1.0 Introduction
JKX Oil & Gas plc (JKX) is a UK based hydrocarbon exploration & production company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. JKX concentrates principally on projects in Ukraine & Russia. This study will point to a strategy for JKX Oil to gain a competitive advantage in Russia and the Ukraine. This study will consider the strategic leadership of JKX through examining strategic leadership strategies which affect JKX .The aim is to establish a strategic plan that will be advantageous to JKX and the most effective way in which the plan can be implemented. It is therefore important to address the issue of the meaning of strategic leadership .This issue is analysed and discussed in section 1.1.
1.1 Defining Strategic Leadership
“Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term, which achieves advantage in a changing environment through its configuration of resources and competencies with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectations “Johnson, Scholes, and Whittington, R. (2010) also Gregory and Chapman, (2012) state that differentiating strategies can also create an advantage .With this in mind and understanding the different cultures where JKX operate, different approaches to different countries could realise a strategic advantage. Cole (2011) identifies “Organisation mission, vision, culture and values, organisational structure, leadership, the external environment, and customer satisfaction (including both internal as well as external customers)”. The JKX vision of strategic leadership is perhaps best summed up in the words of Winston Churchill when he famously said,
“To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often”.(http://www.youtube.com).
Bishop (2012) states “Leadership styles and motives are also based on situations. “Leaders bring a leadership ‘style’ set to situations. A style can be thought of as the dominant pattern of a leader behaving in a position” and as far as the global JKX operations go , it is seen by the company to develop and style of strategic leadership that is styled to the country of operations , whilst not losing sight of the corporate vision ,adaptability and compromise in certain situations has proved beneficial to JKX.
1.2 Defining Organisational Change
Kotter (1995) suggests that “For change to be successful, 75 percent of a company's management needs to "buy into" the change. In other words, you have to work really hard on Step 1 and spend significant time & energy building urgency, before moving onto the next steps. Don't panic & jump in too fast because you don't want to risk further short-term losses – if you act without proper preparation, you could be in for a very bumpy ride.
Leading Change was named the top management book of the year by Management General. There are three major sections in this book. The first section is ¡§the change of problem and its solution¡¨ ; which discusses why firms fail. The second one is ¡§the eight-stage process¡¨ that deals with methods of performing changes. Lastly, ¡§implications for the twenty-first century¡¨ is discussed as the conclusion. The eight stages of process are as followed: (1) Establishing a sense of urgency. (2) Creating the guiding coalition. (3) Developing a vision and a strategy. (4) Communicating the change of vision. (5) Empowering employees for broad-based action. (6) Generating short-term wins. (7) Consolidating gains and producing more changes. (8) Anchoring new approaches in the culture.
Often times when one hears the word “change” in any aspect of life, they are often, put off, and intimidated by the word itself and the intended implication. This is a normal and understandable reaction for anyone engaging in any type of change. In terms of organizational change, this type of behavior often seen as, but is not limited to pushback, resistance, lack in productivity, turnover, drop in overall customer service, etc by team members. Thus, as organizational leaders, it is our responsibility to ensure that any change management implemented is smooth and has lasting benefits; by considering the impact on the organization as a whole and most importantly, the impact it will have on the team members within the
In today’s business environment, corporations must be able to adapt and develop strategies that allow them to remain as competitive as possible within the markets they serve. Leaders within those corporations must be able to fully understand the most effective leadership style required depending on the situation at hand. One style may be effective in one situation while another style may need to be used in another. In this day of environmental dynamism, organizations have had to refocus on organizational capabilities in order to attain a competitive advantage in such an environment. This refocus has led to a break in routines and involves a shift in organizational norms and required knowledge. James Clawson discusses the three levels of leadership in his book entitled “Level Three Leadership: Getting Below the Surface.” This article will discuss some issues that may arise within corporations and what leadership styles may be most effective for differing situations based on Clawson’s text.
