Leadership Challenges for Transformational Initiatives


Having read these case studies, you might say, "Well, Toyota and General Electric are great examples of producing quality products, but how can I extrapolate their methods and leadership challenges to fit my software development scenario?" We have often faced such questions. The lean methods, originally developed for car assembly, have been successfully adapted for transaction processes and service industries. As far as leadership, the fact is that leadership challenges for achieving organizational excellence and delivering transformational results are not industry-specific. Although industry experience is a valid managerial issue, leadership challenges transcend industry specificity. The Toyota and GE case studies illustrate the tasks that corporate leaders face in leading an organization to commanding heights and enduring results. Leadership research illustrates that there is no one ideal characteristic of a great or even good leader. The characteristics to inspire, motivate, and lead to lofty heights are needed in all leaders. Beyond that, it all depends on the particular era, situation, and cultural context. Eiji Toyoda, Akio Morita, Jack Welch, and Andy Grove have all been great corporate leaders, but with remarkably different personal characteristics, styles, and attributes.

In a software development context, the organization's size can vary from a few to tens of thousands. In such workplaces, creativity and the ability to inspire at a personal level may be highly desirable traitsparticularly in small organizations and small software development teams. Because software development is a highly human-centric craft, the ability to extract the best from individuals and groups is a highly desirable leadership trait. In such a context, leaders may also need to be technically savvy. In this regard, we will refer to Sony's famous duo, Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka, who formed a formidable team but with remarkably different leadership attributes. Morita was outgoing, charismatic, and forceful. Ibuka was detail-oriented and technically brilliant but also a dreamer who could always be counted on to inspire his engineers to overreach themselves. They fulfilled two distinct leadership needs for their organization. Rarely, if ever, do leaders possess all the leadership characteristics by themselves. But great leaders always recognize their own shortcomings and have others within the organization lead in areas where they lack capabilities. So, as far as what are the distinguishing features of a great leader in the software area, we say, it all depends.




Design for Trustworthy Software. Tools, Techniques, and Methodology of Developing Robust Software
Design for Trustworthy Software: Tools, Techniques, and Methodology of Developing Robust Software
ISBN: 0131872508
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 394

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net