Contents

 

Contents. 1

1. Introduction. 2

1.1 Definition of Terms. 3

1.1.1 Leadership. 3

2. Theories. 4

2.1 Traits Theories. 4

2.2 Behavioural Theories. 4

2.2.1 Group Leadership: Lewin et al 4

2.2.2 Group Leadership: McCann. 5

2.3 Situational theories. 7

2.3.1 Fiedler Theory. 7

2.3.2 Vroom-Yetton-Jago Normative Decision Model 8

2.4 Functional or Group Theories. 9

2.4.1 Adair’s Action-centred Leadership. 9

2.5 McGregor's "Theory X and Theory Y" 10

3. easyJet Airline Company plc. 12

3.1 Company Overview. 12

3.2 Stelios Haji-Ioannou. 13

4. Conclusions. 14

5. Recommendations. 14

6. References. 16

 

1. Introduction.

The Organisations is made up of group of people. A momentous part of management is coordinating the activities of the group and directing the efforts of their members towards the goals and objectives of the organisation. This involves the development of leadership and the choice of a proper form of behaviour.[1] As the 21st Century begins, an international trend away from the traditional autocratic and hierarchical modes of leadership starts. Within several companies, a renew interest of employee participation is been fuelled by the introduction of contemporary managerial strategies such as total quality management.

 Much has changed on the shop floor of organizations today. Decision-making takes place at lower levels of corporations. The hierarchical, “top down” management style of the past gives rapidly way to a system where employees take responsibility for their own actions and leadership comes from employee teams. It does not necessarily mean that leadership always makes decisions at the lower levels, but rather oversees the decisions that are made and that they fit the direction of the organisation. This has a direct affect on the organisational composition.[2]

Team-based environments present an additional challenge for leaders. It is necessary for them, to be able to recognise their people as assets and blend them together. They need to have the aptitude of blending the organisation, from top management to bottom levels so that everybody is brought into the organisation. Also, is very important for the leaders to be able to inspire their people in terms of creativity, capacity, and commitment. Authority has been transferred away only to provide leadership more dynamics to work with. Leadership must build relationships with interest within the organisation, whether it is the employees, customers, investors, suppliers and or the entire community.[3]

As a result of this change the investigation faces the issue of what is in reality the most effective way for an organisation to develop a leadership style. Is there any evidence that suggests a formula suitable for today’s Internet business?

Technological development using intranet sites, computers, digital links, virtual offices, are being generated in limitless volumes, and with the help of faxes and mobile phones communication is moving faster and faster. Organisational structures will without doubt change when dealing with electronic markets and information highways. Leadership will be confronted with the obstacle of marketing products that have little or no human intervention.[4]

A young organisation has been emerged in this environment of change for being rabidly developed in a new industry in the UK, of low cost airlines. easyJet Airline Company Ltd was in 1995 to break new ground to a new evolutional means of doing business. The use of technological development in several aspects and more importantly investing on the power of the Internet make the company today one of the most successful in this sector. Major role on this development played the owner and creator of the idea (taken from American bases) in UK, Mr Stelios Haji-Ioannou. A young and innovating ‘entrepreneur’ character, as he characterises himself with evolutional ideas and creativity, together with strong leadership characteristics.[5]     

The key for leaders is to recognise the winds of technological change that comes and to proactively prepare to integrate it into the business strategy and operations. Leadership must cover the way and guide the organisational constructs to engage with the challenges of the information age.

The objectives of this project are fundamental. Concentration is given on:

 

 

The centre of the investigation is to identify the value of leadership styles and the role that play into the operation of an organisation. In order to achieve the above analysis will be concentrated on a new company that was developed during the last years and has achieved great profits, based on a new idea of low cost airline industry and its operation mainly online. easyJet plc is the company under investigation and the particular leadership styles techniques during its operation.

