Leadership and Management Analysis of Apple: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Approaches

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the leadership and management practices at Apple. It examines specific situations in Apple's history where leadership skills and managerial strengths were demonstrated. The report also discusses different leadership theories and approaches used by leaders at Apple. Additionally, it explores the potential impact of business environment factors on the realistic possibility of implementing recommended approaches. Overall, this analysis offers valuable insights into the leadership and management strategies employed by Apple.

Management and
Operations
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Part 1................................................................................................................................................3
Specific situations in the history of Apple, where various managerial skills and leadership
qualities...................................................................................................................................3
Analyse specific strengths and weaknesses of the respective leaders in various situations...4
Different theories and models of approach by leaders...........................................................5
PART 2............................................................................................................................................6
Identify two theoretical approaches........................................................................................6
Identify potential factors in the business environment at Apple that may impact on the realistic
possibility of carrying out your recommended approaches....................................................7
Analyse how those factors might impact on the decisions managers/leaders........................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
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Introduction
Management and operations are the two major functional units of every business
organisation that is very crucial to ensure appropriate functioning. Present report is based on
making a case study analysis of the Apple that is based on apple being called as big tech
company that has annual revenues ranging approx US$260 billion as per data of 2019. The report
is divided in two parts (Hassi, 2019). The first part is based on analysis of the role of leader and
managers functions in various management contexts. The second part is based on justification of
improvements that are required for the purpose of addressing the operational challenge at apple.
Part 1
Specific situations in the history of Apple, where various managerial skills and leadership
qualities
Leadership qualities of Steve jobs:
Invent & simplify: Steve jobs invented i pod in year 2001, it was a game changer as there was
creation of tyres in the portable device market and digital downloadable in the market.
In year 2007: it leads to development of mobile device operating system.
Magic mouse 2009: it was released in year 2009 that was a first consumer mouse to have multi
capabilities.
Hiring and developing best talent: Steve jobs as a leader has worked towards hiring of smart
people who can direct company to do what they are willing to do.
Having a clear vision: Steve jobs always posses a clear vision and as an innovative game
changer. He was willing to work towards the way personal computers can change the world.
Focus: Steve jobs rejoined apple in year 1990 where he worked towards scarping of useless
products and developing few products that he thought are good (Bush, Bel and Middlewood,
2019).
Customer obsession: job has been a leader who is obsessed with the customer experience. He is
willing to get closer with every customer.
Delivering of results: as per data of year 2019, apple has been reported has been the second
valuable brand across world. In year 2018 apple revue has been 265.6 billion.
Steve jobs have been a leader who is working on five devised principles that includes:
 Doing the passion
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 Simplification of everything
 Unleashing the creativity
 Creating an insanely great experience for customers
 Becoming a storyteller in chief
 Managerial skills:
Apart from the above mentioned leadership skills there are some managerial skills that have been
used by Steve jobs. Apple has been set by application of a top down management style where
employees have been selected based on expertise and not on experience (Bhanot, 2018). Steve
jobs have preferred controlling in each function in place of well rounded managers.
Steve jobs focused on promotion of functioning of various departments by keeping them separate
and each executive had to be kept perfect instead of concentrating on others.
Negative management strategy: Steve jobs have been known for strategy as fear. In apple from
top to bottom that is knowing failure under jobs is a severe getting off best. It is a negative
management strategy that is working in Apple only for one reason that it is one of the desirable
jobs in world based on hardware, software and designs.
Difference between management style of jobs and Tim cook:
Cook is working towards achievement of excellence by making stress more transparent and
promotion of teamwork in apple. Cook is calmer demeanour.
Whereas jobs was known for being passionate, leader and albeit abrasive who demanded high
amount of excellence and perfection.
Tim cooks leadership style: Tim cook has been using a bold visionary style where is is described
as thoughtful and charismatic for his employees (Connolly and Pyper, 2020). He has been
focussing more on employee relationship with fostering of business success.
Analyse specific strengths and weaknesses of the respective leaders in various situations
Managing change: In apple Steve jobs there has been management and leading of change by
working towards ground breaking innovations.
Strength: The main strength of steve jobs in this management of change as been the visionary
approach he ad towards various business functions.
Weakness: one of the weaknesses of Steve jobs is too much requirement for excellence that has
lead to creation of a negative leadership strategy for overall workforce n some instances.
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Managing complexity: Steve jobs have been working towards managing of complexity that is
focussing on charismatic and risk leaps to deal with business complexities.
Strength: Steve jobs have been working towards using of a “servant leader model” that was
popularized in year 1990. Jobs volatile approach has been perplexing for him as he is working
towards creation of skilled candidates in organisation (Mujtaba, 2019). Steve jobs back in year
2005 have been working on developing of a natural processing system to solve the complex
problem as part of series of smaller problems.
