Introduction
The 21st century has seen several leaders who have adopted unconventional leadership models to guide their business entities to new and unimaginable heights. The most promising leaders that will be remembered for their unique leadership skills and expertise are Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Page. Various resources such as journal articles, research papers, and other publications have been used as pieces of evidence in the report to identify the key traits of modern corporate leaders. The focus is on Larry Page since he is one of the few young individuals who have taken his business company – Google to new heights.
As of 2015, Google business commands over 2 million internet searchers in a second. He adopts a unique leadership strategy so that he can get his personnel to perform spectacularly. The leadership model that is used by him has a major influence on his organizational productivity. The leadership skills of Larry Page have been evaluated by using the skill theory of leadership and the traits theory of leadership (Alvesson & Spicer, 2012).
Larry Page
Larry Page is the CEO and co-founder of Google, the multinational technology concern that offers Internet-related services and other commodities. It is an understatement to say that Page is intelligent and creative. He uses his creativity, intelligence, and personality to the next level to make Google more ambitious and driven. These unique traits make him an inspirational individual. His work philosophy is reflected in the statement “We should be building great things that do not exist.”
Leadership concepts and theories have been used to assess the leadership model of Larry Page (Mumford et al., 2000). The skill theory has been used to identify his major strengths and key weaknesses. The report has been designed so that Page’s leadership style and ideas can be used as the benchmark in the organizational setting to enhance the leadership model of other organizations.
Leadership Concepts and Theories
Leadership theories have been introduced to define the primary characteristic that makes up authentic and original leaders. According to Northouse, people live in societies so individuals need to take collective decisions to exist in a collaborative manner (Northouse, 2015). To survive in a harmonious and well-coordinated manner, the necessity for leadership arises. Different theories like the Great Man Theory, Traits Theory, Contingency Theory, Skills Theory, etc have been introduced to highlight the ideal characteristics of a leader. The most apt theories and concepts have been used to understand the leadership strengths and limitations of Page.
The journal article “Assessing the trait theory of leadership using self and observer ratings of Personality” by Amy E. Colbert states that the various personality traits influence the effectiveness and style of leaders (Colbert et al., 2012). This study underestimates the relationship between the personality of an individual and the leadership approach that followed him.
In the journal article titled “Leadership Skills: Conclusions and Future Directions” by Mumford and Zaccaro, the authors stated that the specific style and approach of leadership can be understood from various latent skills such as problem-solving ability, knowledge, social judgment model, etc. (Mumford et al., 2000). The authors have made a genuine attempt to understand the major implications of the skill-based leadership model on the leadership approach.
Traits Theory of Leadership
The traits theory of leadership fundamentally focuses on the key traits and behavioral characteristics of leaders. It states that leaders are born and not made. They possess several characteristics such as knowledge relating to business, initiative, creativity, decision-making skills, emotional intelligence, drive and motivation, integrity and honesty, and creativity. These leadership traits are in-built into individuals that make them effective leaders that have influencing power. This theory argues that the key traits of the leader make a major impact on organizational growth and development.
The page has several unique traits that make him an effective leader. He focuses on innovation at all times so that Google can change for the better. He adopts an open way of leading and thus is known as a democratic leader. The various traits of Page that make him a great leader include creative thinking, quick decision-making ability, a team-building approach, etc.
Creativity – Larry Page is a unique leader since he urges Google employees to believe in crazy and innovative ideas that can change the world.
Decision-making model – Page adopts a quick decision-making approach so that an active management approach can be followed at Google. He asks his employees to short updates about their current projects so that he can be involved in all the company-related processes.
Team-building model – Page believes in adopting a collective approach to reach the desired organizational results. He tries his level best to avoid the autocratic model of leading. Hence he encourages the teams and departments to work collectively to collect better insight and ideas to help Google grow (Pedler, Burgoyne & Boydell, 2010).
Skills Theory of Leadership
The skills theory of leadership has come into existence due to the existence of various flaws in the traits theory model. This theoretical model stresses the skills, abilities, and expertise of individuals that make them effective leaders. According to Robert Katz’s three-skill approach, the three necessary skills that need to be present in a leader include human skills, technical skills, and conceptual skills. The human skills are the people skills that help to productively work with people, the technical skills are the proficiencies in specific organizational operations and the conceptual skills are the ability to operate with broad theories and concepts (Zaccaro, 2007).
The major features of the leadership model adopted by Google include the empowerment of the organizational team, and not succumbing to the micromanagement model. Page ensures that the leadership approach allows him to take a key interest in the success and well-being of the team members (Gio & Yazdanifard, 2015). The major skills of Page that make his leadership model unique include the pursuit of passion, fostering efficiency and greatness, valuing innovation and creativity, taking risks, challenging reality, and steady perseverance. These sets of skills strengthen the overall effectiveness of Page and Google.
