Leadership and Management: A Study on Amazon and Other Companies

This study explores the definition of leader and manager, hard vs soft skills, application of leadership and management theories in workplace, and compares leadership and management approaches of Amazon, Apple, and Walmart. It also examines the impact of leadership and management on organizational culture and performance.

LEADERSHIP AND
MANAGEMENT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................3
PART 1......................................................................................................................................3
Definition of leader and manager...........................................................................................3
Hard vs soft skills...................................................................................................................4
Application of leadership and management theories in workplace in order to analyse the
effectiveness of leadership and management in the chosen organization..............................6
Comparing at least two other organizational examples to compare the different styles of
leadership and management approaches taken for a range of business situations and how
they impact decisions taken...................................................................................................7
Examination of different leadership and management approaches taken to evaluate their
effectiveness and the impact that the role of leadership and management has on
organizational culture and performance.................................................................................9
CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES.......................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Leadership is an act of art and science where an individual directs an individual/
group of people to achieve a goal together with effective learning of all. Effective leadership
is an amalgamation of ideas and supports with the resulting outcome to encourage people to
work together to achieve the common goal (Aboramadan and et.al, 2021). Leadership is a
bridge between the profit and performance of the organization which plays a vital role in the
growth and development of the organization. In a workplace, it simply means the tendency of
an individual to manage and supervise the company and how well. It is a vital source of
positivity that encourages people to perform to the best of their potential. The American-
based multinational technology company, Amazon was started by Jeff Bezos in July 1994.
There is a variety of services provided by them such as digital streaming platforms, cloud
computing services, e-commerce platforms, Artificial Intelligence, and many more. The
various leaders and managers with their well-defined hard-soft skills will be discussed in the
study, along with their approaches to understanding the effectiveness of the same.
PART 1
Definition of leader and manager
A leader is a person who directs and guides fellow people by inspiring them
throughout the process which will be helpful in accomplishing desired objectives. Leaders are
in charge of people and influence other people through which they can be motivated and
directed towards the right direction. Leader have a strong influential personality which makes
other people follow their lead and steps taken. Every leader has their own personality under
approaches which they follow in meeting targets and influencing a group of people
positively. Leaders responsible to ensure that employees are working towards b achievement
out objectives enter executing the plant course of action through which they can ensure
higher productivity and proficiency (Alchin, Arthur and Woodrow, 2019). A leader is liable
to offer clear direction to their employees which will be helpful in embracing work done by
others, in improving their performance level in boosting the motivation level of employees
through which they can increase employee engagement in the organization. With the help of
search influential personality and leadership trades, this can help business leaders in driving
positive change to companies through which they can support the organization in meeting
performance standards and achieving success.

Manager also plays a crucial role in an organization as they are liable to manage and
operate the functions of an organization through which a company can effectively meet
targets. It is the responsibility of manager to supervise and manage a group of people in
which they focus on ensuring that clear objectives have been shared with the employees
through which they can work towards the future of shared objectives which will enhance
organizational efficiency and productivity. A business manager focuses on performing
various roles and responsibilities where they are responsible to communicate employees
which will be helpful in sharing objective that needs to be achieved and create a positive
organizational culture which will create a direct positive impact on employee and
organizational performance and proficiency (De Oliveira, Cavazotte and Alan Dunzer, 2019).
From managing daily operations, it is the role of a business manager to maximise the
profitability of business. As a manager, the focus is on bringing balance between human
capital and organization objectives and strategies through which companies can meet their
targets in timely manner and maintain strong competitive position within the industry.
Hard vs soft skills
Skills and competencies are the abilities of a person to perform a task. Skills can be
further classified into hard and soft skills. Hard skills are those skills which are related to
knowledge and employability skills. These skills can be quoted as technical knowledge which
has been gathered from education, life experiences or training. The hard skills of an
individual are learned abilities which can be acquired and developed by education and
practice. Therefore, these skills are the core skills which can be majorly used in
employability, as such skills supports an induvial in performing the assigned job roles and
responsibilities and meeting the criteria with their knowledge (Gümüş and et.al, 2020).
However, hard skills are learned abilities which can be developed and improved with
practice, training, education and experience over time.
On the other hand, soft skills are those skills which are not developed and are
inherited skills of an individual. Soft skills are the personal attributes and characteristics of an
individual which reflects their morals, ethics and approaches. Therefore, soft skills are
personal habits and qualities which are responsible to shape the personality and career of an
individual.
The key difference among hard and soft skills can be defines as- hard skills are those
skills which are learned and can be developed over time. On the other hand, soft skills rea

