Role of Leadership in Strategic Management

STRATEGIC
LEADERSHIP

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Explain the meaning & importance of leadership ....................................................................3
1.2 Describe main approaches to the study of leadership ...............................................................5
1.3 Examine the role of leadership in strategic management..........................................................6
2.1 Compare the relationship between leaders of work groups & team..........................................7
2.2 Evaluate impact of leadership on groups & teams & on formal as well as informal................8
2.3 Analyse characteristics of effective work group and team .......................................................8
3.1 Assess the nature of organization effectiveness and performance. ...........................................9
3.2 Critically explore the main feature and requirements of leadership development..................10
3.3 Provide criteria for assessing an organizations strategic effectiveness from a leadership
perspective.....................................................................................................................................11
4.1 Examine the exercise of leadership power & influence..........................................................12
4.2 Explain importance of ethics, values & corporate social responsibilities in relevance with
organisation....................................................................................................................................13
4.3 Evaluate leadership and sustainability concepts and trends....................................................13
CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................16
Books & Journal:...........................................................................................................................16

INTRODUCTION
In organisation, business and competition is rising at rapid level due to which it is becoming
difficult to survive in market. Leadership is defined as changing or influencing other decisions or
getting work done from others. Virgin Group, which is multinational company headquartered in
UK. It provides ample numbers of products and services such as jewellery, music, retail, travel and
tourism etc. This report includes concept of leadership, approaches, role of leadership in strategic
management, difference between leaders of work groups& teams, influence of leadership on groups
& teams, formal & informal, characteristics of effective work group & team, nature of enterprise
effectiveness as well as performance, features and requirement of leadership development,
accessing strategic effectiveness in firm, leadership power and influence, importance of ethics &
values to firm value and leadership & sustainability concepts.
1.1 Explain the meaning & importance of leadership
Each and every entity requires manager and leaders in the management who manages and
maintains the structure, employees, functions and operation of business. In relation with Virgin
Group, Sir Richard Branson is a true leader who is also influencer and is role model of others.
Without leadership it is not possible to manage and staff and employees in enterprise (Shao,
2019)To use this process in proper manner firm uses different theories as well as concepts so that it
is used in appropriately and widely. Concept of leadership is wide and broader and requires abilities
and skills to lead the people in effective manner. In this various types of styles are used by leaders
which participative, achievement oriented, directive and supportive. Every individual and leader is
different from each other & possesses heterogeneous traits. It depends upon the managers as well as
leaders to choose suitable style which is applicable to everyone in team. (Rothaermel, 2016).
Contemporary leadership- It is type of approach in which leader influence society and
people to achieve goals and objectives in such a manner that change is done in community. Such
type of leader is friendly and act as role model for others. They do not control or monitor followers
on hourly basis like the leaders in organisation. In this, various approaches are involved such which
are mentioned below-
Transformational Leadership- These are the leaders who influence employee to achieve
the goals and task assigned to them as well as to achieve the organisational mission. In this,
personnel work for firm mission and vision rather than caring about what is suitable for their
growth.
Transactional Leadership- Such leader is one who uses reward and punishment as source
to get the work done by employee and personnel work for the exchange system that if they do the

work they will get something in return. This type of leadership is not so effective and motivates
subordinates only for short period of time. It is used when firm need to improve their productivity at
higher level and acquire larger market share growth.
Case Study
Sir Richard Branson, who is the owner of Virgin Group and is leader as well as influencer
for individual. He started the Virgin Group with motive of becoming entrepreneur. Organisation
deals in variety of products as well as services and is stated as diversified company. There many
competitors of the firm such TESCO, Sainsbury etc.
Background- Sir Richard Branson started his own company named as Virgin Group and
which has now become a multinational firm covering more than 60 companies all around the world.
This enterprise was established in 1970, by naming and starting first company Virgin Records.
Richard Branson is considered as born leader because in his childhood he started his own small firm
named as student magazine and sold which results in profits as well as revenues (Ma, 2018).
Strategic leadership- According to the Virgin Group, strategic leadership is defined as
acquiring of mission and vision by managers & leaders of firm by using effective strategies. In
relation with Virgin Group, they use strategic leadership so that more profit and larger market share
growth is acquired by organisation.
Approaches to the study of leadership- The chosen firm and leader Richard Branson
adopts the functional approach in which he states that leadership can be learned and developed to
any individual person has the ability to learn (Sharma, 2019).
Role of leader- Sir Richard Branson is a great leader and influencer who is always ready to
take the risk in business explore new opportunities. He has played important role in leadership
because with his ideas and thoughts Virgin Group is rising at wider scale.
Reviewing ethics values and CSR- Virgin Group also focuses on corporate social
responsibility as because it is essential for business to operate with ethics and morale. They are
doing CSR by producing and delivering low carbon services with easy to use and consume
methods.
1.2 Describe main approaches to the study of leadership
To understand the study and concept of leadership in proper manner it is important to
analyse and examine the approaches which helps leader to use the process in management properly.
There are various types of approaches in leadership which are discussed below-
Traits Approach- This states that every leader have different traits and characterises and