One of the reasons of its success is its leadership style technique that it will be investigated in detail and classified its value on the company’s operation. Through this investigation a conclusion on the value of leadership in today’s world of business will materialize to become a good example for present use and future development.

           

1.1 Definition of Terms

1.1.1 Leadership

            According to Yukl, (1994), most definitions of leadership reflect the assumption that it involves a social influence process whereby one person exerts intentional influence over other people, in order to carry out specific activities or relationship.[6] So in other words is either based on a function of personality, or it can be seen as a behaviour category.[7]  

 

Many successful and interesting theorists have developed different approaches of Leadership during the years. The most significant and applicative for the Internet environment of these theories are the following

Mullins L., G., (1996) gives a fair definition of those theories. First of all according to him (1996: 260)  “Qualities or Traits approach assumes leaders are born and not made. Leadership consists of certain inherited characteristics or personality traits. Focuses attention on the person in the job and not on the job itself”. Also, Behavioural Theories as Mullins L., G., (1996: 260) points out are “ The kinds of behaviour of people in leadership position and the influence on group performance. Draws attention to range of possible managerial behaviour and importance of leadership styles”. Moreover, he defines Contingency Theories or Situational approaches as “the importance of the situation. Interactions between the variables involved in the leadership situation and patterns of behaviour. Belief that there is no single style of leadership appropriate to all situations”. Last but not least, in The Functional or Group Theories attention is focused on the functions and responsibilities of leadership, what the leader actually does and the nature of the group. Assumes leadership skills can be learned and developed”.

Each of those theories will be analysed and discussed in detailed individually in the following paragraphs.

2. Theories

2.1 Traits Theories

The trait theory of leadership focuses on the personality, intellectual and physical traits that distinguish leaders from non-leaders. Many studies of such traits have shown just negligible differences between leaders and followers. Research has exposed that leaders tend to be fairly larger, brighter and better adjusted than their followers. Early studies reported that the effective leader shows traits of "nervous and physical energy, a sense of purpose and direction, enthusiasm, friendliness, integrity, technical mastery, willpower, intelligence, teaching skills, and faith." However, other studies have point out the traits of effective leaders were thought to be "physique, technical skill, perception, knowledge, memory, imagination, determination, persistence, endurance, and courage." Additionally, other researchers have indicated leadership traits to be "an above average education, activity in social organizations, and high moral and ethical standards". Clearly, a basic problem with the trait theory of leadership is that theorists do not agree as to which traits are attributable to effective leadership. While the above qualities seem to be desirable in an effective leader, no one trait seems to be absolutely essential[8].

According to those theories a human’s character is developed over time. Many people believe that the character is mainly formed during the early stages of life. However, nobody knows exactly how much or how early the character is developed. On the other hand, it is safe to state that human’s character does not change rapidly. A person's observable behaviour is an indication of his character. This behaviour can be strong or weak, good or bad. A person with strong character shows drive, energy, determination, self-discipline, willpower, and nerve. He expresses what he wants, goes after it and attracts followers. In contrast, a person with weak character shows none of these traits. He does not know what he wants, his traits are disorganized, he hesitates and is conflicting, and consequently he attracts no followers[9].

2.2 Behavioural Theories

2.2.1 Group Leadership: Lewin et al

Lewin, Lippitt and White

Lippitt R. and White R.K.  conducted one of the best-known studies of the special effects of dissimilar leadership styles in the 1930s. Known as 'Leadership and Group Life', the study was conducted under the leadership of Kurt Lewin (1939)[10]. It took place in University of Iowa, and involved directing groups of schoolchildren in the production of arts and crafts artefacts in four different clubs. They had three types of leader assigned to them:

The groups were carefully coordinated for IQ, popularity, energy and so on and all worked on the same project of making masks.

