Leadership, Change and People Performance

Introduction

This is a company that sells computer software, electronics and personal computers. The major hardware that the company is well known for are Macintosh line of computers, iPod, iPad and iPhone. Since the company is in a competitive environment, the competing companies have products that can directly replace theirs. These substitutes are produced by other competing companies. Therefore, they have the obligation and duty to make sure that they have better strategies than all the other competing firms. This is the reason as to why the company is ideal for the study. However, the essay has mainly dealt with the iPhone.

Methods of Investigation

The relevant information to this essay has been found using different techniques and methods. To start with, there is the method of experience. At around 2007, it was evident that there was flooding of smart phones in the market. Nearly every electronic producing company had the smart phones. However, Apple Company came into the picture and had a successful launch of its product. This generates interest into the matter. It is remarkable that a company could come in and conquer all odds at such a time when it all seemed impossible. There must have been something unique about this company. Therefore, there was a need to search for facts and figures that could support the research.

The first method of investigation used was secondary sources. Apple Company is respected and envied by most investors, all over the world. Therefore, after this successful launch, there were numerous articles that were inscribed, with reference to this topic. These are the articles that demonstrate and tell all about this successful company (Mannin 2002). These provide the basis of the argument and analysis of this essay. However, not all the articles can be trusted. Therefore, there was a need for an ideal choice of articles. For example, internet sources can be misleading. However, there are various techniques that can be used to ascertain the validity and credibility of the sources. For example, the domain of the websites can be a clear indication of the credibility of the information. Another vital factor in the determination of the validity of articles is the author. For both internet sources and books, it is crucial to consider the author of the book. This helps in determining if the information on the article can be trusted. There are some writers that have previous works that are impressive. In short, they have a clear and admirable record. These are the kind of writers whose articles can be trusted.

The other sources that help in the investigation are the newspapers. At the time of the launch of this product, the story was all over the newspapers. Every activity that took place was put on record. This was in a bid to capture the whole story (Goldsmith 2005). These proved to be the most suitable sources for the study. This is because they had captured the information while it was still fresh. The other fact about newspapers is that their articles and research were progressive. They covered the daily events as they unfolded. These newspaper articles also conducted comparative analysis.

Literature Review

All the sources that mainly mentioned about the success of this account have a considerable relevance to the theme of this essay. This is because all the factors and activities seem to be attributed to the leadership. The fitting and coping of this company with the economy required the intervention of leadership. In most of the articles that mentioned about the success of this company, the principal name that featured was, Steve Jobs. This was because he was the leader responsible for each and every activity that took place. Therefore, strategy is the main factor that that amounts to significant and appropriate results. This is the general factor that was displayed in the sources.

In comparison, there were sources that were much more detailed than others. This showed and displayed the fact that some sources are more credible than others. The sources that had more reliable writers provided more accurate and helpful information. This is because they are writers who conducted exhaustive research and made sure that they captured every single detail in their report. Some other sources had little but helpful information. This proved that there was a possibility of not being exhaustive, but still achieves the acquired results. Although all these sources were different, they had one key similarity (Wellington 2011). They all based their arguments and justifications on the leadership of this company. They all acted as a proof of the extent to which a company’s performance can be elevated by the existence of a stable and effective leadership.

Facts, Findings, Discussion and Analysis

As the research conducted displays, most companies have a hard time when launching new products. This is because there are already other existing products in the market. These pre-existing businesses, which have alternative products, have an upper hand since they have the advantage of prior existence. Most customers seem inclined to visiting them due to the trust built between them. However, there are some companies which launch a new product and it becomes a success. This comes from effective marketing of their products. The iPhone is an ideal example of products that can reach the market and exhibit considerable success. At the time of the launch of this product, there was a greater problem than was imagined. However, the leadership proved to the world that it could still do wonders.

Steve Jobs organized and conducted a research on the market to establish the products in the market. This included investigation of the smallest details in the products. The major reason behind this was to ensure that the product that they came up with could be different. Therefore, there was the application of technological research of the products. Smart phones had already flooded the market (Rock 2007). Therefore, there was a need for accurate and adequate investigation in order to come up with the suitable ways to deal with the problem.

