Four Framework Approach to Richard Branson

Four model Approach to Richard BransonIntroduction leadership was once about hard skills such as picturening, finance and task analysis. When ask and control ruled the corporal world, the leading were heroic rationalists who moved people around like pawns and fought like stags. When they spoke, the company employees jumped. The entire c atomic number 18er remains in some organizations is base on using hard functional skills to progress. But when executives reach the top of the organization, many different skills are required.Corporate leaders may find that although they can do the financial analysis and the strategic planning, they are poor at communicating ideas to employees or colleagues, or have miniature insight into how to motivate people. The modern CEO requires an array of skills.Some suggest that people expect too much of leaders. Indeed, renaissance men and women are rare. leaders in a modern organization is highly complex and it is increasingly difficult. It is som etimes impossible for finding all the necessary traits in a star mortal. Among the most crucial skills is the ability to capture audiences.Richard Branson, the funder of virginal Group and everlasting(a) Atlantic flight path could be one of best leader in the industry. chronicleAccording to utter(a) grouping website, Richard Branson was born in July 18, 1950 in Surrey, England. He is the son of a lawyer and an airline stewardess. He was educated at the sole(a) Stowe School, just did not excel, possibly due to his nearsightedness and dyslexia. In his teens he developed a national magazine, Student at the Age of Sixteen. At xvii he began a student advisory service.After leaving school, Branson entered the music industry. Considering that he could sell records cheaper than the existing average, he started a mail-order catalogue with friends. It was a success, and they undetermined a record discount shop. They shoutd the origin new, beca utilise it was their first venture. gross(a) air ducts is one of Bransons main businesses. Formed in 1984, it is part owned by Singapore air passages, and it is the south largest British long haul international airline, and has won many awards. During the 1990s the fleet and the air route internet expanded and a Premium economy service was introduced. In 2003 Virgin Atlantic launched the innovative Upper Class Suite with a flat bed and seat, and in 2006 the Virgin Clubhouse open up at Heathrow with a spa, brasserie, cocktail bar, hair salon and games room. Branson is withal well known for his personal adventures by Virgin Atlantic Flyer.In 2010, and less than 40 historic period after the original conception of the Branson Virgin businesses, Branson boasted over 200 Virgin Megastores worldwide. All told, Branson employed 24,000 employees in 150 companies, with revenues totaling an estimated five billion dollars each category from the entire Virgin Group including the music stores and airline. The Virgin empi re was is the largest privately owned business in England (Virgin Atlantic Airways, 2010).Bolman and Deals Four Framework Approach to Richard BransonLeadership models can also help us to understand a leaders organizational influence. Bolman and Deal, in Four Framework Approach, suggest that leaders display behaviors in one of four frameworks Structural, Human Resource, Political, or Symbolic. Each requires a specific organizational setting to be favored.The Structural FrameworkFrom the rational perspective, organizations are instruments intentional to achieve specified goals. Organizations are purposeful in the sense that the activities and interactions of participants are centrally coordinated to achieve common objectives behaviors in organizations are rational in the sense that eccentrics and role relations are prescribed self-directedly of the personal attributes of the individuals in the structure (Richard, 1992). In the rational domain, organizations are driven by strategie s, and the role of focusing is to align strategies and structure with the external environment. system development includes cardinal kinds of approaches mainly. The first one is prescriptive approach which is the firm defined the objective and/or the main elements before brainstorm the scheme vice versa, another one is have no clear objective and/or elements, all the strategy testament be developing during the process, which call emergent approach. Finally, what people and task performed base on above approaches that entrust generate the strategic deviate by semiformal or informal organizational structure from the managers, because of environment, business relationship, engineering science, people, life cycle, political power, etc (Tichy, 1983). The importance of strategic tilt is that may occur considerable disruption, but this answer is also useful to analysis the specific causes for planning the best direction on Bransons management change.Bransons Corporate Level Strat egyDiversification The core business of Virgin Group is travel, but since early 1990, it has begun to involve in many other different businesses, such businesses are no directly or red-blooded relationships between each other. Such businesses include mass media, entertainment, beverage, finance, weight industries and much, all these small business units (SBUs) enriched the Virgins portfolio.Brand Extension Branson built its red brand to illustrate value for money, quality, fun, innovation, success and trust. This idea is developed and utilize on its whole range of businesses.Joint-Venture In the flight service, each airline have to get the liberty for access paths by during with local governments, this process is very complicated and consume a lot of resources in terms of human, money and time. Joint-venture is the method that can be easy to get this