Leadership and Decision-Making

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how William S. Stavropoulos has managed to reorganize the leadership and decision-making structure of Dow Chemicals during his time as CEO. The paper explains why Stavropoulos has been considered an effective leader and decision-maker. The paper explores his belief that vertical leadership and shared leadership are positively associated and that they are not mutually exclusive. Stavropoulos believes that one person can no longer be expected to fully grasp all of the intricacies that enter into the decision-making process. The paper discusses leadership in general and explains that it is a deferral of the decision-making process from a group to an individual. The paper also looks at the two main ways in which shared leadership can be developed.

From the Paper:

"Leadership, in many respects, is a deferral of the decision making process from a group to an individual. This can make the process far more efficient, but it also runs the risk of reaching the wrong conclusions. The military, for example, requires the most expedient form of decision-making--indecision can cost lives. Therefore, for ages humans have endorsed the practice of assigning military rank; a system where orders are to be followed without question and without hesitation. However, people are not machines."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Blank, Warren. The 9 Natural Laws of Leadership. New York: American Management Association, 1995.
• Duffy, Daintry. "Chief Executives Who Get It." CEOs and Technology, July 15, 1999.
• Fletcher, J. K. and Kaufer, K. "Shared Leadership: Paradox and Possibility." In C. L. Pearce and J. A. Conger, Shared Leadership: Reframing the Hows and Whys of Leadership. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2003.
• Herrmann, Ned. The Whole Brain Business Book. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996.
• Preston, Robert and Rutrell Yasin. "Transformation isn't Easy: Dow's New Chemistry." InternetWeek, July 20, 2000.

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• Analytical Essay # 149128 : "Ethical Leadership and Decision-Making"

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