Analyse different leadership approaches and their impact

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Reference no: EM133852665 , Length: word count:1500

Introduction to Leadership

Learning Outcome 1: Analyse the role leaders play in creating an inclusive and positive workplace culture. Book assignment help service now!
Learning Outcome 2: Describe leadership approaches that contribute to the successful performance of an organisation.

Aim:
The aim of the assignment is to analyse different leadership approaches and their impact on organisational culture. Through this analysis, students will assess the strengths and weaknesses of workplace culture under various leadership approaches and propose strategies to enhance employee engagement, well-being, and overall organisational performance.

Assignment Instructions

Overview
This assignment must be completed as a short report using the short report template available on Moodle under Assessment 1.
Download the report template and rename it as:
‘5401_[Your FirstName Surname]_Assignment 1_Report' (e.g., 5401_Irene Park_Assignment 1_Report').
Answer the questions as indicated in the template.
Save your work frequently and back it up by emailing copies to yourself as you progress.
Submit your report to the Moodle drop box before the due date and time. Start uploading at least 10 minutes early to ensure large files upload successfully.

Use and Referencing of Library and AI sources
You must reference a total of three (3) academic sources from the Unitec library database as follows:
Question 1 - First source
Question 3 - A second, different source
Question 5 - A third, different source
All three sources must be cited in-text and referenced correctly with live links to enable authenticity checks.
AI platforms may be used only in specific paragraphs as indicated. Ensure AI sources are referenced correctly where required.

Notes:
Please refer to the Grading Rubric as a guide to ensure you satisfy the criteria for the Assignment.
Please note Unitec's late assessment policy detailed in the Course Guide on Moodle.

Assignment Questions

Please read the case study and prepare an individual report answering the questions provided.
Case Study: Leadership and Culture at KiwiMart Ltd. Background:
KiwiMart Ltd., founded in 1963, is one of New Zealand's largest retail chains, operating 148 stores nationwide. It offers a wide range of household products, groceries, and clothing at competitive prices. With rapid expansion over the past decade, KiwiMart has established itself as a leading retailer, yet it faces significant internal challenges related to leadership, diversity and workplace culture.

On the financial side though, three stores are underperforming.
Current CEO:
The company's CEO, John Matthews, has been leading KiwiMart for the past three years. Coming from a strong financial background, John is known for his cost-cutting strategies and operational efficiency. While his focus on financial discipline has strengthened the company's profit margins, he is numbers-driven and often neglects employee engagement and workplace morale. John emphasises clear structures, strict performance targets, and financial incentives. While this has led to operational efficiency, some employees feel disengaged and undervalued, leading to high staff turnover rates, especially among store managers and frontline staff.

John also lacks deep legacy knowledge of the company's history, values, and long-standing operational practices. His approach prioritises immediate financial results over institutional wisdom, leading to frequent restructuring and policy shifts that create uncertainty among employees. John prefers to appoint males in store manager positions as he believes they carry more authority and will therefore manage stores better. In addition, 75% of salesperson is young Indian men because John believes "Indian men are the best salesperson earth", while the remaining 25% of salesperson are English speaking Kiwis. Although most of the store managers have been in their roles for many years, John does not heed their advice and makes decisions despite their warnings and objections. The high turnover rates further exacerbate the issue, as the company continuously invests in training new hires, resulting in increased training costs and a loss of experienced talent. Without a strong commitment to employee retention and cultural continuity, KiwiMart struggles to build long-term stability and sustain employee loyalty.

Workplace Culture:
The company's customer-centric approach ensures affordability and high customer satisfaction, making it a preferred choice for budget-conscious shoppers. Additionally, operational efficiency allows for streamlined supply chain management, ensuring product availability with minimal disruptions.

However, challenges persist. High employee turnover has resulted from an approach that heavily emphasises performance metrics over employee well-being. There is limited employee development, with minimal career progression opportunities. Communication gaps exist due to centralised decision-making, leaving store managers, salespersons and other employees with little input. Furthermore, workplace stress is a concern, as salespersons are under

constant pressure to meet sales targets without adequate support. In addition, salaries for salespersons are lower than at competitors, resulting in salesperson competing to help customers. This created a competitive workplace in which a supportive team environment has been sacrificed by attempts to earn higher commissions.

HR Manager:
Emma Sinclair joined KiwiMart two years ago as Head of Human Resources. Emma's predecessor followed John's management style. Over time Emma worked on changing the culture in the HR team. She holds regular meetings where open discussion is encouraged, regularly consults with the HR staff about her new ideas and listens to their concerns about problems to find alternative and better ways of working.

Emma works closely with John as part of her role as HR Manager, Emma is concerned about the high turnover and dissatisfaction of staff, which she managed to change in the HR team. Emma requested a meeting with John in which she will discuss the following:
Leadership Training for Store Managers: Equipping managers with coaching skills rather than just focusing on sales performance.
Employee Recognition Programs: Rewarding employees for customer service excellence and innovative problem-solving.
Decentralized Decision-Making: Allowing store managers more autonomy to implement changes tailored to their local markets.
More inclusivity and gender equality: Appointing a diversity consultant to investigate and recommend actions to improve diversity.

Assignment 1 Questions:
Use the report template to complete to answer the questions below, following the guidance in the template.
Identify and define John's leadership approach. Use and reference an academic source
from the Unitec library. (LO2)
Choose three examples from the case study as evidence to support your choice in question 1. (LO2) (6 marks)
Identify and define Emma's leadership approach. Use and reference an academic source
from the Unitec library. (LO2) (4 marks)
Choose three examples from the case study as evidence to support your choice. (LO2)
Describe the concept of workplace culture and include two examples of factors/elements which contribute to it. Use and reference an academic source from the Unitec library. (LO1) (6 marks)
Describe the concept of inclusivity and include two examples of factors/elements which contribute to it. Use an artificial intelligence platform and reference it. (LO1) (4 marks)
Describe two positive outcomes of John's leadership style supporting the successful performance of KiwiMart and give reasons for your choices. (LO2) (6 marks)
Analyse how John's thinking is affecting inclusivity in KiwiMart by giving two examples. (LO1) (4 marks)
Analyse whether KiwiMart is an inclusive company. Use and reference one artificial intelligence platform to identify the largest ethnic groups in Aotearoa New Zealand.

(LO1) (2 marks)
Based on your answer to Question 9, analyse how the largest ethnic groups in Aotearoa New Zealand influence KiwiMart's inclusivity efforts recommend which other ethnic groups KiwiMart should appoint to better reflect the Treaty of Waitangi and New Zealand's diversity. Finally, propose one leadership action John could take to make KiwiMart more inclusive. (LO1) (5 marks)
The company may not be able to implement all Emma's suggestions at once. Identify the two suggestions (excluding anything related to inclusivity) you think would make the most positive impact on the workplace culture immediately and explain your answer. (LO1) (4 marks)
Suggest a leadership approach to John that could improve the company culture and therefore the performance of the organisation and briefly explain why you chose this approach. (LO2) (4 marks)

Reporting Format:
A word limit is recommended to guide you on the length required. Marks may be deducted for exceeding the word limit.
Use professional business language - full sentences in paragraphs, free from spelling and grammar errors.
Use supporting evidence, referenced, to support your comments. Use the APA7 referencing style to acknowledge all sources. For guidelines on APA7 referencing

Reference no: EM133852665

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