ICL Graduate Business School: Leadership and Management Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of leadership and management principles within the context of a job search hub for ICL Graduate Business School students. The report is divided into three parts: Part A addresses five key questions related to leadership and management, specifically focusing on team leadership characteristics, the application of human resource and operations principles, and the most effective leadership style. Part B analyzes challenges from an analytical and problem-solving perspective. Part C presents a communication strategy through an email to the manager and employee agent, addressing current issues and proposing solutions. The report explores the effective utilization of organizational resources like technology, physical resources, human resources, time, and financial resources, and also examines the critical elements of communication, cooperation, and collaboration in team leadership. This report provides valuable insights into leadership styles, resource management, and effective team dynamics within a business environment.

Running head: LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
Leadership and Management
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Executive Summary:
The report gives an insight into management and leadership of a team leader of job search hub
for ICL Graduate Business School students. The report has three parts. Part A deals with five
questions revolving around leadership and management from the perspective of the job search
hub of the ICL students, Part B discusses about the challenges faced by the student from the
analytical and problem solving perspective. Part C is an email to the manager and the employee
agent concerning the current issues and their solution.

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Table of Contents
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................5
Part A...............................................................................................................................................5
Answer to Question 1...................................................................................................................5
Answer to Question 2...................................................................................................................6
Answer to Question 3...................................................................................................................7
Answer to Question 4...................................................................................................................8
1. Technology:..........................................................................................................................9
2. Physical Resources..............................................................................................................9
3. Human Resource................................................................................................................10
4. Time....................................................................................................................................10
5. Financial Resources............................................................................................................10
Answer to Question 5.1..............................................................................................................11
Answer to Question 5.2..............................................................................................................12
References:....................................................................................................................................17

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Task 1
Part A
Answer to Question 1
The four key characteristics of team leader include (Bradley et al., 2013):
 Being able to leverage power and influence over the team
 Have higher tolerance of stress
 Have stronger grip on reality
 Making use of curiosity to learn constantly
Through leveraging their power and influence, the team leader will be able to ensure not
only a successful practicum experience but also work placement for the students as a part of the
activities of the ICL job search business for the students (icl.ac.nz, 2018). The higher tolerance
level of stress helps the team leader in gaining progressive responsibility around people. This
particular characteristic when applied to the business activities related to the job search hub helps
the present and the alumni students in feeling secured, safe and valued during especially in the
activities surrounding the job search. Team leaders having a strong grip over reality create
healthy and motivated students, as they remain assured that there exist an in-house centre for
placement that would effectively guide them in the job search in the chosen area of the study.
Curious team leaders enable the team in learning constantly and performing better. The team
leader can use this characteristic in the job search business to provide necessary assistance for

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full time and part assistance to the students along with ensuring that they learn necessary skills
like resume writing, grooming, and opportunity building.
Answer to Question 2
The knowledge of principles and the practice of human resource and operations find
application for the enhancement of the efficiency and the effectiveness of the ICL job search hub
in the following manner:
1. To ensure effectiveness of the ICL business the human resource and the top leaders
should set clear vision and expectation for a project. There are three related elements in this
regard (Armstrong & Taylor 2014). The first includes the creation of the clear vision for future
facility that not only describes the purpose for the creation of the job search hub and the means
that aligns it with the larger vision and mission of ICL Graduate Business School. The second
focuses on the development of guiding principles that helps in translating vision into specific
operational and strategic objectives. The third implies establishment of performance target for
futuristic facilities.
2. Identify opportunities of improvement by accessing current operations of the ICL job
search business. Gaps existing between industry benchmarks and current performance should
have documentation for the scope of improvement. A critical aspect in this regard represents
thorough understanding of the cost structure of the organization. This will enable the operations
manager and the human resource in pinpointing the opportunities for improvement in context of
industry benchmark, establish targets for performance improvements and project accurately the
influence of future service on the cost of operation (Hill, Jones & Schilling, 2014).

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3. Adopt operations driven and structured facilities for the planning process. This
involves defining the key concepts of operation of the ICL job search business, establishing the
plan of performance for the functional area, designing of critical process within major function
and identification of the critical enablers of the business (Hrebiniak, 2013).
4. To ensure broader ownership and participation of the process of planning for entailing
promotion and establishment an ownership sense amongst the vital internal and the external
stakeholder of the business. This involves creation of a structured plan for communication,
involvement of staff in the external benchmarking for identification of best practices for the
business, usage of technology for communication, conduction of forums for the students
(Mahadevan, 2015).
Answer to Question 3
The most effective leadership style used for leading a team and implementation of
business activities is the transformational leadership style (Onorato, 2013). Here the leaders take
the responsibility of motivating the employees and thereby enhance efficiency and productivity
through higher visibility and communication.
Transformational leadership has certain advantages and disadvantages over transactional
and autocratic leadership (Engelen et al., 2015). Transactional leadership refers to a style where
the leaders ensures compliance through both punishments and rewards while autocratic
leadership represents an authoritarian leadership where the leaders control all the decisions with
hardly any input from the group members.
The advantages include (Noruzy et al., 2013)

