Apple Inc. Leadership Agility Development Plan, Evaluation and How to Improve one's
Leadership Agility 1
APPLE INC. LEADERSHIP AGILITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN, EVALUATION AND HOW
TO IMPROVE ONE'S LEADERSHIP AGILITY
BY [Name]
MGT 411 - Leading Organizations
ASU-TEMPE
October 21, 2019
Apple Inc. Leadership Agility Development Plan, Evaluation and How to Improve one's
Leadership Agility 2
Apple Inc. Leadership Agility Development Plan, Evaluation and How to improve one's
Leadership Agility
Agile leaders play a key role in the running of an organization of a company. In most
cases, the role of these leaders surrounds three key aspects within an organization. Meyer and
Meijers (2017, p.11) says that the first thing that they do is the nurturing of a culture within the
organization where learning and experimentation is embraced. Agile leaders collaborates with
the organization’s employees in all departments and levels in finding common values for
creating goals for the team and the company at large (Meyer and Meijers, 2017, p.11). Thirdly,
agile leaders create an organization structure which rewards and reinforces the first and the
second dimensions above. Therefore, an agile leader has to navigate all the issues and challenges
facing the organization at any given point to ensure that it remains fit for its future purposes.
Leadership agility is nurtured by the company at every tier of management and can be
considered to be one of the primary forces that help Apple Inc. to maintain innovation and
compete globally. Agile leadership in Apple goes beyond adaptability, it requires taking the
initiative and a continuous sense-making in the face of complex challenges. Pulakos, Kantrowitz,
and Schneider (2019) suggest that the real organizational agility will not only be attributed to
structural flexibility but to the leaders who would be able to predict the changes in the market
dynamics and move their teams to adaptive strategies. The leaders at Apple do this by instituting
fast decision-making loops, promoting a system of open feedback and promoting autonomy
among the employees in the case of problem solving. Swisher (2013) highlights learning agility
(it is the skill of learning past experiences and applying the knowledge in new circumstances) as
the X factor in selecting high-potential leaders that could succeed in the dynamic environment.
In Apple, Leadership development programs, thus focus on experiential learning, reflection, and
cross-functional teamwork as mechanisms of inculcating agility into the corporate DNA.
There is also agility in leadership at Apple that can be also homogenized by its
governance and management structure that are established with a view to achieve a balance
between the freedom of innovation and accountability. According to Chikhale and Mansouri
(2015), the Apple governing system is a flexible and collaborative system, which connects the
strategic objectives with the operational execution. This system allows the leaders to align the
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project outcomes to the innovation agenda of the company without stifling the creativity. The
agile governance would be inculcated into the daily management practices and this would result
in the agile governance being responsive to customer feedback and technological disruptions.
Pulakos et al. (2019) also point out that agility is flourishing when there is the so-called
psychological safety, i.e., there should be a building of trust between leaders and their team
members meaning that this will enable them to take calculated risks and quickly test their ideas
and concepts. Apple success can therefore be explained by the fact that it was in technological
capacity and its commitment to embrace a culture of leadership where flexibility was favored,
cooperation and receptiveness to learning were respected.
In order to improve the agility of leadership further,, organizations such as Apple require
to work on the cognitive and emotional capacity of the leaders as a means of addressing
ambiguity and change. According to Meyer and Meijers (2017), the variety of different
leadership styles that a leader has in place enables them to flex their style according to situational
requirements. In the case of Apple, the consistency and resilience of leaders to be strategic in an
uncertain environment can be reinforced through mindfulness-based leadership training and
scenario planning. Also, leadership development programs can involve the implementation of
real-time learning analytics, which can recognize growth areas and monitor the agility
improvement within the various departments (Swisher, 2013). According to Chikhale and
Mansouri (2015), the inclusion of digital collaboration tools improves the transparency by
facilitating the process of adaptive decision-making. In a highly dynamic sector, nurturing
leaders able to combine information, intuitive and innovative skills will see Apple remain a
success as a leader of adaptive excellence in the field of corporate leadership.
Apple’s strategic challenges for remaining “fit for future purpose‟
Apple Inc. is a leading electronic company that produces and supplies its electronics to
various markets across the globe. This is supported by its leadership agility provided by a strong
management team led by its CEO, Tim Cook. There are various challenges facing Apple’s
strategy which is part of the reason why this company faces a 7% drop in its shares in 2018
(Apple Inc. Financial report, 2018, p.5). Below, are some of the biggest challenges facing
Apple’s strategic operations?
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Navigation of its Trade uncertainty
Apple’s tariff imposition is likely to continue impacting its future negatively. The
problems surrounding the Chinese and the US trade policy and some of the predicted tariff
imposition on iPhones by the US will not to be kind to its stock. Experts assert that for
everything to work well for Apple in 2019, the trade conflicts between China and the US must
cease before mid-2019. Also, for stability to be realized at Apple there should be no disruption to
its Faxcom flagship factory. With the current situation, the company is planning to move its
production out of the Chinese market. However, its CEO, Tim Cook, strongly believes that it
will be able to mitigate this tariff problem.
The other strategic issue that Apple has to deal with is how to maintain its innovation-
oriented personality in the face of fast changing consumer tastes and converging digitalization.
