Contemporary Leadership Model Paper
Abstract
This paper seeks to analyze contemporary leadership models and practices from the perspective of innovation in a global environment. Assess the behaviors that drive innovation and how leaders can use those behaviors to create innovative organizations and assess what leaders of innovation do to shape organizational culture and processes.
Introduction
Innovation is defined as the lifeblood of our global economy and a strategic priority for virtually every CEO around the world (Dyer, Gregersen & Christensen, 2011). Innovation is important to the functioning of the society and business at large. Everyone can become an Innovator once they have knowledge and the necessary skills needed to identify …show more content…
these innovative ideas and how to develop them into a final product or service.
There are five discovery skills which one need to develop and in order to become a successful innovator. These are Associating, Questioning, Observing, Networking and Experimenting. These skills will be discussed in great detail throughout this paper. Along with these discovery skills one needs to identify the best type of strategic leadership skills that will make their innovation a lasting success.
Leadership Models
Innovation in organizations is extremely important and requires important leadership skills in order for the innovative ideas to flourish and become an extreme success. First, we must get a clear understanding of exactly what it takes to be a leader. Leadership can be defined as people who are able to think and act creatively in non-routine situations and who set out to influence the actions, beliefs and feelings of others. In this sense being a ‘leader’ is personal. It flows from an individual’s qualities and actions (Doyle & Smith, 2001). Classical Leadership is one of the most effective leadership styles which support Innovation in organizations. Classical leaders possess a variety of traits and they are among the most successful in the business industry. Some of the traits of a good leader of innovation in organizations are someone …show more content…
who has a clear vision of what they want, why they want it, and how to communicate what they want to others, in order to gain their co-operation and support. They ultimately know how to achieve their goals. For example, the late Steve Jobs the CEO of Apple possess these leadership qualities and hence the reason for his continued success. Steve Jobs knew he wanted to make a personal computer that was small and quiet because of the noise coming from the fan in personal computers, he was able to communicate this idea to Holt who was able design the technology needed to achieve this goal. Anyone can possess the qualities listed above but most importantly one must gain the respect of others. As an innovator Steve Jobs was a person who was well respected he was able to capture the respect and authority and communicate clearly to others using his Charisma. In order for one to be extremely successful one must be able to clearly show that they care about others around them helping them to improve their innovative ideas and give them the respect they deserve. It is evident that the individual who has an innovative idea is not the only one who makes it a success they need others around them with knowledge and skills to contribute to its overall success.
Strategic leadership is another important factor which makes Innovation in organizations extremely successful. Many innovations in the 90’s have not made it to the 21st century due to poor planning and execution. The world around us is constantly changing and as an Innovator the success of your innovation is important Innovators need both short term and long term profitability. Many innovators in the 90’s lacked the persistence, flexibility and use of science which resulted in their innovations having a short term effect. After an innovative idea has become successful innovators need to constantly be looking at ways in which they can improve their innovations or make changes so that it will maintain the ‘Buzz’ effect it first generated. An article by Hitt et al. (1998) and Ireland and Hitt (1999) described the capabilities needed for effective strategic leadership in the new competitive landscape expected for the 21st century. They argued that effective strategic leaders had to: (1) develop and communicate a vision, (2) build dynamic core competencies, (3) emphasize and effectively use human capital, (4) invest in the development of new technologies, (5) engage in valuable strategies, (6) build and maintain an effective organizational culture, (7) develop and implement balanced controls, and (8) engage in ethical practices.
Discovery and Deliver Skills
There are five discovery skills which are essential to the success of an Innovator. In order for one to generate innovative ideas they must utilize each of these five skills in order to get solid result. The first skill is Associating it is defined as the ability to make surprising connections across areas of knowledge, industries, even geographies (Dyer, Gregersen & Christensen, 2011).This is one of the most important discovery skills in developing innovative generations and is often taken for granted. This process entails linking two totally opposite ideas to create an innovation beyond one’s own comprehension. For example Benioff the innovator of Salesforce.com surfaced from a series of trips Benioff took around the world ranging from Hawaii to India where he met a variety of diverse people the idea however surfaced while he was swimming with Dolphins in the Pacific Ocean Benioff had intense knowledge about the software industry and hence he could couple his knowledge and travelling experiences together to develop this innovative idea.. It sounds extremely weird but that’s exactly why associating is such a powerful and unique discovery skill.
The second discovery skill is Questioning this is one of the major discovery sills heavily utilized by disruptive innovators. Questioning is the creative catalyst of the other discovery skills such as observing, networking and experimenting. Questioning is an extremely important because through questioning one is able to retrieve information and gain a deeper understanding by constantly asking questions. For example Orit Gadesh the chairman of Bain & Company as a small girl growing up in Israel was always encouraged to ask questions by her parents. As a result she was able to gain new insights through her ability to ask her way into what’s really going on and then push the edge with constant provocative questions about what might be (Dyer, Gregersen & Christensen, 2011).
