The Impact of Leadership on Human Resource Management in British Petroleum

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Introduction to British Petroleum1

Background of the Study1

Problem Statement2

Purpose of the Study3

Aims and Objectives of the Study3

Rationale of the Study3

Research Questions4

Significance of the Study5

Organisation of the Thesis5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW6

Theoretical Framework6

Leadership and its concept6

Transformational Leadership8

Charismatic Leadership10

Inspirational Leadership11

Intellectual Stimulation11

Individualised Consideration12

Idealised Influence12

Inspirational Motivation13

Body Language and Gestures13

Positioning and Posturing for Power14

Transformational Leadership in British Petroleum17

REFERENCES20

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Introduction to British Petroleum

Being the world's leading petroleum firm, the leadership at the British Petroleum by introducing technological innovations and astute organisational practices. Headquartered at London, the BP provides employment opportunities to some 92000 highly qualified individuals, who have shown their metal in the industry. There were some companies that fared well even in times of recession, due to their sheer belief in strong leadership. British Petroleum was one such firm that demonstrated the way and will to lead from the front in those crunchy times. With the passage of time, keeping in view the changing trends in the international market, BP has shifted its focus on research and development in order to improve employee turnover.

The strategy has paid off and BP has now emerged as one of the leading R&D petroleum firms in the world. With all the resources available, British Petroleum has decided to forge its strategies towards developing a result-oriented leadership approach in order to augment the already existing leadership practices within the organisation. But from where the organisations get people to lead? The best answer is from within. Leaders should be developed through a well-planned training program. British Petroleum needs to have an employee-centred training programme in order to reap out the required benefits from each individual.

Background of the Study

With increased competition and continuous changing environment, British Petroleum has decided to focus on developing their Human Resource strategy, following the guidelines of the transformational leadership approach. Researchers such as Sparrow, 2012, have demonstrated the need for human resource development to be treated as a strategic asset for the organisation. The importance of developing human resources is far beyond hiring and training. Now, human resources have a vital part to play in advancing the goals and mission of organisations. Same goes true for British Petroleum, a company that has been known for its robust investment in the development of conducive organisational culture. Shifting, from managing strictly personnel issues to directly and measurably contributing to the bottom-line of an organisation, was a novel concept a decade ago. Today, it has become essential for HR functions (Smith, 2008).

One of the most important factor in developing a HR related program is to devise the relationship between the trust of the employee and organisational capability to accept employees as an integral part of the organisation; an ability to challenge and ask the right questions when needed; a sound business and technical knowledge base; an ability to create meaningful relationships with executives and customers; the ability to assist with the formulation of strategy; hold a conviction that the work they are doing can ...