Technology markets are becoming more mature and therefore differentiated and Apple needs to
constantly reinvent its value proposition. According to Gershon (2013), the innovation cycles of
Apple, especially concerning the iPad and the subsequent digital media technology, have
established international norms and expectations regarding the consistent newness as well as the
establishment of expectations of constant newness among consumers. This force is pushing
Apple to strike a balance between creativity and operational sustainability because agile product
development can put a strain on supply chain, and the research budget can explode. According to
Lazanick, Mazzucato, and Tulum (2013), Apple reinvests their enormous profit reserves not as
much as it should in R&D and ecosystem expansion to sustain its advantage in innovations.
Moreover, de Oliveira Teixeira and Werther Jr. (2013) draw on the fact that long-term
sustainability depends on resilience, which refers to the subsequent regeneration of competitive
advantage. Apple needs to incorporate adaptive learning systems, advance personalization of the
user experience, and expand the investment in artificial intelligence so as to maintain the
constant refresh of the innovative advantage that the company maintains.
The issue of transforming Apple business model in answer to fluctuating consumer
ownership trends and reliance on the platform is also urgent. As Montgomerie and Roscoe
(2013) point, one of the strengths of Apple has always been the ability to support and to
influence hardware and software ecosystem in order to attain the loyalty of customers and
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recurrences. But this leadership is under threat with the introduction of the BYOD trends in
foreseeable business settings as proposed by French, Guo, and Shim (2014) that dilutes the
monopoly of the integrated systems achieved by Apple. The workers are starting to demand a
more flexible device and this requires the firms to allow cross-platform compatibility thus it
degrades Apple ecosystem lock-in because Lazonick et al. (2013) further believe that the heavy
dependence on premium prices by Apple can cause it to lose its market penetration in the
developing economies where affordability is the key to grasping it. Therefore, Apple will need to
reconsider its strategic template by increasing subscriptions services, increasing its
interoperability with third party systems, and developing inclusive pricing plans that allow to
increase its consumer following without making it lose brand respect.
Apple’s long-term resilience is hugely dependent on their ability to handle digital
disruption and the merging of new technologies. The company faces fierce competition from
firms that easily adopt open source and cloud-based technologies as AI, AR, and IoT
revolutionize sectors. To keep a future-oriented strategy, according to de Oliveira Teixeira and
Werther Jr. (2013), it is necessary for the company to have resilience as one of its core
competences through regular learning and renewal. Gershon (2013) argues that the innovation of
digital media could be Apple's main lever to be a leader in the delivery of immersive content, but
this would require a heavy investment in the collaboration with new media and the adaptive
integration of the product. On the other hand, Montgomerie and Roscoe (2013) emphasize that
presently Apple’s ability to “own the consumer” is more dependent on data intelligence and
service ecosystems than just on physical devices. Gershon (2013) concludes that Apple can
create a more agile, resilient, and inclusive strategy that will help them stay competitive in the
future by implementing sustainable innovation practices, opening up their supply chains, and
using data-driven personalization.
The Battle with Qualcomm
Apple has been battling with a very lengthy legal spat with the Qualcomm Company.
According to Gershon (2018, p.41) this challenge originated from the patent fees and licensing
rates where Apple is suing Qualcomm with a lawsuit worth $1 billion. Qualcomm on the hand is
also filing a number of countersuits against Apple Inc. with the claims that Apple has been
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involved in stealing its secret of trade and selling it to Intel. This fight is having a lot of damages
to Apple’s reputation from the adverse judgments it is currently facing. Tim Cook asserts that if
these lawsuits are settled, it will help the company by removing any worries from its investors
and customers and other key stakeholders (Apple Inc. Financial report, 2018, p.8). Since there
have been no settlement talks on this case, it is likely that Apple’s future will remain uncertain.
The current dispute with Qualcomm reaffirms the importance of Apple to increase
organizational-level agility and legal ability to respond to any complex world-wide dispute. The
authors of Pulakos, Kantrowitz, and Schneider (2019) note that being agile does not necessarily
mean having speed in its operations, but being able to tolerate uncertainty due to its aggressive
strategy. In the case of Apple, this would involve choosing the creation of a more active
approach in the management of the intellectual property (IP) conflicts, as well as more
interdepartmental coordination between the legal, innovation, and strategic departments. Meyer
and Meijers (2017) also say that agile leaders have the freedom to alternate between directive
and participative styles based on the dynamism of the environment. The leadership of Apple
could thus utilize the agility based training programs to develop resiliency and responsiveness in
dealing with the outside threats such as patent suits. Besides, Chikhale and Mansouri (2015)
point out that sound governance models based on collaboration make corporate bodies more
stable in times of crisis. Such a framework would help Apple cooperate with the regulating
bodies, suppliers and competitors effectively and instead of suit litigations, the case can be
handled through negotiation and business alliances.