permission, also could be easy to meet the economic of scale to reduce cost, and share or lower the risk.Bransons SBUs Level Stra tegy speciality Branson provides the offer which other firms no. The very common example is, Virgin Atlantics souvenirs are always different and united. Another one example is Virgin Atlantic keeps its safety record is zero accident, to increase the confidence to its passengers, or customers though its air ticket is expensive then others in generally.The Human Resource FrameworkAlthough people are intentionally rational, not all human behavior is the result of rationality. People do not leave their emotions and feelings at home when they suffice to work in the morning, and noneconomic objectives are pursued alongside economic objectives (Powell, 1999). In the human domain, the central issue is how to integrate human needs with organizational rationality.Virgin Group considers peoples as the important assets, so it pays attention on peoples motivation, culture and even the individual desires to manage and maintain peoples work well and comfortable. Branson also thinks overstepg fi rst, then customers and shareholders, therefore the chairperson, staff, customers and shareholders could be considered as the key stakeholders.Chairperson ShareholdersBranson is as a leader in Virgin which has used the corporate brand name across its entire crossway, the whole Virgin Group is influenced by him, and he is the greater single asset in the group (Ensor Drummond, 2001). Meanwhile, Branson is one of the shareholder of Virgin Group companies, so as same as other shareholder, his values will be added into the group and will be implemented in cut the business. Bransons values are innocence, innovation, quality, fun and irreverence of authority, all of such values could be found in his choices of new ventures.InvestorThe investors mainly focus on the pull in and the return of investment (ROI). This issue makes the conflict between investor and customers, because customers want to have better run that will increase the cost and decrease the maximization train of the p rofitStaffThe skills, knowledge and suggestions of the staff are important to the company, Branson also understand this point so that he wants his best people will hold up in his company for venturing (Grant, 2003).Example Julie Bower, Virgin Atlantic Project Manager, response to source alternative customer relations management (CRM) software, then experienced part customized system with Virgin Atlantics own data. Finally, Saratoga System has been chosen as the provider of CRM system (Thomson Corporation Company, 2005). This example shows the valuable staff will modify the strategic development.CustomersThe best products or services are always seeking by customer, in order words, firms are required to provide best product or service for maintaining current customers and exploring new customers. Companies that survive profitably in a competitive environment must be providing value for money (Johnson et al, 2005). Therefore, customers also influence the strategies of the company.Ou r first time with Virgin Atlantic, and out last Chaotic queue at LHR took three hours to reach check in desk. The cabin crews were commanding and more interested in putting on more make up than serving passengers. Virgin relies on their reputation from the eighties, but they have woolly-headed it big time. Want to travel and enjoy the experience avoid Virgin at all costs (Skytrax, 2008).This example not only explains how customers influence the strategy development, also explains to provide the certain products to customer can reduce the probability of finical loss.The Political FrameworkFrom the political perspective, organizations are fusions of diverse individuals and groups with enduring differences in values and preferences. They are governed not by a single center, as is assumed in the rational perspective, but by a dominant coalition of interest groups. As such, organizations often operate with unresolved conflicts in goals (March Shapiro, 1992). From the human domain pe rspective, malfunctions arise from structural misalignment or from personal deficiency while from the political perspective, divergent interests and resource scarcity inevitably turn organizations political.GovernmentThe core business of Virgin Group is transport service, and this business is highly regulated by the government. In the result, government policy is very import to the Branson and company as well, like policy on safety, route, franchise etc. These factors are about the change in government or government policy. The airline industry in UK has been privatized already, this action is initiated by UK Government. Branson got the opportunity to run the airline services from this political change to be a franchisee. Branson entered the markets or industries that have large, well pee-peeed competitors, for instance, David is one of his favorite roles who against Goliaths, it is the example that the corporate against a big business. Now, the airline industry is run by two parts , Virgin Atlantic and British airways, provide flight and airline services respectively. Moreover, British Airways is the main competitor for Virgin Atlantic that direct Virgin Atlantic always played the underdog role in competing with British Airways. Though Virgin Atlantic and British Airways had been role as underdog and bully respectively, in 1992, Virgin Atlantic had been success to claim one and half million dollars from British Airways (Aker, 2005 Grant, 2003).The Symbolic FrameworkSymbolism plays a critical role in human experience. In the rational domain, the point of life is choice. However, organizational life is only partly concerned with making closings (March Shapiro 1992). Decision making is often an heavens for symbolic actions. Many