Proposed Leadership Development Program For CHL Holdings

Question

Task: Cunningham Holdings Limited (CHL) is starting on the development of a comprehensive strategic review. As part of this review CHL is looking at bringing in an LDP program because the recent Organisational Culture Survey showed that there were issues relating to: poor motivation, negative attitudes, high levels of conflict incidences, low staff morale, high absenteeism, high staff turnover, poor team dynamics, and questionable decision-making. CHL has contracted you to develop a business proposal that recommends 3–5 leadership development strategies for sustainable and ethical global leadership in the 21st century. Your recommendations will inform the development of a Leadership Development Program (LDP) at CHL and provide theoretically grounded practical strategies to improve and enhance the leadership capability across the organisation. Your proposal should focus on ONE of the wicked problems outlined below:   
1. “CHL Hospitality has won a contract to develop a tourism and hospitality resort in partnership with the Torres Strait Shire Council and the Queensland Tourism Authority” 
2. “CHL Aquaculture has been successful in obtaining a grant from the Northern Infrastructure Fund (NIF) to develop export capability to China” 
3. “Commonwealth Aged care funding has been slashed by 70% and Government policy is now focused on in home care options” 
4. “The purchasing policy for CHL now prohibits ‘plastic’ purchases” 
5. “CHL Communication has been approached by a Saudi Arabian Consortium to partner in the development of an app” 
6. “Research partnerships in agriculture identify efficiencies which mean that more than 1/3 of the workforce can be automated”

Answer

Identification and Analysis of Leadership Issues and Challenges
After conducting a cultural survey in Cunningham Holdings Limited (CHL) multiple issues have been identified. Therefore, a proper Leadership Development Program will be required. All of these issues are related to poor leadership practices. In this section all of those leadership issues will be identified and then explained. The first identified issue is associated with poor motivation. Motivating employees is one of the major tasks of a leader. An effective leader always tries to keep his teammates motivated by performing several practices. The second identified leadership issue is a negative attitude from both the sides of leaders and the team members. Negative attitudes towards each other create organizational conflict which hampers the productivity of the company and forced to implement a Leadership Development Program.

As mentioned before due to the negative attitude in CHL the internal conflicts are very common. Internal conflicts are also a major outcome of poor leadership. The reason behind the organizational conflict is not only the leader, but the contribution of a leader towards such circumstances is significant. When a leader is not being able to understand his team members, and do not listen to their opinions, ideas, and problems conflicts take place. The fourth issue to be considered by Leadership Development Programis the higher employee turnover rate. There can be several reasons behind the higher employee turnover rate in CHL, but among them leadership has a significant role. Leaders have a major role in decision making. When a leader is poor at effective decision making for planning employee compensations and benefits, or allocating tasks to them or keeping them motivated the employee turnover rate generally increases. The turnover rate refers to the time an employee work for a company. Higher turnover means when an employee leaves an organization within a year.

CHL teams play a major role in driving the business. Team dynamics refers to those psychological influences which direct an organizational team towards higher performance and effective behavior. In CHL, somehow the teams are not derived by influential and strong psychological forces, and its reason is also poor leadership. The last identified issue considered under Leadership Development program is questionable or poor decision making. Decision making is not an easy task for any leader but it is the most important for them. Effective decision making is very important to manage a team and also to manage the whole business. A leader is responsible to take decisions in such a way so that both the team members and the business objectives are not compromised anyway. Somehow this was not happening in CHL Holding.

Associated Leadership Theories with the Wicked Problem
Among all the listed wicked problems the chosen one is “Research partnerships in agriculture identify efficiencies which mean that more than 1/3 of the workforce can be automated". The reason behind choosing this wicked problem is ion this digital era most of the big organizations are opting for automation in order to deliver high-quality services at the most affordable cost. Due to automation companies are able to process their productions faster and more effectively manner. The issue occurs when the implementation of automation causes unemployment. Several pieces of evidence show in the global platform the level of unemployment is increasing as more and more organizations are considering automation in their business processes. To this particular issue leaders play an important role. It is known to all that year by year new technologies will come and companies will also adopt those technologies for the betterment of their businesses. As per the Leadership Development Program, it is the responsibility of the leaders to establish a balance between automation and the employment level. Leaders can do so only by thinking creatively, which is one of the major skills a leader should have.

