Ricardo Semler Leadership Style
Question 1: Analyze Ricardo Semler’s early leadership style, comparing it with his later leadership style
Autocratic leadership style
When Ricardo took over Semco’s leadership from his father, he wasted no time to transform the company. Ricardo was against his father’s overly rigid work style. Earlier in his leadership, Ricardo adopted the tough-minded, statistical leadership approach that created a lot of stress to the workforce (William, 2016, p. 2). Employees worked for long hours and families were complaining. This classic authoritarian model established rigid controls and long working hours, deliveries we always late. Generally, Ricardo’s autocratic leadership approach was causing alarm on the company and employees. To Ricardo, this leadership approach was making him suffocate and distressed also. While in the U.S pump factory, Ricardo collapsed out of stress- he had to change his lifestyle.
Ricardo’s autocratic leadership style did not allow time for workers to relax. When Ricardo took over from his father, he lacked the luxury to begin everything from scratch when he needed to change the management culture and practices at the company. Most of the managers who worked with Ricardo advocated for classic authoritarian solutions such as long working hours and long rigid controls. Later after interacting with Botanique’s leadership, Ricardo was convinced that his approach was not the best ((William, 2016, p. 8). This convinced Ricardo to change, for already Semco’s employees were unhappy and stressed. Ricardo’s own health problems were an evidence to the adverse effects of autocratic management practices on both leaders and followers.
Democratic leadership style
In 1884, Ricardo decided to embrace his own leap of faith. Ricardo decided to move Semco ahead by giving up on controls and allowing workers to manage themselves. Ricardo now advocated for trust to employees, share of information and power, celebration of democracy, and encouragement of dissent (Woods, 2004, p. 3). For one, Ricardo targeted to transform himself. He ceased from working for long hours and over the weekends. Prior before Ricardo’s decision, Semco lacked enthusiasm, was lifeless, and a workplace full of malice….Show More….