Running head: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF
BUSINESS IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE?
1
What is the Role of Leadership in the Transformation of Business Ideas?
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WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 2
Table of Contents
Background/Rationale.................................................................................................................................2
Literature Review........................................................................................................................................ 3
Preliminary Review of the Literature......................................................................................................3
Theoretical literature...............................................................................................................................5
Research questions...................................................................................................................................... 7
Research objectives..................................................................................................................................... 7
Methodology............................................................................................................................................... 8
Research Design (The Preliminary and Explanatory Phase)....................................................................9
Data Collection Phase............................................................................................................................ 10
Data Analysis........................................................................................................................................ 11
Limitations of the Research.......................................................................................................................11
Ethical Considerations...............................................................................................................................11
Timetable and any special resources required...........................................................................................12
Conclusion................................................................................................................................................. 14
Bibliography.............................................................................................................................................. 15
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 3
Background/Rationale
Every organization has some goals and objectives for its improvement, development and
successful future. The organization has to take practical steps and actions in order to achieve
these goals and objectives (Schaffer, Sandau & Diedrick, 2013 p.1199). Different kind of skills,
knowledge and talent is required in order for organization to be successful in achieving its
targets. Scholars and researchers agreed that companies need to embrace, adopt and implement
changes in business model in accordance to changing trends, technologies, the customer
preferences as well as future concerns. A number of scholars describe the importance of
organizational change in various ways, but it is an accepted truth that changes in organizations
are very essential for sustainable business as well as long-term success (Braun et al., 2013
p.275). Accepting and embracing the significance of organizational change and understanding
the importance of practical steps that should be carried out in order for the change to be
witnessed, the next step is to know the person responsible for bringing this changes to the
organization. The role of organizational leadership is very significant in bringing these changes
to organization. Effective leadership can result to effective organizational changes since a leader
is a change agent who can take initiative and bring change for the company (Wright, Moynihan
& Pandey, 2012 p.210). Organizations should come up with a competent and effective team of
leaders who should implement and manage the change.
Special characteristics and qualities are required for leader in order to ensure organizational
change is successfully implemented. This research project is very important for organization
since it will help the management to get the knowledge about how organization should make
changes in their operations and importance of those changes to the success of the organization
(Benn, Edwards & Williams, 2014 p.130). The project will also help the researcher to understand
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 4
the innovative approaches that can be used by organization in order to be more effective in
implanting its changes for a successful future of organization to be realized. The project will
fully investigate the role of leadership in addressing different issues pertaining organizational
changes. The literature review, case studies and the proposed model will help in knowing how
innovative and vision approach of leader is related to the success of the organizational change.
This researcher project will deeply explain about the role of leadership in the transformation of
business ideas into success or failure of the organization.
Literature Review
Preliminary Review of the Literature
McCartney (2006) outlines that the existence of every organization aims at increasing
profitability as well as improves performance that results in growth and prosperity. Improving
performance involves enhancing the competitive advantage and appealing to a more market
share. To achieve these organizational concerns, the firms require a strategic management and
leaders who capitalize on competitive and appealing strategies that help in attaining goals and
objectives. Evidently, previous leadership research concluded that leaders have an obligation to
adjust strategies and tactics aiming at complying with flexible needs and interests of the dynamic
business environment (McCartney, 2006 p.190). In this regard, the leaders endeavor to have a
change-based culture that easily adopts operational and situational changes to meet the needs of
its customers in the market. The success of business really depends on the styles, competency,
and skills of the leaders since they establish better ways of handling operations resulting in
optimal performance and utilization of resources. Braun et al. (2013) indicates that incompetent
leaders position the business in a vulnerable state such that it faces stiff competition and
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 5
increased market fluctuations. Additionally, competent leaders help the business to grow and
qualify for advanced technology that helps to reduce entire operating expenditure (Nixon et al.,
2012 p.210).
