Ricardo Semler- Critical Analysis
Question 2: Analyze the personal and organizational reasons that led Ricardo Semler to change his leadership style focusing on both drivers for and against change
Personal reasons
Health problems: Ricardo’s autocratic leadership used rigid controls and advocated for long working hours. For Ricardo, the system left no room for work-life balance and stressed him. When Ricardo collapsed on a US factor floor, he was convicted that Semco’s malice system was affecting his physical and mental power. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, health and safety needs must be met first before seeking to advance to the next level needs. For Ricardo, there was need to change from this leadership style and embrace a new style that advocates for work-life balance among employees.
Taking personal leap of faith: The management practices used in the company was creating deleterious effects on both leaders and followers. At his personal level, Ricardo wanted to try a different method. To his conviction, Ricardo understood that bring change to Semco required himself to change first. This could be possible by him leaving the office early and not working over the weekends. This philosophy was advantageous for it helped him interact more with employees and have proper work-life balance.
He wanted to eliminate distrust among employees: The earlier autocratic leadership style was full of controls, which made employees unhappy. At a personal level, Ricardo was not pleased with the manner in which workers were not trusted by the managers. In the new democratic leadership style, Ricardo advocated for total trust among employees to the extent of giving them power to review their leaders and also set their salary rates. This trust policy made employees improve their work morale and productivity within the company.