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 Quicker formulation of the vision: The approach stands apart from the other styles of
leadership as it possess the ability of quicker access to the current organizational situation
and thereby formulate vision for the organizational growth and improvement.
 Promotion of Enthusiasm: The approach helps in the creation of an enthusiastic work
ambience that helps in driving a organizational with innovation and change.
 Usage of Inspiration for Motivating People: This approach aligns the vision of the
leadership with the ability inspiration and motivation thereby leading to the optimization
of performance.
The disadvantages include (Kissi, Dainty & Tuuli, 2013):
 Challenges of Detail Orientation: These leaders are known for having visions of bigger
picture but at times, they do struggle with the detail orientation. These leadership style
unlike the other styles requires support from organized and detail orientated people to
help the leaders in moving towards the right direction
 Overlooking Truth and Reality: This leadership approach depends on emotion and
passion and hence they seem to overlook the truth and the reality. This also restricts their
urge for logical reasoning and delving in research.
 Leads to Abuse: This leadership style is powerful but its implementation is not always for
the common or moral good.
Answer to Question 4
Effective team leaders do use organizational resources in an efficient manner. The
following is a list of resources showing how the team leaders in terms of the job search hub can
effectively use them for an ICL student.

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1. Technology:
Technology is a resource that the leaders can use to automate system of the ICL job
search hub and thereby reduce the volume of text messages, emails and phone calls by close to
half thereby allowing team members to spend more with the students (Camisón & Villar-López,
2014). Technology also allows for easy and quick check in. New technological solutions at the
ICL job search hub can act beneficial, as it will help in tracking outcomes and building database.
It also helps in building network with the students by allowing them to have a virtual access of
the various job fairs within a particular city. Therefore, technology as a resource not only
benefits the business but also its students and employees.
2. Physical Resources
The physical resources of a business represent the tangible items that are available and
necessary for the effective functioning of a business (Cai & Yang, 2014). These items occupy
space, have value and find an application in business operation. In other words, the physical
resources represent man made equipments or tools for the day-to-day business activities of ICL
job search hub for students. These resources help in providing the ICL business with the ways of
performing business process. The job search hub of IC operates as the in-house centre for
placement that supported the students of the ICL Graduate Business School in achieving
employment in the chosen field of the study through either accessing the self-help website for the
learners or in houses support from the staffs or team. Physical resources can not only provide the
staffs but also help the student in enjoying a physical workspace where both would act healthy,
happy, and productive.

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3. Human Resource
The human resource represents the specific category of people who helps in the execution
of the operations plans for a business (Hoque, 2013). In other words, human resource department
helps in operating and running the ICL job search business. The human resource ensures
alignment of the strategy around the vision and values of the organization thereby driving the
behavior and the motivation of the people. To ensure smooth running of job search hub, HR
ensures driving the right kind of conversations regarding culture and its evolution in support of
strategy. The human resource department can also help the leaders of ICL job search hub in
clearly articulating and identifying the people and the talent factors of organizational strategy.
4. Time
Time is a resource that can contribute to performance of the job search hub of ICL in
terms of the creation of yearning and renewed rigor for constant learning and application of
newer strategies through development, growth and research within a specific period (Goetsch &
Davis, 2014). Time when tied to each of the activity of a business helps in setting smarter goals
and thereby evaluating its success. In other words, proper management of time not only reduces
the stress level but also helps in being more productive with lesser mistakes.
5. Financial Resources
Financial resource is one of the key factors necessary for the performance of ICL job
search hub. This is because as the business matures and grows, it requires increasing amount of
cash for financing its growth. Budgeting and planning is one the crucial factors for meeting such
financial needs (Saeidi et al., 2015). It is up to the financial managers who decide whether to
ensure internal or external funding as per the requirements of the business. To run the business of

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the job search ICL hub, it is vital for finding an appropriate fund source at lowest cost so that
there is control on the cost of the capital of the company and prevents the balance sheet from
becoming highly leveraged with the debts that might have a negative impact on the credit rating.
Answer to Question 5.1
The three Cs necessary for leading a team in entity and engaging the stakeholders
effectively includes (Maruping et al., 2015):
1. Communication: Teams having proper communication are able to complete a project
more efficiently and quickly compared to the others.. Thus, effective communications allows the
team members in understanding their responsibilities and roles.
2. Cooperation: Team leaders continuously try to instill cooperation and teamwork for
ensuring effective and seamless operations. Cooperation amongst the team members is necessary
for working in a coordinated manner.
3. Collaboration: This refers to the group of the individuals who works towards the
common goals based on the sharing of common beliefs. Collaborative team members spends
considerable amount of time in discussing their accomplishments as a team and thereby setting
the individual and team for achieving the vision.
Answer to Question 5.2
The three C’s contributes to the effective implementation of the business activities and
achievement of the team goals of the job search hub in the following manner:

