Dell's Leadership Style
Dell is one of the world's most well-known computer and hardware suppliers. The company has been in operation since 1984, and its longevity has been due to the careful guidance and leadership of its CEO and chairman, Michael Saul Dell (Fortune, 2017). According to Fortune (2017), the billionaire grew a $1,000 investment into a multibillion-dollar empire. Though his performance may be attributed to a variety of reasons, evaluating his leadership style can provide more precise insights into his success.
Adapting to Change
When Dell was initiating his start-up, he was lacking in business experience. In this regard, he hired Mr. Lee Walker, a venture capitalist who succeeded in hastening the business's growth rate and mentored Dell on management subjects (Hill & Jones, 2012).
A Shift in Leadership Approach
On taking over the company, Dell initially favored an autocratic approach, which saw less interaction among staff and a decline in productivity. The epitome of this was during 2004 to 2007, where productivity dwindled to the point of appointing a new management team in 2007 (Hill & Jones, 2012). The new team fostered an interactive environment where a participative form of leadership was encouraged. Consequently, the company progressed and continued performing strongly within the market.
Transformative Leadership
Overall, Dell symbolizes a leader who is open to change to ensure that company objectives are met. He shifted from a relatively autocratic style, centered on him, to one that was more participative, which valued other people's inputs for the sake of business growth. Dell's case study provides a demonstration of the principles of transformative leadership via idealized, inspirational, intellectual, and considerate styles (Ahmad, Abbas, Latif, & Rasheed, 2014). Additionally, the level of connection between the management and the employees has allowed the fostering of fruitful cooperative relationships.
References
Ahmad, F., Abbas, T., Latif, S., & Rasheed, A. (2014). Impact of Transformational Leadership on Employee Motivation in Telecommunication Sector. Journal of Management Policies and Practices, 2(2), 11-25.
Fortune. (2017, August 28). Michael Dell’s Advice to Entrepreneurs: ‘You Better Come Up With Something Unique’. Retrieved from http://fortune.com: http://fortune.com/2017/08/28/michael-dell-leadership-advice/
Hill, C., & Jones, G. (2012). Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach. Boston: Cengage Learning.