Nixon et al. (2012) shows that leadership requires acting as a role model on creativity in
handling tasks such as executing projects and making corporate decisions. This makes the
subordinate have a reason for being creative and innovative in doing activities of the business,
which helps to attain productivity. Wright, Moynihan & Pandey, (2012) indicates that new
business methods require creative techniques to handle tasks in an effective way and reduce
related costs. The rate of innovation has increased within the business world, which calls for the
individual firm to nurture talents as well as inventions. This helps in acquiring a competitive
edge in the technological context. Evidently, there are different leadership styles including
conservative, innovative and indecisive (Nixon et al., 2012 p.210). The conservative involves
risk avoidance management system with a centralized and bureaucratic leadership. This style is
characterized by a reduction in market share with a traditional facility leadership system.
Secondly, indecisive leadership style concerns unstructured growth plans although it engages the
traditional means of leadership with a motivation style clash. In this style, the leaders initiate
many projects, which remain uncompleted and unsuccessful (McCartney, 2006 p.190). Finally,
the innovative style employs better strategies that allow changes adoption, new market entry as
well as an open motivational leadership system. Besides, it endeavors to establish innovative
methods and projects that stimulate corporate growth and boost organizational performance.
Trevino, (1992) Indicates that leaders should promote change through establishing a strategic
plan that incorporates vision, mission, and objectives. It requires the leaders to have
transformational leadership skill that emphasizes change and effective implementation system
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 6
(Nixon et al., 2012 p.210). Successful leaders require creating a unique vision for the firm as
well as establishing an accountable and team working culture that helps in the achievement of
the strategic plan. McCartney (2006) shows that eliminating the instance of failure requires the
leaders to train on tasks related to change and adoption undertakings as well the efficient
execution process. In this regard, culture plays a key role in enhancing cultural change. Arslan &
Staub, (2013) outlines that cultural change helps in preparing the workplace and the workforce to
the changes taking place in the dynamic business environment characterized by the changes in
the takes, requirements, and preferences by the customers.
Theoretical literature
Organizational performance concerns the motivational leadership perspective, which relates to
McGregor’s theory X and theory Y. The theory concerns three aspects including owner or
managers depicting an increase in turnovers, indicating an increase in innovations as well as
those who experience a decrease in overall operating costs. Theory Y leaders depict behavior
characterized by the positive influence of overall organizational performance. In this regard,
theory Y undertakes operations better than theory X leaders such as increasing turnover,
promoting innovations as well as reducing operating expenses (Arslan & Staub, 2013 p.104).
McGregor indicates that leaders who believe that the subordinates have little motivation and
dislikes work have an authoritative management style. The leaders require close monitoring and
micromanaging of work to ensure the standards are met appropriately, representing the theory X.
In contrast, leaders believing that workers are proud of their work and engage challenge to
achieve effectiveness depict a participative style of management. In this regard, the leaders
believe that the workers require work authority and ownership to act effectively, representing the
Theory Y.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 7
Theory X leaders show pessimistic character by assuming that the subordinate is naturally
unmotivated to work and dislike works. Through this notion, the leaders opt a rewarding system
that incorporates both rewards and punishment to ensure full completion of the tasks (Braun et
al., 2013 p.275). The leaders employ the carrot and stick approach, which uses performance
remuneration and appraisals basing on tangible results including product output or sales figures
that act as the staff control mechanism. Generally, the management style assumes that the
subordinates dislike their work, avoids responsibility, needs constant direction, and supervision,
requires threats and force, as well as has no ambition to undertake their tasks freely (Arslan &
Staub, 2013 p.104). Theory Y leaders depict an optimistic, decentralized participative style and
positive opinion regarding their employees.
Schaffer et al. (2013) indicates that theory Y leaders endeavor to create a trusted culture and
relationships with the teams within the workstations. Accordingly, the subordinates indicate
greater responsibility where they are given work authority to develop and advance their skills as
well as suggest improvements. Appraisals are done through an open communication system
(Benn, Edwards & Williams, 2014 p.130). The styles assume that the workers handle their tasks
happily through developing own initiatives, they undertake specific work decisions, have internal
motivations towards work completion, accepts responsibility as well as solving problems
imaginatively and creatively.
