GSB002 Qantas Leadership and Management Analysis Assignment Sample

Leading Managing and Developing People

Executive Summary of Leadership and Management Analysis

This report discussed the leadership and management analysis of the firm Qantas. Qantas has implemented changes in its management operations through employee diversity and organizational culture. The firm under CEO Alan Joyce has maintained the market position in the business but have faced severe backlash on reward structure, organizational leadership in motivating employees, and retention. The firm through a change in leadership approach can navigate change.

Table of Contents

List of abbreviations

Introduction

Results and Discussion

Recommendation

Conclusion

Reference list

Introduction to Leadership and Management Analysis

Leadership and managing people are major factors that drive the organization’s performance. The topics that will be discussed in the report are Path goal leadership style, financial reward structure, team cohesion, and organizational change through 4 D Model appreciative inquiry.

About Qantas

Qantas Airways is a flag carrier of Australia and is the largest in fleet size. It has begun international passenger flights in the year 1935 and is the third oldest airline in the world (Qantas Group 2020). The leadership style has been situational to determine the company's road map. Qantas has used flexible working to increased diversity and employee retention. The understanding of competitors and increasing competition has changed the culture by creating a program by integrating technology and accountability and operations (Adobe 2018).

Results and Discussion on Leadership and Management Analysis

Path-Goal leadership style

The path-goal leadership theory is valid as the leadership style is dynamic and has key factors linked to motivation. It is the combination of supportive leadership for accomplishing the task for supervisory control and feedback (Brooks 2018).

Directive style- This type of leadership is effective in clarifying performance goals. The employee well-being is discussed and more focus on task orientation and goal planning is done for employee performance improvement (Brooks 2018)

Participative leadership- This leadership style encourages subordinate involvement in decision making and the employees are asked for suggestions. The business is a dynamic subject to fuel cost and operating cost structure, Qantas with the help of employee could come to the census on employee staff relationships asserting for operating decisions relating to buying out and divestitures. .Retrenchment should be done if essential by being sensitive to employees to maintain cordial relationship at the firm. 

Achievement-oriented- The business structure and highlights of the CEO statement shows the performance standard is ranked higher for the employee in achieving goals through challenging goals. The firm has launched the emerging leadership program to support talent for their outstanding performance over the period of time. The keep in touch program has shown the employee flexibility on returning to work (Qantas, 2018)

Qantas has restructured its business unit into separate units for staff management by CEO Alan Joyce (Qantas, 2018). The flattened structure has allowed in quick decision making. The strategy has built through organizational agility and business operations by market shifts. Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage self-awareness and social skills. It will help in conflict resolution, self-management in task orientation. Joyce has attributed his philosophy through career experiences and his leadership style is persuasive, he has motivated team during stressful times.

Risk measure on non-implementation- The authoritative leadership management style has risk at employee-employer relationship as it will not be adaptable in all situation as task orientation are dependent employee performance and motivation to work. It can lead to more subtle forms of resistance, as well as long-term antagonism with the change agent.

Financial reward practice

Job status-based rewards improve fairness and higher pay through motivation of employees. Rewards helps in motivating employee and help in the cost efficiency for employee benefits as opposed to the rigid hierarchy followed at Qantas

Competency-based reward structure

Competency-based reward motivates employees to learn new skills and development of overall functional knowledge for product and quality that helps employee in multitasking as a win-win benefit for both employees and employers

The relevancy of the performance should be made aligned by the safety protocols, and overall team performance through employee work design by following up with bonus elements as a regular feature and clearly state the same. The rewarding staff through monetary compensation is the motivation factor for their knowledge and labor that has been put in the organization. The use of bonus in trying to pressurise employees for credit on agreement as a system for the unseen agreement disclosure have made Qantas to put pay freeze and staff reduction (Financial Review 2019). In the year 2019, Qantas announced that it will be paying cash bonus to full time and part-time employees of about 1.6 billion profit (Financial Review, 2019). The total bonus was held on agreement shows bias by the organization on the distribution of bonus. This had got trouble for the company. The radical structure for workers on reward structure should be on a performance basis. ESOPs can additionally add cover for employees and employers at the time of downsizing and layoff. The employee's productivity will be linked with the organization through ESOPs.

Risk on non-implementation -A bonus is directly linked to employee motivation. The dissatisfaction in one aspect can decrease employee's attractiveness towards the job and will impact the company’s profitability in staff retention and maintaining loyalty (Hill 2017)

Team Cohesion

Employee communication

Qantas follows information communication through employee roadshows and twice-yearly face to face communication. Q&A is with the executive team and broadcast email messages. The weekly flyer is there to provide hardcopy for the intranet Friday flyer by the adaptation for message transitions. The broadcast email messages for major news development. The face to face communication can be increased. The brand communication is channelized through product segment database uploaded for communication. The firm can use regular interactions as opposed to digital communication for downward communication style.

Team Cohesion

Team cohesion refers to the degree of attraction for motivation and development of team employee relationship (McShane et al. 2018). The organization is large hence team efficiency is maintained through swiftly for function conflict resolution. The group works in 11 structures with Qantas domestic, Qantas international freight, general council, loyalty and digital venture, brand communication, corporate affairs. Cooperation and conformity with lesser cohesion can result in employee dynamics and collaboration. Virtual cohesion is maintained through primarily information technologies using virtual interaction for coordination of work. Information technologies and knowledge-based work will be through globalization and learning across geographical limit. Globalization has helped in human capital for direct collaboration that can for better team equations.

