MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

Management and Leadership

Management and Leadership

Introduction

This paper aims to explore the difference between the characteristics and approach of management and leadership. The purpose of this paper is to explore the ideologies of managers and leaders; and how they affect the culture of an organization. In order to accomplish the defined objectives there is need to select an organization within which the leadership and management practices are explored. The organization selected for this study is Apple Inc. Steven Paul Jobs is the co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc. Jobs is widely regarded as a charismatic leader and acclaimed for his contributions to the personal computer, technology and entertainment industries.

Job's career spans more than three decades, during which time he has worked at Apple Computer from 1976 to 1985, NeXT Computer from 1985 to 1996, Pixar Animation Studios from 1986 to 2006, and Apple once again, from 1997 to present. Stories about Jobs' charisma have been well documented by colleagues, in unauthorized biographies, and in the business and technology news media. While Jobs rose to prominence for his exceptional presentation skills and work on the 'Apple II' and 'Macintosh' computers in the 1970s and 1980s, stories about his narcissism, temper, epic tantrums and bad behavior are as legendary in Silicon Valley as are his feats. This was the era when it was realized that jobs is not only a charismatic leader but he bears true potential for a manager as well; hence, he became an inspiration for every employee of the organization. The most public of these faux pas occurred in September, 1985, when Jobs resigned from Apple after a months-long power struggle with then CEO, John Sculley. Jobs' love for the Macintosh had spawned an unhealthy rivalry between employees in the Macintosh and Apple II divisions of the company. His resignation letter and details of his tearful departure were splashed across the pages of American magazines and newspapers. These events prompted Jobs to be more guarded and distant with the media.

Since his return to Apple in 1997, Jobs and his supporting cast members have unrelentingly sought to suppress backstage leaks and incursions associated with trade secrets and rumors about the company's unannounced products. For example, in late 2007, 'Think Secret' - a website dedicated to rumors about forthcoming Apple products - was successfully litigated and subsequently shut down by Apple for publishing details in 2005 about its new 'Mac Mini' desktop computer. While Jobs' 'loose lips sink ships' mantra serves to protect commercial interests, it also satisfies a dramaturgical purpose.

Discussion and Analysis

Differentiate between management and leadership

Leadership and management are two terms that are often confused, what is the difference between them? John Kotter, the Harvard Business School, says that management is responsible for managing the complexity. Good management imposes order and coherence in planning a formal, rigid organizational structures of Apple Inc. designed to compare the results with those plans. The leaders of Apple, in contrast, refer to managing change and set the course with a ...