The Apple Organisational chart

In Apple, everyone reports to Steve Jobs. He organized major things as well as seemingly insignificant details such as how shuttle busses are designed. In Apple, Steve Jobs is the CEO, under him directly are the directors. Followed by COO, CFO, Design, etc. Even further under that are things like Iphone and Ipod marketing, Apple online store, Global outsourcing. This organizational structure of Apple is deliberate. These employees all know whom they must report to. Apple is known for its swiftness despite bulk. An example of this would be Apple changing Ipod prices 48 hours before release. Its possible through their efficient and organized structure.

                In Apple, they simply focus on one thing at a time. Similar to entrepreneurial functioning, Apple moves as a whole. Due to people doing what is in their area of expertise, the stable organizational chart causes little confusion.

               

Apple and Autocratic style

Employees of apple have responded well to the hard, autocratic style of Steve Jobs. Despite some saying that Autocratic style provides de-motivation, Apple has progressed greatly since then. An example would be when the Mac OS was created. It was because the employees were threatened with punishment, did they manage to achieve this incredible feat.

                Could Apple have benefited under a different style? Perhaps if Steve Jobs used the democratic style. Apple could be a more productive and inventive. The autocratic style revolves around the leader making all the decisions. Therefore, empowering the employees would encourage creative thinking and motivate employees to work harder. This is by giving them the power to make decisions, the authority to give the approval of a project and responsibility. Without these key incentives, employees will lose their motivation and become disloyal to the company. 

          I feel that Apple would have done better if employees had been empowered to make decisions on their own. Autocratic style might have been required in the past. However, Steve Jobs should have begun to use the democratic style when Apple's future became more secure. 

Leadership styles

-Autocratic
-Democratic
-Laissez faire

These are the three main styles of leadership that you will find almost anywhere.

What is an autocrat?
An autocrat is someone who makes decisions on their own. They explain the objectives of the company and the employees are told to work in the scope of these objective.

What is a democrat?
A democratic leader is one who allows everyone to have a vote. This style of leadership is often seen in the technological industry. They must be fluid and easily changed. This is when the democratic style of leadership is most useful

What is Laissez-faire?

Laissez-Faire leaderships try to minimize guidance to their subordinates. They try to achieve control through means that are not as obvious. This is because Laissez-faire leaders believe that people excel when they are left alone and have their own responsibilities. 

Steve jobs was an autocratic leader. Examples of this would be getting “steved”. this involved being fired on the spot if expectations were not met.

                I believe that using the autocratic style has its benefits. However, in terms of running Apple, I believe that a Laissez-faire would be more appropriate. When employees are motivated, they will invent new products which may be better than Steve Jobs’s own ideas.         

What are leaders?

Blog entry #1

How do you define a leader? Perhaps a president, or a famous author? Some people are born talented. Some cultivate the skills instead. Which is more important? I think that it requires a combination of both. Some people are born with natural talent that enables them to be leaders instantly. Similarly, someone who has the drive and motivation to be leader could succeed. Yet, it is possible to train until skill is achieved. Therefore, to be a good leader, I believe that these two attributes need to be present

                In this blog, I will be discussing Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, NeXT and Pixar. I choose Steve Jobs on account of his many accomplishments, one of them being to revolutionize the technological industry. Essentially, he has created the modern world that we humans are so proud of. Steve Job has a very interesting history that is related to leadership. I will look at his style of leadership, his leadership qualities in these blogs.

                “I’m looking for a fixer-upper with a solid foundation. Am willing to tear down walls, build bridges, and light fires. I have great experience, a bit of that ‘vision thing’ and I’m not afraid to start from the beginning.”
-Steve Jobs’s résumé, at Apple’s MobileMe website

This statement that is mentioned in his résumé shows his ideologies and philosophy. He was a man who was not one to continue a failed product. Rather, he would scrap the product all together to make a new one.