The final and third discovery skill that will be discussed for the purposes of this paper is observing most successful innovators tend to be great observers. Through observation innovators are able to gather information about what works and what does not. They basically become extra sensitive to their environments and they soak up everything around them. For example observing led Ratan Tata chairman of India’s Tata Group to extreme success. Tata’s observation led him to the innovative idea of the Nano car an affordable car that can cater to all families. This idea came from Tata observing families riding along on scooters in India.
Strengths and weaknesses in the Discovery Skills
According to the discovery and delivery skills test created by Dyer, Gregersen & Christensen I scored a 32 which indicates I am moderate to high on delivery skills. From this assessment I have gathered that I am weak in areas such as Questioning and Observing. However, over the course of reading the text I have been able to gather more knowledge about what it takes to master these skills. I have identified a weakness within myself I am a very bold person I can speak in front of a crowd but I am just afraid that others will not embrace my ideas. It is fear that prevents me from reaching my potential as a great innovator. The one strength that I was able to identify is Associating I have a very creative mind and I am able to take two totally opposite ideas and merge them together to create a great innovation.
Conclusion
Innovation is extremely important in the leadership of organizations.
Often times it is taken for granted but those who have knowledge and can identify innovative ideas when they arise are often the ones to profit. The individual who creates an innovative idea is not always the one to take it to the final stages without help. Everyone around them has different talents and abilities. This is why some organizations are much more profitable than others. The strategic leadership arrangement in organizations is what yields its success as a result one individual comes up with an innovative idea and someone else builds on it until it reaches the final stages. The discovery and delivery skills are extremely important and should not be taken for granted. They can be used to improve and existing innovations and even create new ones. Finally, innovators need to stay focus and realize that they must not only strive for short term profitability but long term profitability since the rewards of short term profits dwindle
quickly.
References
Doyle, M., & Smith, M. (2001). Classical models of managerial leadership: trait, behavioural, contingency and transformational theory. infedorg. Retrieved January 7, 2014, from http://infed.org/mobi/classical-models-of-managerial-leadership-trait-behavioural contingency-and-transformational-theoryBehaviours
Dyer, J., Gregersen, H., & Christensen, C. (2011). The Innovators DNA. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press.
Hitt, M., Haynes, K., & Serpa, R. (2010). Strategic leadership for the 21st century.Business Horizons, 53(5), 437-444. Retrieved January 14, 2014, from http://www.sciencedirect.com.library.capella
This paper seeks to analyze contemporary leadership models and practices from the perspective of innovation in a global environment. Assess the behaviors that drive innovation and how leaders can use those behaviors to create innovative organizations and assess what leaders of innovation do to shape organizational culture and processes.
Introduction
Innovation is defined as the lifeblood of our global economy and a strategic priority for virtually every CEO around the world (Dyer, Gregersen & Christensen, 2011). Innovation is important to the functioning of the society and business at large. Everyone can become an Innovator once they have knowledge and the necessary skills needed to identify …show more content…
these innovative ideas and how to develop them into a final product or service.
There are five discovery skills which one need to develop and in order to become a successful innovator. These are Associating, Questioning, Observing, Networking and Experimenting. These skills will be discussed in great detail throughout this paper. Along with these discovery skills one needs to identify the best type of strategic leadership skills that will make their innovation a lasting success.
Leadership Models
Innovation in organizations is extremely important and requires important leadership skills in order for the innovative ideas to flourish and become an extreme success. First, we must get a clear understanding of exactly what it takes to be a leader. Leadership can be defined as people who are able to think and act creatively in non-routine situations and who set out to influence the actions, beliefs and feelings of others. In this sense being a ‘leader’ is personal. It flows from an individual’s qualities and actions (Doyle & Smith, 2001). Classical Leadership is one of the most effective leadership styles which support Innovation in organizations. Classical leaders possess a variety of traits and they are among the most successful in the business industry. Some of the traits of a good leader of innovation in organizations are someone …show more content…
who has a clear vision of what they want, why they want it, and how to communicate what they want to others, in order to gain their co-operation and support. They ultimately know how to achieve their goals. For example, the late Steve Jobs the CEO of Apple possess these leadership qualities and hence the reason for his continued success. Steve Jobs knew he wanted to make a personal computer that was small and quiet because of the noise coming from the fan in personal computers, he was able to communicate this idea to Holt who was able design the technology needed to achieve this goal. Anyone can possess the qualities listed above but most importantly one must gain the respect of others. As an innovator Steve Jobs was a person who was well respected he was able to capture the respect and authority and communicate clearly to others using his Charisma. In order for one to be extremely successful one must be able to clearly show that they care about others around them helping them to improve their innovative ideas and give them the respect they deserve. It is evident that the individual who has an innovative idea is not the only one who makes it a success they need others around them with knowledge and skills to contribute to its overall success.