those skills which are inherited and reflects the personality and traits of an individual. There
are various types of hard and soft skills, some of these hard and soft skills are listed below:
HARD SKILLS SOFT SKILLS
 Computer programming skills- This is
one of the hard skills which reflects their
ability to use computer to operate and
function the assigned job roles and
responsibilities. This hard skill is the
knowledge of computers through which
an individual can use their technical
skills for meeting their organizational
performance and standards (Hallinger
and Hammad, 2019). This skill is
performed with the help of online
payments, booking systems, transfer
money, online marketing and deal with
customers where the digital marketing
activities are performed with the help of
different social media platforms, such
as- Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 Bilingual skills- This is another hard
skill which is learned and developed
over time where a learner develop their
skills of on knowledge and skills of
speaking different languages. Such sills
are helpful for individuals in their
workplace through which they can get
higher employability opportunities.
 Some of the other hard skills are-
database management, networking
security and programming languages.
 Time management skills- these are some
of the soft skills which are the personal
traits of an individual through which
they can complete the assigned job roles
and responsibilities in timely manner
and avoid skipping deadlines.
 Communication skills- this is another
soft skill which is the approach of an
individual through which they can
effectively interact with other people
and ensure all information is shared
effectively (Hammad, Samier and
Mohammed, 2022).
 Some of the other soft skills are-
integrity, team working, creativity,
adaptability, flexibility and critical
thinking.

Application of leadership and management theories in workplace in order to analyse the
effectiveness of leadership and management in the chosen organization
Leadership theories are the descriptions of how and why certain people become
leaders. These theories are the reflection of the skills and traits of leaders which can be
reflected in their approaches that are followed within the organization for meeting the desire
objectives. Leadership theories are helpful in managing the operational activities through
which a company can meet their objectives (Hassi, 2019). Therefore, leadership theories
define the skills and traits which will support companies in meeting the organizational
objectives and ensure business success.
Management theories are the ideas which are followed by companies through which
they can perform planned strategies which will assist them in meeting organizational
objectives and enhance competitive position of the organization within the industry.
Management theories are the theories which states strategies that can support in meeting
organisational objectives and how employees can be encouraged through which their
performance standards can be improved and they can collectively work for the achievement
of corporate goals.
In case of Amazon, some of the leadership and management theories which can be
followed by the company to determine their effectiveness of these theories are addressed
underneath:
Leadership theories:
 Transformational leadership theory- transformational leadership is the type of
leadership which focuses on bringing the positive change in the organization.
Transformational leaders are considered as more energetic and highly professional in
workplace. Transformational leadership is the form of leadership in which the leaders
encourage, inspire and encourage their employees through which they can
successfully drive change in the organization (Jamieson and Donald, 2020). The
business leaders of Amazon also follow transformational leadership style in which
they can focus on being people oriented through which they can ensure customer and
employee satisfaction level is met. Amazon is a customer centric company and for
ensuring quality customer experience, the leaders of Amazon focus on bringing
required innovative change through which they can deliver quality products and
services to their customers. Such leadership approaches are helpful in maintain a

strong brand image through which companies can maintain their competitive position
within the dynamic business environment. Through following transformational
leadership, Amazon follows intellectual stimulation which helps in individual
consideration through which employees can be motivated. With the help of
transformational leadership, Amazon plan strategies through which they can gain trust
from their employees and create a loyal customer base and such strategies also
supports in enhancing the organizational performance and productivity.
Management theories:
 Bureaucratic management theory- this management theory was founded by Maxx
Weber which is the theory of structing the company in a hierarchical structure.
According to this management theory, a clear set of rules and governance which must
be followed through which the assigned job roles and responsibilities can be met
(Karatepe, Aboramadan, M. and Dahleez, 2020). In case of Amazon, the e-commerce
giant follows bureaucratic management theories which supports in outlining the rules
to their employees and the organizational structure in a hierarchical order. By
implementing bureaucratic management theories, Amazon follows a chain of
command which helps in collectively meeting the shared corporate targets.
Comparing at least two other organizational examples to compare the different styles of
leadership and management approaches taken for a range of business situations and how they
impact decisions taken
The list of companies and their leadership and management approaches which are
followed by several companies is described below:
AMAZON APPLE WALMART
The company follows
transformational and
visionary leadership style.
Jeff Bezos follows
transformational leadership
through which intellectual
and imaginational
stimulation in their
This company follows
democratic leadership
style.
Apple is one the giant
companies which have been
operating in the industry
with huge customer cantered
approach of the company
This company follows
transactional and
transformational
leadership.
Walmart is one of the retail,
company which is operating
in many countries globally.
In order to successfully meet