The Qualcomm fight beyond its legal consequences highlights the fact that there are even
greater loopholes in the Apple supply chain and innovation system. Chikhale and Mansouri
(2015) note that Apple maintains a strong dependence on coordinated cooperation with a variety
of partners in its global operation, so any dispute with the most significant suppliers can be
extremely disruptive. According to Pulakos et al. (2019), organizational agility requires the
creation of mechanisms that lead to constant readiness to external shocks, implying that Apple
has to diversify its supplier relationship so that the exposure to risk is reduced. Using the agile
principles regarding supplier management, Apple would be able to create cross-functional teams
whose duties would be to find strategic alternatives and enhance transparency in IP-related
agreements. Meyer and Meijers (2017) argue that emotional intelligence and situational
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awareness should also be applied to leadership agility, which may enable Apple executives meet
the expectation of the stakeholders in unpredictable times. The creation of a culture where
conflict is not a failure but a chance to learn is not only going to make Apple more resilient but
also provide the company as the example of ethical and adaptive leadership in technology but
ethical conduct.
Meeting the predictions of IPhone sales
Apple Inc., early 2019, reported low sales in its iPhones unit, the lowest sales ever
experienced in the company before. As a result it has reported shifting away from the
manufacture and selling of iPhones in China. According to Khan, Alam and Alam (2018, p.956)
Apple is shifting the focus on its iPhone sales, but it is likely that it will be disappointed by
meager sales. According to Everett, (2017, p.4) it is predicted that iPhone unit sales are likely to
decrease further in the next years meaning that its shares are also likely to face a shaky ground.
These issues will hamper the company’s bottom line which without proper leadership and
interventions will cause more challenges on its operations.
If the iPhone sales become volatile, Apple should use more data-driven forecasting and
marketing strategies. According to Lassen, Madsen, and Vatrapu (2014), one of the most
promising social media analytics tools is Twitter sentiment analysis, which can be used to predict
sales performance and consumer trends. Such real-time digital signals enable Apple to get
feedback from consumers earlier than ever before and it can change its pricing, promotions or
feature priorities accordingly. Jahanbin, Goodwin, and Meeran (2013) state that conventional
sales forecasting methods are not suitable for the mobile technology industry due to fast-
changing consumer behavior and short innovation cycles. It is possible for Apple to pinpoint the
fluctuation in demand more accurately if it utilizes AI-powered predictive analytics that would
work across different markets globally. Moreover, Gershon (2013) indicates that one way of
reviving consumer interest can be through digital innovation in product ecosystems whereby the
integration of iPhones with media, wearables, and smart-home devices is done more seamlessly.
So, Apple’s survival in the future is not only about foreseeing demand but also about combining
technological innovation with behavioral data in order to have sustained product attractiveness.
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Besides implementing predictive analytics, Apple should also work on polishing its
product diversification and regional market strategies in order to keep the iPhone sales stable in
the future. Chen, Tsaur, and Lin (2016) illustrate that sophisticated models like Grey Support
Vector Autoregression can significantly upgrade the forecast accuracy by not only
acknowledging the uncertainty but also considering external disruptions; thus, such models can
be instrumental in planning by Apple’s teams. According to Gershon (2013), the company has
been strong mainly due to the seamless integration of creativity and technology; however, the
present issues require a much bigger plan that would not only focus on the balance between the
luxurious side of the product and the affordable one but also take other factors into account.
Apple can tap into huge potentials for growth in emerging markets if it implements localized
pricing models and tailors marketing strategies that are in line with the preferences of each
region (Jahanbin et al., 2013). Also, Lassen et al. (2014) mention that when consumers are
dynamically engaged through digital platforms, they become loyal and the demand can be kept
even during a period of economic downturns. Hence, with the help of sophisticated forecasting,
diversified market strategies, and flexible innovation, Apple will be able to turn the situation
around where there is a decline in iPhone sales and will be able to maintain its position in the
mobile market which is becoming more and more saturated.
Selling its investors on its service story
Apple’s financial report, 2018, indicates that the company is cutting off the reporting of
iPhone unit reporting due to the reasons that it is not playing a significant role in its finical
analysis. Many critics agree with them on this issue due to the reason that iPhone sales have
become quite insignificant for the company. However, Khan, Alam and Alam (2018, p.956)
predicts that there is a threat that this move could be problematic for its investors who will
require adjusting to the new company’s reporting system. It’s likely that this will bring about
disagreements ad possible fallout among most investors who are pivotal to the company’s
performance.
The fact that Apple redefined its reporting methods to focus on its service ecosystem
otherwise considered as a product-based reporting is a critical adjustment in the way Apple
reported long-term value to its investors. According to Lazanick, Mazzucato and Tulum (2013),
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the increase in profitability of Apple is solely reliant on its capacity to use it as part of investing
in further services innovations including Apple Music, iCloud, and Apple Pay. This shift in
hardware-specific to ecosystem-driven value creation needs investors to transform to a wider
conception of recurrent income model and lifetime customer worth. As Montgomerie and
Roscoe (2013) state, the elegance of Apple is in their ownership of the consumer that is achieved
via integrated services, which create brand loyalty and open system cross-platform interaction.
Through its emphasis on the security of the subscription revenue over the erratic sales of
hardware, Apple will be able to increase the trust of investors in its long-run growth plan. Yet,
successful transition will be determined by open communication on the basis of performance
indicators because the lack of specific unit sales information might initially cause uncertainty
and distrust in the analysts who are used to concrete product indicators.