Strategic leadership is another important factor which makes Innovation in organizations extremely successful. Many innovations in the 90’s have not made it to the 21st century due to poor planning and execution. The world around us is constantly changing and as an Innovator the success of your innovation is important Innovators need both short term and long term profitability. Many innovators in the 90’s lacked the persistence, flexibility and use of science which resulted in their innovations having a short term effect. After an innovative idea has become successful innovators need to constantly be looking at ways in which they can improve their innovations or make changes so that it will maintain the ‘Buzz’ effect it first generated. An article by Hitt et al. (1998) and Ireland and Hitt (1999) described the capabilities needed for effective strategic leadership in the new competitive landscape expected for the 21st century. They argued that effective strategic leaders had to: (1) develop and communicate a vision, (2) build dynamic core competencies, (3) emphasize and effectively use human capital, (4) invest in the development of new technologies, (5) engage in valuable strategies, (6) build and maintain an effective organizational culture, (7) develop and implement balanced controls, and (8) engage in ethical practices.
Discovery and Deliver Skills
There are five discovery skills which are essential to the success of an Innovator. In order for one to generate innovative ideas they must utilize each of these five skills in order to get solid result. The first skill is Associating it is defined as the ability to make surprising connections across areas of knowledge, industries, even geographies (Dyer, Gregersen & Christensen, 2011).This is one of the most important discovery skills in developing innovative generations and is often taken for granted. This process entails linking two totally opposite ideas to create an innovation beyond one’s own comprehension. For example Benioff the innovator of Salesforce.com surfaced from a series of trips Benioff took around the world ranging from Hawaii to India where he met a variety of diverse people the idea however surfaced while he was swimming with Dolphins in the Pacific Ocean Benioff had intense knowledge about the software industry and hence he could couple his knowledge and travelling experiences together to develop this innovative idea.. It sounds extremely weird but that’s exactly why associating is such a powerful and unique discovery skill.
The second discovery skill is Questioning this is one of the major discovery sills heavily utilized by disruptive innovators. Questioning is the creative catalyst of the other discovery skills such as observing, networking and experimenting. Questioning is an extremely important because through questioning one is able to retrieve information and gain a deeper understanding by constantly asking questions. For example Orit Gadesh the chairman of Bain & Company as a small girl growing up in Israel was always encouraged to ask questions by her parents. As a result she was able to gain new insights through her ability to ask her way into what’s really going on and then push the edge with constant provocative questions about what might be (Dyer, Gregersen & Christensen, 2011).
The final and third discovery skill that will be discussed for the purposes of this paper is observing most successful innovators tend to be great observers. Through observation innovators are able to gather information about what works and what does not. They basically become extra sensitive to their environments and they soak up everything around them. For example observing led Ratan Tata chairman of India’s Tata Group to extreme success. Tata’s observation led him to the innovative idea of the Nano car an affordable car that can cater to all families. This idea came from Tata observing families riding along on scooters in India.
Strengths and weaknesses in the Discovery Skills
According to the discovery and delivery skills test created by Dyer, Gregersen & Christensen I scored a 32 which indicates I am moderate to high on delivery skills. From this assessment I have gathered that I am weak in areas such as Questioning and Observing. However, over the course of reading the text I have been able to gather more knowledge about what it takes to master these skills. I have identified a weakness within myself I am a very bold person I can speak in front of a crowd but I am just afraid that others will not embrace my ideas. It is fear that prevents me from reaching my potential as a great innovator. The one strength that I was able to identify is Associating I have a very creative mind and I am able to take two totally opposite ideas and merge them together to create a great innovation.
Conclusion
Innovation is extremely important in the leadership of organizations.
Often times it is taken for granted but those who have knowledge and can identify innovative ideas when they arise are often the ones to profit. The individual who creates an innovative idea is not always the one to take it to the final stages without help. Everyone around them has different talents and abilities. This is why some organizations are much more profitable than others. The strategic leadership arrangement in organizations is what yields its success as a result one individual comes up with an innovative idea and someone else builds on it until it reaches the final stages. The discovery and delivery skills are extremely important and should not be taken for granted. They can be used to improve and existing innovations and even create new ones. Finally, innovators need to stay focus and realize that they must not only strive for short term profitability but long term profitability since the rewards of short term profits dwindle
quickly.
References
Doyle, M., & Smith, M. (2001). Classical models of managerial leadership: trait, behavioural, contingency and transformational theory. infedorg. Retrieved January 7, 2014, from http://infed.org/mobi/classical-models-of-managerial-leadership-trait-behavioural contingency-and-transformational-theoryBehaviours
Dyer, J., Gregersen, H., & Christensen, C. (2011). The Innovators DNA. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press.
Hitt, M., Haynes, K., & Serpa, R. (2010). Strategic leadership for the 21st century.Business Horizons, 53(5), 437-444. Retrieved January 14, 2014, from http://www.sciencedirect.com.library.capella