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Communication: Teams becomes isolated due to the lack of the cross team
communication (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014). If the teams are unaware of their doings and the
challenges faced then it can lead to the implementation of a solution that is great for the team but
not suitable for the entire end-to-end process. The more a team knows about the needs and the
work of the others, the more they are able to consider their work. The effective implementation
of communication in ICL business of job search will help in providing support and assistance to
the present and the alumni students in various actives revolving job search in an effective
manner. Effective communication enables the managers of the business in having links to the
higher education, network with the practicum providers and the other relevant stakeholders.
Communication also ensures that the students receive successful placement related to work along
with necessary practicum experience thereby leading to the achievement of their goals. Besides,
through effective and proper communication the staff members are able to provide necessary
advice surrounding the career moves undertaken by the students, aspiring for progress within the
current employment.
Cooperation: In times of need, teams should help each other in the achievement of the
business objectives (Liang, Shih & Chiang, 2015). The team should not be completely occupied
or overloaded so are left with hardly any time in helping the others. Implementation of
cooperation in the job search hub for the ICL students would help the team in operating as an
effective centre for placement thereby supporting the students in achieving employment in their
specialised fields through either self-reliant website for the learners and through effective in
house assistance by the team or staffs.
Collaboration: This refers to higher cooperation levels and being proactive in the
seeking of opportunities for helping team members share the best practice and the idea (Larivière

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et al., 2015). One of the means of boasting collaboration lies in knowing one another in terms of
working styles and strengths. Collaboration can help the ICL job search hub in providing
assistance for the full time and the part time employment. It would also enable in effectively
providing internship placements based on practicum requirements of courses pursued.
Part B
Analytical Skills include:
Creativity: This involves the use of original ideas or imagination for creating something
new.
Communication: This refers to the act of conveyance of meanings from one group or
entity to another using semiotic rules and signs.
Critical Thinking: This refers to the objective analysis of the facts for forming
judgements.
Data Analysis: This refers to the process of cleansing, inspecting, modelling and
transformation of data with the target of discovering necessary information, informing the
conclusions and supporting the decision-making.
Research: This refers to the systematic and creative work undertaken for increasing the
knowledge stock and devise newer applications.
Problem Solving Skills Includes:
Problem Identification: This refers to the clear expression about a condition that needs
improvement.

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Structuring: This involves the construction or arrangement as per the plan
Possible Solutions: This involves the course of action that helps in transforming a
current situation into one for achieving the objectives.
Decision-making: This refers to the process of making important decisions
Implementation and Monitoring: Implementation refers to the means of putting a plan
into action while monitoring involves systematic and ongoing information that helps in
strengthening implementation.
The challenges clients might face while using the online job search hub lies in keeping
track of the automated response from the employers. The team can solve this by undertaking an
analysis of data, critical thinking and up taking a proper communication with the students.

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Part C
Answer to Question 1
Meetings can contribute to managing stakeholder’s relationship in the following manner
(Bourne, 2016):
 Actively Building Stronger Relationships from the Beginning: Meetings help in sharing
the vision with the stakeholders on a continuous basis
 Involving Stakeholders: Meetings enables stakeholders in feeling involved when they are
asked for advice on how to serve them
 Ensures Clear Communication about Project Scope: Meeting enables the managers and
the stakeholders to remain in the same position that implies business leaders can deal
with challenges before even they arise
 Dealing with Stakeholders who remain Resistant to Change: Regular meetings enables
the resistant stakeholders to understand the project scope and explain their influence in
shaping the project.
Answer to Question 2
Dear Manager and Employee Agent,

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This is an email regarding the information based on the meetings with the internal and the
external stakeholder on the current issues faced by the job search hub relating to the ICL
students. The current issues include:
1. Lack of Enough Information: The job search hub lacks enough information regarding
the potential employers.
2. Duplication of the Jobs: There are times when the managers of the business faces
problem in reaching the employers for identifying who posted the job.
3. Lack of Feedback: There are times when a sent application does not receive proper
feedback thereby keeping the students awaiting.
The current issues can however be overcome by deletion of fake profile, filtration of the potential
resume and adopting facilities of video interview.
Thanks and Regards,
Name

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