Comparison
The corporate decision-making requires statistical formula as a tool that offers the best options in
undertaking projects. The formulas in decision making minimizes any potential risks and loses
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 8
related to business endeavors. It helps in attaining optimal benefits of every project. The
formulas become reliable in business undertakings particularly when the future is unpredictable
which requires informed decision-making. However, the review of literature on corporate
decision-making based on statistical formula fails to focus on key elements such as leadership
role in establishing a conducive and change based culture (Altman, 2000 p.12).
Research questions
Thesis of this project revolves around the key research question that is:
What is the role of leadership in the transformation of business ideas into success or failure?
In order to make this thesis more manageable, the researcher decided to split the main question
into five further sub-questions, and then come to the authentic area of research. There are two
key reasons behind the reason of using research questions in this project, first the researcher
wants to give out the adequate knowledge base to understand the characters to be used in this
research and the second reason is to enable researcher to do his research project in more
structured manner. The five research questions are?
1. What is the significance of innovative approach?
2. What is the importance of organizational change?
3. Why is vision significant for leadership?
4. What role does leadership play in ensuring business transformation?
5. What type of ideas that are required in creating changes in organization?
Research objectives
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 9
1. To study about the significance of innovative approach in ensuring organizational change.
2. To study about the importance of organizational change.
3. To study about the significance of having vision leadership in organizations.
4. To study about the role of leaders in ensuring transformation of business.
5. To study about the types of ideas essential for bringing changes in the organization.
Methodology
Methodology refers to the part of research that shows the methods and approaches that are
utilized in collecting data. Research on this work will primarily be purely qualitative and mostly
case based. The basic reason for selecting this mode of case study strategy is because of the
qualitative and explanatory nature of the case study. This is because the case study has become
one of the common methods of performing qualitative inquiries. One of the main reasons to
consider this case study in the research is its quality of flexibility that allows the researchers to
utilize different methods of data collection. Flexibility remains the key strength of this mode of
cases studies in terms of getting good access to the specified places or organizations to correct
the data and the interpretation of the corrected data.
This research will majorly be based on secondary data. Content analysis or document analysis
was mainly used in this research as the major mode and type of data collection. The content
analysis or document analysis also referred to as textual analysis in this study will include all the
types of academic textual, written articles and media products Marjory ranging from television
programs to different websites that are concerned in different internet sites mostly by other
persons. The most important data, in this case was got from written materials for data written by
other persons. The main purpose of this data correction was to create a crucial association
between the concepts that were identified in the literature review that were searched through the
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 10
contended analysis to arrive at the model. The second crucial reason for using this was to
supplement the document analysis and then to stimulate further questions for the analysis. It was
also the need for the analysis to make the thesis statement more systematic as well also. The
stages employed on the data collection stages were as follows.
Research Design (The Preliminary and Explanatory Phase)
Great range of big literature was done in the mode of written academic writings and articles in
the electronic database about how the change of leadership in the organization can help in
transforming the business into success or failure. Those different researchers on different written
materials helped in identifying the leadership qualities and the organization change that gave the
chance of in refining and narrowing the case down to the research question of the project. The
main theme mainly identified in the academic articles that were studied were several leadership
qualities that mostly resulted in the great change in future of the business and other different
innovative strategies in the business. Real cases were exploited in that time as well as the
innovative and the visionary practices have to lead to Avery successful outcomes in the business.
The main interest was to be more focused on the developed nation’s firm experiences because of
the sole reason that most socio-political environment of the most developing nation's firms does
not contribute to the vision-based innovative practices and ideas. There was also the need to see
the applicability of the different models and concepts that are majorly used in the western
contexts to the more developing nation contexts.
Besides this, checked on the data provided by different people in the organization with relevant
background information to get the correct information on the factors affecting this phenomenon.
Because of the solemn reason that the organization management changes itself is a great
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 11
phenomenon and is explained differently in the different settings, the reason have to conduct this
exploratory and preliminary research.
Data Collection Phase
In the second stage of data collection, keywords like visionary, innovative approach and
leadership were let in. From the research field, more than 40 written articles were but narrowed
down the research on four of the most important articles that were more about the concept of
leadership. In addition, was succeeded in getting two practical and real cases of during that time.