In today’s ever changing world people must adapt to change. If an organization wants to be successful or remain successful they must embrace change. This book helps us identify why people succeed and or fail at large scale change. A lot of companies have a problem with integrating change, The Heart of Change, outlines ways a company can integrate change. The text book Ivanceich’s Organizational Behavior and Kotter and Cohen’s The Heart of Change outlines how change can be a good thing within an organization. The Heart of Change introduces its readers to eight steps the authors feel are important in introducing a large scale organizational change. Today’s organizations have to deal with leadership change, change in the economy,
On the other hand we have the explanation of strategic leadership: Strategic leadership is the process of using well considered tactics to interconnect a vision for a group or one of its parts. Strategic leadership typically manages, motivates and persuades staff to share that same vision, and can be an important tool for implementing change or creating organizational structure within a
As an emerging leader whose desire is to see progress in his/her organization change is inevitable and necessary. Although change is an important component of moving forward and growing a lot of people resist change, this resistance can be contributed to our fear of the unknown which is what change represent to many people. Hence, when it comes to implementing change it would be best to start off by recognizing and identify what needs to be change ad how to bring about that change. You can’t convince others to go on a journey if you are not aware where you are going.
Throughout the global economic environment the desire to out-perform the competition is always present. In every situation, the companies who do better are the ones with superior strategy (Rothaermel, 2013). Strategic management is therefore important in every company, no matter what industry or market they operate in; and as stated by M. Carpenter and G. Sanders, 2013, is described as "The process by which a firm manages the formulation and implementation of its strategy". Strategic management is a constant topic under discussion with different schools of theorists with different beliefs and attitudes which is described as "A tense array of disagreement" (Rees, 2012).
Organizational change is a very big risk for organizations. The process of change can be very difficult for employees as well as the leaders implementing the changes. The changes are usually planned to improve the company. However, sometimes change can destroy a company when things don’t go as planned. From a change in management to a change in the company structure, or way of doing daily task, organizations must carefully execute the process of change and use change strategies that will ensure success.
If we analyze and observe the success stories of organizations and nations we will find that vision of future and identifying the new challenges are the key elements. This is responsibility of leadership. It is interesting to know what the difference between succes...
How does strategic leadership manifest itself in the organization? What is their understanding of corporate governance and how responsible is the organization as a business? What gaps have been identified?
but we recognize it in action. This type of leadership involves microscopic perceptions and macroscopic expectations. Volumes have been written on the subject, which may in fact contribute to the difficulty in grasping the concept. One finds it confusing and sometimes conflicting information on this blended concept that involves the vagaries of strategy and the behavioral art of leadership. Sometimes the methods and models used to explain it are more complicated than the concept and practice of strategic leadership.
The change process within any organization can prove to be difficult and very stressful, not only for the employees but also for the management team. Hayes (2014), highlights seven core activities that must take place in order for change to be effective: recognizing the need for change, diagnosing the change and formulating a future state, planning the desired change, implementing the strategies, sustaining the implemented change, managing all those involved and learning from the change. Individually, these steps are comprised of key actions and decisions that must be properly addressed in order to move on to the next step. This paper is going to examine how change managers manage the implementation of change and strategies used
Leadership style is the manner in which a leader provides directions, implement plans, and motivate people or a team to achieve a goal (Newlink, 1997). After reading the course work study and taking a leadership style quiz on the web. (About.com, 2014). It is my conclusion that my leadership style is participative. In Participative leadership style, members of the group are allowed to identify goals and develop strategies to reach the goal. As a participative leader, I do not shove my ideals into my member’s throats or impose my decision on everyone. Though the final decision rested with me, each member of the group is still giving an opportunity to express their view and knowledge of the task at hand. Each member’s suggestion is taken into account and the final decision is made based on the suggestions. Therefore, I serve as a facilitator, not a dictator.
Leadership according many theories can be defined using differing dimensions, as a trait, a process, an emergence, ascribed leadership etc. I have come to understand leadership as a process which requires certain traits whether innate or learned to carry out responsibilities for the achievement of business or agreed goals. As defined by Pasmore (2009), leadership is a culture (behaviour) which is defined by the collective actions of formal and informal leaders towards achieving the set organizational goals. This implies that leadership is about the leaders themselves and the relationship they share amongst them and their followers.
Hitt, M., Ireland, and Hoskisson, R. (2009).Strategic management: Competitive and Globalization, Concepts and Cases. In M.Staudt & Stranz (Ed).