Strategic Management of the Features

As mentioned earlier, the launch of the iPhone was an outstanding success. There are various factors that can be attributed to this. To start with, the features of the product boosted the success of its launch. This is because it combined the features of its iPod music player as well as a smart phone which functions to surf the web. This is a feature that pleased most of the consumers. It caused them to buy it in large quantities. The 3.5-inch touch sensitive screen was also a catch for any consumer at the time. With all its outstanding features, the iPhone had a high battery life. It could go for more than 7 hours on constant calls and sending of emails. This was a feature that made all the consumers to overlook its high price. This is just but the historical part of the product. It is the information contained in most of the articles. However, this information can be looked at with a different eye. Who was behind all this creativity?

This is a fact that gives all the credit to the leadership. There may be a team of experts who have all the technological knowhow, but still, have dismal results. A powerful lesson can be learnt from Steve Jobs, with reference to this fact. He was responsible for the idea of features to incorporate in the product. However, installing these features was not enough. This is because the consumers have to know about them in order to effect the change. Therefore, there was a strategy laid down by Steve Jobs. Every single day, there were numerous advertisements of the iPhone. It featured in the front page of every newspaper in America. On national TV, the iPhone had become the principal subject of discussion. This required determination and use of massive resources. These are factors that require the leadership that Steve Jobs provided.

From the above Apple experience, it is clear that leadership is vital for the effectiveness of any change. The other junior members of a company have minimal effect on the success achieved by a company. They may be the main contributors to the development of a product. However, this does not count as much as the leadership does. First, the leadership is responsible for setting the tone in the organization. The people who work in the organization need a source of motivation and encouragement. They also need someone to guide their direction. Steve Jobs showed serious concern in satisfying the customers. He believed this to be the main way in which massive profits could be made (Gobillot 2006). From the look of things, he was right. This motivated his workers and they did an extremely admirable job. This is not a case that is unique to this company. Any other company can use effective leadership as a tool to help achieve the desire success.

Secondly, junior employees take care of the small details while leadership takes care of the big ones. The small efforts sum up to excellent results if put together. However, the leaders have a way of ensuring that the net result is greater than the sum of all these activities. In short, leadership brings the small parts of an enterprise together, to form a greater body. Therefore, two companies might be involved in the same magnitude of efforts, but still, have different results. This is mainly caused by the difference in leadership exhibited by the two companies. Teamwork is a perfect strategy that has shown accurate and positive results in The Apple Company. Sometimes, the employees exhibit team work without their knowledge. This is because their leaders integrate the whole system into one enormous success.

Differentiation of the Product

Secondly, the iPhone’s success can be attributed to Apple’s differentiation of their product from those of their competitors. At the time of the launch, other companies were also producing smart phones. The Apple Company kept emphasizing on the 3.5-inch screen to show that this was not just another smart phone. Mr. Jobs kept insisting that the iPhone had a touch sensitive keypad and commented that he hated keypads in his research (Armstrong 2010). This made the product to seem so different from the other pre-existing products in the market. This gave it an upper hand and boosted the success of its launch.

Product promotion is the third and most significant factor that led to the success of the iPhone launch. Apple used traditional publications as well as online pundits in their promotion of the product. This made it known to the public and consumers who were interested in such products. The first advertisement of the iPhone went by the name “hello”. It occurred in February 25, 2007. It aired in ABC, and everybody got to know about it. This started subsequent advertisements on the Wall Street journal, online pundits like Gizmo do and other sources. This also aided in the boosting of the success of the product.

The Future of Apple Company

Since 2007, Apple has been able to maintain the position of the iPhone on the top of the market. This is because the sale of the iPhone, even in recent times, has been remarkably constant. The iPhone has continuously grown in terms of popularity among the consumers. Even after the death of Steve Jobs, the product has continued to be advertised and promoted to boost

sales and maintain the position in the stock market.

