Michael Dell Leadership

Is Dell changing course?

In 1996, Dell.com was launched. It revolutionised how we bought computers by selling them online at affordable prices, customisable and available to the masses. By 2000, online sales from Dell.com was reported to reach 40 million a day, making it one of the highest sales volume e-commerce sites in the world. And the man behind this success is Dell founder and CEO, Michael Dell. He started the company (PC’s Limited) in 1984 at the age of 19 with one thousand dollars and eventually grew it into the world 3rd largest PC maker, Dell. Michael Dell's business objective was to cut out the middleman and sell factory-assembled machines direct to the masses at a reduced price. Dell.com allows customers to order exactly what they wanted and deliver the product to their doorstep. That also meant no wasted inventory sitting around in the warehouse. Michael Dell’s innovative and ingenuity concept benefited both the consumer and his business. He was often viewed as a transformational leader with individual consideration and idealised influence.

Kevin Robins vs Michael Dell

Michael Dell resigned from his CEO post in 2004 and returned in 2007. Kevin Robins took over during his absence. Under Rollins' watch, the company faced a slew of challenges: missed revenue targets, customer service complaints, lost PC market share to HP, and an SEC investigation into its accounting. Rollins was also known as “The Whip”, who appeared as a no-nonsense and distant to employees which is a strong characteristic of a strong transactional leadership trait. In contrast, when Dell returned, he called for an amnesty and encouraged all employees to discuss openly about all problems faced by the company. Dell aimed to revitalise his employees and showed them he was listening. Forbes technology editor Elizabeth Corcoran commented "Within Dell, Michael Dell was clearly a hero—a warm guy with good instincts for making people feel like part of a team." John Enck, managing...