Besides merely changing the way investors see things, Apple’s service-centered strategy
needs to show resilience and the ability to adapt and renew itself if it wants to stay competitively
attractive over the long run. Resilience in corporate strategy, as per de Oliveira Teixeira and
Werther Jr. (2013), means keeping competitive advantages alive through diversification and
organizational learning. In broadening its service range to include digital content, financial
technology, and enterprise collaboration, Apple becomes a company that is less dependent on
any single market segment. French, Guo, and Shim (2014) mention that digital integration trends
in the workplace, such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, open new doors for Apple’s
ecosystem in the business sector, thus enlarging its service footprint. Montgomerie and Roscoe
(2013) add that Apple's integrated infrastructure gives the company the ability to collect and
keep consumer data in a way that is ethical, thus enabling personalized service enhancements
that strengthen user engagement. Should Apple choose to go on with this adaptive, service-
driven strategy and at the same time be transparent towards the stakeholders, it will not just keep
investor trust alive but also be able to ensure a future revenue model that is more resilient and
diversified.
Apple Inc. evaluation of how agile their current leadership is
Agility is one of the best qualities in a leader in the current challenging business
environment. Today, changes occurs quickly requiring leaders who can act quickly in solving
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problems and responding to employees’ needs as well as the corporate needs (Meyer & Meijers,
2017, p.47). Companies such as Apple are run should be run by leaders with high levels of
agility to cope with the challenging business environment. There are various leadership qualities
that define Apple’s leadership agility.
Its ability to maintain clarity of identity
Identity is an important factor when it comes to organizations performance. At Apple,
product standardization and customization has made it stand out in the market over the years.
According to McKenzie and Aitken (2012, p.329) standardization has allowed Apple to
demonstrate its leadership agility paradox. For instance, in the 2018’s third quarter, its 48 million
iPhones produced were quite identical. However, its leadership ensured that additional features
could make them work differently through the installation of personal configurations based on
customer’s specifications and the installation of applications. This has made it a unique brand
giving its business a competitive advantage despite the various challenges.
One of the ways Apple's leadership is agile is how it uses strategic foresight with
adaptive innovation to be always one step ahead of industry shifts. Schoemaker, Heaton, and
Teece (2018) argue that agile organizations are very active in environmental scanning and
scenario planning to foresee future challenges. The leadership at Apple adopts this rule by being
very active in monitoring global market trends, technological developments, and consumer
behaviors so that their strategic priorities are always going to be in line with the real world.
According to Denning (2017), strategic agility means the right thing to do is to empower cross-
functional teams to experiment and co-create market innovations, a method that Apple’s
leadership has institutionalized through its iterative product development cycles. This adaptive
mindset enables Apple to pursue continuous innovation while at the same time the risks of
disruptive change are kept at minimal levels. Gibbons (2015) also states that leadership agility
means, among other things, fostering a culture of psychological safety and openness to
communication, which in turn result in creative problem-solving capability at all organizational
levels. Hence, the leadership at Apple creates a milieu where the coexistence of experimentation,
failure, and learning is the essence of long-term innovation.
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Apple’s leadership agility is exemplified in its flexible decision-making framework and
its ability to quickly adjust to the challenges of global supply chains. Gibbons (2015) states that
agile organizations are successful when their leaders are able to quickly change their governance
structures without losing their strategic focus. In response to disturbances in production, such as
those affecting the Chinese market, Apple’s leadership has demonstrated considerable
adaptability by adjusting manufacturing strategies and supplier relationships to maintain smooth
operations. Denning (2017) further argues that strategic agility also necessitates a
decentralization of decisions whereby lower-tier leaders and teams are given the authority to
make decisions without needing guidance in uncertain situations. Apple has implemented this by
empowering project teams that are able to make rapid changes in production or product design if
the data they receive is up-to-date and they understand it correctly. Chen, Tsaur, and Lin (2016)
argue that Apple’s use of sophisticated forecasting models is a major contributor to its agility as
it allows leaders to make decisions quickly when they are supported by predictive analytics.
These are the reforms that, when taken together, demonstrate a leadership style that balances
complexity on a global scale with the ability to be quickly and expertly adaptive.
Additionally, the leadership agility of Apple is reflected in the manner it synchronizes
innovation with long-term organizational learning. Schoemaker et al. (2018) state that agile
leaders establish structures that are not only able to change but also learn continuously from
change in order to have lasting strategic capabilities. At Apple, the development of leadership
through programs is a major emphasis on learning agility whereby managers are encouraged to
pick up lessons from both their successes and failures in order to make future decisions more
effectively. Denning (2017) argues that such agility-driven leadership radically changes
innovation to become not a one-time event but a continuous capability that is deeply integrated
into the company’s culture. Gibbons (2015) agrees that this kind of leadership agility facilitates
the leader’s behavioral adaptability, whereby leaders demonstrate their readiness to accept
feedback and encourage the collaborative review of different teams to identify ways of
enhancing them. Using these techniques, Apple is therefore able to keep its management robust,
farsighted, and able to continue to innovate even in turbulent times. The company's evolving
learning culture and commitment to an agile strategy not only secure its competitive advantage
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but also position it as a leader that other firms can emulate in terms of being customer-
responsive, innovation-driven, and well-prepared for the international market.
The clarity of innovation and ability to respond to change quickly
At Apple, there have been various technological innovations and leadership changes over
time due to the changing business needs. The CEO and the board of directors at Apple have been
instrumental in responding to various needs of the organization (Spanier, 2015, p.2). They have
been thinking ahead and keeping innovation alive in the organization and whenever things did
not go right, they have always ensured that strategies are put in place to address them (Apple Inc.
