Contents

• 1. Introduction 3
• 1.1 The Concept of Managerial Leadership 3
• 1.2 About the Organisation- IKEA 4
• 2. Managerial Leadership Development in IKEA 6
• 2.1 Work Values at IKEA 6
• 2.2 Leadership at IKEA 8
• 2.3 Leadership Development at IKEA 9
• 3. Plan of Action 10
• 3.1 Identifying the Flaws 10
• 3.2 Strategy to Improve Leadership 11
• 3.3 Challenges to the Operationalisation of the Strategy 14
• 4. Conclusion 15
• 5. List of References 18

Description

The definition of leadership has been changing with time. The several mutations that the very concept of leadership has gone under are proof of the emerging needs and competition of organisations. Leadership is no more just the task of decision making; it is an all encompassing field. These changes have given rise to newer terms and concepts. One of such terms and concepts is ‘managerial leadership’. Managerial leadership is the skill of maximizing opportunities not just for oneself, but for the organisation on the whole. Topping (2005) states that enabling your associates to work at their very best is the core of managerial leadership. Managerial leadership thus, transcends the individual and works at the level of the organisation. It is argued that managerial leadership works both at the individual and the organisational level. This is true to some extent only because ultimately, it is the organisation that is the target of managerial leadership. More and more organisations are adopting managerial leadership for this very reason. Managerial leadership helps in improving the efficiency of the whole organisation. Therefore, it has become quite popular.
Managerial leadership has various levels. It moves in a sort of hierarchy. Thus, there are managers or leaders or managerial leaders at different statures. There may be an administrative officers, then a middle manager and at the top an executive. All are responsible for managerial leadership; the nature and content of tasks of course varies at these levels. Therefore, managerial leadership requires training. It is also called ‘Managerial Leadership Development’. To maximize the opportunities for success for both the individual and the organization, the timing of leadership and managerial development training should be strategically considered. The training required for an individual to be successful should not focus on skills required for the individual’s current position, but rather on skills required to be successful at the next level position (Kotter, 1990). Often, managerial leadership development draws a distinction between leadership and management. This distinction is necessary for determining the appropriate training for all levels of leaders or managers. According to their tasks, Smith (2007) has drawn out four basic levels of leaders- first line supervisors, middle manager, administrator and executive. First line supervisors and executives are supposed to be most concerned with leadership as compared to middle managers and administrators, who are more focussed on management. At the same time it is pointed out that ‘developmental training’ is different from regular training. While routine training would merely provide skills necessary for the current situation, developmental training seeks to equip leaders with managerial skills that will help the overall organisation and also produce benefits for the future. This is in fact the very premise of managerial leadership development. Effective leadership not only enhances corporate performance, but it fosters employee motivation, job satisfaction, performance, and organizational commitment, while reducing absenteeism and turnover. Current thinking about leadership emphasizes that effective leadership spans a continuum ranging from managerial to transformational leadership.