Complexity of the global business environment Analysis 2022

Running head: MANAGEMENT
Management
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Table of Contents
Complexity of the global business environment........................................................................2
Need for responsible leader........................................................................................................3
Important traits, skills and tasks of a responsible leader............................................................4
Relationship to be affected in organisations and with stakeholders..........................................5
The culture that would exist because of responsible leader.......................................................5
Reference....................................................................................................................................7

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Complexity of the global business environment
The complexity of the global business environment is that leaders of reputed
organisations either tend to be more inclined towards profit-making activities or towards the
motivation of the employees. As stated by Northouse (2018) a balance between the two
factors is not maintained that can have a significant impact on organisational development as
well as for the employees. In this regard, from the analysis of Conger (2015) it can be said
that the global business need to identify the leaders that can be capable of providing a balance
between the two and ensure that growth of the organisation takes place in a proper manner.
At the same time, another complexity that can be seen is the fact that selection of
leaders can be a difficult job particularly in multinational companies. According to Antonakis
and Day (2017), the fact that an iconic leader has to be succeeded by the new leader can be
difficult mainly due to the reputation. As pointed out by Priest and Gass (2017) this provides
another challenge for the global business environment in terms of leadership and at the same
time helps to understand the challenges that exist. In this regard, it can be said that an
example can be undertaken to understand the complexities in the global business environment
that Tim Cook had to undergo while taking over the leadership at Apple.
One of the significant impacts that had to be undertaken by Tim Cook at Apple was
the fact that he had to succeed Steve Jobs in 2011. As observed by Klenke (2016) the result
may proved to be difficult due to the legacy created by Steve Jobs in setting an example for
the world about the manner in which leadership need to take place. As pointed out by DuBrin
(2015) the negative reaction of the employees also needed to be considered by Tim Cook so
that he can lead in an effective manner. Thus, the global business environment presented
challenges in terms of adapting to a type of leadership as well as resistance and transition of
changes that the employees at Apple had to undergo.

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Need for responsible leader
Based on the analysis of the complexity that exists in the global market, it can be said
that the need for a responsible leader can be attributed to the fact that a balance need to be
maintained between the need for employee motivation as well as profit-making activity
(Rosenbach, 2018). Therefore, for Tim Cook, the responsibility was not only for balancing
the two things but at the initial stage requirement was to gain the trust of the employees.
Hence, as stated by Western (2019) the need for a responsible leader can be attributed to
analysis of the situation and taking firm action calls for improvement.
Grint et al. (2016) is of the opinion that one of the needs for a responsible leader is to
formulae strategies, which can help in the development of the companies. In the case of Tim
Cook, however, the strategies formulated aimed at gaining the trust of the employee and at
the same time, ensure that profit is made. Thus, as stated by Komives (2016) it can be said
that a responsible leader need to understand the manner in which the potential possessed can
have a significant impact on the development of an organisation. For Tim Cook, the
leadership potential can be to ensure that every employee can be capable of trusting the new
leader and following the strategies.
At the same time, as stated by Northouse (2017) a responsible leader needs to
understand the potential that exists among the employees and ensure that these employees are
provided with important tasks for organisational development. In the case of Tim Cook, the
challenge was to identify the talents and ensure that they can be effective in continuing with
the tradition that defines Apple (Covin & Slevin, 2017). Thus, the responsibility held by Tim
Cook was to identify the talented candidates, retain them and use their talents for the
development and benefit of Apple along with gaining its trust.

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Important traits, skills and tasks of a responsible leader
The important traits, skills and tasks that are required for becoming a successful
leader can be analysed based on the requirements of an organisation. As stated by Lussier and
Achua (2015) one of the traits that a responsible leader needs to possess is the fact that they
need to lead from the front and create a friendly atmosphere. This trait can be attributed
irrespective of the situation of an organisation. For Tim Cook, such a trait is of utmost
importance mainly due to the new leadership techniques that were to be implemented at
Apple.
As stated by Conger (2015) the skills that a responsible leader needs to possess are the
proper management skill particularly during changes in an organisation. For Tim Cook and
Apple, major changes in the organisation took place after the demise of Steve Jobs and thus,
the skill of Tim Cook was tested in a superior manner. As pointed out by Heifetz and Linsky
(2017) this is mainly because the employees were accustomed to one type of leadership and
the sudden transition can have a negative impact. For Tim Cook, the experience gained from
working at IBM and Compaq along with the 13 years at Apple were used for managing the
employees during the sudden change and transition in the company.
Thus, the task of Tim Cook was to ensure that employees are aware of the changes
made and that the employees can be made to trust his leadership skills. Along with this,
Antonakis and Day (2017) pointed out the task of a responsible leader is to find the easiest
way by which job can be done so that productivity as well as employee satisfaction increases.
For Tim Cook, maintaining the legacy of Apple was also another task that required his
expertise so that the productivity of Apple can continue to be high along with quality.

