Lussier & Achua, 2015). According to the leader-member exchange idea, leaders interact with followers in various ways, influencing their productivity and sense of fulfilment at work. While genuine leadership concentrates on the leader's capacity to be true to one and their ideals, servant leadership emphasizes the leader's role in serving and empowering their people.

The research into management and leadership theories and models has developed over time and continues to offer insightful knowledge into these jobs' intricate nature. Although no theory or model can adequately reflect the diversity of leadership and management, these frameworks are useful resources for comprehending and enhancing these crucial organizational tasks (Northouse, 2021).

Google, one of the world's most creative and prosperous businesses, served as the case study to highlight the important role that leadership plays in enhancing organizational performance. Google's top executives have demonstrated a great commitment to developing an innovative culture, empowering their staff, and advancing diversity and inclusion. Along with Google's financial success, these leadership techniques have helped Google build a solid reputation as a terrific workplace.

Additionally, it emphasizes the value of continual leadership development and personal growth by drawing on personal experiences and growth areas. Effective leadership must possess the capacity to learn from mistakes, seek feedback, and always better oneself (Nawaz & Khan, 2016).

Finally, developing one's leadership skills involves a combination of self-reflection, education, and application of pertinent ideas and models. Leadership is crucial to organizational success (Donat & de Pablo, 2015). Effective leadership is a process, not a destination, calling for constant effort and dedication to one's development.

An application of these theories and models to the leader of Google

A multinational technological corporation, Google focuses on providing services and goods for the internet. When they were Stanford University PhD candidates in 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded it. With a market valuation of more than $1 trillion as of 2021, Google is currently one of the world's biggest and most successful firms. The company's top executives' management methods and leadership style, particularly CEO Sundar Pichai, are substantially responsible for its success.

Transformational leadership is one leadership paradigm that fits Pichai's leadership style. According to this notion, a leader's capacity for inspiring and motivating their team members towards a single objective is key. Pichai is renowned for his inclusive and cooperative leadership style, which encourages people to be creative and innovative. Additionally, he is dedicated to diversity and inclusion, which has aided Google in luring great people from a variety of backgrounds and keeping them on board.

Servant leadership is a different leadership paradigm that Pichai can use. This approach strongly emphasizes the leader's dedication to putting the needs of their followers above their own. Pichai put this philosophy into practice through his emphasis on workplace harmony and employee well-being. For instance, Google provides its staff various benefits, including free lunches, an on-site gym, and generous parental leave policies. These perks have helped to foster a healthy workplace environment and high employee satisfaction.

However, Pichai's management approach has come under fire in several instances. The way the business handles employee protests and its retaliatory culture towards whistleblowers are two areas of concern. Employees at Google staged a walkout in 2018 to protest how the company handled sexual harassment claims. Pichai and other top executives were criticized for not doing enough to address the problem and for failing to put employee safety and well-being first.

Google's alleged anti-competitive practices and monopoly strength are another target of criticism. The corporation is criticized for having excessive control over the internet due to its dominance in search and advertising, as well as its business practices, which they claim have hurt both competition and innovation. Even if this problem is not directly tied to Pichai's management style, it does impact the company's overall management style and culture.

In summary, Sundar Pichai has led Google with a transformational and servant-centred approach, emphasizing the promotion of diversity, creativity, and innovation. The company's general performance and favourable workplace culture are a credit to Pichai's leadership abilities, even though there are still areas that may use improvement, particularly regarding employee protests and anti-competitive behaviour. Pichai will need to keep changing his management approach as Google expands and encounters new challenges in order to solve new problems and keep Google's competitive advantage.

It takes a comprehensive understanding of leadership and management ideas and principles to effectively lead and manage organizational people (Hussain et al., 2018). To accomplish their aims and objectives, leaders must be able to negotiate the intricacies of human behaviour, relationships, and systems. Additionally, they must be able to modify their leadership approach to fit various circumstances.

Furthermore, it cannot be easy to practice management and leadership theories and principles since leaders must balance the organization's needs and those of specific personnel. In addition to holding their teams accountable for their performance and ensuring that they are accomplishing the aims and objectives of the organization, effective leaders must be able to inspire and motivate their teams.