Results

Conclusions

Overall, then, the democratic leadership style seemed to be the most successful, though it's worth indicating that some boys preferred the authoritarian style, especially one boy whose father was an army officer. This might suggest that the boys responded best to the leadership style they perceived as 'right' or 'natural' and, since they had grown up in the USA, where great emphasis is placed in schooling on the democratic traditions, it could be that they had been socialised into perceiving the democratic style as the 'right' one for leaders to adopt (Ibid).   

Also, it could be that different leadership styles are suitable in different circumstances. Certainly, it seems that every so often in democracies people desire a strong leader who usually without delay step on all over their democratic freedoms. Hitler and Mussolini are obvious examples, but de Gaulle in France in 1958 and Thatcher in Britain in 1979 are presumably also symptomatic of the same depression (Ibid).   

2.2.2 Group Leadership: McCann

McCann: The Team Management Wheel

Dick McCann is a management consultant, who, together with Charles Margerison developed the so-called Team Management Wheel in 1984. The aim of the Team Management Wheel is to place at the centre of management teams the basic insight that people like to work in different ways. It tries to make clear what those different preferred styles are and to show how they relate to each another. Thus, McCann's ideas, which derive from 'neurolinguistic programming', do not in fact constitute a theory of personality types, but a theory of people's working preferences[12].

Preferred working styles

According to McCann and Margerison, there are essentially four sliding scales, which indicate how people prefer to work (Ibid). Those scales are the following:

Team Management Wheel

Figure 1

McCann’s ‘Team Management Wheel’

The Team Management Wheel provides a visual representation of the main differences between people. Generally people show a preference for one of the key positions on the Wheel and two related 'backup' roles. For example, they might see themselves as a 'creator-innovator' with related backup roles as 'thruster-organizer and 'concluder-producer'.

            It is fairly easily fir someone to understand how the positions on the Wheel relate to the working styles outlined above. For example, the 'explorer-promoter' is the consequence of an interaction between the extrovert and creative dimensions, giving people a preference for selling ideas and generally being entrepreneurial (Ibid).

Distribution of roles

McCann and Margerison's work has produced the following data on a population of 3730 managers from the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South-east Asia:

Team role

Proportion (%)

Creator-innovator

9.2

Explorer-promoter

8.7

Assessor-developer

17.5

Thruster-organizer

26.5

Concluder-producer

26.7

Controller-inspector

7.5

Upholder-maintainer

1.7

Reporter-adviser

2.1

Table 1

Distribution of roles by McCann.

 

71% of the sample falls on the right of the Wheel since they have a common preference for organizing. Nevertheless, as McCann points out, such people do not always have a natural capability for listening and their general weakness in communication is responsible for failing to achieve a truly high performance. Further, a company, which fails to listen to the creators and innovators, can be in trouble in the long run[13].

2.3 Situational theories

All the theories looked at so far would be likely to be referred to as "universal" theories, meaning that they assume that there is one best way to lead and that it can be applied commonly. However, within managerial research more generally, universal theories have fallen out of favour and, instead, researchers are exploring "contingency" theories. Thus, applied to leadership research this would mean that there is not a best way to lead in all circumstances but, rather, a variety of ways to lead with the best one being contingent upon the circumstances at hand[14].

2.3.1 Fiedler Theory

For Fiedler (1967)[15], there are three things that need to be taken in account of choosing a leadership style which, together, provide an suggestion of whether or not the situation is favourable to leaders (does the situation enable the leader to exert her or his influence over the group). These are (1) personal relations with the group, (2) the structuredness of the task to be performed, and (3) the positional power of the leader. If situations that are reasonably favourable to leaders, Fiedler suggests that relationship-oriented leaders perform best, while in situations that are very favourable, or very unfavourable, task-oriented leaders will tend to perform best.

