Organisational Theory and Practice: Evaluating Leadership Styles and Impact on Performance of British Airways

This project evaluates the leadership styles of the CEO of British Airways, the impact of the current culture and structure of the organisation on performance, entrepreneurial strategy and corporate governance policies for enhancing organisational effectiveness and performance, and the effect of power, influence and conflict resolution in managing change. It also discusses the motivational strategies undertaken by the CEO of British Airways.

Organisational Theory
and Practice

Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................4
Issues faced by British Airways...................................................................................................4
TASK A...........................................................................................................................................5
Evaluating the effectiveness of leadership styles undertaken by CEO of British Airways ........5
TASK B...........................................................................................................................................6
Assessing the current culture and structure of organisation in order to evaluate the impact of
CEO for achieving high performance..........................................................................................6
TASK C ..........................................................................................................................................8
Explanation of entrepreneurial strategy and corporate governance policies for enhancing
organisational effectiveness and performance ............................................................................8
TASK D...........................................................................................................................................8
Examining the effect of power, influence and conflict resolution in managing a change...........8
TASK E ...........................................................................................................................................9
Ascertaining varied types of motivational strategies undertaken by CEO of chosen
organisation .................................................................................................................................9
TASK F..........................................................................................................................................10
Appropriate corporate example and literature for justifying the research.................................10
TASK G.........................................................................................................................................11
Suggestions and recommendations for improving organisational performance........................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Organisational theory can be described as a sociology study of organisational operations
and structure in order to analyse employee productivity and their actions at the workplace
(Alcázar Cruz, 2020). It is imperative for organisational managers to evaluate organisation
theories which in turn helps them to having a problem-solving approach, maximize efficiency
level of employees and meet stakeholder's expectations. Its ascertainment is necessary for
establishments as it helps to understand the interdependency of varied forces in business
parlance. It majorly summarises the relationship between differential concepts such as
management styles, motivating theory, structure and culture of an organisation. In order to better
understand the varied concepts relates to organisational theory, British Airways is taken into
consideration. British Airways is an UK based airline company and is considered as a second
largest carrier in United Kingdom. It was established in 1919 and has its headquarters at London,
United Kingdom.
This project highlights the leadership styles undertaken by CEO of chosen organisation.
It also delves into interrelationship among organisational functions in order to accomplish higher
performance. This project also demonstrate the knowledge of motivational theories and their
influence on employees in organisational context. It also throws the light on the different models
that are need to be undertaken by organisational managers for analysing power, conflict and
group dynamics.
Issues faced by British Airways
British Airways are facing numerous issues due to hit of global pandemic. This has
decreased the revenue generation streams due to strict corona guidelines. It is facing conflicts
with UK government as well as their employees. Personnel of British Airways have described
their company culture as toxic as they have notifies 12000 redundancies form their establishment
(Leggett., 2020). they are also cutting the salaries of their cabin crew as it has very large staff
and they do not have enough funds for paying them as many of their flights got disrupted due to
global pandemic. Even government is not coming forward for their help leads to deterioration of
brand.

TASK A
Evaluating the effectiveness of leadership styles undertaken by CEO of British Airways
Leadership or managerial style can be described as characteristics or behaviours which
help in directing, inspiring and managing the workforce in an efficient manner (Banks, Woznyj
and Mansfield, 2021). For better understanding of managerial practices or styles adopted by
CEO, Sean Doyle in accordance with British Airways, Goleman leadership style is taken into
consideration.
Leadership styles which are defined by Goleman are basically framed on the principle of
emotional intelligence. It suggests that leaders should be able to understand the emotions of their
employees in order to influence them for achieving desired goals (Birken and Nilsen, 2018). His
leadership theory in relevance with British Airways are as follows: Affiliative leadership style- This leadership style is concerned with solving varied
conflicts and make harmony among them (Bok, 2020). Major objective of this
leadership style is to make feel employees valued and satisfied. Under this leadership
style, leaders tries to make positive relationship among team members and management.
This leadership style has been followed by Sean Doyle for providing their employees an
emotional support and prioritize their benefits. Democratic leadership style- Under this style, contributions of employees are praised
and they also have been asked by their superiors to participate in decision-making
process. Sean Doyle has implemented this leadership style in order to have assurance that
their employees are engaged in work and giving their full potential. Commanding leadership style- This leadership style suggests that superior or manager
only give order to complete the given task and employees have to do without making any
complaint or questions. This leadership style is adopted by Sean Doyle at the time of
covid pandemic as they have to transform their operations in an effective manner for
meeting the protocols framed by government. Pacesetting leadership style- Under this leadership style, managers provide enough scope
to their team members to perform accordingly and keep as check on their performance on
the basis of weekly, monthly or annual reports (Buys, 2021). This is closely concerned
with quality work and excellent results. This can be adopted by Sean Doyle while
working with a competent team with high level of abilities.