Financial Report, 2018, p.6). For instance, due to poor sales in the iPhone unit recently, its
leadership has decided to stop reporting its sales and remove its production in the Chinese
market. It has done this through its ability to corporate with other organizations and stakeholders.
Therefore, its profitability and reputation is based on its innovative abilities.
One major factor that explains Apple's continued innovation is the way the company
reacts very fast to various challenges, this is evidently by their culture which is characterized by
learning agility and adaptive leadership. Swisher (2013) points out that learning agility, which
refers to the ability to learn from one's experiences and then use the learned insights in new
situations, is the main characteristic of leaders who success in unpredictable situations. In Apple,
the company achieves this through continuous learning programs, a feedback-driven
performance system, and the empowerment of teams to make creative decisions. Pulakos,
Kantrowitz, and Schneider (2019) state that organizational agility is a result of leaders who
create a climate that is conducive to experimentation, learning from self-correcting cycles, and
not strict follow of static procedures. In this regard, Apple's leadership serves as an example of
such leaders by encouraging collaboration between departments and so allowing the knowledge
to be transferred quickly and the innovation to be diffused. Meyer and Meijers (2017) also bring
to light that agile leaders change their leadership patterns according to the demands of the
situation - something that Apple's executives have become very proficient in when dealing with
disruptions in the global market and changes in consumer expectations. As a result, the ability of
Apple to innovate is not by chance but a structured system that connects leadership agility,
collective learning, and responsive organizational design.
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Apple's management system and the company's governance structure are the major
elements that drive the company to be innovative in a remarkable way. The setup enables the
firm to go ahead with fast decision-making and still be in harmony with the general direction of
the strategy. After studying the particular system, Chikhale and Mansouri (2015) state that the
corporate governance of Apple is like a nimble, collaborative network which links the
leadership's vision with the company's operational flexibility. That kind of a model gives a
guarantee that the decisions are sourced from the newest market intelligence and, therefore, the
result of cross-functional coordination. Moreover, the work of Pulakos et al. (2019) emphasizes
that the concept of agility is more likely to be found in companies that ensure psychological
safety, thereby giving employees the opportunity to share ideas and take risks. These principles
are an integral part of Apple's creative processes. Meyer and Meijers (2017) argue that the
leadership style that is characterized by agility, as in Apple's case, helps the organization become
more resilient through shared accountability and ongoing adaptation. In addition, Swisher (2013)
argues that when leaders develop agility in others, they increase the organization's total ability to
change voluntarily. By applying such a governance style, which is not only collaborative but also
very responsive, the company is able not only to speed up the innovation cycles but also to make
sure that leadership and employees are on the same level in terms of long-term strategic renewal
and market competitiveness.
The clarity in strategy execution through clear-cut communication
Situational theory of leadership asserts that leaders should be able to choose the best
course of action depending on the situations facing the company which aids decision-making
process within an organization (Amanchukwu, et al., 2015, p.7). In doing this, leaders have to be
knowledgeable and should have great experience in communicating effectively. At Apple, its
leadership has managed, over time to communicate its strategies to its team. In 2005, for
instance, it communicated effective on its strategies to establish its iPhone brand which lead to
effective responses from the employees. Over the years, through effective communication, it has
managed to make its iPhone production and other brands a top secret for its success.
One of the ways Apple's strategic clarity is supported is through its focus on internal
communication, which is seen as a key factor in the company's resilience and continuous renewal
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of its competitive advantages (Montgomerie & Roscoe, 2013). In their article, de Oliveira
Teixeira and Werther Jr. (2013) define resilient organizations as those which are able to
constantly modify their communication infrastructures in response to the dynamic nature of the
market while still being able to maintain a strong strategic focus. The way the top management
of Apple communicates this resilience to all employees throughout the different layers of the
organization and the constant pursuit of innovation is the main reason of integration in the
company as it is reflected in the employee relations. This, by enabling employees to recognize
how their work can affect the achievement of the overall strategic objectives, leads to a greater
level of unity and thus also, higher accountability (Montgomerie & Roscoe, 2013). Furthermore,
Gershon (2013) attributes the company's success in innovating digital media to the ability to
maintain a focused vision and at the same time, encourage dialogue between creative and
technical teams. By means of effective strategic communication, Apple's employees are not only
kept abreast but are also drawn into the spirit of carrying out their duties faithfully as exemplars
of a culture where innovation is the outcome of a shared understanding and common goals.
Apple has implemented communication tactics that are balanced in nature, characterized
by the openness of the interaction and confidentiality, thus, on the one hand, maintaining the
critical innovations under protection and, on the other hand, ensuring the effective
communication. In their research, French, Guo, and Shim (2014) indicate that digital integration
in workplaces which is characterized by practices like Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has
significantly changed the way organizations like Apple handle strategic communication flows. In
order to be able to act quickly without losing their intellectual property, Apple has chosen to
equip its teams with productive digital tools and secure communication networks that enable
real-time decision-making among teams that are spread across different parts of the world.