The nominal group can be formed through traditional brainstorming for team decision making and collective brand functioning. Team diversity is a major criterion for composition. Diverse teams through opportunity by viable background for holistic solutions will provide broader technical competencies (Brooks 2018) A diverse team has helped in better representation with the Aboriginal community including them in organizational specifications for the support team. Knowledge-based trust is based on a person’s ability for competence behavior for management. Even if we do not agree with a particular team member's actions, his or her consistency generates some level of trust. (Sarin 2015)The knowledge-based trust also relates to confidence in the supervisor follower relationship in the organization that can be developed. Qantas used joint work party during the conflict between labour union and management.

Application of team-based structure at Qantas- The team-based structure will be effective through a self-directed team that will help in the organic structure for liaison with top management. Qantas uses a listening strategy and digital platform for employee experience with the development of fit for purpose solutions (Adobe 2018). The self-directed team with virtual meetings can maintain the work requirements as the firm operates through global operations. Qantas has used cloud based team meetings for its on-ground and flight operating staff by connecting 30000 employees for virtual engagements (Microsoft 2018).

The risk associated with non-implementation- It will lead to employee - management conflict, the multiskilling and connectivity will decline in the workers. The change resistance can be through symptoms of deeper problems for firms that will lead to power tussle; this can be due to undistributed power status that may affect the organization. Coercion by the top management may lead to another form of resistance and may drive change to disapproval in decisions.

4 D Model of Appreciative Inquiry

Appreciative inquiry breaks the traditional practice of problem-solving. It helps in the thought process for focusing on positive rather than negative components of the organization (McShane et al. 2018). The large group in the work setting can work towards brainstorming and collective thoughts and identify the outcomes. This positive orientation creates inquiry for groups to overcome challenges. The model through identifying, envisioning, engaging, and developing the aspiration for organization benchmark through the 4D model (McShane et. al 2018).

• Discovery stage- Discovery is identifying the positive elements of the organization. Interviewing staff will be able to provide details that can be improved in the organization. The understanding of fundamental strength is observed by organization staff. The diversity and flexibility were appreciated by the team. The flexible working practice at the company with Flex @Q approach has helped in recognizing different lifestyles and encouraged and recognized the business need as per their demand (Qantas Group 2020).
• Dreaming stage- Dreaming is envisioning about organization's shift for becoming an ideal organization. The staff feedback through the interview showed organizational culture for participative nature that will allow them to discuss the course of action that will be taken. This will foster a positive culture in the organization and will ground root staff to the organization.
• Designing stage- The model will be shaped through organizations focus on what specific objective they wish to take their own organization into. The leadership should introduce emotional intelligence and training program centered with holistic approach other than graduate and leadership program as at Qantas
• Delivery stage- The staff will establish specific objectives by direction on the identification model they wish to determine. This requires change at a large level. The management can reserve the major decision making that will impact the monetary and operational structure and follow constructive feedback and face to face communication in central decisions. The CEO reflected on the inclusion and diversity in organizations for driving business performance as organizational strength. To motivate staff Qantas introduced sheep dig training program and service culture movement for operational improvement and collaboration of front line staff.

Risk on non-implementation- The applicability of this model will benefit Qantas. The risk this holds on non-application will be related to non-participatory and un attentiveness by staff in their work.

Recommendation on Leadership and Management Analysis

• The firm should use team cohesiveness to attract talent through virtual meetings and participative decision making in the organization. Understanding and adapting changes through personalized feedback will increase employee understanding and retention (McShane et al. 2018).
• Training should involve 360-degree feedback sessions, emotional intelligence, and skill development program. The CEO should include the training program as the central program of training as it will be effective for all staff and will help in developing skills in the employee for self and organization growth.

Joyce can discuss with his business team on handling the operations relating to uncertainty in the aviation sector and business transformation decisions while taking mms suggestion’s the participation of members will increase team cohesiveness. They may also use the findings of this study to elevate staff performance by introducing emotional intelligence in training and selection within their organization.

Conclusion on Leadership and Management Analysis

Dynamic leadership in the situational analysis will be advantageous for Qantas. The appreciative model will reinforce positive culture and reaffirmation towards the firm. Firms can use emotional intelligence to elevate competitive advantage. This can be done through training and selection in the organization and understanding employee perceptive

References for Leadership and Management Analysis

Adobe. 2018. The experience led transformation at Qantas. [Online]. Available at https://www.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/au/events/symp/41-qantas-isobar.pdf. Accessed on [ July 20th, 2020]

Brooks, I. 2018. Organizational Behaviour: Individuals, Groups, and Organization. Pearson publication.

Financial Review. 2019. ACTU sues Qantas over 'discriminatory' bonus scheme. [Online]. Available at https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/workplace/actu-sues-qantas-over-discriminatory-bonus-scheme-20190623-p520ey. Accessed on [July 20th, 2020]

Hill, C., Schilling, M.A., and Jones, R.G. 2017. Strategic management: Theory: An integrated approach. Cengage learning

Microsoft. 2018. Qantas empowers employees to do their best work with Microsoft 365, enhancing customer experience. [Online]. Available at https://customers.microsoft.com/en-us/story/qantas-travel-and-transportation-microsoft-365-blog. Accessed on [July 24th, 2020]

 McShane et al. 2018. Organizational Behaviour- Emerging Knowledge. Global Insights. McGraw-Hill Education. 

Qantas. 2018. Changes in the Qantas group executive team. [Online].Available at https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/changes-to-qantas-group-executive-team-2/. Accessed on [July 20th, 2020]

Qantas Group.2020. About Qantas.[Online]. Available from https://www.qantas.com/in/en/qantas-group.html. Accessed on [July 20th, 2020]

Sarin, T., Wright, C. 2015. Mutual gains or mutual losses? Organizational fragmentation and employment relations outcomes at Qantas Group. Journal of Industrial Relations 2015, 57(5) 686–706

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