Type:
Solution Manual
Resource:
Art and Science of Leadership
Edition:
6th Edition
Author(s):
Afsaneh Nahavandi
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The Art and Science of Leadership, 6/e Afsaneh Nahavandi
VIDEO GUIDE CHAPTER 1: DEFINITION AND SIGNIFICANCE OF LEADERSHIP Topic: The Impact of Leadership on Employee Motivation; The Impact of Effective Leadership on Organizational Success Learning Objectives: 1. Define leadership and leadership effectiveness. 2. Explain why people need leadership. 3. Discuss the major obstacles to effective leadership. 4. Compare and contrast leadership and management. 5. List the roles and functions of leaders and managers. 6. Summarize the debate over the role and impact of leadership in organizations. Video Title: Kingston Technology - Big Company, Family Environment Link: http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/bp/bp_akamai/myiblab/Kingston.html Classroom Application: Instructors will find this video helpful in studying how effective leadership can help companies achieve higher levels of employee satisfaction and get better business results. Synopsis: This video explores how California-based Kingston Technology, the world’s largest independent manufacturer of computer memory products, makes every one of their 1500 employees feel like part of the family. Founded by John Tu and David Sun, Kingston has been on Fortune Magazine’s list of “100 Best Companies to Work For” for the past five years. The company returns 10 percent of its profits to employees every year through a profit-sharing program. Just as important, it fosters mutual trust and respect between employees and management. Senior managers stay in touch with employees at all levels and treat them as equals. For their part, employees report high job satisfaction and develop both personal and professional connections with their colleagues, boosting morale and motivation. Discussion Questions: 1. John Tu, one of the founders of Kingston Technology, believes that building a relationship of respect and trust with employees is crucial to achieving business success. Identify the management practices at Kingston that help in achieving this goal.
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Answer: John Tu and David Sun have instituted several measures that help Kingston Technology to build a relationship of trust and respect with its employees. The company practices open communication at all levels and employees feel that they can walk up to anyone in the organization and discuss their ideas. John Tu believes that locating his and David Sun’s offices right in the center of the building sends a message of approachability and equality. The company’s policy of openly sharing its profits with all employees also makes employees feel that they are all part of a family. Also, Tu points out that Kingston’s employees know exactly what the management will do in a given situation, motivating them to stay with the company through good times and bad times. Employee perception that the company is fair in its dealings with them is also likely to be a source of trust and motivation. 2. Do you agree with Kingston’s policy of giving new employees profit-sharing bonuses even when they join the company just one week before profits are distributed? Support your position. Answer: Students who agree may say that this policy is an excellent motivational tool and shows new employees that the company backs up its words with actions. Those who disagree may say that long-time employees might resent sharing profits with employees who did not contribute to the company’s performance during the previous profit-sharing period. Ask students to put themselves in the place of a new and an existing employee when debating this policy, so they can consider the issue from both sides. 3. Kingston Technology has been listed among Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 best companies to work for. How has the company been able to maintain above average levels of employee motivation and job satisfaction? Answer: In order to maximize employee motivation and job satisfaction, John Tu and David Sun utilize different management styles and offer a range of rewards to suit the needs of different employees. The generous profit sharing appeals to those who value money. The fair and open culture in the company motivates others who value the social aspects at work. Tu believes that morale is created because the company tries to create room for employees to grow and be the best they can be. One employee talks about how the fact that he can go and talk to anyone in the company and be treated as an equal motivates him. He also appreciates the speed with which work gets done in the absence of the need to work through a political system. Another employee talks about how the personal and professional connections she has with her colleagues motivate her to do her best. Finally, as Tu points out, motivation comes from how employees feel everyday when they walk into the company—like they are part of a family. 4. Would you characterize John Tu and David Sun as leaders or managers? Explain your answer. Answer: John Tu and David Sun are leaders because they demonstrate attitudes that allow them to energize their followers. Managers, on the other hand, simply take care of the mundane and routine details. As leaders, Tu and Sun work to create change by initiating goals and strategies to create a culture based on shared values. Their open communication .
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style is one of the ways in which they do this. Tu and Sun try to establish an emotional link with their employees by taking every opportunity to make them feel like part of the family. By using their personal power to build a relationship of trust and respect, they create satisfied employees who do their best to help the company achieve its goals. Quiz: 1. Which of the following management practices at Kingston Technology best reflects the leadership style that Sally Helgesen calls “the web”? a. returning 10 percent of profits to employees every year b. locating executive offices in the center of the building c. conducting regular employee surveys d. giving employees space to grow and do their best Answer: c Explanation: Helgesen’s web is compared to a circle with the manager in the center and interconnected to all other parts of the department or organization. This view differs sharply from the traditional pyramid structure common in many organizations. 2. Organizations often come to mirror their founders’ personalities. Going by this assumption, John Tu and David Sun are likely to be ________. a. authoritarian b. control oriented c. participative d. task oriented Answer: b Explanation: Leaders, particularly founders, leave an almost-indelible mark on the assumptions that are passed down from one generation to the next. In fact, organizations often come to mirror their founders’ personalities. The decentralized and open structure at Kingston indicates that its founders are participative and team oriented. 3. When Kingston Technology was sold to Softbank in 1994, John Tu and David Sun made one of the largest employee gifts in U.S. history. What was the amount of the gift? a. $1.25 billion b. $ 1.25 million c. $100 million d. $10 million Answer: c Explanation: Tu and Sun made a gift of $100 million to employees when they sold Kingston Technology to Softbank in 1994. 4. From the information available in the video, which of the following is NOT one of the ways that Kingston builds trust and respect with employees? .
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a. following a clear chain of command when communicating across levels b. open profit sharing c. following a combination of management styles and employee rewards d. maintaining a psychological contract with employees Answer: a Explanation: Employees featured in the video talk about how much they appreciate the open communication style at Kingston which allows them to talk directly with any manager at any level without having to work through a political structure. This indicates that the chain of command is not strictly followed in the company for communicating across levels. 5. Of the following functions of a leader in shaping organization culture, which function does this video NOT talk about? a. role modeling b. reward system c. hiring decision d. strategy and structure Answer: c Explanation: The video talks about how the leaders’ behaviors serve as role models for the entire company. It also mentions the open structure in the company and its strategy of boosting employee trust and motivation to achieve organizational success. The reward system of the company that emphasizes both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards is also highlighted in the video. However, the video makes no mention of the hiring decisions at Kingston Technology.
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