Lassen, Madsen, and Vatrapu (2014) come up with an idea that a data-driven communication
approach may lead to the enhancement of predictive decision-making through the use of digital
insights, such as social media trends, for the refinement of strategies. In Apple's instance,
executives turn this intelligence into communication with product teams, thus, enabling them to
be flexible in their planning and focused on innovation. This purposeful embrace of secure, data-
driven communication enables Apple to keep leading the market while at the same time, being
able to respond quickly to the changes of technological and consumer landscapes.
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Moreover, the communication style of the Apple's executive team is not only referring to
the internal coordination but also to the influence of investor and consumer perceptions which is
a very significant factor for the company to be able to maintain a competitive advantage.
Gershon (2013) states that Apple's product launches and media communications are meticulously
planned to the last detail in order to deliver a consistent brand image and gain the trust of the
stakeholders. The company, in a very brief and visionary manner, by issuing messages during
product announcements, ensures that its innovation story and the strategic direction are in line.
De Oliveira Teixeira and Werther Jr. (2013) state that communication reliability also means that
the company has to keep trust and be consistent especially during a market downturn or an
internal change period. On the contrary, French et al. (2014) claim that leaders of digital-first
companies should change their communication styles for different channels if they want their
messages to be clear and have more people listening. Apple's top management is an excellent
instance of this adaptability as they transfer the same idea through various mediums to get the
investors' views in line with the company's goals. Being so transparent not only fosters openness
but also, by consolidating Apple's position as a well-structured, forward-looking company
capable of executing complex strategies through a unified and purposeful communication
approach, enhances the company's status further.
Advanced ability to handle Tension
The relationship theory of leadership indicates that great leaders are those leaders who
are able to handle employees and creates meaningful connections with them. Amanchukwu, et
al., (2015, p.7) adds that leaders should adopt a transformation character that can inspire and
motivate employees despite the numerous challenges. Apple has been facing intense challenges
and tension over the years. For instance, the Qualcomm countersuit and the IPhone’s poor
performance in the previous year had discouraged its shareholders and employees. However,
through effective leadership from Tim Cook and the Board of Directors, it has managed to
motivate and contain employees’ and investors’ tensions.
Apple's executive team has shown mature behavior in handling the tension inherent in the
organization by building up trust, emotional intelligence, and facilitating open dialogue
throughout the entire company. In their article, Meyer and Meijers (2017) argue that emotionally
Apple Inc. Leadership Agility Development Plan, Evaluation and How to Improve one's
Leadership Agility 16
flexible leaders can handle complicated interpersonal relationships by the way they recognize
and deal with those emotional aspects that affect the mood and performance of the team. Tim
Cook’s leadership is a perfect example of this as he communicates in a calm and empathetic
manner and is always looking for ways to make his teams feel safe mentally which is very
important especially in times of uncertainty. Pulakos, Kantrowitz, and Schneider (2019) give
even more importance to this point when they say that organizational agility is a result of
leaders’ continuous effort to turn the tension they face into positive energy that drives innovation
and not division. This is true in the case of Apple where leadership uses one of the biggest
challenges to any business, the external environment, for example, the competitive market, or
disputes with law, to be able to solve problems as a group and to embark on renewal projects.
Chikhale and Mansouri (2015) argue that the adoption of collaborative governance frameworks
will help organizations to be agile and thus easily respond to crises as the frameworks allow for
the alignment of stakeholder interests and thereby the maintaining of internal stability. Through
the use of empathy, strategic communication, and agile governance, the leadership at Apple is
able not only to relieve the tension but also to turn it into stamina, thus strengthening the culture
of togetherness and continuation of progress even during unstable periods of business cycles.
Leadership agility Development Plan for Apple Inc
At Apple Inc., its leadership proves quite agile, however, the various challenges facing
the organization means that there are issues within its premises. Therefore, this leadership agility
development plan will provide detail development activities that will help its leadership improve
its agility.
Sense-making and sense-giving
The current state at Apple Inc. is a state of flux since at this point it is struggling to
maintain coherence while at the same time trying to earnest ways on how to be different from the
rest. The evolving objectives within Apple and inconsistencies and the need to provide a sense
of direction can make the situation chaotic and messy. Therefore, given the new realignment of
its strategies and goals through scrapping the iPhone reporting, the leadership at Apple should
help employees and investors by making sense in respect to why the changes in IPhone unit will
lead to better performance. Aitken (2019, p. 6) says it should hold conferences for the
Apple Inc. Leadership Agility Development Plan, Evaluation and How to Improve one's
Leadership Agility 17
management team, employees and investors to generate insights and knowledge. By
implementing this strategy, it will manage to track its improvement by analyzing employee and
investor response to the changes (Everett, 2017, p.7). This could be achieved through surveys
and their suggestions which will allow the management to take appropriate actions.