events and processes are more important for what is expressed than for what is produced (Bolman Deal, 2008). The leaders use symbols to capture attention they try to frame experience by providing believable interpretations of expe riences they discover and communicate a vision.InnovationBranson understands the new matters could attack the new customers and maintain the current customers, but its competitors also understand this simple theory. Therefore Virgin Atlantic based on the existed offers with new concepts or packages as a new products or services to get the competitive advantage in the industry.These factors are about the application of new inventors or ideas. The technology in air applies to the development of safe airplane, or reliable engine. Virgin Atlantic is the pioneer in this area, Branson introduced the Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines to power its new Airbus fleet of 10 A330-300s has triggered a big switch from polution to green eco-friendly travel on the route. The Trent 700 is the first engine in the highly successful Trent family. The 72,000lb thrust engine has lower maintenance costs, lower weight and better performance retention. With the utmost lifecycle fuel burn, lowest cumulative emis sions and lowest noise levels the Trent 700 has the lowest environmental impact of any engine on the A330 (TravelDailyNews, 2009). Branson reduces the time taken for long distance travel and efficiency in helping to customers.Except the betterment on speed, Branson also increased number of channels for passenger to buy tickets by web and machine. The software was designed to link customer details, flight development and limo service details together and provides Virgin Atlantic staff with accurate information and tools to efficiently and effectively manage the Upper Class move operation (Journalism UK, 2008).Virgin Atlantic has got the opportunity to operate the UK and World air service by the government policy. The inflection perhaps people will be willing to expand more on the travelling. The change of working place also affects the demand on all the modes of transport. The new channels have been developed through the web and new machine system. The market still has space to op erate obviously, but the most important consideration of a transport services provider is safety. So the most strength of Branson and Virgin Atlantic has been improving its reputation especially in safety and on-time to get confidence of passengers.Comparison of Richard Bransons corporate strategy decisionIn the stage of setting up the strategies, Branson definitely understand the strategies of which are the ways in which strategy develops in organization.Bransons Virgin Atlantic Airline Strategic DevelopmentCommand View and Culture View are highlighted by Virgin AtlanticThe culture view is that it occurs as the yield of the taken-for-granted assumptions and behaviors in organizations.(Johnson et al, 2005)Branson founded Virgin Atlantic in 1984 in fact, Virgin Atlantics success highly depends on the founders principles to provide the highest quality innovative service at superior value for money for all classes of air travelers. This principle created and established the culture o f Virgin Atlantic, because all Virgin companies also maintain an entrepreneurial culture based on Bransons principle. There are four strategic developments have been found out and will be further described in followingStrategy One DifferentiationBranson also has another philosophy in his principle which is to be a pioneer rather then a follower of the leader. In order to reach this point, Virgin Atlantic must offer highest quality innovative service for its air travelers. Its innovative actions include1986, the 1st airline provided necktie seats in upper class1990, the 1st airline brought in the automatic defibrillators, trained the staff to help in-flight cardiac arrest victimsThe 1st airline installed individual TVs to all classes of passenger on the wide-bodied aircraft2005, won the RFID Breakthrough Integration Award since it is as a leader in RFID 2005Virgin Atlantic applied RFID tag on the important parts that used in aircraft maintenance and repairs at Heathrow Airport ware house, UK. The technological advancement is always the advantage taking for Virgin and the customers, said by Mark Butler, System Implementation Manager, Engineering Department, Virgin Atlantic (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2007).Strategy Two Jointing AllianceVirgin Atlantic has fit an alliance with many airlines until 2006 that providing better choice on where and when for its customers flights, the member of that alliance includes Singapore Airline, Bmi British Midland, Continental Airline, South African Airways, US Airways, Virgin drear and Air China. All above airlines also signed Codeshare Agreement, so the connections between partners services become closer, customers could enjoy better service and value, such as checking customers and their luggage over to their final destination and synchronizing their schedules with Virgin Atlantics partners. Turn out the customers of Virgin Atlantic could enjoy the shortest possible connections between their services (Virgin Atlan tic Airways, 2010).The crises of eleventh September, 2001 that affected the worldwide economy, Virgin Atlantic also got heavy losses in financial aspect. The alliance strategy was significantly assisted the recovery, because it reduced the investment and the accompanying inflexibility and risk during the uncertainties of operating in other countries (Aaker, 2005).Strategy Three PartnershipIn 1999, Singapore Airline acquired 49% Virgin Atlantic stake that can reinforce to provide the highest quality innovative service at excellent value for money for all classes of air travellers. Singapore