However, a problem with this theory is that it limits itself to two leadership styles. Moreover, it ignores the fact that some leaders may attend to both tasks and relationships.[16]

 2.3.2 Vroom-Yetton-Jago Normative Decision Model

Taking people off their primary tasks to participate in teams or other decision-making activities may be good empowerment, but when unnecessary it can be costly. The Vroom-Yetton-Jago[17] model is a decision making tree that helps a leader to study a situation and decide which style or level of involvement is suitable. This model identifies five styles along a continuum ranging from autocratic to consultative to group-based. By asking oneself a series of questions about the nature of the problem, decision, and consequences, the leader can decide just how much involvement others should have in the decision.

This model is an excellent example of extracting and modelling knowledge. This kind of model can be developed by asking experts how they make a decision. Often it is done just by asking what the final decision was, and then deconstructing it, or asking, what was the step just before your final decision; and the step just before that, etc. One can work backwards and reconstruct the decisional process, even if it was largely unconscious. Then the questions that elicit each stage of the process can be formulated. When used, the questioning is started at step one, then using the branching tree; the user arrives at the best decision based on answers to the critical questions [18].

Vroom & Yetton (1973)[19], and later Vroom & Jago (1988)[20] found the following questions that are very helpful in the sequence below:

  1. Quality Requirement (QR): How important is the technical quality of the decision?
  2. Commitment Requirement (CR): How important is subordinate commitment to the decision?
  3. Leader's Information (LI): Do you (the leader) have sufficient information to make a high quality decision on your own?
  4. Problem Structure (ST): Is the problem well structured (e.g., defined, clear, organized, lend itself to solution, time limited, etc.)?
  5. Commitment Probability (CP): If you were to make the decision by yourself, is it reasonably certain that your subordinates would be committed to the decision?
  6. Goal Congruence (GC): Do subordinates share the organizational goals to be attained in solving the problem?
  7. Subordinate conflict (CO): Is conflict among subordinates over preferred solutions likely?
  8. Subordinate information (SI): Do subordinates have sufficient information to make a high quality decision?

In the following diagram, it is easy to identify the problem situation in which someone is trying to decide the level of involvement. For each of the questions/criteria follow, the answer will take him/her through the decision tree to an appropriate conclusion.

Figure 2

Vroom’s  & Yetton’s  ‘Decision Tree’.

Decision Making Style

Description

Autocratic l (Al)

Leader solves the problem along using information that is readily available to him/her

Autocratic ll (All)

Leader obtains additional information from group members, and then makes decision alone. Group members may or may not be informed.

Consultative l (Cl)

Leader shares problem with group members individually, and asks for information and evaluation. Group members do not meet collectively, and leader makes decision alone.

Consultative ll (Cll)

Leader shares problem with group members collectively, but makes decision alone

Group ll (Gll)

Leader meets with group to discuss situation. Leader focuses and directs discussion, but does not impose will. Group makes final decision.

Table 2

Description of the outcomes from Vroom’s  & Yetton’s  ‘Decision Tree’.

2.4 Functional or Group Theories

2.4.1 Adair’s Action-centred Leadership

Adair’s (1979)[21] prescription is that the action-centred leader gets the job done through the work team and relationships with fellow managers and staff. This is a simple but reasonably useful (for junior management and team leader training purposes) account of the role "functions” of a leader. According to Adair's explanation and action-centred leader must:

His trefoil model (three circle diagram), as implication of the variability of human interaction, is a first step device for thinking about what constitutes an effective leader/manager in relation to the job he/she has to do.

The effective leader/manager carries out the functions and exhibits the behaviours depicted by the three circles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 3

Adapted by John Adair (1983), ‘Effective Leadership’, Pan[22]

 

Consequently, if budding team leader/managers can be given training and coaching to develop these situational relevant skills (their inventory of leadership ability) after that they will be better placed to be effective leaders.

Situational and contingent elements call for different responses by the leader. Hence imagine that the trefoil leaves may be bigger or smaller as the situation varies meaning that the leader will give more or less emphasis to the functionally oriented behaviours according to what the actual situation involves.