Deepening the adaptive learning systems that Mitarbeiterinnen and employees can
engage with in order to develop leadership agility is another very important part of Apple’s
executive leadership development plan. Continuous learning is the foundation for a leader who
can foresee changes and can in real-time change his/her strategy (Gibbons, 2015). Apple should
have leadership programs that are employee-centered in which emphasis would be on
experiential learning, scenario planning, and reflective thinking so as to help managers develop
cognitive flexibility (Meyer & Meijers, 2017). Cross-department projects can be part of these
programs in which leaders will collaborate in solving new business challenges and at the same
time they will be able to develop a wide range of perspectives and creative approaches such as
the following: Pulakos, Kantrowitz, and Schneider (2019) point out that leadership agility gets to
be very high in organizations that consider learning as a constantly evolving process rather than a
one-off event. Additionally, promoting mentoring between senior executives and emerging
leaders can be one way for Apple to create and maintain a knowledge-sharing culture that both
deepens institutional memory and nurtures the growth of adaptability. With higher awareness of
the complexity of a situation, leaders will be able to make quicker decisions that are also more
thoughtful and they will be in line with both immediate goals and the organization’s long-term
vision.
Besides adaptive learning, Apple is required to develop the collaborative agility skill
which can be achieved by the company through supporting cross-functional teamwork and, if it
is possible, by flattening the hierarchical structures. Chikhale and Mansouri (2015) state that
collaboration supports organizational agility through the dismantling of silos and the enabling of
faster responses to the changes that come from the outside. Therefore, the leadership at Apple
should create the structures which promote not only the transparent communication but also the
joint problem-solving between product, design, marketing, and technology teams. The formation
of agile cross-functional pods that have the liberty to work independently on product innovation
cycles would be instrumental not only in making creativity and accountability go at the same
Apple Inc. Leadership Agility Development Plan, Evaluation and How to Improve one's
Leadership Agility 18
speed but also in accelerating them (Denning, 2017). On top of that, Meyer and Meijers (2017)
point out that collaboration under pressure leads to the emergence of psychological safety which
is a factor that energizes employees to take risks and submit novel ideas without the dread of
failure. Through such a collaborative system, the management at Apple can spot the market
changes earlier, respond to customer feedback faster, and continuously realign their strategies to
stay ahead in the technology landscape.
Apple leadership must improve their emotional and cultural agility skills, which would
help them keep cohesive the entire organization during a fast change. With emotional agility, a
leader can handle his emotions in a positive way and maintain his strength during difficult times.
According to Swisher (2013), creating programs that foster mindfulness, emotional intelligence,
and use of communication for inclusion will make leaders more capable of genuine interaction
with teams. According to Gibbons (2015), emotionally agile leaders have the ability to maintain
trust even if there is a difficult and heated engagement in making decisions, whereas cultural
agility, as defined by Schoemaker, Heaton, and Teece (2018), means understanding different
values and views, and this will make organizations be successful in global markets. Thus,
Apple's top management must lead by example and show empathy in interacting with their staff,
being aware of different cultural characteristics of not only employees but also consumers.
Through leadership transformation, emotional and cultural agility being embedded at Apple will
be a means of enhancing internal company's stability while being receptive to change.
Consequently, their leaders will have not only the technical abilities but also the social
intelligence, adaptability, and competence to navigate through any crisis and still maintain a
good relationship with the stakeholders.
Creating a learning culture
Innovation is an important aspect of Apple’s success over the years. However, the
problems facing its iPhone department points out major problems in regard to creating a learning
culture. To improve its agility and to exploit the unknown, Apple leadership should consider
some practical initiatives (Spanier, 2015, p.2). For instance, to be agile, Apple leadership should
consider doing things differently within the organization. This could include exploring new areas
of knowledge by creating conditions such as training vacations for employees and using the
Apple Inc. Leadership Agility Development Plan, Evaluation and How to Improve one's
Leadership Agility 19
strength of its teams to strengthen individual employee’s capabilities (McKenzie & Aitken, 2012,
p.330). It should also ensure that it exploits some of the capabilities through continuous
refinement, focusing on the details of what made the iPhone sales low and employing new skills
in its production. The company can measure its effectiveness through the customers’ feedback
and the changes in sales and SWOT analysis.
One-to-many Dialogue
There is an inherent importance in the creation and promotion of good performance
against the current targets. The biggest problem at Apple Inc. is that most of their performances
against the current targets are taking place with the exclusion of the ongoing learning. What has
to be done here is that it should ensure that there is a group dialogue within the organization
where the leaders engages the employees in encouraging them to apply theory and learning
collaboratively in their daily activities (McKenzie & Aitken, 2012, p.334). It should consider
using action learning, groups lessons, learned processes and peer assistance to ensure that
employees learn and apply the knowledge simultaneously at work (Aitken, 2019, p. 7). This
could be measured through employee ability to learn new practices and theory and apply it to the
tasks successfully.
One of the ways Apple can enhance its one-to-many communication approach is by
implementing digital platforms that allow real-time collaboration, feedback, and cross-
departmental learning. Denning (2017) states that agile organizations are successful when
communication is continuous and evolving rather than being scheduled or carried out
infrequently. In order for this happen, the leadership of Apple has to create connections among
employees, mentors, and innovation leaders by means of implementing advanced digital
collaboration tools such as online learning communities, mentoring portals, and interactive
knowledge-sharing dashboards (Gibbons, 2015). This method would not simply facilitate the
sharing of ideas but would also serve as a vehicle for sustaining a culture that is based on
transparency, inclusivity, and shared development. Meyer and Meijers (2017) hold the view that
sincere and regular conversations between leaders and their teams result in the development of
trust, employee commitment, and a stronger feeling of work-related self-determination on the
part of the employees. By introducing open and continuous communication channels, Apple can
Apple Inc. Leadership Agility Development Plan, Evaluation and How to Improve one's
Leadership Agility 20
use the opportunity to revamp the traditional performance appraisal system as a learning
dialogue which shows in a transparent manner the link between individual and organizational
goals. The company’s agility and overall collective performance would be, in fact, the ultimate
outcome of such a transformation.