 Authoritative leadership style- This leadership style is concerned with providing
motivation to employees. Under this, leaders inspire and energize their followers by
setting an example of their expertise in front of them and expect the same from them.
This leadership style can be followed by Sean Doyle in order to bring any change and
wants its emergent acceptance.
 Coaching leadership style- This leadership style is used by organisational managers for
identifying the strengths and weaknesses of their employees in order to assign the
specified task to them (Cadigan, Hysmith and De Boeck, 2020). This leadership style is
used by Sean Doyle in ascertaining the weaknesses of their team members in order to
improve them for their betterment.
Sean Doyle is a natural leaders and has adopted a combination of varied leadership styles
according to different team members and circumstances. These leadership styles are effectively
adopted by him in order to accomplish organisational goals and objectives.
TASK B
Assessing the current culture and structure of organisation in order to evaluate the impact of
CEO for achieving high performance
Organisational structure can be understood as a system that helps in outlining several
activities which are directed in order to accomplish organisational goals (Cegarra-Navarro and
Wensley, 2019). These activities majorly includes assigned roles, responsibilities and rules of an
organisation. It also helps in determining the route for flow of information between differential
levels within an establishment. Varied types of organisational structures in context to British
Airways are as follows: Functional structure- Under this, establishments are bifurcated into specialised groups
having specified roles and responsibilities (Charbonneau, Bromberg and Henderson,
2020). Under this, company is divided among different departments such as marketing,
finance, human resources and many more. It is advantageous for organisation as each
employee is aware what is expected from him and it helps in improving their
performance. Divisional structure- Under this type of structure, varied teams work with each other in
order to accomplish common organisational goal. Each division or branch has their own

executives who operates their team members in an effective manner. It is advantageous as
it ensures more centralised leadership in organisation. Flatarchy- Under this type, no management levels are followed. It has only one manager
for all the employees. This type of structure is cost effective and also foster good
communication among employees.
 Matrix structure- Under this type of structure, employees are segregated into two groups
and have to report to different managers. It is advantageous for organisation as it helps in
fostering open communication between employees and management.
Organisational structure followed in British Airways is divisional structure whereby it
has deployed itself into two groups namely, management board and customer operation
executive. Responsibility of management board is to meet on a weekly basis and determine the
strategic direction for the organisation as a whole. Whereas, customer executives take care of
providing excellent services to their customers and address their feedbacks as well as complaints.
Major decisions are take by CEO, Sean Doyle which impact on employee performance.
Organisational culture can be described as a combination of values and expectations that
guides the behaviour of employees at workplace. For better understanding of organisational
culture, Handy's culture model is adopted. Elements of handy's culture model in relevance with
British Airways are as follows: Power- Here, power is remain in the hands of decision makers and only they can take
decisions without taking any suggestion from their employees. This is not followed at
British Airways as employees are asked to give their valuable suggestions for a number
of functions. Task – Under this type of culture, specialised teams are formed as per their common
interests and expertise in order to achieve organisational goals and objectives
(Gershenson, 2019). This type of cultural practice can be adopted as it is a large
organisation and through this technique, goals can be achieved effectively. Person- Here, managers give priority to their vested interests rather than paying attention
in accomplishing organisational goals and objectives. This culture is not followed at
British Airways as there organisational goals are given more priority.

 Role- Under this type, employee are delegated with job roles as per their specialisation
and expertise. This type of culture is followed at British Airways which helps in
improving employee's performance as they are doing work related to field of expertise.
TASK C
Explanation of entrepreneurial strategy and corporate governance policies for enhancing
organisational effectiveness and performance
Entrepreneurial strategy can be described as the means by which an establishment can
demonstrate its relationship with the privileged forces in external environment (Heyler and
Martin, 2018). From organisational context, it is helpful for companies as it provides a roadmap
determining the values and purpose for achieving organisational goals or objectives. CEO of
British Airways has defined strategic measures for the development of organisation which helps
in gaining effectiveness in processes.
Corporate governance refers to the system by which establishment are directed and
controlled in an effective manner. Effective application of corporate governance policies helps in
making the establishment more productive and efficient. It is also proved beneficial for securing
competitive advantage in market. Top management of British Airways follow varied corporate
governance policies for keeping their stakeholders satisfied. Corporate governance policies in
respect to British Airways are discussed below: Take care of hygiene aspects carefully- Managers have appointed professional cleaners
and staff for cleaning their flights and airports for their guests. As travellers are also
consider their stakeholders, they take effective care of them by providing them excellent
services and hygiene place. They use HEPA filters in order to remove microscopic
bacteria and virus clusters. They also took care of sanitising after every flight effectively.
 Compliance with guidelines- Managers of British Airways have taken every necessary
step to comply with guidelines framed due to covid pandemic. They have taken use of
sensors which aids them to maintain distance among people through efficient measures.
Even their baggage collection process maintain covid guidelines. These are disinfected
after unloading of luggage.