Weakness: In situation of managing of crisis and also in case of high complexity Steve jobs has
been using a very complex leadership style. He has insanely focussed on achievement of the
overall mission and vision states that has lead to creation of issues in terms of ignoring the
workforce requirements. Employees have been facing issues related to impatient, hypercritical
and stubborn behaviour of Steve jobs as a leader in dealing with such complex situations.
From above discussed approaches it can be said that Jobs as a leader and his destructive
behaviour that sparked peak performances in some instances. It helped in shaping the powerful
culture and unique way of managing various perspectives. Job has been intuitively understand
the power of cultural influence for sustain of strategic activities in his perpetual vision.
Different theories and models of approach by leaders.
Situation leadership: addition to the trait leadership style Steve jobs has also been part of
following situational leadership. This approach can be observed where jobs is involved in
delegating of responsibilities so that they are aware of the way work has to be down by them in
context of changing business requirements. Jobs have been working towards setting of trends and
foreseeing the requirement of changes that is creating of a symbolic image of public appeal.
System leadership: system leadership is regarded as basic set of capacities and skills that are
part of organisation and individual to enable catalyze and support overall system process &
change level. It is based on using of coalition building, collaborative leadership and system
insights to mobilize the process of innovation across decentralized network. The overall
leadership style of Steve jobs has been based on use of a autocratic style where he surrounded
himself with likeminded people. His creative awareness approach has been a driving force for
success of apple.
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PART 2
Identify two theoretical approaches
Scenario: in Apple the media reports depicted that there have been experiencing issues related to
customer orders. Apple has been dealing with issues of cracking because of wide camera lens
destined for lower end 5.4 inch & 6.1inch I phone 12 models. This problem has appeared
because of high temperatures and humidity scenario.
Total quality management approach: TQM approach can be used in apple as an aspect of
quality management.
Strength: Where there will be implementation of a system of reduction of wastage. There can be
a balance that will be created between efficiency and responsiveness by considering the TQM
principles.
Weakness: There are large amount of companywide commitment that is required for the purpose
of quality improvement that may lead to difficulty in achievement of commitment on part of
workforce.
Role of leadership in total quality management
In case of implementing techniques of total quality management that is backbone of any
organisation. In context of apple it forms the basis of customer’s trusts. Tim cook as leader will
be working towards creating a vision that can motivate their workforce to work towards
achievement of that vision and mission. For this the leader will be plating part to mutative their
workforce enough that they are able to contribute according to their full potential towards
achievement of such high quality measures.
Six sigma: it is a methodology that is providing organisation to work towards using of tools for
the purpose of improvement of capability of overall business process. It is very important for
enhancing the overall performance and further decreasing the possibility defects. In context of
Apple Steve jobs as a leader has focussed on use of six sigma. It is a principal approach for the
purpose of managing the functioning of organisation. Style has been willing to have different
aspects, such as in the digital world the process improvement has movers towards across
reduction of waste, reduction of inefficiency in the way information is handled, distributed
across employees in the virtual and physical world.
Managers have used visual interface to the preferred aspect of world. There is process
improvement to the project version, usage analytics. Crowd source is also a quality control
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technique that is used to deal with the disruptive mavericks and recreation of socl eco system in
apple.
Kaizen: Steve jobs focussed on aspects of kaizen that is thinking of supply chain terms for future
success of Apple. There is need of vertical integration that is necessary for description of the
process of way supply chain can be revolutionized. There has been elimination of time, energy
and materials in the way physical processes are being executed in apple. Kaizen is related with
making continuous improvement. In apple Steve jobs as leader of this organsuiation has focussed
on continuous improvement according to the required preferences of customers. It is methodical
process that is implemented in different functional areas of Apple. In apple Steve jobs as leader
ahs focussed on process promoted thinking that is directed towards people efforts. Rather than
focusing on employee as it emphasis on process as a target so that there can be improvement of
overall understand of the way there can be fit in the process and complete change in the way
functions are perceived. It is used presently by Tim cook to identify the problems and then trace
its root causes so that necessary solutions can be adopted.
Sales & Operations Planning: sales and operations planning is based on using of timely sales
predictions and then planning of future operations according to such made predictions. In Apple
in year 2019 there have been some of the major challenges that have been faced by this brand. It
includes trade uncertainty. It has been related to the changes taking place in china trade policy.
There was planning related to arrival of 5G that has lead to taking of competitive landscape of
smart phones (Hofmann and Vermunt, 2021). Further there have been predictions related to
Smartphone playing a diminished role as consumers are increasingly interacting with various
connected devices without influence of smart phones. This scenario laid to making of forecast
where there can be decline in preferences of smart phones on part of target market of apple. But
the vice versa situation actually happened as there has been no such decline and with launch of I
phone 12 there have been instances of stocking pout of product in apple.