Therefore, the success of this product has been continuous. They have achieved this through various methods. The main method that Apple used to maintain their success with the iPhone is advertising. They always made sure that it was at the front of newspapers across the whole country. This made the consumers know that it was still at the top and was the best product for them in the market. The iPhone has also incorporated new technologies and applications of late. This has increased its popularity among the consumers. For example, they incorporated the mobile map technology recently to cope with a potential competitor like Google. Enhancement of features like the mapping experience has kept the iPhone at the top even after its successful launch (Cameron 2004). This company has used these and many other methods in ensuring that the iPhone remains at the top of the list in the stock market. It has maintained the pace that it set in 2007 by moving with time and effective marketing.

As mentioned earlier, the Apple Company is in a market that has dynamic customer tastes and preferences. In the production of electronic devices and computer software, a company cannot depend on its history. This may lead to a downfall that could be as vast as their rise. History is vital for the knowledge of a company’s product. However, maintenance of this history is more beneficial. The greatest problem is that this history is more difficult to maintain than to create. Therefore there is a need to look at the future of this successful company. This reviews the relationship between its past and its future, as well as the ways through which these two can be integrated.

After its enormous success, there have been studies and numerous articles about this company. This means that their strategies are out in the open for all the competing companies to see. However, this might not have an effect when it comes to certain strategies. However, the adoption of other strategies might have an adverse effect on the success of this company. Therefore, there is a need for the change I strategy by this company. This is because, if a company receives competition that has the reference of its own strategies, this could create a tricky situation. It is difficult to fight with an enemy that knows you too well. This creates a situation that requires the application of suitable and effective leadership. Therefore, this company needs a change in the strategies. The old ways in which it was able to conquer the existing competition may not function effectively in the future (Ward 2012). Therefore, the death of Steve Jobs calls for the replacement of that position with more effective leaders. This applies to all the companies in the world, which have had past success. Therefore, all the investors who deal with large businesses should take a point of investing in leadership.

Conclusion

The essay above displays the importance of leadership on the effective implementation of changes, smooth running and success of a business. It is clear that there is a clear relationship between leadership and performance of a company. The above example is not an exhaustive discovery. It is just a representation of the numerous companies out there, which have achieved success as a result of effective leadership. Therefore, it is correct to conclude that strategic planning is the key factor towards the success of a business.

Recommendations

The major factor that the leadership of this company should deal with is research. They should have a whole team of experts who survey the market on a daily basis. This team should include people who can look at things in a business perspective, as well as those that can look at things in a technological perspective. This is because competing companies might come up with new products and outdo them. This calls for the need and urgency to involve in thorough research. There are people who shall be actively and continually involved in the research. However, these people have to be mobilized and directed towards these activities. This is the role of leadership. Therefore, the topic or perspective of discussion does not matter. Every desirable and relevant strategy sums up to the leadership of an organization

There are many strategies that can be used in ensuring that the success of a company is perpetual. For example, there are numerous ideas that are held by different people all over the world. The leadership of this company should make sure that they have a way of tapping these ideas and proposals from people. It should also put able and creative people in the leadership positions (Van Tiem 2012). This is because they are the main people who can cause effective change. The other vital factor is that they should ensure that there is perpetual change in the strategies that are implemented. This can help in ensuring that they are unpredictable to their competitors and that they are as dynamic as the market in which they operate. This way, the continued success of this company can be promised.

Self-Evaluation Section

From the above essay, there are numerous conclusions and lessons that can be drawn from the Apple experience. This is because it is an ideal example of what any student would aspire to achieve in the near future. Therefore, any student that has a business aspiration can find this essay to be of utmost significance. However, there is need for careful evaluation of the lessons that can be drawn from the essay.

In case a student intends to start a company or business organization in the near future, it is clear that there is need for effective leadership. This can be most helpful in the achievement of greater results. If the student chooses to be the leader of such a business, there are numerous strategies that can be applied from the above essay. Some of them include the rapid and continuous change in the methods of result achievement. This can be an important aid in confusing the competing firms in the industry. However, if the student just intends to be an owner of a company, the essay shows that there is need for investment in quality leadership. From the foregoing, it is right to conclude that the Apple experience is perfectly applicable to the life of any person who intends to have or own a business organization.