An Article in Wall Street Journal, Essay Example

An article in Wall Street Journal reports that Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has fired two executives one of which has been an Apple veteran of 15 years and was a trusted aide of Steve Jobs. Apple’s mobile software head, Scott Forstall increasingly clashed with other executives though he was known for his performance and commitment to his unit and enjoyed loyalty of his subordinates. The article also notes that CEO Cook has been focusing less on products than Steven Jobs used to and has delegated more responsibilities to his subordinates as opposed to his predecessor. The article also note that the other executive, Mr. John Browett was fired because he failed to fit in the company’s culture and tried to unsuccessfully implement the same solutions he had employed at his previous employer Dixon’s (Lessin)

This article addresses several important concepts such as organizational culture and leadership. First of all, we see that leaders have different leadership styles which also influence their relationship with their subordinates. Steve Jobs was authoritarian but Tim Cook is democratic who prefers harmony and likes to delegate more than his legendary predecessor. In addition, Mr. Browett failed because Apple didn’t ensure his personality was a good fit to the company’s culture and Mr. Browett also didn’t make efforts to understand the difference between organizational cultures at Apple and Dixon’s and assumed same solutions will work at both companies.

I believe Mr. Forstall should have realized that Mr. Cook has a different leadership style and personality and modify his behavior accordingly. Mr. Forstall might have been brilliant but the organization’s ability to meet objectives doesn’t only depend on the skills and talent of individuals but also the ability of the individuals to work with each other. Steve Jobs could accommodate Forstall’s working style but since Jobs is gone, Forstall should have become more cooperative with his colleagues.

The chain of events at Apple will help other companies realize the importance of organization culture and leader’s leadership style. The organizations will not only hire talent on the basis of their past performance but also ensure that the prospective talent will fit in the organizational culture. Similarly, Forstall’s incident will further enhance the importance of developing teamwork skills no matter how capable an individual may be.

I chose this article because it affirms the importance of leadership and organizational culture. Organizational culture are important because they set norms and rules and individuals who don’t fit in the organizational culture also negatively affect the progress of other employees, in addition to their own’s.

Reference

Lessin, Jessica E. Apple Shake-Up Signals Tim Cook Era. 30 October 2012. 30 October 2012 <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204840504578089102411834238.html?mod=WSJ_hpsMIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond>.