TASK D
Examining the effect of power, influence and conflict resolution in managing a change
Change management can be understood as a systematic approach which helps in dealing
with any transformation or change in an organisation (Jin, McDonald and Park, 2018). Change
management helps an establishment in implementing, controlling and managing people for
adaption of change. For better understanding of change management, Lewin model of change is
taken into consideration. Levels of Lewin change model in relevance with British Airways are as
follows: Unfreezing- It is important for individuals to unfreeze or forgot they have learned before
in order to accept any change. It is the tendency of employees to resist changes at its
initial level as they have to leave their comfort zone. Employees of British Airways are
also not in position to adapt abrupt changes that came in business operations due to
global lockdown. This also results in conflicts between management and employees
which in turn hamper their productivity level. Changing – It is the state whereby, individuals have forgot about their past experiences
and want to move forward. This is the state of change where they are accepting it and
adapting it. It is the time when people get fear of uncertainty and risks. During this phase,
behaviour, attitude and perceptions of employees changed as they are moving ahead to
adapt new change. In case of British Airways, employees will slowly become flexible
with their operations and began to work under covid protocols. For making this changer
management process effective, it is necessary for management to remind reasons of
change to employees. At this phase, power is shown to employees in order to make them
adapt the changes.
 Refreezing- At this phase, changed attitude, perceptions and behaviour came into the
stage of being solidifying. This step is significant for this process as this helped in not
moving to earlier stage of thinking and perceptions. At this phase, this change is
supported with positive rewards and recognition for the achievements made. In relevance
with British Airways, at this phase management tries to influence the employees to be
stick with the changes that are caused due to global pandemic.

TASK E
Ascertaining varied types of motivational strategies undertaken by CEO of chosen organisation
Motivation can be understood as a driving force which helps in stimulating employees for
perform better in an effective manner (King and Alkin, 2019). Managers analyse motivational
theories in order to use them for real time in order to inspire employees in an effective manner.
For better understanding of motivation strategies which are adopted by managers of British
Airways, Herzberg two factor theory taken into consideration.
Herzberg two factor theory can be described as an approach which states that there are
certain forces in the workplace that helps in providing job satisfaction while some others factors
that do not not satisfy employees. These factors in accordance with British Airways are as
follows: Hygiene factors are those which are necessary for providing motivation to employees.
This factors principally describes the environment or scenario of job. These factors are
significant for avoiding dissatisfaction in employees. They majorly consists of job
security, fringe benefits, interpersonal relations and working conditions. Managers at
British Airways provide competitive salary to their employees in order to retain them and
avoid switching their jobs. They also provide their employees a flexible working
environment which prioritizes their needs and desires. Employees are also provided with
fringe benefits like insurance for them and their family.
 Motivators- Herzberg argued that hygiene factors alone can not be regarded as
motivating force, there is a need for motivators that majorly comprises of high level of
needs of employees. These factors inspire employees for improving their performance
quality. These factors is beneficial for employees as these are physiological needs that
needs to be fulfilled while in an employability (Morgan, 2021). These factors includes
recognition, responsibility, growth and development opportunities etc. Managers of
British Airways motivates their employees through providing praise for their
achievements and ample opportunities for advancing their career. These aspects are
necessary for employees as this boost their morale as well as improvise their performance
and productivity. It is imperative for managers to analyse motivating factor of varied
employees in order to inspire them in an effective manner. It also helps them to improvise
their work quality as they know that their quality work is appreciated and praised.

TASK F
Appropriate corporate example and literature for justifying the research
British Airways has faced significant issues in last few years due to global pandemic as this has
hit the economy in a significant way. They have seen the challenge of failure of their information
technology which led to cancel many flights and cause great inconvenience to their travellers and
also hamper their image in market (Mornata and Cassar, 2018). Due to global lockdown, they
have to fire many employees which led them to shortage of skilled workforce. Their revenue
stream is also interrupted due to close down of their air routed because of corona pandemic.
They have also face issues regarding cyber attacks and flight cancellation on a huger basis.
TASK G
Suggestions and recommendations for improving organisational performance
It has been recommended to managers of British Airways to frame effective strategies in
order to improve their organisational performance. It has been advised to top management of
British Airways to engage their employees through proper measures. It is advisable that
termination of employees can not be a solution, this can only led to shortage of skilled workforce
(Upadhyay and Kumar, 2020). They have to follow all the guidelines framed by government in
order to create a positive image of them in front of public. In order to effectively analyse change
management, they have to motivate their employees through providing recognition and praise to
them on their achievement. It is desirable for them to build their organisational culture effective
for enhancing their performance and productivity at workplace.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has been concluded that organisational theory evaluates and
interlink varied organisational practices and processes in order to gain insights about differential
functions. Leadership styles are adopted by differential leaders as per the characteristics and
attributes of team members. Democratic leadership style is described as an approach whereby,
employees are given enough scope for speaking up their suggestions. Motivational theories are
used by organisational managers in inspiring their employees in order to increase their

productivity level. It is imperative for managers to identify motivating force of different
employees in order to frame strategies for encouraging employees to up scale their workings. It
is imperative for managers to frame and develop their strategies in accordance with employees
attributes for better understanding of change management.

REFERENCES
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Online:
Leggett T., 2020. British Airways: A breakdown in trust? [Online] Available through
<https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53023563>