One-to-one dialogue
Agility is achieved through the ability to successfully and meaningfully engage with
individual employees to mentor and listen to their individual challenges and suggestions. Apple
leadership should consider having one-to-one leader versus employee conversations. Aitken,
(2019, p.2) says this is to ensure that the employees build resilience, are engaged, and that they
achieve the desired level of adaptability to the current changes and innovation .This possible
through coaching them which is important in bringing out the best in leaders themselves and the
employees. This could be measured through the employee’s individual performance after
coaching sessions and as well as their feedback.
Performance Orchestration challenge the performance
It is important to note that what could be managed, could be measured at the same time.
At Apple, the biggest challenge has been that performance measurement techniques have led to
strained relationships between employees and the management. As a result, it has damaged the
crucial collaboration and led to employee detachment. What should be done is that its leadership
should consider mentorship in how processes and systems work as a unit to stimulate higher
results. Aitken (2019, p. 6) asserts that leaders should also create an environment where
conversations between management and employee in regard to performance feel normal. This
could be measured through examining the level of conflicts and employee detachment based on
their performance measurements.
Apple’s management should consider an integrated performance orchestration framework
that highlights collective achievement rather than individual evaluation. Denning (2017) states
that in agile organizations, performance is activated when collaboration replaces competition and
success is seen through shared outcomes rather than isolated metrics. Gibbons (2015) observes
that clear goal setting across the different departments allows the employees to figure out how
Apple Inc. Leadership Agility Development Plan, Evaluation and How to Improve one's
Leadership Agility 21
their individual roles impact the company’s overall mission, thus decreasing the tension and
increasing mutual accountability. Moreover, Meyer and Meijers (2017) declare that leaders have
to be the ones who facilitate the merging of different talents and views to produce unified
performance rhythms. Apple can, through the use of team-based performance indicators,
reflective learning sessions, and constant coaching techniques, turn performance assessments
into the times for growth rather than the ones for stress. Such a move would not only return trust
but also increase motivation and make collaboration part of Apple’s internal culture, thereby
leading to greater effectiveness at the organizational level. Meyer and Meijers (2017) contend
that ongoing, heartfelt communication between executives and their subordinates builds trust,
engagement, and the employees’ feeling of being in charge. By implementing open and
continuous communication methods, Apple would be in a position to challenge the old ways of
performance assessments, which would result in learning interactions becoming more dynamic
and visibly showing the link between individual contributions and organizational objectives. This
transformation would enhance the company’s agility and overall collective performance.
The ways to increase my leadership agility
There are various ways in which one could practice to improve his or her leadership
agility for obtaining the achievements one wants in the next phase of life and career. This is
important because today, we live in a society that is complex and that changes occur rapidly
(Everett, 2017, 4). The contemporary and future society is and will be more uncertain,
ambiguous and complex which will require more agility. One of the ways in which this could be
achieved is through reflecting in personal values sensitivity. By doing this I will be able to
accommodate others interests, by tuning their beliefs as well as motivational drivers presented by
my interaction with them and communication. This will be possible if I start looking into my
own motivational drivers, beliefs and interests before that of others.
Emotional intelligence is another aspect of agile leadership that ensures that one is able to
manage emotionally charge situations by taking calculated moves whenever crises occur
(Everett, 2017, 4). Reflecting on my emotional intelligence will be possible through picking up,
managing and utilizing positive and negative emotions that are generated through tense situation,
Apple Inc. Leadership Agility Development Plan, Evaluation and How to Improve one's
Leadership Agility 22
interaction, communication with peers, coworkers and other leaders. It also started with
reflecting on those emotions within me and managing them.
Cultural competence is another vital aspect of agile leadership that ensure that one co-
exists with others and engages in meaning interaction with the understanding and toleration of
differences that exist between him or her and others (Aitken, 2019, 4). I could develop my
leadership agility is through replenishing my cultural competence. I will tap into diverse ways
and backgrounds of working available to ensure that my window chance in the world full of
possible approaches is enhanced.
Mindful impact is also another thing that ensures that one is involved in meaningful and
constructive decision-making processes (Aitken, 2019, 4). In ensuring that I achieve an agile
leadership status and to obtain the achievements I want in the next phase of life and career I
should ensure that I engage in frank, reflective and open interactions and conversations before
making any critical decisions and also in making personal decisions and career decisions.
Lastly, sense-making and sense-giving are important in one’s pursuit of agile leadership
because helps in the generation of insights and critical career and life decisions that are
understandable to others (Aitken, 2019, 4). Therefore, to ensure that I achieve what I want in the
next phase of life and career I should ensure I reflect on sense-making and sense-giving through
generating insights and knowledge that will help in providing me with a potential way forward
and ensure that they are understood by others. This will help me build better relations with other
people throughout my life.
Apple Inc. Leadership Agility Development Plan, Evaluation and How to Improve one's
Leadership Agility 23
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