One of the cases was MAS holdings from Sri Lanka and Nirala sweets from Pakistan. The main
reason for selecting this two organizations was that it was very easy in getting their organization
data and that their data suited more to our mode of study and was well to address the research
question.
From the Nirala organization, information mainly through written articles and internet databases
from different organization managers of different ranks in the organization. This was two
organization managers and other two regular workers in the organization who were relatives in
the organization. The organization managers were data was reviewed in four sessions twice each
and the reviews of the recoded information took a total of 72 minutes both and were between 15
and 20 minutes. The data got mainly focused on the informal nature. Most of the organization
data of the organization different managers was got through the internet database reviews of
recorded information. In the internet databases, different alternatives explored that can be used to
transform the organization ideals into success information was reviewed. All the data collected
from the organization served it carefully and was confirmed several times to make sure that it
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 12
was credible and realizable. The different data collections conducted were done through getting
it from secondary sources with useful data.
Data Analysis
Content analysis approach was used by counting the number a particular leader ideal can
transform an organization into success and how any leadership ideas are linked to the
organizational innovation and change getting the idea that quality leadership roles are closely
related to successful business transformation. The three articles were reviewed and noticed
different instances where a visionary leadership ideal can transform a business into a success.
Reviewed and understood that visionary leadership ideas and well innovative approaches are two
of the most important where else inequality leadership ideals would lead to the business failure.
In this, after the content analysis, it was concluded that the role of leadership is the central point
of any organization change and transformation as well. After that, a cross analysis between the
different interviews was done to the people to well understand the constructs and the leadership
relationships that exist between business transformation and quality business ideals. All this lead
to the conclusion that quality leadership ideals Leeds to the best organization transformation.
Limitations of the Research
Researchers have limitations and it is normal but is critically important for the researcher to
understand the level of limitation and understand how to handle them. Some of the research
faced in the research include; the implementation of the data collection methods for the lacked
enough experience in the data collection, small sample size and lack of previous studies in the
research area.
Ethical Considerations
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 13
Research involves engaging people to obtain required and relevant data for analysis. In this
regard, it requires the researcher to employ ethical practices to ensure all the participants are
treated with respect. Ethical concerns safeguarding the confidential information provided for the
study in the right manner following the confidential requirements. Moreover, ethics regards
offering freedom in either accepting or withdrawing the data collection tasks. In this regard, the
response should not be forced but they should willingly provide the response (Trevino, 1992
p.450). Evidently, the data collection activity requires that the researcher should ask permission
to relevant authorities on the data collection tasks to make them feel acknowledge and allow the
respondent provide information freely since it is a legal system. The study credits information
from different authors thus eliminating plagiarism issues. This ensures copyrights on information
sources retain their right to autonomy and protection. Moreover, ethical considerations ensure
that the research is undertaken in due diligence as well as impartial thus acquiring the required
findings to make conclusions (Trevino, 1992 p.450).
Timetable and any special resources required
The Gantt chart demonstrates the estimated timescale for the completion of this research project,
it identifies the tasks that are needed and the approximate time each task will take to be
accomplished. This research is estimated to start on 18th June, 2018 and it is estimated to end on
13th August, 2018.
Task/week
commencing
5/1/18 25/2/18 2/3/18 23/3/18 16/4/1
8
2/5/18 30/5/18 23/6/18
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 14
Preparing the
background of
study
Reviewing the
literature
Formulating
research
question and
objectives
Selecting the
research
methodology
Research
findings and
analysis
Recommendat
ions
Conclusion
Proofreading
and
preparation of
final copy of
the project
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 15
Conclusion
Effective leadership is very crucial for the organization that wants to achieve changes in its
structure and operations. Competent leaders are very essential in driving organizational change.
This research project may inspire the companies think about the qualities of innovative approach
and vision in a leader a situation that can help companies to be able to better manage the
organizational change process. This can result to increased chances of their success. Good
leadership plays a big role in the transformation of business ideas into future success of the
organization.
Bibliography
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models. Stern School of Business, New York University, pp.9-12.
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IDEAS INTO SUCCESS OR FAILURE? 16
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