British Airways Organisation Management Style

British Airways
Organisation
Management Style

Contents
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Management and leadership style of Sean Doyle..............................................................3
Structure and culture at British Airways...........................................................................4
Entrepreneurial strategy and corporate governance........................................................5
Power, influence and conflict resolution at British Airways............................................7
Motivation strategies used at British Airways...................................................................8
Corporate Literature............................................................................................................9
RECOMMENDATION...............................................................................................................10
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Although the current trading system that has been established between countries has
made conducting business a lot more easier as the boundaries have blurred considerably due to
the advent of globalization, firms still need the leadership and diligent efforts from its CEO and
top management to function effectively (Miao, et.al., 2019). CEO's are the highest ranking
officer in a company's hierarchy and have a lot of responsibilities on their shoulders as they are
the main people responsible for sustaining profitability, planning for expansion and improving
share rates. The style of leadership and administration that are found in companies are also
directly designed with the vision and behaviour of the CEO in mind.
British Airways is the flagship airline carrier operating in UK and was established in
1974 and is currently headquartered in London England in close vicinity of Heathrow airport.
The company has been leading the aviation industry in the country for decades and this report
will focus on the practices displayed and roles played by its CEO, Sean Doyle. There will be
discussion on the CEO's style of leadership, his role in driving forward the culture and structural
decisions of British Airways along with other important areas where Sean Doyle's contribution
has had an impact on the company's affairs.
MAIN BODY
Management and leadership style of Sean Doyle
Sean Doyle was born and grew up in Cork, England and after nearly servicing the airline
industry for more than two decades, he was instated as the Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of
British Airways in October 2020 (Sean Liam Doyle, 2022). He initially joined British Airways as
a financial analyst in 1998 and has climbed the corporate ladder at an expert pace as he upgraded
to being a director of network, fleet and alliances in 2016 as the company's executive committee
member. Being with the company for more than twenty years and working his way up the ladder
like a regular employee, Sean Doyle knows the operations and culture of the firm inside out and
this has made his leadership styles and administrative approaches quite robust.
Sean Doyle over the past two years has displayed different leadership and management
styles as the airline industry in UK is an unpredictable landscape after being hit by Brexit and the
COVID-19 pandemic and hybrid leadership is needed to satisfy stakeholders and keep the

company afloat. When Sean Doyle took over the position of CEO of British Airways, the
company was suffering from a crisis as its public image was maligned and it was suffering for
PR disasters amid the devastating chaos brought by the pandemic. Sean displayed strategic
leadership as he immediately started to resolve the company's tough financial situation and
tackled all problems in a diligent manner (Hambrick and Wowak, 2021). In Strategic leadership,
organizational leaders aim to strike a balance between company's operations and its growth
opportunities and all types of employees are supported through decisions which are grand in
scope. Sean Doyle not only steered the company through the pandemic and during lock-downs,
he also helped the company deal with security network breaches and pilot strikes which made its
goodwill fall in the public domain.
There are also elements of transformational leadership in the way Sean Doyle goes
about managing and planning operations of British Airways as under his careful reign, the
workforce of the company are no longer demotivated to the extent to which they were under the
previous CEO, Alex Cruz who left the company in turbulent waters amidst a storm of media and
political criticism (O’Neill, 2018). He has made changes to the workforce and motivated
employees to perform beyond expectations through better and more ethics oriented training
schedules and has worked with the employees to re-establish the airline carrier's vision to once
again become a premier flying option among the people of UK (BA boss pledges to rebuild its
reputation for premium service, 2022).
Structure and culture at British Airways
Organizational structure of a company refers to its general lines and flow of authority an
communication along its chosen hierarchy and it is a key aspect of company working as it is
responsible for the roles and duties which are executed by the workers along with the tasks
which are delegated from the top. The structure of an organization plays a key role in
determining its operational efficiency and competitive edge because it helps companies fill
vacant positions, prepare for future growth and establish power dynamics in enterprise
framework. When Sean Doyle took over the company in 2020, he continued the simplified
structure where general managers were the people in charge of the everyday operations along
with various branch managers who oversee the foreign offices of the company while being
answerable to the CEO and board of directors. He has prioritized smart work practices and is