Airline is a unique global partner, this is a perfect collaboration since both two airlines have an incomparable reputation for quality and innovation, and have own many awards from the travel industry. According to the terms of the dealing, both two airlines routes will not overlap each other and are uniquely complementary, also they keep independent managements, and the rights to develop their own products. This partnership action generated greater benefits to both companies passengers, such as fare, access to lounges world-wide and an increasingly seamless travel experience across their airlines network (Virgin Atlantic Airways, 2010).japan Airline Strategic DevelopmentIn terms of strategic management, the major contrast between Virgin Atlantic and lacquer Airline is, japan Airline is the one managed by traditional state-run or government hierarchy, so its companies strategy was established by country leader and the board, as same as or followed by the strategy of government, often the goal or the result is extremely unrealistic to the commercial. The gap occurs in between the top management board and the tactical managers which more strengthen the difficulties in implementation and lessen the competitiveness in international airline market. Moreover, Virgin Atlantic emphasizes on command view and culture view in this session, Japan Airline emphasizes on planning view t o develop its strategies.In the planning view, strategic planning is to use a formal planning system for the development and implementation of the strategies related to mission and objectives of the organization.(Lynch, 2000)Japan Airlines BackgroundJapan Airline is a joint-venture company which was founded by one governmental company and two private companies, Japan Airline Company, Philippine Airlines and Northwest Airlines in 1951. Japanese Government bought the share from Northwest Airlines that lead to Japan Airline totally transfer to Japanese Government. Nowadays, all decisions are made by the Board of Directors and their strategic development is mainly focused on strategic planning (Fundinguniverse, 2010).Japan Airlines Planning ProcedureOne of the Japan Airlines department, Corporate Planning Information Technology Services is established in Japan Airline for responsible to suggest strategies for Japan Airline. After the seminar in 1987, this department suggested five corp orate strategies for planning strategies and implementation, one of the strategies is about operational.The Board of Directors and the management group suggest that it (the operational strategy) is now a matter of urgency that Japan Airline must speed up the development of the airlines state enterprise plan in compliance with the policy and guidelines., Minister Shintaro Ishihara, Tokyo Conference, Nov 6, 1987. Then, Minister Ishihara grouped Japan Airlines problems for Japan Airlines management group to take actions (Sanchanta Takahashi,2010).Although this company is now privatized, but used to be country-owned and running by Government long time, the country leaders provide comments and policies on commercial-based company. This manner had been intervened the flexibility of Japan Airline.In 2006, Japan Airlines Chairperson, Haruka Nishimatsu established three committees, Strategic Steering Committee, Project Management Committee and Task Force Committee to increase competitivenes s and the value of shareholder (Sanchanta Takahashi,2010). Today, Japan Airline failed to be effectively competing with other airlines because of such time-consuming and not really flexible to implement in Japan Airlines planning.ConclusionLeaders establish goals, assumptions, policies, strategies, and accepted norms of behavior. They usually recruit and promote managers who conform to their own values and expectations. While a leaders influence is evident in all organizations, it will apply more to small, highly centralized firms, or young, owner run businesses, and can increase with tenure.In the addition, the most relevant contrasts between Virgin Atlantic and Japan Airline are Virgin Atlantic emphasizes on culture and command view because of following the principle that provided by Branson that it is controlled by the company. Japan Airline emphasizes on planning view which is controlled by Government so almost every strategies development is produced follow the planning proced ure to lead the company more systematic.In theory it should not only focus on single view, but these two companies are only focused one or two views, that led some limitations in Virgin Atlantic and Japan Airline. For Virgin Atlantic, it is highly depends on the principles of Branson, he almost becomes the only one and unique person that can decide the future of Virgin Atlantic, includes stay in the market or shut down the business. Another side, for Japan Airline, it involves more procedures for making decision that could be enhances and smoothen the running for a company.As mentioned, there is only Branson is the key person for Virgin Atlantic or the whole Virgin Group, for the future, Virgin Group is suggested to established a number of rules or methods to maintain and investigate the current saturation of its businesses or the new ventures.After that, Branson is the most key person that affects all the things in Virgin Group, then is the staff, last is the customers.Last but not least, whether success to run a business depends on the policy, economy, society and technology in the place where located or plan to locate the business. In the result, the leader should aware all Structural, Human Resource, Political, and Symbolic framework in perspicacity for coping the political, social, economic and technology factors positively. So, the finial suggestion is Richard Branson have to establish a committee to share and continue his great work.