Alan Mulally, Ceo

“Alan Mulally, CEO, Ford Motor Company”

“Alan Mulally, CEO, Ford Motor Company”

Kelly Cain

Dana Richmond, Ph.D

Leadership and Organizational Behavior-BUS-520

May, 18, 2011

Strayer University-Maitland

Discuss the role of leadership and how it can impact organizational performance.

A significant part of effective leadership is the close connection between the leader and the

follower, which often determines the success of the leader’s mission. Unfortunately, this leader-

follower relationship cannot be created according to some simple formula. Young leaders of

today face special challenges as they try to communicate and interact with their followers and

potential followers. By exploring global perspectives, human diversity, and which, young leaders

can take yet another step forward in their development and preparation for twenty-first century

leadership. The organization’s base rests on management philosophy, values, vision and goals.

This in turn drives the organizational culture which is composed of the formal organization,

informal organization and the social environment. The culture determines the type of leadership,

communication and group dynamics within the organization. The final outcomes are

performance, individual satisfaction, and personal growth and development. All these elements

combine to build the model or framework that the organization operates from.

Discuss Mulally’s leadership style at Ford Motor Company and provide examples of how his actions fit this style.

In the case it is stated, “Alan Mulally’s leadership has resulted in Ford making some

strategic moves” (Hellriegel et al., 2001). His skills and style helped Ford to move ahead in the

industry during an economic recession. According to Lewis Booth, chief financial officer at Ford,

“Alan’s style is pretty relentless.” He says, “If this is the reality, what are we going to do about

it?...