One expectation typical of most organisational society is that loyalty; shared values (reflecting organisational values) and team spirit need to be educated. There are not any business organisations - private, public or voluntary where this is not the case. Individual members of the organisation and work group need to know what is expected of them. For instance, the standards and tasks they must achieve to get the job done.

However the individual is not a mechanical predictable thing - having wants, preferences, aversions, behaviours, attitudes and ambitions and needs. The organisational leadership expectation is that each person needs encouragement and support in order to be an active member of the team.[23]

2.5 McGregor's "Theory X and Theory Y"

Douglas McGregor in his book, "The Human Side of Enterprise" published in 1960[24] has examined theories on behaviour of individuals at work, and he has formulated two models, which he calls Theory X and Theory Y.

Theory X Assumptions

The average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if he can.

  • Because of their dislike for work, most people must be controlled and threatened before they will work hard enough.
  • The average human prefers to be directed, dislikes responsibility, is unambiguous, and desires security above everything.
  • These assumptions lie behind most organisational principles today, and give rise both to "tough" management with punishments and tight controls, and "soft" management, which aims at harmony at work.
  • Both these are "wrong" because man needs more than financial rewards at work; he also needs some deeper higher order motivation - the opportunity to fulfil himself.
  • Theory X managers do not give their staff this opportunity so that the employees behave in the expected fashion (Ibid).

Theory Y Assumptions

  • The expenditure of physical and mental effort in work is as natural as play or rest.
  • Control and punishment are not the only ways to make people work, man will direct himself if he is committed to the aims of the organisation.
  • If a job is satisfying, then the result will be commitment to the organisation.
  • The average man learns, under proper conditions, not only to accept but also to seek responsibility.
  • Imagination, creativity, and ingenuity can be used to solve work problems by a large number of employees.
  • Under the conditions of modern industrial life, the intellectual potentialities of the average man are only partially utilised (Ibid).

 

Comments on Theory X and Theory Y Assumptions

These assumptions are based on social science research, which has been carried out, and make obvious the possible which is present in man and which organisations should recognise in order to become more effective.

            McGregor sees these two theories as two quite separate attitudes. Although, theory Y is difficult to put into practice on the shop floor in large mass production operations, it can be used initially in the managing of managers and professionals.[25]

            In "The Human Side of Enterprise"[26] McGregor shows how Theory Y affects the management of promotions and salaries and the development of effective managers. McGregor also sees Theory Y as conducive to participative problem solving.

It is part of the manager's job to use authority, and there are cases in which this is the only way of achieving the desired results because subordinates do not agree that the ends are desirable.

            However, in situations where it is possible to obtain commitment to objectives, it is better to explain the matter fully so that employees grasp the purpose of an action. They will then apply self-direction and control to do better work - quite possibly by better methods, than if they had simply been carrying out an order which they did not fully understand[27].

            The situation in which employees can be consulted is one where people are emotionally mature, and positively motivated towards their work, where the work is sufficiently responsible to allow for flexibility and where the employee can see his own position in the management hierarchy. If these conditions are present, managers will find that the participative approach to problem solving leads too much improved results compared with the alternative approach of handing out authoritarian orders.

            Once management becomes persuaded that it is under estimating the potential of its human resources, and accepts the knowledge given by social science researchers and displayed in Theory Y assumptions, and then it can invest time, money and effort in developing improved applications of the theory[28].

      McGregor realises that some of the theories he has put forward are unrealisable in practice, but wants managers to put into operation the basic assumption that ‘staff will contribute more to the organisation if they are treated as responsible and valued employees’.

 

3. easyJet Airline Company plc.

