Report on Leadership and Organisational Culture at British Airways

This report assesses how organizational culture impacts the success of British Airways. It explores various leadership theories and organizational culture models to understand effective communication and employee motivation. Primary research, involving a survey of 20 British Airways employees, complements secondary research to analyze the influence of leadership and organizational culture. The findings suggest that while British Airways has a strong organizational culture and leadership, there's room for enhancement to achieve even better results. The report covers topics such as Daniel Goleman's leadership styles, Edgar Schein's Model of Organization Culture, and presents recommendations for further improvement within the organization.

Organisational Behaviour
Group Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The current research report offers an evaluation and discussion of the ways in which
the culture of the firm influences the success and performance of the firm. The present study
has discussed varied theories along with the models in connection with the leadership as well
as organizational culture which assists in effective communication as well as inspiration for
the workers to work better. The influence of both the topics that leadership and organizational
culture on the success of the British Airways has been analysed through carrying out primary
and secondary study. The primary study was undertaken on the 20 workers of the company
with the help of survey through questionnaire method. Further, the findings of both the
studies suggested that the employees’ organizational culture and leadership at British
Airways is exceptional, however it needs to be enhanced for enhanced results.

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................1
TOPIC – 1 (LEADERSHIP)......................................................................................................1
Leadership..............................................................................................................................1
Daniel Goleman’s leadership styles.......................................................................................1
TOPIC – 2 (ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE).......................................................................2
Organizational culture............................................................................................................2
Edgar Schein Model of Organization Culture........................................................................2
PRIMARY RESEARCH, FIDINGS & DISCUSSIONS...........................................................3
Primary research by conducting survey.................................................................................3
Presentation of findings of the outcomes of survey...............................................................4
Discussion of the findings......................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................6
RECOMMENDATIONS...........................................................................................................6
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................8
APPENDIX................................................................................................................................9
Questionnaire..........................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
In order to accomplish the main aim and targets, almost every business corporation
takes into account their own culture. Similar to this, British Airways has also industrialized a
culture for the needs of the company and its workers which might influence the functioning
each and every one. One of the most integral sub-sections of a culture is making sure
effective communication among all the members of the firm. Further, in terms of the firm,
workers along with their conduct are majorly based on the leadership theories and culture
plus policies being set by the firm (Hartnell, Ou and Kinicki, 2017). Considering this, the
main present study will be going to elaborate varied theories and models concerning to
leadership and organizational culture which supports in operative interaction and enhancing
the performance of the workers. Moreover, the study will also focus on the influence of the
culture on the organizational success through carrying out investigation of academic
literatures and primary research.
TOPIC – 1 (LEADERSHIP)
Leadership
Focusing in relation with leadership, it is being defined as a capability of an
individual or group of people that impacts as well as provides direction to the followers or
any other member of the firm. It also consists of making sound and many a times taking
complex decisions and articulating a clear vision, setting an objective and offering followers
a right knowledge and approaches essential for attaining those objectives. Moreover,
leadership plays a vital role in the management function by helping in directing the resources
of the firm for improved effectiveness and the attainment of the objectives (Martin and Frost,
2016). Effective leaders are those which offer clarity of purpose, motivate the workers and
direct the firm to realize its final objectives.
Daniel Goleman’s leadership styles
Daniel Goleman who is a leading authority on emotional intelligence has determined
six effective leadership styles which can support the firm in attaining higher level of success
and growth and these are as follows:
 Commanding leadership style – In this type of leadership, the leaders have all the
control and make tight decisions. It follows the notion “Do it because I said so”. This
type of leadership is effective in case of teams which are low in skills.
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 Visionary leadership style – It is being referred as the leadership style in which the
leaders inspire and motivates his followers to pursue a long term vision. Such kind of
leaders helps in building communication, goal setting and communication. A leader
who is visionary can lose the short-term attention as all efforts are being emphasized
on long term vision (British Airways, 2022).
 Democratic leadership style – In this style, each and every team member has a
valuable voice which is being heard by the management of the firm. Workplaces in
such kind of leadership are more flexible and adaptive.
 Coaching leadership style – Such type of leadership style focuses on personal
development of the team members instead of just emphasizing on attainment of the
goals.
 Affiliative leadership style – This type of leadership is all about people as they desire
to develop culture that has a positive working environment for their team members.
They praise their followers and motivates them to work harder. For these leaders’
people are one the first place and task is on the second place.
 Pacesetting leadership style – This style follows the notion that “do it my way”. Such
type of leaders walks the walk and talk the talk on daily basis (Hogan and et.al, 2018).
A leader set good example for the team and have high standards for the work being
produced.
TOPIC – 2 (ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE)
Organizational culture
Speaking in volume in relation with culture, it is defined as set of ethics, social
conduct and the moral values in the community. It is quite complex in nature because all the
workers are from different cultural backgrounds and therefore, they have different
viewpoints, beliefs and value systems. With the support of the organizational culture, a
common belief is shared through all the members. The culture of the firm is very crucial as
by this, members of the firm communicate with each other effectively and fosters a learning
environment. In addition to this, the culture of the company also assists in creation of a
tradition for the employees which they need to comply for better operations. therefore, it can
be attributed that the culture of the organization is quite crucial as it can make the alteration
and leads the company towards the path of growth as well as success (Martin and Frost,
2016).