Situational or Contingency Theory
The situational theory or the contingency theory stresses certain variables that come into play in the organizational setting. As per this theory, no specific leadership approach can be termed the best leadership approach in all situations. According to the leadership researchers White and Hodgson, true and effective leadership are not just about the qualities and characteristics of an individual. It is also about striking the right balance between the behavior, requirements, and context of the specific circumstances. Good leaders are the ones that can evaluate the needs and wants of the followers or employees by taking into consideration the situation and adjusting their behavioral approach accordingly (Why Do Some People Become Great Leaders, 2017).
According to the journal article “The Role of Stewardship in Leadership” by Dr. R. D. Waters, the contingency theoretical model of leadership can be used to classify different kinds of leaders (Waters, 2013).
Page is the kind of leader who possesses unique leadership skills and traits and knows how to use them in specific organizational situations. In his very own words, his team at Google believes in audacious ideas that can change the world and attract smart people to add valuable contributions to the organizational setting (Waters, 2013).
Larry Page – Areas of Good Practice
He focuses on his employees and their productivity. Page encourages creative and innovative ideas so that the best ideas can be turned into reality. The leadership model makes sure that the management approach involves all the levels of employees of the Google entity. The best features of the leadership approach adopted by Page include expressing interest in the success and productiveness of the team members, empowering the team members and the departmental members, focusing on productivity and the output of the employees, etc. He follows a solid communication model so that the issues and concerns of the team members can be easily resolved by him.
Their clear leadership vision of Page helps him to devise the most effective and constructive strategies that make Google one of the leaders in the market. It focuses on the technical skills and expertise of the employees so that they can make productive contributions in the organizational setting. All the employees at Google are treated as equals before the management team and this is a key reason that strengthens the output of the concern. \
Larry Page – Areas of improvement
The leadership approach that is adopted by Larry Page at Google helps the organization to make revolutionary changes in the organizational setting. Several areas can be further improved to strengthen the productivity of the employees and the leadership model. Page mostly believes in giving priority to the employees instead of focusing on the profitability or money-generation capacity of the business. This leadership technique could hurt the productivity of the employees and the organization.
The leadership model of Page encourages creative and innovative ideas from the employees. This leadership approach allows the business to explore new areas but it also exposes Google to several risks in the uncertain organizational setting. Thus a balanced focus should be used by Page so that the most feasible and practical ideas can be selected and converted into reality.
Google follows no specific organizational culture so that the concern can identify most of the opportunities that come in its path. This open culture could be exploited by unproductive workers and it could reduce the efficiency of the organization.
Recommendations
The recommendations have been designed so that Larry Page can further strengthen his leadership approach and thus improve the overall productivity of the business concern. Page must follow a balanced approach towards the employees and the productivity of the concern. This would make sure that the well-being of Google employees and the financial-earning capacity of the firm are effectively met.
The risks and rewards are the usual set of challenges and opportunities that every business concern has to face. Page must focus on innovative and feasible business ideas so that unnecessary waste of finance, effort, and time can be avoided.
The open organizational culture could be tightened to a certain extent so that the productivity of the employees and the efficiency of the organization can be in the central position. Innovation must be instilled in all aspects of the leadership model so that employees from all levels of the organization can share their creative and unique ideas in the professional setting.
Conclusion
The leadership style of Google CEO and co-founder Larry Page has been analyzed so that his unconventional leadership model could be highlighted. The key strengths and areas of improvement of Page’s leadership style have been covered. Several recommendations have been made so that Page could further strengthen the leadership model that is adopted at Apple organization. The various leadership approaches that are used in the organizational setting have been discussed in the report using the different kinds of leadership theories.
References
Alvesson, M., & Spicer, A. (2012). Critical leadership studies: The case for critical performativity. Human Relations, 65(3), 367-390.
Cameron, S. (2007). The business student’s handbook: learning skills for study and employment. Pearson Education.
Colbert, A. E., Judge, T. A., Choi, D., & Wang, G. (2012). Assessing the trait theory of leadership using self and observer ratings of personality: The mediating role of contributions to group success. The Leadersh
- Waters, R. (2013). The role of stewardship in leadership: Applying the contingency theory of leadership to relationship cultivation practices of public relations practitioners. Journal of Communication Management, 17(4), 324-340.
Gio, T. H. Y., & Yazdanifard, R. (2015). The Unconventional Leadership of Corporate Leaders in the 21st Century. Global Journal of Management And Business Research.
Mumford, M. D., Zaccaro, S. J., Connelly, M. S., & Marks, M. A. (2000). Leadership skills: Conclusions and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(1), 155-170.
Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.
Pedler, M., Burgoyne, J., & Boydell, T. (2010). A Manager’s Guide to Leadership. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Trait Theory – David Burkus. (2017). David Burkus – Author of The Myths of Creativity. Retrieved 29 November 2017, from https://davidburkus.com/2010/01/trait-theory/
Why Do Some People Become Great Leaders? (2017). Very well. Retrieved 29 November 2017, from https://www.verywell.com/leadership-theories-2795323
Zaccaro, S. J. (2007). Trait-based perspectives of leadership. American Psychologist, 62(1), 6.
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