employees can be
developed. With the help of
transformational leadership,
Amazon motivate and
inspire their employees
through which they can
drive required change and
strategies successfully which
will also help in enhancing
the organizational
performance and
productivity. Therefore, by
following transformational
leadership, this assist
Amazon in driving
innovation through which
productive workforce can be
maintained (Sepuru and
Mohlakwana, 2020). The
company also follows
visionary leadership style
through which they form
decisions which can support
the brand in meeting targets.
This form of leadership is
helpful in creating vision
which needs to be achieved
by the company through
which they can sustain their
position in the industry and
through which they can
create a positive impact as
well.
(Liang and et.al., 2020).
Apple is one the company
which follows democratic
leadership style which assist
them in encouraging their
employees in sharing their
opinions through which the
whole organization can
collectively form innovative
decisions which will be
helpful in meeting the
targets and for enhancing the
organizational brand name
in the industry. By following
democratic leadership style,
the leaders of Apple focus
on driving innovation in
business which will support
in improving
communication through
which unique business value
can be crated (MacKian and
Simons, 2021). By
following democratic
leadership style, this helps
Apple in creating a unique
position within the industry
which also helps them in
generating higher revenues
and maximize business
profitability.
targets and to maintain
position, Walmart follows
transactional and
transformational leadership
style. With the help of
transformational leadership,
Walmart focuses on
bringing innovation to their
company through which
they can withstand the
competition within the
industry. By following
transactional leadership, this
helps Walmart in
supervising the workforce
through which they can offer
right direction which will be
helpful in meeting targets
and supports in maintaining
competitive position within
the industry.

Examination of different leadership and management approaches taken to evaluate their
effectiveness and the impact that the role of leadership and management has on
organizational culture and performance
Leadership and management are a method that aids in the improvement of an
organization's effectiveness. A leader serves in a multitude of capacities within an
organisation, including motivator, mentor, learner, navigator, and communicator, to name a
few. Leaders develop a vision, define a course, and inspire others so that they would gladly
participate in managerial activities and assist leaders in meeting their goals (Ugwu and et.al,
2020). A leader with good and strong leadership attributes may have a favourable influence
on his or her personnel as well as the business as a whole. An organization's leadership and
management methods are accountable for having a significant influence on its culture and
business performance.
In the case of Amazon, the company's executives use transformational leadership,
which has both good and bad effects on the company's organisational performance.
Following a transformative leadership style has a detrimental influence on employees,
causing them to become more confused and resulting in more employee turnover. Such
techniques are known to stifle an organization's performance and growth.
On the other side, by employing a transformational leadership style, Amazon is able
to bring about necessary change and encourage people to learn new things in order to
improve their skill set and expertise. As a result, transformational leadership assists Amazon
in promoting corporate innovation, resulting in a favourable working environment in which
employee involvement and retention may be increased. Such management and leadership
approaches help the e-commerce behemoth fight competition and preserve its market
position.
CONCLUSION
After understanding the above report, we can conclude that leadership is a pathway
that helps and pushes people to work with the best of their capability and accomplish the
objectives of the organization with their self-growth and development. Every leader
somewhere makes their own very effective leadership theory where all of them somewhere
align at some point which they find effective to inspire and influence their colleagues. In an
organization with a leader, a manager also plays an important role in the effective
achievement of targets, who is also a leader.

The leadership approach and the management of an organization are directly
responsible for impacting the business positively, as their decision holds the future of the
organization. A leader helps an individual align their personal goals to the organizational
goals for the overall growth of an individual and the organization. Therefore, it can be said
leadership and management can impact an organization in a positive or a negative way,
eventually making the growth graph of the organization high or low respectively.

REFERENCES
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