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Edgar Schein Model of Organization Culture
As per Edgar Schein, the basic assumptions help in shaping the values and the values
again shapes the practices along with conduct. As per this model, the culture is not adopted
by the organization in a single day rather it is fashioned over a period of time since the
workers goes through different alteration, familiarize to the external environment and solving
issues. Further, the employees gain from previous experience and initiate practicing it all day
and therefore, developing a culture of the workplace. There are three levels in an
organizational culture according to the Edgar Schein Model and these are:
 Artifacts – This is the very first level, which includes the features of the firm that can
be viewed and see easily such as furniture, dress code of the workers, behaviour of the
employees, facilities, mission and vision of the firm and so forth. They also help in
deciding the culture of the company (Burke, 2018).
 Values – This is another level as per this model which establishes the culture of the
firm. The individual values in the firm plays a crucial role in making decision about
the culture. The thought process, attitude and their beliefs impact the workplace
culture.
 Basic assumptions – This is the last level which cannot be measured however can
make a variation to the organizational culture. Some facts and beliefs are hidden can
impact the culture of the firm. It is a pattern of basic assumptions that grow among the
workers of a social group and makes the core of the culture in the company (Posner
and Kouzes, 2019).
PRIMARY RESEARCH, FIDINGS & DISCUSSIONS
Primary research by conducting survey
The primary research study is being undertaken in the present research work through
conducting the survey of the respondents who are the workers of the British Airways being
employed at different departments. A survey of 20 workers is being carried out with the
support of questionnaire which involved closed ended questions. A sample is selected
through adopting simple random sampling method where each and every population has an
equal chance of getting selected in the survey (Mills, 2017). The questions were asked for
acquiring knowledge and comprehension about the culture of the firm, leadership styles being
adopted by the leaders and communication approaches being used by the company. In
addition to this, the accumulated data from the primary study was being evaluated by
considering qualitative analysis technique in which thematic analysis tool was selected. In
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this method, common themes along with patterns from the gathered data was being made and
presented for enhanced comprehension and analysis of the outcomes.
Presentation of findings of the outcomes of survey
Theme – 1: Optimistic value system at the British Airways
Interpretation
When the participants being involved in the primary research study were being asked
in regards with whether the British Airways is having an optimistic value system or not than
it was revealed that around 14 out of 20 respondents were of the view that yes, the
organizations consider the optimistic value system in their culture and values and most of the
employees are contended with the same. on the other hand, there were 3 respondents that
stated that they not contended with the values and beliefs system of the firm as it is not
optimistic completely. Finally, the remaining 3 respondents answered that the the culture of
the British Airways is not cordial and employees does not support each other. Because of this
the productivity of the company is decreasing.
Theme – 2: Chance of participating in crucial decision-making process
Interpretation
At times when the participants being involved in the primary research were enquired
in relation with whether they get a chance of participating in crucial decision-making process
at their company than 9 out of 20 were of the view that the company along with the leaders at
the British Airways offers them chance to involve and contribute their inputs in crucial
decision-making process of the firm. They further stated that the workers are quite satisfied
with the manners in which the firm is providing them respect, dignity and value. However, on
the other hand there were 6 participants who answered that they are neutral with their
responses and has added that they are contended and little bit not happy with the culture of
the company. The other 5 participants stated that the British Airways does not provide them
chance to get involve in crucial decision-making process and are not been valued as well.
Theme – 3: Democratic and coaching leadership style is adopted by the leaders at
British Airways
Interpretation
When the workers were asked about the type of leadership style being adopted by the
leader in their company than the responses being received were quite mixed. 8 out of 20
participants were of the view that the leaders at the company follows democratic leadership.
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They further stated that at British Airways each and every team member has a valuable voice
which is being heard by the management of the firm. Workplace in such kind of leadership is
more flexible and adaptive. On the other hand, the other 8 participants were of the view that
the leader of the company follows coaching style of leadership in which the leader generally
focuses on personal development of the team members instead of just emphasizing on
attainment of the goals. However, the remaining 4 out of 20 stated that the leaders are not
supportive and does not provide effective direction for completing a specified project or goal
and thus, for them the leader at the company is commanding.
Theme – 4: Employees are satisfied with the leadership style being adopted by the
leaders at British Airways
Interpretation
This theme is related with the satisfaction level of the workers with the leadership
style being adopted by the leader at British Airways. When the primary research survey
inquired the respondents about their satisfaction level than around 15 out of 20 were of the
view that they are highly satisfied with the styles of leadership being adopted by the leaders.
They have further mentioned that with the support of the leaders they are in a position to
contribute positively towards the attainment of the firm’s goals. On the other hand, the
remaining 5 out of 20 participants were of the view that they are not satisfied with the
leadership styles being used by the leaders. This is because of the fact that they are very
commanding and for them task comes first instead of their people. They even mentioned that
the leaders are not even flexible.