3.1 Company Overview.

 

The area of the research will be concentrated on a new and successful corporation during the last seven years, in a new industry of low cost airlines. easyJet is one of Europe's leading low-cost airlines. Since its first flight in November 1995, the airline has been grown from a Luton base offering two routes from Luton to Glasgow and Edinburgh, served by two Boeing 737 aircraft, to an airline offering 30 routes from 16 European airports and flying 21 737 series aircraft.
             During the financial year on 30 September 2000, the company reported pre-tax profits of £22 million on a turnover of £263 million and carried 5.6 million passengers. The airline's shares were formally admitted to the London Stock Exchange on 22 November 2000 at a price of 310 pence per ordinary share.

easyJet is majority owned by the Haji-Ioannou family. Stelios Haji-Ioannou also controls other separate easyGroup companies such as easyInternetCafe (formal easyEverything) , easyCar (formal easyRentacar), and easyValue. There are no "cross-shareholdings" between easyJet and these other easyGroup Internet companies, although some "cross-marketing" agreements do exist.[29]
             The airline is based on easyLand, a bright orange building adjacent to the main taxiway at Luton Airport. In an industry where corporate HQs are generally considered to be the ultimate status symbol, it is the very embodiment of the easyJet low-cost ethos.

The concept of the company is to eliminate unnecessary costs that drives prices up and offer a low cost ticket that attracts many people as it has been proved. These ‘unnecessary costs’ involve the use of Internet as the major tool of selling seats. In January 2001 approximately 86% of all seats were sold over the Internet, making easyJet one of UK's biggest Internet retailers. Also the use of one type of aircraft (Boeing 737) reduces the maintaince costs. Furthermore, direct sales without travel agents to be involved, only by telephone or the Internet, paperless and ticket less operation, the use of secondary airports, help the company to have tickets in low and reasonable prices. Those are all actions that have as a result the reduction of fairs that the final customer will have to pay.

            easyJet favours an informal company culture with a very flat management structure, which eliminates unnecessary and wasteful layers of management. All office-based employees are encouraged to dress casually. Ties are banned - except for pilots! Remote working and 'hot-desking' have been characteristics of easyJet since the beginning.[30]

This culture and leadership styles that easyJet supports will be identified in order to classify the role of leadership in the organisation and how this role affects the successful development of the company during the last years.

3.2 Stelios Haji-Ioannou

            Born in Athens on 14 February 1967, Stelios (a UK passport holder) is the second son of Loucas Haji-Ioannou, a Greek ship owner. In 1987 he graduated from the London School of Economics and a year later he took a Masters degree from the City of London Business School.[31]

At the age of 21 he joined his father's shipping company and at the age of 25 he established his own shipping company, Stelmar Tankers, which has offices in Athens and London. In November 1995, when Stelios was 28, easyJet began operations.

In June 1999, Stelios started a second business, easyEverything, and the world's largest Internet cafe, in central London. easyEverything offers to the consumers access to the Internet 24 hours a day for only £1. Four more central London sites have been added since, as well as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Edinburgh and Barcelona. It is expected that, in the region of 60 shops - including one in New York - will be open by the end of 2001.

easyRentacar was launched in April 2000 - the world's first internet-only car rental company. Contrary to the traditional model of car rental companies, the easyCar fleet consists of a single model - the Mercedes A-Class and offers car rental from only £9 per day.

In November 2000, Stelios launched easyValue.com, an online price comparator, which continues in the kind of using information technology to re-engineer business processes and provide goods and services to consumers at vastly reduced prices. Another planned company, easyMoney, will provide a range of online financial services, again eliminating the existing real estate costs from this industry to reduce costs to customers.

Stelmar and all of the companies within the easyGroup are "paperless" which allows Stelios to run these companies from wherever he is in the world through his laptop.[32]

The above personality could be characterised as someone with considerable leadership traits. Mr Haji-Ioannou has determination, knowledge, skills, public profile and imagination. Those are human characteristics that belong to a leader and following the development and achievements of Stelios; we have to consider him as one of the great leaders. In one of his interviews in a Greek Magazine Kephaleo (Capital) he states, “there are two types of business talents, the entrepreneur and the manager. One is the pioneer that takes the risks to start something from the beginning. I am certainly the first as I believe that I am better in the role of mentor”.[33]


4. Conclusions

 

There are seven characteristics that are most frequently found in successful business leaders.

