Seminar 3

What can we learn about effective Strategic Leadership from the Gerry Robinson case study?
One statement by Gerry Robinson I want to keep in mind (and more or less answers the question) was that any business can be made to work well - whether you are running a corner shop or a large hospital. Because good management is good management.

Memorable examples of effective or ineffective strategic leadership:
Effective

• Bridging (as an influencing style): To keep on asking employees across the organisational ladder
• "Can do" approach: support people's ideas, get things to happen, success breeds success (encouraging if people see that some things can happen), look at what the problem is, solve it and move on

Ineffective

• Laissez-faire leadership style when not everyone is skilled sufficiently and responsibilities are allocated
• Not facing the problems at the sharp end, spending to much time with the big picture, "talk about issues but do not actually do something" attitude
• Totally separated parts within the organisation, no shared values, lack of communication

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What I learnt about persuasion & influencing from the case study and from today’s session.

• When you are not certain yourself it is quite difficult to influence others
• Power has to be established
• If the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail à therefore: different influencing styles
• Persuading
• Asserting
• Bridging
• Attracting
• (Disengaging)

 

How the NHS case study compares with Carrefour.

="similarities" 

• CEO is not a credible strategic leader
• Lack of flexibility& adaptability
• Outdated& ineffective business model
• Lack of communication

≠ "differences"

• Where as Carrefour provides products that nobody wants, the demand at the NHS would be there (makes that things better or even worse?!)

What went well/ not so well with the group work?

+  1) Ex. "Persuasion& Influencing": Briefly summarising the key points an then applying it to the case
+  2) Ex. "Effective and ineffective strategic leadership": All team members contributed to the group exercise in a similar extent& quality. That led to a broad variety of examples

+  For both: Attentively listening to each other. Led to a respectful and pleasant atmosphere

-  For both: Time management