MNG3702 Assignment 2 2024/2025. Q&A (A+ RATED)
Discuss the reasons why leadership is an important driver of strategy implementation. (5) –
ANSWERS. The role of leadership in strategy implementation.
1. Leadership drives strategic change.
2. Strategies cannot be implemented in isolation. Someone needs to lead and coordinate this
process.
Leadership is about influencing people so that they perform required tasks and activities.
Effective leaders typically have high levels of emotional intelligence (trait theory/ term social
intelligence is also used)
Leadership is very important for successful implementation. Strategic leadership is the ability to
anticipate, envision, maintain flexibility, and to empower others to create strategic change
necessary.
Leadership is necessary to ensure commitment among internal and external stakeholders to
implement strategies.
2 Discuss the attributes of emotional intelligence. (10) - ANSWERS1. Self Awareness. The leader
is aware of his/her strengths and weaknesses. They are realistic about their strengths and not over
critical about their weaknesses.
2. Self Regulation. This attribute refers to the extent to which a leader controls their emotions and
not allowing their emotions to control their decisions and actions.
3. Motivation. The drive that a leader has to achieve their predetermined goals. They enjoy learning
and will work hard to overcome challenges that would block the achievement of their goals.
4. Empathy. The extent to which a leader is considerate of the employee's feelings when making
decisions. The leader also takes into account social and cultural differences of the employees.
5. Social skills. Is about being able to communicate and work with individuals from different walks
of life and being able to motivate them to work towards achieving the predetermined goals.
3 Discuss the responsibilities of a strategic leader. (6) - ANSWERSLeaders are not only a driving
force behind the strategy implementation initiative but they also need to perform certain tasks and
take responsibility for the performance of activities such as:
1. Communicating the vision and strategic direction to all the employees and other stakeholders of
the organisation.
2. Developing an appropriate vision or strategic direction for the organisation in which as many
stakeholders as possible have participated.
, 3. Designing appropriate reward systems and organisational structures together with top
management.
4. Developing and maintaining an effective organisational culture.
5. Ensuring with managers that the organisation continually incorporates good corporate
governance principles into its strategies and operations.
6. Inspiring and motivating employees to achieve the strategic goals of the organisation.
4 Explain why different strategies require different leadership styles. (5) - ANSWERSIn order to
ensure a continuous tight fit between strategy and leadership, a change in strategy also necessitates
a change in leadership. The position of the organisation, its life cycle and its leadership style is
correlated.
· With a growth strategy, the leader pays attention to managing relationships, inspiring people and
communicating
the goals and strategies.
· With corporate combination strategies, the leader integrate different cultures and value systems
and identify
synergies and combine people and task sills.
· With decline strategies, leaders are task oriented and focus on reducing assets and costs with
autocratic style.
· A start-up / embryonic phase of organisation require a risk taker as a leader by incorporating large
salaries and
equity into the reward system.
· A rapid growth / directive phase requires a caretaker that builds on strengths and creates gradual
change with long term commitment by incorporating a salary plus large bonuses for growth targets,
plus equity for key people as the reward system.
· A mature phase requires a surgeon who is selective, decisive and declaratives to make tough
decisions; organisation often undergoes restructuring and reengineering with another rapid growth
phase by linking efficiency and profit-margin performance to the reward system.
· A decline phase refers to an organisations that do not undergo second phase of growth refer to an
undertaker, who is task-oriented and is faced with tough decisions should be linked to cost savings
reward systems.
Leadership styles and the organisational life cycle
Risk taker Caretaker Surgeon Undertaker Birth/embryonic Rapid growth Maturity / slow growth
Death / decline
The assumption here is that leader's style should match the situation demands (contingency
Discuss the reasons why leadership is an important driver of strategy implementation. (5) –
ANSWERS. The role of leadership in strategy implementation.
1. Leadership drives strategic change.
2. Strategies cannot be implemented in isolation. Someone needs to lead and coordinate this
process.
Leadership is about influencing people so that they perform required tasks and activities.
Effective leaders typically have high levels of emotional intelligence (trait theory/ term social
intelligence is also used)
Leadership is very important for successful implementation. Strategic leadership is the ability to
anticipate, envision, maintain flexibility, and to empower others to create strategic change
necessary.
Leadership is necessary to ensure commitment among internal and external stakeholders to
implement strategies.
2 Discuss the attributes of emotional intelligence. (10) - ANSWERS1. Self Awareness. The leader
is aware of his/her strengths and weaknesses. They are realistic about their strengths and not over
critical about their weaknesses.
2. Self Regulation. This attribute refers to the extent to which a leader controls their emotions and
not allowing their emotions to control their decisions and actions.
3. Motivation. The drive that a leader has to achieve their predetermined goals. They enjoy learning
and will work hard to overcome challenges that would block the achievement of their goals.
4. Empathy. The extent to which a leader is considerate of the employee's feelings when making
decisions. The leader also takes into account social and cultural differences of the employees.
5. Social skills. Is about being able to communicate and work with individuals from different walks
of life and being able to motivate them to work towards achieving the predetermined goals.
3 Discuss the responsibilities of a strategic leader. (6) - ANSWERSLeaders are not only a driving
force behind the strategy implementation initiative but they also need to perform certain tasks and
take responsibility for the performance of activities such as:
1. Communicating the vision and strategic direction to all the employees and other stakeholders of
the organisation.
2. Developing an appropriate vision or strategic direction for the organisation in which as many
stakeholders as possible have participated.
, 3. Designing appropriate reward systems and organisational structures together with top
management.
4. Developing and maintaining an effective organisational culture.
5. Ensuring with managers that the organisation continually incorporates good corporate
governance principles into its strategies and operations.
6. Inspiring and motivating employees to achieve the strategic goals of the organisation.
4 Explain why different strategies require different leadership styles. (5) - ANSWERSIn order to
ensure a continuous tight fit between strategy and leadership, a change in strategy also necessitates
a change in leadership. The position of the organisation, its life cycle and its leadership style is
correlated.
· With a growth strategy, the leader pays attention to managing relationships, inspiring people and
communicating
the goals and strategies.
· With corporate combination strategies, the leader integrate different cultures and value systems
and identify
synergies and combine people and task sills.
· With decline strategies, leaders are task oriented and focus on reducing assets and costs with
autocratic style.
· A start-up / embryonic phase of organisation require a risk taker as a leader by incorporating large
salaries and
equity into the reward system.
· A rapid growth / directive phase requires a caretaker that builds on strengths and creates gradual
change with long term commitment by incorporating a salary plus large bonuses for growth targets,
plus equity for key people as the reward system.
· A mature phase requires a surgeon who is selective, decisive and declaratives to make tough
decisions; organisation often undergoes restructuring and reengineering with another rapid growth
phase by linking efficiency and profit-margin performance to the reward system.
· A decline phase refers to an organisations that do not undergo second phase of growth refer to an
undertaker, who is task-oriented and is faced with tough decisions should be linked to cost savings
reward systems.
Leadership styles and the organisational life cycle
Risk taker Caretaker Surgeon Undertaker Birth/embryonic Rapid growth Maturity / slow growth
Death / decline
The assumption here is that leader's style should match the situation demands (contingency
