Ford Motor Company

Alan Mulally, CEO, Ford Motor Company

Erica Turner

Strayer University

Business 520

May 31, 2011

Dr. Carolyn Tippett

Discuss the role of leadership and how it can impact organizational performance. Leadership is the process of developing ideas and a vision, living by values that support those ideas and that vision, influencing others to embrace them in their own behaviors, and making hard decisions about human and other resources (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p. 4). Leadership can impact organizational performance in many ways especially with the power that leaders hold. According to the Organizational Behavior textbook by Hellriegel and Slocum (2011) edition there are five important interpersonal sources of power- legitimate power, which is an individual ability to influence others behaviors because of the person formal position in the organization (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p. 291). Reward power is the ability to influence others behaviors by providing them with valued things (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p. 291). Coercive power is an individual ability to influence others behaviors by punishing them (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p. 292). Referent power is an individual’s ability to influence others because they respect, admire, or like the person (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p. 292). Expert power is the ability to influence others behavior because of recognized competencies, talents, or specialized knowledge (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p. 292).

Discuss Mulally’s leadership style at Ford Motor Company and provide examples of how his actions fit this style. The leadership style that would fit Alan Mulally at Ford Motor Company under the Situational Leadership model, which states that the style of leadership should be matched to the level of readiness of the followers (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p. 305), is the delegating style. In using a delegating style, the leader turns over responsibility for making and implementing decisions...