1. Flexibility. Leadership needs the ability to constantly set broad, new goals.

2. A capacity to inspire others - recognise that people are the assets. It is the leadership mind that liberates these assets.

3. Enthusiasm. By being a continuous improvement leader.

4. The ability to build relationships. Leaders must build relationships with everyone involved in the organisation.

These relationships will create greater job satisfaction and a greater sense of loyalty. There will be a greater understanding with the organisation, and a closer employer-employee relationship.

5. To inspire trust - empowerment will endure. Good leadership will create organisational culture changes in their workers. Leadership skill will become more a process of tying in individual needs into the organisation’s needs.

6. Communicate. The ability to relate to employees who are going through fundamental shifts due to empowerment means communication. Leadership will need to tap into employees’ emotions and feelings and have a greater sense of their values.

7. A willingness to experiment. Leadership needs to support high levels of experimentation, unplanned, that produce new and unexpected paths of progress and move along into the framework of the organisation. Commitments to brave, daring projects need to become characteristics of the organisation.

That is exactly what easyJet seems to support with the use of a charismatic and innovating leader, Mr Stelios Haji-Ioannou aiming to develop and change a new environment of technological debate. All the indications from the development of the company’s position and the recent success into the market together with the results from this research that present the picture of its leadership position, support this.

Allowing organisational experimentation is clearly shown in the philosophy of Hewlett and Packard, a visionary company. As stated in Collins book “Built to Last” about Hewlett Packard:

“Hewlett Packard Company learned early in its life due to a string of failed and only moderately successful products. Yet Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard kept tinkering, persisting, trying, and experimenting until they figured out to build an innovative company that would express their core values and earn a sustained reputation for great products. Trained as engineers, they could have pursued their goal by being engineers. But they did not.

Instead, they quickly made the switch from designing products to designing an organisation creating an environment conducive to the creation of great products”.[34]

Today’s leaders do not focus on leadership title or position power over the people they lead. Changes in today’s organisational makeup may mean that people at all levels may be called upon to be leaders at one time or another. It is fundamental the consideration of every theoretical attempt in the past to be consider in the development of leadership today, but more important is to define the change of needs and to develop a suitable leadership style that each organisation suit into individually.

5. Recommendations

The aim of this project is to evaluate the operation of easyJet Airline Company and to find out, as a result of this evaluation, the importance of leadership in the organisational structure.  It is fair to bring to a close that the importance of leadership is high, especially with corporations that the element of human interaction is involved. Communication and ability to express opinions is important to exist between members of a team together with a democratic environment of interaction. 

However, there are some implications that should be considered on the above results. The structure of each corporation does exist by following a framework of strategic plan. This strategic plan is usually constrained from financial, political and most important human and managerial implication, different for each business each time – Internet based or not. Specifically, in the example of easyJet, it is not possible to assume that every part of the team within the group will be in a position to correspond in the needs of others within the group or to express personal opinions and recommendations. Personalities of several human beings are not following certain characteristics will not respond or even will not communicate with others. The human factor involves to the above, something that has to be considered on the real world of business.

Moreover, managerial implications will also be involved, people that will not contribute into the leadership style that the company is following, as they do not believe that should come into the same level as their employees, part of the management that is related to the personal scopes and expectations. 

Financial, the implementation of a leadership style does not have any implications. It is possible although for some organisations the need to invest in training and retraining, in order to educate existing employees and most importantly management, on the new environment of change.

 

6. References

 


[1] Mullins L. J. “Approaches to Leadership”, the British Journal of Administrative Management, vol. 32, no. 8, November 1989, pp 263-9.

[2] Bain, N. (1996), “Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership”, Management Today, pp.1-3: Web Site.

[3] Wilson, I. (1996), “The 5 Compasses of Strategic Leadership”, Strategy and Leadership, Vol 24 Iss 2,

pp. 26-31.

