Sir Richard Branson
Assignment 4: Sir Richard Branson, Chairman, Virgin Group, Ltd. Case Study
Mysherri Rhodes
Instructor: Bess White
Bus 520: Leadership and Organization
February 25, 2012
Describe Branson’s leadership style in terms of the leadership models addressed in
Chapters 10 and 11 and evaluate the likely effectiveness of that style in the U.S. today.
Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of Virgin Group Ltd., has created a multi-billion dollar enterprise, which includes: airlines, records, bridal wear, holidays, vodka, cars, bank accounts, mobile phones, cosmetics, condoms and gyms (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011). The Virgin Group is a globally recognized brand that has approximately 50,000 employees and earns more than $20 billion in sales annually (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011). Sir Richard Branson is known to be one of the greatest entrepreneurs and with that consumers can expect more unique creations from Sir Richard Branson (Boje & Smith, 2012). In order for a business to acquire and maintain such exponential growth, a company must have an effective leader. According to Hellriegel & Slocum (2011), Branson is a genuine strategist who thinks outside the box and he has achieved many great things despite some setbacks throughout the years. Branson anticipates future trends, inspiring followers to understand and embrace a new vision of possibilities. He develops others to be leaders or better leaders; that’s what makes him a transformational leader (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011).
Sir Richard Branson, has a philosophy that is centered on finding people with strong communication and teamwork skills that can be integrated into Virgin Group culture. Once the proper employees are hired, Virgin Group continues the employee’s professional development, allowing the company to promote existing employees. Branson’s philosophy enables him to develop new leaders, which are able to foresee the company’s future and embrace new visions.
Hellriegel &
Mysherri Rhodes
Instructor: Bess White
Bus 520: Leadership and Organization
February 25, 2012
Describe Branson’s leadership style in terms of the leadership models addressed in
Chapters 10 and 11 and evaluate the likely effectiveness of that style in the U.S. today.
Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of Virgin Group Ltd., has created a multi-billion dollar enterprise, which includes: airlines, records, bridal wear, holidays, vodka, cars, bank accounts, mobile phones, cosmetics, condoms and gyms (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011). The Virgin Group is a globally recognized brand that has approximately 50,000 employees and earns more than $20 billion in sales annually (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011). Sir Richard Branson is known to be one of the greatest entrepreneurs and with that consumers can expect more unique creations from Sir Richard Branson (Boje & Smith, 2012). In order for a business to acquire and maintain such exponential growth, a company must have an effective leader. According to Hellriegel & Slocum (2011), Branson is a genuine strategist who thinks outside the box and he has achieved many great things despite some setbacks throughout the years. Branson anticipates future trends, inspiring followers to understand and embrace a new vision of possibilities. He develops others to be leaders or better leaders; that’s what makes him a transformational leader (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011).
Sir Richard Branson, has a philosophy that is centered on finding people with strong communication and teamwork skills that can be integrated into Virgin Group culture. Once the proper employees are hired, Virgin Group continues the employee’s professional development, allowing the company to promote existing employees. Branson’s philosophy enables him to develop new leaders, which are able to foresee the company’s future and embrace new visions.
Hellriegel &
References: Boje, D., & Smith, R. (2010). Re-storying and visualizing the changing entrepreneurial identities of Bill Gates and Richard Branson.Culture & Organization, 16(4), 307-331. Hanna, J., & Klein, D. S. (2011). Sir Richard Branson: Great Brands, Virgin Brands, Branson Brands Hellriegel, D., & Slocum, J. W., Jr. (2011). Organizational Behavior 13th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage (Learning) Kirkpatrick, S. A., & Locke, E. A. (1996). Direct and Indirect Effects of Three Core Charismatic Leadership Components on Performance and Attitudes