Theme – 5: British Airways is the right place to work
Interpretation
When the participants were asked about whether the British Airways, is the right
place to work than to this question, a mixed reaction were being obtained. It was originated
that around 14 participants thinks that the organizational culture along with the leadership
styles of the company are quite effective in developing a positive workplace and because of
this they are contended with the workplace and its system. They view that it is the right firm
to work with. On the other hand, 4 participants stated that they are not contended with the
organisational culture and thus think that British Airways is not a good company to work at.
However, 2 out of 20 participants were neutral in their answers and were not sure whether it
is a right or a bad firm to work with.
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Discussion of the findings
From the evaluating being conducted above, it can be said that the organizational
culture of British Airways in optimistic and cordial. The leaders at the company mostly
considers democratic and coaching leaderships style, which is being regarded as one of the
most significant styles for motivating workers towards higher work performance. Other than
this, it has also been originated from the analysis that the organizations consider the
optimistic value system in their culture and values and most of the employees are contended
with the same. The organizational culture being followed by the company is very positive and
supportive than helps in the growth of the workers along with the company effectively. The
findings from the secondary research also overlaps with the results of the primary study that
the employees are encouraged for higher work performance if the leaders are democratic and
organizational culture is optimistic (Gabriel, 2015). Besides, it has also been found out that
the British Airways right place to work due to the fact that majority of the employees are
contended with the organizational culture and leadership styles being practiced by the
leaders. Further, the findings also suggested that the employees’ organizational culture and
leadership at British Airways is exceptional, however it needs to be enhanced for enhanced
results.
CONCLUSION
Therefore, from the evaluation being done above it is concluded that almost every
facet of the company be it may be leadership or organizational culture, they are excellent.
The most important features of the firm being determined in the analysis was culture and the
conduct. With the better and enhanced culture, the employees can better be inspired and
encouraged for enhanced work performance. In addition to this, it has also been explored that
the firm is created and evolved with the help of its people and as far as the British Airways is
concerned, the firm takes into account people-oriented culture, where people are given more
emphasis and then comes the task. The leadership styles being adopted by the leaders at the
company are very effective in making the workers feel motivated and inspired. They also
involve the workers in the crucial decision-making process which makes them sense a feeling
of belonginess. This overall supports in enhancing the performance of the employees which
in turn leads to higher level of success, growth and prosperity for the firm.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
In order to make enhancement in the current culture of the association it is profoundly
recommended to the organization to exhibit to the laborers that they are exceptionally
important for the firm and are being esteemed by them. British Airways can show this by
welcoming them to share their contemplations at the hour of culture conversation and
activities. Likewise, it is additionally vital that the company ought to do occasional reviews
of their way of life for instance, yearly. Along with this, laborers additionally feel spurred and
supported when they are being offered adaptability and support from their leaders (Hersey,
Blanchard and Johnson, 2017). Also, captivating, enabling, improvement in direction and on
boarding, instructing, perceiving and laying out open lines of correspondence are a portion of
the procedures and approaches which can be embraced by the organization for upgrading
their authoritative culture and level of inspiration of the representatives.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Boon-Seng, T., 2019. In Search of the Link Between Organizational Culture and
Performance: A Review from the Conclusion Validity Perspective. Leadership &
Organization Development. 40(3). pp.356–368.
Burke, W.W., 2018. Organizational Change: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA:
SAGE.
Gabriel, K., 2015. Organizational Development, Organizational Culture, and
Organizational Change. SSRN Electronic Journal.
Hartnell, C.A., Ou, A.Y. and Kinicki, A., 2017. Organizational culture and organizational
effectiveness: a meta-analytic investigation of the competing values framework’s
theoretical suppositions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(4), p.677.
Hersey, P., Blanchard, K. and Johnson, D., 2017. Management of organizational behaviour.
New Delhi: Pearson India Education Services.
Hogan, R., Curphy, G., Kaiser, R.B. and Chamorro-Premuzic, T., 2018. Leadership in
organizations. Sage Reference.
Martin, J. and Frost, P., 2016. The organizational culture war games. Sociology of
organizations: Structures and relationships, 315.
Mills, A.J., 2017. The Gendering of Organizational Culture: Social and Organizational
Discourses in the Making of British Airways☆", Mills, A.J. (Ed.) Insights and
Research on the Study of Gender and Intersectionality in International Airline Cultures,
Emerald Publishing Limited.
Posner, R. and Kouzes, A., 2019. leadership the challenge. San Francisco: Jossey bass.
Online references
British Airways. 2022. [Online]. Available through: < www.ba.co.uk>. [Accessed on 18th
May 2022].
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APPENDIX
Questionnaire
Q1. Is British Airways is having an optimistic value system?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Q2. Whether employees get the chance of participating in crucial decision-making process at
your company?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Q.3 Which leadership style is being followed by the leader at your company?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Q.4 Are you satisfied with the leadership style being adopted by the leader at British
Airways?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Q5. As per your opinion, do you believe that British Airways is the right place to work?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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