[4]Pierce T. M. and Kleiner B.H, ”Changes Affecting Leadership and its Importance in Organisations” Management Today, Vol. 23 no 7, August 2000, pp 2-3.

[5] Katsonis Loukas, “Stelios Hatji-Ioannanou the Businessman of the Year” Kephaleo (Capital) Magazine, no 135 December 2000, pp. 26-34.

[6] Yukl, Gary A. (1989) Leadership in organizations, Second Edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

[7]Mullins J. L. (1996), Management and Organisational Behaviour, Fourth Edition, Pitman Publishing London,  (page 246). 

[8] Internet source: (http://www.hmse.memphis.edu/faculty/walls/Leadership%20Theories).

[9] Internet source:  (http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadchr.html).

[10] Flieshman, E. A. (1974), Leadership Climate, Human Relations Training and Supervisory Behaviour cited in Fleishman, E. A. and Bass, A. R. Studies in Personnel and Industrial Psychology, Third edition, Dorsey Publications 

[11] Internet source:  (http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/groups/lead1.html).

[12] Internet source: http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/groups/mccann.html.

[13] McCann Dick (1985) How to influence others at work: psycho verbal communication for managers

[14] Fiedler, Fred (1967) A theory of leadership effectiveness, McGraw Hill, New York.

[15] Fiedler, Fred (1967) A theory of leadership effectiveness, McGraw Hill, New York.

[16] Internet source: http://www.per.ualberta.ca/mmauws/ARCHIVE/1997-1/Leading/Leading.html

[17] Vroom, V. H., & Jago, A. G. (1988). The new leadership: Managing participation in organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

[18] Vroom, V. H., & Jago, A. G. (1988). The new leadership: Managing participation in organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

[19] Vroom, V.H. & Yetton, P.W. (1973) Leadership and Decision - Making, University of Pittsburgh Press. 

[20] Vroom, V. H., & Jago, A. G. (1988). The new leadership: Managing participation in organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

[21] Adair, J. (1979) Action Centred Leadership, Gover publication, cited in Mullins L. (1996) Management and Organisational Behaviour, Fourth Edition, Pitman Publications, London.

[22] Adair J, (1987), Effective Team Building, Pan, cited in Internet archive, Business Open Learning Archive,  School of Business & Management Brunel University, London. (http://sol.brunel.ac.uk/jarvis/bola/competence/adair.htm)  

[23] Internet Source: (http://sol.brunel.ac.uk/jarvis/bola/competence/adair.htm)

[24] McGreagor, D., (1978), The Human Side of Enterprise, Penguin Publications, London.

[25] Handy C. B, (1976), Understanding Organisations, Penguin Books Ltd, London.

[26] McGreagor, D., (1978), The Human Side of Enterprise, Penguin Publications, London

[27] McGreagor, D., (1978), The Human Side of Enterprise, Penguin Publications, London

[28]McGreagor, D., (1978), The Human Side of Enterprise, Penguin Publications, London

[29] EasyJet airline company overview, Published in the local computer network at: inside.easyjet.com

[30] EasyJet airline company overview, Published in the local computer network at: inside.easyjet.com

[31] Haji-Ioannou, S. (1998), Cited in Senter, A. (1998).’Airline Wars’, Director, February 1998’.

[32] Internet source: Personal Internet Page of Mr S. Haji-Ioannou at: www.stelios.com

[33] Katsonis Loukas, “Stelios Hatji-Ioannanou the Businessman of the Year” Kephaleo (Capital) Magazine, no 135 December 2000, pp. 28.

[34] Collins, J. and Porras, J. (1994), Built To Last, Harper Business publications, New York. Cited in [34]Pierce T. M. and Kleiner B.H, ”Changes Affecting Leadership and its Importance in Organisations” Management Today, Vol. 23 no 7, August 2000.

 

8. BIBLIOGRAPHY