The complexity of leading and managing people in organizations necessitates a thorough comprehension of theories and principles relating to leadership and management and the capacity to put those theories and principles into practice (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015). In addition to juggling the organization's demands and the requirements of specific people, effective leaders must be able to negotiate the intricacies of human behaviour, relationships, and systems. Leaders can improve their capacity for managing and leading people and ultimately accomplish their goals and objectives through ongoing learning and development.

Since Google has a diversified workforce and a complicated organizational structure, managing and leading people presents a huge challenge. As a pioneer in the computer sector, Google has encountered various issues with its leadership style, including claims of discrimination, bias, and a lack of diversity in its executive roles.

The management of Google has had to negotiate these difficult problems while preserving the success and market competitiveness of the business (Christensen et al., 2016). The organization has implemented several leadership and management theories and models to address these issues, including transformational leadership, servant leadership, and contingency theory.

For instance, Google has prioritized creating a diverse and inclusive workplace under the direction of Sundar Pichai, putting forth programmes like unconscious bias training and establishing diversity targets for its staff. The business has also strongly emphasized employee empowerment and adopted a flexible work environment that permits employees to set their hours and work from home.

However, Google has also come under fire for some of its management techniques, including handling employee demonstrations and the contentious Dragonfly project (Zuboff, 2015). These difficulties demonstrate how difficult and constantly changing it is to manage and lead teams in a sector like technology.

In general, Google's leadership and management practice illustrates the difficulties in leading and managing people in a vast and diversified organization, as well as the significance of putting into practice effective theories and concepts of leadership and management to handle these issues (Abadia, 2022).

Conclusion

In conclusion, scholars and practitioners have devoted much study to the complicated and varied concept of leadership. The analysis of numerous leadership theories and models emphasizes how crucial a leader's behaviour, traits, and attributes affect an organization's effectiveness.

Google, one of the world's most creative and prosperous businesses, served as the case study to highlight the important role that leadership plays in enhancing organizational performance. Google's top executives have demonstrated a great commitment to developing an innovative culture, empowering their staff, and advancing diversity and inclusion. Along with Google's financial success, these leadership techniques have helped Google build a solid reputation as a terrific workplace.

Additionally, it emphasizes the value of continual leadership development and personal growth by drawing on personal experiences and growth areas. Effective leadership must possess the capacity to learn from mistakes, seek feedback, and always better oneself.

Finally, developing one's leadership skills involves a combination of self-reflection, education, and application of pertinent ideas and models. Leadership is a crucial component of organizational success. Effective leadership is a process, not a destination, calling for constant effort and dedication to one's development.

References

Bush, T. (2020). Theories of educational leadership and management. Theories of Educational Leadership and Management, pp.1–208.

Amanchukwu, R.N., Stanley, G.J. and Ololube, N.P., 2015. A review of leadership theories, principles and styles and their relevance to educational management. Management, 5(1), pp.6-14.

Lussier, R.N. and Achua, C.F., 2015. Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development. Cengage learning.

Northouse, P.G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.

Nawaz, Z.A.K.D.A. and Khan, I., 2016. Leadership theories and styles: A literature review. Leadership, 16(1), pp.1-7.

Donate, M.J. and de Pablo, J.D.S., 2015. The role of knowledge-oriented leadership in knowledge management practices and innovation. Journal of business research, 68(2), pp.360-370.

Hussain, S.T., Lei, S., Akram, T., Haider, M.J., Hussain, S.H. and Ali, M., 2018. Kurt Lewin's change model: A critical review of the role of leadership and employee involvement in organizational change. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 3(3), pp.123-127.

Al-Haddad, S. and Kotnour, T., 2015.Integrating the organizational change literature: a model for successful change. Journal of organizational change management, 28(2), pp.234-262.

Christensen, C.M., Bartman, T. and Bever, D.V., 2016. The hard truth about business model innovation.

Zuboff, S., (2015). Big other: surveillance capitalism and the prospects of an information civilization. Journal of information technology, 30(1), 75–89.

Abadia, A., (2022). Leadership Styles during Disruption: A Multi-Case Study.

Westerman, G. and Bonnet, D., 2015. Revamping your business through digital transformation. MIT Sloan management review, 56(3), p.10.

Crowley, M.C., (2022). Lead from the heart: Transformational leadership for the 21st century. Hay House, Inc.