Case Study: Henry Ford’s Contributions to Organizational Behavior and Leadership

Henry Ford, born in 1863 with his innovative ideas in producing motor vehicles and excellent engineering works went on to become the hero of people in the industry. His primary goal was always to produce petrol propelled motor vehicle and in 1896 he developed his first self propelled vehicle which he called the quadricycle. After a lot of struggles and legal battles, he founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903 with only $28000. He dreamed of making efficient affordable cars and in 1908 produced the popular model T. Henry Ford changed the world with his revolutionary ideas and transformed the motor industry with his leadership. The main aim of this case study is to describe his major contributions to the study of organizational behavior and discuss his leadership style. Every manager or leader’s aim is to achieve a workplace that has a pleasant setting, consists of employees who want to Continue reading

Situational Leadership Model – Definition, Pros, and Cons

The situational theory of leadership is becoming increasingly popular in the context of modern organizational leadership. Situational leadership revolves around job-related maturity. Job maturity refers to an individual’s ability in performing a job and this is a key factor determining a leader’s behavior. The situational leadership model puts it that effective leadership is dependent on both the acts of management and leadership and that these enhance an organization’s match to current global trends. The model emerged from the realization and understanding that not all individuals within a group or community being led compare in terms of maturity level and that the need for a leadership style differ with situations. Situational leadership entails first understanding one’s predominant leadership approach and the level of the follower’s development process. Situational leadership theory, in simple terms talks about different leadership styles and how a leader can choose an appropriate style with respect to team Continue reading

Formal and Informal Leaders

Leadership as the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization. While it is a relatively short definition, it implies a lot of action. Look at the action words: influencing; purpose; direction; motivation; accomplish; improve. To define Leadership, means to take action, to get up and do something. It has been observed above that a manager should also be a good leader. But in actual practice, every manager is not able to provide the kind of leadership desired by his subordinates. This gives rise to informal leaders who do not hold any managerial post in the organization. A formal leader, on the other hand, is one who possesses organizational authority to direct and control the activities of his subordinates. He can issue orders and instructions to his subordinates by virtue of his formal authority in the organization. An informal leader is Continue reading