SECTION A: SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS [40 MARKS]

Answer ALL questions.

1. Describe how role culture influences employee empowerment. (8 marks)

2. Distinguish between smooth incremental change and bumpy incremental change. (8 marks)

3. Explain why there are so many different definitions of leadership. (6 marks)

4. Distinguish between descriptive and prescriptive leadership theories. (6 marks)

5. Justify why the taxonomies of behavioral concepts for managers and leaders differ. (6 marks)

6. Outline is the difference between task-oriented and relations-oriented behaviors. (6 marks)

SECTION B: ESSAY TYPE QUESTIONS [60 MARKS]

Question 1 [20 marks]

The Hourglass

Dr Jannie Chan Siew Lee is the founder of the Asia-Pacific-based watch retailer The Hour Glass. The business was created in 1979, and Jannie served as the company's managing director from no-nonsense, effective leader. She makes all of her decisions based on facts and figures. When there is a serious problem, she carefully identifies the cause and takes necessary steps to resolve it. She sets clear, realistic performance goals and checks on progress in attaining them.

Jannie is forthright and blunt, but she always tries to be fair and considerate with her employees. She insists on giving employees self-respect, self-esteem, and a positive image of their own abilities. Jannie believes that an effective leader operates in an environment of mutual trust and shared goals. Many of her workers have been with her since the company was created, and they are loyal and highly satisfied with her leadership.

Jannie clearly communicates the company goals and key values, such as high-quality products and customer service. If an employee wants to do something to improve company performance and is prepared to put in the necessary effort, she will provide assistance and support. She ensures that recognition is given to employees for excellent performance and innovative ideas, and profit sharing allows employees to earn rewards for effective performance. Jannie is against company or office politics that get in the way of progress in the development and sale of company products. When she launched the business, she had two radically different sales teams with very different sales techniques. One group of salespeople were all women and the other group were all men. Each team constantly complained about the other, and Jannie could not allow the conflicts to continue. She had both groups attend a "clear the air" meeting to

discuss their differences, and it was successfully in resolving the conflicts and building more mutual trust and cooperation.

In 2011, The Hour Glass had revenue of $517 million, a sign that the business continues to succeed under Jannie's effective leadership. In 2002, the company was named Singapore's premier brand at the Singapore Brand Awards. Jannie is the founder and president of the Singapore Women's Business Connection, and she was appointed a member of the United Nations Business Advisory Council in 2004.

Briefly explain the effective task-oriented behaviors and the effective relations-oriented behavior used by Jannie. (20 marks)

Question 3 [20 marks]

Given the many potential benefits from delegation, evaluate why might leaders fail to delegate as much as they should. (20 marks)

Question 4 [20 marks]

With the aid of examples, list and discuss the three (3) stages in the change process as formulated by Lewin. (20 marks)

Question 2 [20 marks]

Tandberg Telecom

When Cisco bought the videoconferencing manufacture Tandberg for $3.4 billion in 2010, the deal was welcomed by Tandberg itself as proof that they had won a competition they called "mission impossible". With a global market share of 40%, the Norway-based company had outperformed Cisco and other IT giants such as Polycom, HP, and Sony for 20 years. Tandberg relied on a "flat and ever-changing" organization without job descriptions or detailed organization charts. Decisions were taken at the lowest possible level, making empowerment crucial as long as all employees found themselves either developing or selling products.

Employees were encouraged to focus on what they could control and how to solve a problem rather than blaming external circumstances for failures. This "player mindset" was a prime focus as Tandberg "hired for attitudes and trained for skills." The biggest challenge was to make people realize they could take the initiative in dealing with problems. Trial and error was encouraged, and unwanted side effects to empowerment were avoided. Because bonuses were paid on team profit margins, teams quickly got out of unprofitable projects. The necessary initiative and agility required skilled leaders. Risk-averse or over-controlling managers did not fit in and would eventually leave. All new employees attended a three-day cultural induction in Oslo where they learned that asking "why" questions were essential. Tandberg claimed that extensive use of videoconferencing could facilitate communication in new ways, and the bridging of high-end IT innovation with local, dynamic cultures and financial governance required frequent high-quality communication. Though only 1,200 people strong, Tandberg employees worldwide made 100,000 video calls a month, most of them less than five minutes long (compared to about 50,000 a year by Cisco's 65,000 staff). Tandberg home or other locations, they would meet the families of co-workers in other countries on video. Conflict levels were low because "an acidic e-mail gets neutralized once the receiver appears on video and you must explain it face to face."

Tandberg veterans believe videoconferencing helps realize the potential of a flat, empowered, and constantly changing organization. Scandinavian leadership is traditionally characterized by preference for egalitarian and non-hierarchical structures. The Tandberg culture may have originated from local practices, but what started as a Scandinavian practice eventually worked as a global, lean, adaptable, and profitable society, exemplified in a real time video event for which all of its offices joined in singing "We are the world."

a. Discuss how Tandberg was able to reap the benefits of participative leadership and empowerment of employees. (10 marks) b. Explain how you would assess Tandberg's potential for facilitating empowerment. (10 marks)