HE RANSFORMATIONAL ACK ELCH （他RANSFORMATIONAL ACK ELCH ）.pdf

Roof 1 5 September 2013 Transform or Transfix: Charismatic Leadership of Jack Welch and Steven Jobs The study of leadership is often a study of successful leaders, of examining the characteristics and case studies of those who have accomplished leadership excellence defined either through empirical evidence, anecdotal suggestion, or cultural reputation. Two such successful leaders in recent history were Steven Jobs, the founder of Apple Computer, and Jack Welch, the legendary leader and transformer of General Electric (GE) who assumed leadership in 1981 and dramatically redirected the company over the following 20 years. Both Jobs and Welch are typically viewed as uniquely impactful leaders, and in terms of market indexes and financial measures, and both were quite successful. By considering similarities and differences, lessons in leadership are revealed. To expose useful lessons from these two leaders, I first describe leadership characteristics of each, then consider the surprising amount of similarities and some stylistic differences within the framework of charismatic and transformational leadership theories. In exploring common characteristics of Jobs and Welch, some guidance for emergent leaders is uncovered, but contemporary theorists and researchers would not agree that all of the leaders’ characteristics would be effective in contemporary organizations. Those less enlightened leadership methods are discussed finally. In the end, the examination of the historical leadership of Welch and Jobs provides important perspectives for leadership. THE TRANSFORMATIONAL JACK WELCH Jack Welch rose through the ranks of General Electric to assume the CEO role in 1981 and launched a revolutionary restructuring through a focus on market leadership in each business, innovation, and agility (Flavell-While). Welch viewed the GE organiz