Question & Answer: Leadership and Management

This document provides answers to questions about leadership and management, including discussions on personality strengths and weaknesses, managing stress, cross-cultural communication, employee motivation, and influencing senior management.

Running Head: QUESTION & ANSWER 0
Leadership and Management

QUESTION & ANSWER 1
Question 1: Your application indicated that you participated in personality training as a part
of your MBA degree. Based on the results of your personality test, what do you think are the
advantages and disadvantages of your personality type in relation to effectively leading and
managing and what are you doing to overcome the potential disadvantages?
From the personality test, I have come across the several strength and weaknesses. Etiquettes
is the first strength founded in my personality test. I have always professional etiquette such
as proper dressing as well as preparing adequately for the presentations and discussions,
asking good questions, listening carefully as well as keeping eye contact during the
conversation. I have also founded that I am always the all rounded in every activity. I always
ensure the meaningful interact with my fellow mates and every person I met. However, I do
not have proper confidence in my speaking skill. In this well, lack of confidence is seen in
my weakness that is essential to improve in order to get better results. Although I
communication easily at the time of interaction but when more members come for the
communication, I hesitate. Therefore, communication skills in the gathering are one of the
weaknesses in my personality test (Deming, 2017). Tie management is also one such thing
that is founded effectively in my personality test. For example- I always dedicate myself
toward every work and complete it on time. I never negotiate with the deadline as it is my
responsibility to complete the work on time. This skill has also helped me many times. In
order to improve the communication skills, I will start participating in seminars and represent
myself on stage. It is true that stage presence in definitely help in improving my voice,
gestures, voice modulation, and improvement (Shipton, Sparrow, Budhwar & Brown, 2017).
Question 2: This is a high-pressure organization and we must overcome obstacles and
setbacks to achieve results. Often, this means that members of senior management might take
a demanding and confrontational approach. Given these circumstances, how would you
manage any negativity, not be overwhelmed by stress and remain resilient?
It is true the senior level management take the demanding approach. Therefore, I will always
cope up with the stress and become resilient. I will develop the right attitude in every
situation that I come across. Therefore, it is quite essential to develop the positive self-talk in
order to become more resilient. It is also required to remind always that the person is strong
and can grow stronger. In addition to this, I will also use the emotional awareness that is the
essential part of resilience. I will always try my best to research regarding how to meet the

QUESTION & ANSWER 2
challenges that I come across every day. This will help in exploring the inner world
(Ramdhani, Ramdhani & Ainissyifa, 2017). In addition to this, development of internal locus
of control will help in huge way. in addition to this, cultivating optimism is the great way to
cope up with the stress and be resilient. It is the way of viewing the world by maximising the
accomplishments and strengths. Therefore, development of more optimistic worldview will
assist the person in becoming more resilient. In addition to this, social support helps in
greater way to stay happier and healthier throughout the life and cope up with the stress
(Cohen, 2017).
Development of supportive network of friend helps in greater way to being resilient.
Therefore, rather than stepping back from these kind of situation, it is better to maintain the
sense of humour. Several coping strategies will also be used in order to cope up with the
stress such as exercise. It will help the individual in maintaining the effort for long term.
Question 3: As you know, we are a multinational enterprise and whilst the diversity of our
employees is a huge advantage we sometimes experience cross-cultural communication
breakdowns. What would you do to ensure that there is clear and open communication
between your team members operating in different countries across multiple cultures?
It is true that modern business world and internet has opened the new marketplaces that allow
the business to grow in new culture and geographical areas. However, the difference in
culture of people, communication is the biggest challenge. Therefore, adoption of effective
communication strategy begins by understanding the message of sender as well as receiver
because both are from the different backgrounds as well as cultures. Besides this,
organisation can also make the people realise that the basic understanding regarding the
cultural diversity is essential for the effective cross cultural communication. It is also
significant to teach the basics regarding other countries culture. Training will also prove to be
the most effective mean to ensure the communication among other countries people. This will
also help in increasing the understanding and knowledge of other countries (Maruping &
Magni, 2015). It also requires the ability to see the person’s own reaction as well as
behaviour that is often culturally driven. Organisation can also plan the different holidays in

QUESTION & ANSWER 3
order to ensure the group discussion with each countries employee. It will also create the
respect among all the members.
Question 4: We have been struggling to motivate a group of employees who work in our
Research and Innovation Unit, even though we recently gave them a 12% salary increase!
What would you do to improve their motivation, and why would you take that approach?
It is significant that several other things other than money motivate employees. Leadership is
one the element to motivate employees at workplace. Supportive leaders work closely with
the employees. Employees also motivates when they know that leaders are also providing
them good support at the workplace. This will also influence the employees to work with
more interest in the organisation. In addition to this, empowering of individual person also
proved to be successful in motivating the employees in organisation. Among all these things,
employees always want to work in a positive working environment. When the environment
will be positive, employees will also give their best. Therefore, creating a productive and
happy workplace encourage the employees to share the knowledge and information. In
addition to this, employees should also allowed to admit their mistakes so that they can bring
the challenging and new assignments to take them out from the zone of comfort (Temminck,
Mearns & Fruhen, 2015).
However, encouraging teamwork also helps in a great way to motivate the employees at
workplace. This also helps in keeping the people responsiveness as well as focused on the
work. By ensuring teamwork, employees also learn to trust on each other as well as start
feeling comfortable with all the people. Therefore, healthy competition tends to motivate the
employees in the organisation besides salary. Recognition and reward also helps in bringing
the motivation among employees. This also helps in reminding employees that they are being
appreciated. It is true that motivation is directly linked with the job satisfaction. Therefore, it
is essential to eliminate the dissatisfaction such as uncertainty about the future, excessive
paperwork and intrusive paperwork.
Question 5: We believe effective communication is essential in order to influence others in a
positive way. Could you explain how you would influence someone in a more senior role that
your ideas are highly valuable to the organisation?
It is true that presenting the ideas to upper management is the responsibility of person who
has innovative ideas. In many ways, influencing the senior management is equal to selling the