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Relationship to be affected in organisations and with stakeholders
Responsible leadership can ensure that relationship between the employees and
employers in an organisation improve. As stated by Priest and Gass (2017) this is because a
good leader tends to consider the ideas that are provided by the employees so that it can be
implemented in the business. In the case of Tim Cook, it can be seen that under his
leadership, employee turnover rate in Apple had been on the decline due to the work done
and the manner in which motivation is provided to the employees during their work (Klenke,
2016). This can be considered as one of the potent example about the tasks of a responsible
leader.
At the same time, in the words of DuBrin (2015), relationship with other stakeholders
such as customers or suppliers can increase due to responsible leadership. For example, in the
case of Apple it has been seen that feedback received from the customers have increased and
implementation of the changes required has been made. For Tim Cook and Apple, the
feedback may not have been favourable due to the issues occurring in the Apple phone
(Western, 2019). However, these feedbacks can be considered for future up gradation as well
as for an improved performance management. Thus, from the analysis made by Rosenbach
(2018) it can be said that under the leadership of Tim Cook, Apple had managed to grow
extensively and had develop maintain proper relationship between the organisational staffs
and other stakeholders.
The culture that would exist because of responsible leader
With the dominance and skill of a responsible leader, the culture of an organisation
can be considered high. Grint et al. (2016) is of the opinion that a high cultural organisation
can be attributed to the fact that employees are aware of their responsibilities and are capable
of providing quality products that can help in the satisfaction of the customers. According to

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Komives (2016), such organisations are usually the market dominating business and can
posses a high return of investment for its growth. At the same time, Northouse (2017) pointed
out the fact that due to the high culture, the organisation also tends to be criticised from any
small mistake made.
In the case of Tim Cook, the standard and quality of work undertaken at Apple was
high before he had taken over as the leader (Covin & Slevin, 2017). However, as pointed out
by Lussier and Achua (2015) the culture needed to be maintained and the leadership style of
Tim Cook helped him to dominate the employees and work towards the betterment of the
objectives. As stated by Heifetz and Linsky (2017) this had helped to maintain the high work
culture and proved that despite change in leadership cultural changes does not cause
hindrance in the growth of Apple. In this regard, it can be said that the leadership style
adopted by Tim Cook can be accounted for maintaining the success of Apple despite the
challenges faced in the global environment.

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Reference
Antonakis, J., & Day, D. V. (Eds.). (2017). The nature of leadership. Sage publications.
Conger, J., 2015. Charismatic leadership. Wiley encyclopedia of management, pp.1-2.
Covin, J. G., & Slevin, D. P. (2017). The entrepreneurial imperatives of strategic
leadership. Strategic entrepreneurship: Creating a new mindset, 307-327.
DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Nelson Education.
Grint, K., Jones, O. S., Holt, C., & Storey, J. (2016). What is leadership. The Routledge
companion to leadership, 3.
Heifetz, R., & Linsky, M. (2017). Leadership on the line, with a new preface: Staying alive
through the dangers of change. Harvard Business Press.
Klenke, K. (2016). Qualitative research in the study of leadership. Emerald Group Publishing
Limited.
Komives, S. R. (2016). Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change
model of leadership development. John Wiley & Sons.
Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2015). Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development.
Nelson Education.
Northouse, P. G. (2017). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. Sage
Publications.
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.

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Priest, S., & Gass, M. (2017). Effective Leadership in Adventure Programming, 3E. Human
Kinetics.
Rosenbach, W. E. (2018). Contemporary issues in leadership. Routledge.
Western, S. (2019). Leadership: A critical text. SAGE Publications Limited.