Strength: Sales operations leads higher productivity and territory planning that may lead to
strategic sales coverage model that leads to smooth operations management in Apple.
Weakness: In case of Apple, there are instances of lack of executive ownership among sales
operations that may lead to no proper cross functional engagement in sales & operations
planning.
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Role of leadership in Sales & Operations Planning: In using of sales and operating as a
technique to deal with the shortcomings the leader assisting to establish a right rhythm of
coaching for the whole employees.
Time cook as a leader in Apple will be assisting the whole workforce to take higher risks by
making extremely decisions. There is also need to understand the possibility of failure with the
success (Lorinkova and Bartol, 2020). Tim cook is focussing on development of trust and high
amount of diversity that can assist for likeminded people to create a future with proper refining
of skills of their whole workforce.
Identify potential factors in the business environment at Apple that may impact on the realistic
possibility of carrying out your recommended approaches.
leadership/stakeholder relationships: it is one such aspect that will be plating a very crucial part
in the process of implementation of the above mentioned approaches. Such as, in apple it is
going to assist in the process of managing relationship with stakeholders such as employees and
government.
Competing interest: competing interest is regarded is a situation where leaders may be
influenced by the presence of financial or personal relationship with other people in a
organisation. This might occur when Tim cook as a leader may experience a conflict between
organisation and his personal interest (Bolden, Gulati and Edwards, 2019). So, in such
circumstances the challenge as a leader is to work towards synchronisation of the individual
objectives with the vision of organisation so that there can be no conflict of interest that can take
place.
Sources of conflict: in relation with adoption of some techniques in business functioning that
includes total quality management as an approach or sales and operating functioning there are
instances where the leader may face issues related with high amount of conflicts. Such as there
can be situations when using of participative leadership style may lead to high amount of
differences in opinion (Heslin and Keating, 2017). In this type of instances, the ultimate
leadership challenge is to engage all relevant stakeholders in the objective of coalition of a
responsible change. Generally Tim cook as a leader in apple is working towards creation of a
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social network of shareholders and employees who are connected through a common objective
that is laid mission & vision of the organisation.
Analyse how those factors might impact on the decisions managers/leaders
Impact of decision on managers and leaders: In context of implementation of above mentioned
approaches leaders that are Tim cook in context of apple will be working towards focussing on
responsible leadership. Where Tim cook as a leader in apple has to work towards fulfilment of
responsibility towards their stakeholders that includes government, society, customers and
employees.
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Conclusion
It can be concluded from above mentioned aspects that there are different instances in a
organization that are influence by the way leaders and managers are dealing with such situations.
Different leadership’s styles are used according to prevailing situations there is need to make
timely analysis of the external and internal environment so that challenges can be indentified and
further there can be creation of measures to deal with these instances.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journal
Hassi, A., 2019. Empowering leadership and management innovation in the hospitality industry
context. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
Bush, T., Bell, L. and Middlewood, D. eds., 2019. Principles of educational leadership &
management. Sage.
Bhanot, R., 2018. Improving leadership and management education in medical school. Advances
in medical education and practice, 9, pp.305-306.
Connolly, J. and Pyper, R., 2020. The leadership and management of public services reform in
Scotland. In The Oxford Handbook of Scottish Politics. Oxford University Press.
Mujtaba, B.G., 2019. Leadership and Management Philosophy of “Guzaara” or Cooperating to
“Get Along” in South Asia’s Afghanistan.
Heslin, P.A. and Keating, L.A., 2017. In learning mode? The role of mindsets in derailing and
enabling experiential leadership development. The Leadership Quarterly, 28(3), pp.367-
384.
Bolden, R., Gulati, A. and Edwards, G., 2019. Mobilizing change in public services: insights
from a systems leadership development intervention. International Journal of Public
Administration.
Lorinkova, N.M. and Bartol, K.M., 2020. Shared leadership development and team performance:
A new look at the dynamics of shared leadership. Personnel Psychology.
Hofmann, R. and Vermunt, J.D., 2021. Professional learning, organisational change and clinical
leadership development outcomes. Medical Education, 55(2), pp.252-265.
online
Leadership skills and qualities of Steve Jobs, which everyone should learn from, 2020 [online],
available through<https://medium.com/@vishalnoel7/top-6-attributes-of-steve-jobs-that-make-
him-a-great-leader-1175eba08e0c >
Navigating Trade Uncertainty, 2021 [online], available through<
https://www.thestreet.com/technology/apple-biggest-challenges-14822208>
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