Leadership and Management Analysis: British Airways Report

This report provides an analysis of leadership and management principles, focusing on the context of British Airways. It explores key leadership skills, different leadership styles such as autocratic, democratic, and transformational, and their application in various situations. The report also examines the differences between leadership and management, highlighting the importance of both for organizational success. Furthermore, it discusses ways to motivate staff, including incentives, rewards, and recognition. The analysis draws upon academic literature and research to provide a comprehensive understanding of leadership and its impact on organizational outcomes, specifically within the airline industry. The report concludes with a discussion of the importance of leadership in the context of British Airways and its operations.

Working with and
Leading People
TASK 2

British Airways
• The company was founded in
1974.
• One of the largest airline
company in UK according to
fleet size.
• Has large scale operations in
different regions and sectors.

2.1 Skills and attributes needed for leadership
• Leadership is the most important attribute which is responsible
for successful functioning of a company.
• Following skills and attributes are important for effective
leadership:
• Innovation
• Vision

Continued...
• Quick decision making
• Problem solving skills
• Communication skills
• Confidence

2.2 Difference between leadership and management
• Leadership and management are two different aspects but
equally important for an organisation.
• The leaders have followers while managers have subordinates.
• Leadership is much more collaborative while management is
more instructive.
• British Airways has to have both of them at different levels for
sustaining competition.

Continued...
• Leadership has a vision and purpose for functioning while
management involves follow up of instructions and works to
meet daily goals and objectives.
• Management helps in arranging the day to day activities while
leadership is to look after the complete operations of the
company.

2.3 Leadership styles in different situations
• The different types of leadership styles are as follows:
• Autocratic
• Bureaucratic
• Democratic
• Transformational
• Transactional

Continued...
• In a situation when quick decisions have to be taken without
considering any sort of suggestions or ideas from the
employees then autocratic leadership style is dominant.
• However, democratic leadership styles are more effective
when large amount of participation is involved.
• Transactional leadership is completely based on the vision and
aim of the leader.

2.4 Ways to motivate staff
• Staff motivation is an important aspect which helps in
improving the productivity and efficiency of the organisation.
• The leaders and human resource management has to make
efforts for applying strategies that help in building employee
motivation.
• Several ways have been depicted as follows:

Continued...
• Incentives and rewards for extra efforts made by the airline
crew can be a technique for increasing motivation and
boosting morale of employees.
• Appreciation when provided by the leader whenever a staff
member has achieved a target is also a way of improving staff
motivation.

References
• Books and Journals
• Jiang, K., Lepak, D. P., Hu, J. and Baer, J. C., 2012. How does
human resource management influence organizational outcomes? A
meta-analytic investigation of mediating mechanisms. Academy of
management Journal. 55(6). pp.1264-1294.
• Kaushal, Gr., 2010. Case Study Solutions - Human Resource
Development. Macmillan.
• Kehoe, R. R. and Wright, P. M., 2013. The impact of high-
performance human resource practices on employees’ attitudes and
behaviors. Journal of Management. 39(2). pp.366-391.