QUESTION & ANSWER 4
product or services to the customers. Therefore, in order to present the innovative idea to the
senior management, it should either write an email for meeting. Therefore, the mail should be
started with gratitude so that senior management should consider the message. It can include
the subject clearly so that things will be made clear. It can present the idea by explaining the
impact of changes on the overall corporation. In addition to this, presenting the realistic cost
benefit analysis of the ideas will help in presenting the idea to the senior management
(Birkner & Máhr, 2016).
It is true that every senior management follow the different communication style. Therefore,
it is essential to find the effective communication style that is persuasive. At the time of
presenting idea, it is significant to bring the confidence. If the person will not speak the idea
with confidence, it is true that senior management will not going to consider it properly.
Therefore, confidence is the key to encourage the senior level management.
Question 6: Innovation seems to be everyone’s buzz word, including ours, but I think we
could be doing better in this area. What do you think might be holding us back? And how
would you improve creativity and innovation in your team?
It is true that innovation plays an essential role in the organisation in order to brought
success. Using several ways, it is possible to brought innovation among the team members.
The first way to brought confidence is to ley the employees know that they are open for
bringing innovation. Forward planning can ensure the creativity in the teamwork. Adoption
of flexible working environment is essential in order to promote the innovation among team
members. It is also found that the “cross functional working” also enhanced the productivity,
brought the better and effective team cohesion and results in bringing the brand nearer to the
customers. It is also essential to create the clear company vision in regard to innovation
(Quirke, 2017). In recent time, it is also necessary to give the staff time in order to work on
the ideas. Innovation also requires time. Therefore, most of the growing companies are
providing the extra time to employees away from the daily difficulties in order to work on
the projects of their own likings. Most of the companies also hold the days for innovation that
held the sessions while some of the companies give the staff a certain amount of time to work
on the projects. For example Google also allocates the 20 per cent of the time for their
workers in order to develop the own ideas for the companies, intrapreneurial projects and
personal work. In addition to this, software company of Australia encourage the employees to
take FedEX days that is paid days off to work on any of the problem according to them. In

QUESTION & ANSWER 5
addition to this, company can also ensure the brain storm where group of employees can
bring in one room (Zhan, Tan, Ji, Chung & Tseng, 2017).
In addition to above ideas, it is also operative to implement certain of the ideas that
employees come up with. In order to innovate, companies can also ensure the culture that will
support the new ways of doing business as well as new ideas. Besides this, it is also
significant to encourage the culture of regular improvement through empowerment.
Considering the monetary efforts, the best and effective way to retain the employees working
toward success as well as trying hard is the reward effort. Several companies also think that
satisfying employees means the big bonuses but recognition for the job can be done well in
all sizes and shapes (Cohendet & Simon, 2017). Therefore, employees can also be rewarded
with the flexible working hours in order to develop the ideas and work on the innovative
projects. Employees can also go in the meeting thinking regarding how they can innovate.
This will help in bringing the creative ideas on the part of employees. It is found that if
employees will be worried about they might lose the job, then they will never take the risk to
develop the offering or ideas. However, it is essential to teach the employees that innovation
is not about failure but more about the trial. For example- Google is known for YouTube and
not for the Google Video Player. The same thing goes with the idea generation. Therefore,
employees are not required to worried regarding what their managers will say.

QUESTION & ANSWER 6
References
Birkner, Z., & Máhr, T. (2016) Interpreting innovation–in another way. Vezetéstudomány-
Budapest Management Review, 47(10), pp. 39-50.
Cohen, E. (2017) Employee training and development. In CSR for HR (pp. 153-162). United
Kingdom: Routledge.
Cohendet, P., & Simon, L. (2017) Concepts and models of innovation. The Elgar Companion
to Innovation and Knowledge Creation, Cheltenham, Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar
Publishing, pp. 33-55.
Copenhaver, K., & Pritchard, L. (2017) Digital badges for staff training: Motivate employees
to learn with micro-credentials. Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, 29(4), pp.
245-254.
Deming, D.J. (2017) The growing importance of social skills in the labor market. The
Quarterly Journal of Economics, 132(4), pp.1593-1640.
Maruping, L. M., & Magni, M. (2015) Motivating employees to explore collaboration
technology in team contexts. Mis Quarterly, 39(1).
Quirke, B. (2017) Making the connections: using internal communication to turn strategy
into action. United Kingdom: Routledge.
Ramdhani, A., Ramdhani, M. A., & Ainissyifa, H. (2017). Conceptual Framework of
Corporate Culture Influenced on Employees Commitment to Organization. International
Business Management, 11(3), 826-830.
Shipton, H., Sparrow, P., Budhwar, P., & Brown, A. (2017) HRM and innovation: looking
across levels. Human Resource Management Journal, 27(2), pp. 246-263.
Temminck, E., Mearns, K., & Fruhen, L. (2015) Motivating employees towards sustainable
behaviour. Business Strategy and the Environment, 24(6), pp. 402-412.

QUESTION & ANSWER 7
Ting-Toomey, S., & Dorjee, T. (2018) Communicating across cultures. Guilford
Publications.
Zhan, Y., Tan, K. H., Ji, G., Chung, L., & Tseng, M. (2017) A big data framework for
facilitating product innovation processes. Business Process Management Journal, 23(3), pp.
518-536.