Description Assessment task 2 requires the writing of an academic essay. This essay should be an ‘argumentative essay’, and must therefore contain an argument that is used as the structuring element of the paper. The assignment is based on a case study that describes the impact of leadership styles and change management on business activities. The purpose of the essay is to identify the roles of change in organisational leadership and other challenges in managing dynamic organisations. Students are expected to engage in extensive research within the academic literature relating to organisational leadership, styles of change management and appropriate leadership style.
Details The assessment item is based on the case study titled Marius Kloppers: A Leader for His Time? (pg. 163-164 of textbook). The case itself, and assignment requirements are presented in the document and can also be accessed through the course website. You should read, and carefully analyse, the case and respond to the issues presented at the end of the case study within the context of an academic essay. You are required to support your argument with appropriate theoretical discussion and references.
The assignment should be a properly constructed academic essay. It should contain an effective introduction, discussion body (answering the two broad questions) and conclusion. The introduction should introduce the essay, thesis statement (main objective of the Assignment) and include your argument. The main body of the assignment should present the evidence you have collected to support your arguments for the questions and the conclusion should restate your arguments, summarise the evidence and make a conclusion regarding your arguments.
The assignment should contain a coherent, but necessarily restricted review of the academic literature on the organisational culture, change management topics in question. The literature review should be integrated into the assignment, not a separate section. A reference list formatted in the prescribed Harvard style is compulsory.
And I need 15 journal articles that I can able to access it please. The key point should mentioned in the essay
- Four forms of change ( collaboration , consultative , directive, coercive )
- mergers AND acquisitions
- leadership styles
- characteristics of leaders
- change management AND leadership OR management
- mentoring AND leadership
- strategic change management
- delegation AND decision making processes
Fours form of change
Case study
Case Study: Marius Kloppers: A Leader for His Time?
BHP Billiton’s relentless and often hostile pursuit of Rio Tinto for over 10 years finally appeared to have paid off. On Friday, 5 June 2009, Don Argus, Chairman of global mining giant BHP Billiton and Jan Du Plessis, Chairman of rival Anglo – Australian mining giant Rio Tinto, signed off on a 50:50 iron ore joint venture in the Pilbara, Western Australia.
This result, welcomed by both parties, represents the determined efforts of the Chairman, Don Argus, and a number of key senior executives at BHP. The last 10 years have witnessed both friendly and hostile merger discussions that failed to bear fruit. Current CEO, Marius Kloppers came to the job in late 2007 and within months, launched a hostile takeover bid for Rio Tinto. It is argued that Marius’ determination and willingness to go hostile was the primary reason he was appointed to succeed Chip Goodyear as CEO; the ‘gentlemanly American’, it seems, was not prepared to play the hostile line. While Kloppers initially touted this as the ‘deal for all seasons’, protracted anti-trust investigations and the harsh realities of the global financial crisis that led to tumbling mining industry fortunes forced BHP to relinquish its bid.
While BHP Billiton decided to withdraw from its last takeover battle against Rio Tinto in late November 2008, Don Argus and Marius never gave up hope of striking a deal. They have since worked tirelessly behind the scenes with BHP’s Chief Commercial Officer, Alberto Calderon, and investment banks Goldman Sachs and Gresham Partners, to broker the joint- venture partnership.
What, then, drives Marius Kloppers? What does he believe are the characteristics necessary for leading organisational change? How are these manifests in him? Don Argus describes Marius as ‘a man for his time in terms of complexity of the operations’, in the same way that Goodyear ‘was good for his time with this capital management disciplines’. Others describe Marius as a chaos change manager in contrast to Goodyear’s incremental approach. While Goodyear tended to micromanage, Marius expects others to take responsibility and be accountable for their areas of the business.
In the past, Marius has been described as tough, intense, volatile, authoritarian, intimidating and aggressive – an alpha male. He has also been described as a very gentle man, a methodical, rational thinker with exceptional operational skills. According to Brian Gilbertson, former BHP Billiton CEO, Marius is commercially savvy, with a huge intellectual depth and analytical mind. Brian described Marius’ initial move to Rio Tinto, after being in the top job at BHP for only a few months, as both ‘aggressive and courageous’. He is a high achiever who expects excellence from others and has little sympathy for those whom he sees as underperforming. As one colleague noted, patience would not be high on the list of his virtues. Marius sees himself as a ‘pretty private person’. He admits that this complete self-confidence is both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.
Don Argus has been an important mentor and role model for Marius, helping him to come out of his shell and be more inclusive and tolerant of others. Marius recognised he needed to change different aspects of this leadership style and has worked to involve people in the decision-making process and build trust. As someone who is keen on detail and thrives on information, he likes to get out and about and talk to people at the coalface. Marius stated, ‘you do test the temperature on how an organisation sees itself by talking to people’. According to one colleague, Marius ‘knows many people and many people trust him across the industry … and he works more than anybody’.
Marius’ view of his role as leader is highlighted in the parallels he makes between strategy making the game of cricket. He enjoys the decision-making power of the captain and the
team and the similar need to plan around changing circumstances and unforeseen events. In test cricket, he argues, the role the captain and team plays is unique. There are no ‘puppet masters’ and no coaching team dictating play from a remote box above the field. It is 11 men working together, planning, performing and enduring the best of their ability. ‘It’s the chess like game of preplanning your strategy throughout a five day period as things change’. Marius says that he really enjoys working one on one with people or a team of people, such as his management team or with an investor, getting them to buy in by ‘selling a story’.
Marius has worked hard to break down barriers and build trust, delegating decision-making power, listening and talking to those conducting the nuts and bolts operations and stripping away layers of cumbersome bureaucracy. However, while strict rules and protocols remain ‘only if they help the organisation operate more effectively’, the shifts are not at the expense of accountability and discipline. Marius ultimately believes in simplicity and focus that the majority of companies are poorly run because they take on too much and end up doing nothing very well. He argues ‘my philosophy is that if you do the basic things, if you just reserve all your energy for the basic things, then we will be fine’.
Task: Based on the above case study write an essay that answers the following broad two questions:
- Use Figure 6.5 ‘Four Forms of Change’ (page 160) to examine the scale and scope of change at BHP Billiton under the leadership of Marius Kloppers.
You should discuss your arguments using ideas, theories of Four Forms of Change (page 160 of textbook), leadership and organisational performance explained in chapter 6 of the textbook.
- Analyse Kloppers’ leadership against the four styles of change management outlined in Figure 6.5 and assess the appropriateness of his leadership style in relation to issues confronting BHP Billiton. Use evidence from the case to support your response.
You may think of developing your arguments in terms of contextual changes, leadership styles and the organisational changes and setting. Relate your answer to Figure 6.5 (Four Forms of Change) and forms of appropriateness of Kloppers’ leadership style. Please use your existing knowledge from the academic and other sources to build your arguments.
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