As the implementation of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Machine Learning has become drastically common it the duty of the leaders to consider long term perspective rather than the short-term ones. Previously it was very important for a leader to have cognitive and emotional intelligence but considering the future scenario, experts are mentioning that "learning intelligence" will become the most important skill for the leaders. The Leadership Development Program signifies that through this they will be able to handle and manage a relationship between employment and automation (Tondon, 2017).

Literature Review
In literature written by Vermulen, et al., (2018) has described whether the impact of automation on employment is just a normal structural change or not. In this article the authors have projected the future condition of employment due to the rapid increase in automation technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in both actual and macro sectors. In this article the authors have developed a usual economic model by considering the theory of the labor economy. The authors considered multiple data sets belonged to employment in different occupations and then identified the impact of automation on those workers belong to those occupational sectors. The literature effectively illustrates how different occupations and sectors face employment shifts due to automation.

A surprising data has been found in this article. The findings of the paper suggest that the in ‘applying’ sector the job loss due to the automation is balancing with the job creation in the ‘making’ sector. At the end of the research the authors have found that human civilization is going through a structural change. The authors have delivered certain recommendations to improve the efficiency of structural change. Though the findings of the research are a fact, it has loopholes (Vermulen, et al., 2018). The workers who are losing their jobs in applying sector due to the automation, they are not the same people who are getting jobs in the making sector. This is the main element of creating unemployment problems across the globe. In another article Pham, et al., (2018) argued the impact of robotics and automation on the working conditions as well as employment. The article has found that when it comes to the workplace the implementation of automation has a contrasting impact on the workers. Implementation of automation has generated so many benefits for the workers in the workplace. Under Leadership Development Program,automation has eliminated several unhealthy and critical tasks from the manual process. Basically, due to automation workers now do not need to perform those dangerous tasks on their own. For example, welding in most of the manufacturing companies is now done through automation and this has saved the workers from several occupational hazards like lung diseases, heart diseases, etc.

From the last few decades, the intensity of automation in the production processes has increased significantly. The authors have discussed that due to the drastic increase in the implementation of robotics and AI the workers are facing a significant challenge in safeguarding their jobs. As their jobs are losing, they are feeling more physical and psychological pressure. The authors have not only focused this research on the relationship between employment and automation, but it also focuses on the drastic changes that occurred in the workplace due to the implementation of automatability and functional description of the tasks. In this paper the authors have suggested certain solutions to establish a balance between employment and automation. One of the most important recommendations is delivering impactful knowledge and skill development training to the workers. Another proposal for Leadership Development Program is related to providing Universal Basic Income to those people who lose their jobs due to technological improvements (Pham, et al., 2018). According to Nicholas, and Sacco., (2019) there is a relationship between automation, jobs and employment. From the last few decades, technological implementation in different sectors has made the workforce advanced, including life-saving medical wonders for accounting services. The authors have raised a question in this paper, that it is important for the workers to keep themselves updated for ensuring their jobs, but the problem is who will ensure that those workers will receive sufficient knowledge and skills? Through this piece of research, the authors have found that due to the drastic implementation of automation a significant amount of unemployment took place for under-skilled workers and even for white-collared workers like financial analysts. So, it can be stated that automation has become a threat, not for only lower-skilled workers but also potential high-level employees as well. With this fundamental drawback, implementation of automation generates some opportunities in delivering enriched lives to the workers as well. In this scenario the role of a leader is crucial. A leader should manage such a situation very effectively otherwise he may lose some highly potential employees (Nicholas, and Sacco., (2019).

In the article, the authors Wani, Najar, and Masoodi., (2018) have argued the impact of automation on human behavior in organizations. With the coordination of Artificial Intelligence, the decade automation has been integrated into the day-to-day human lives. The acceptability and learnability of the new technologies by the existing workers have differences. Some workers learn new technologies is a faster way as compared to some other workers. In most of the cases the unemployment takes place for those workers who failed to learn new technologies fast. It is the responsibility of the organizational leader to look after those employees and assure that they learn those additional skills and knowledge as fast as the other workers (Wani, Najar, &Masoodi, 2018).

Qureshi and Sajjad, (2014) argued the impact of automation on employment in the service sector. The authors have mentioned that today's economy is highly influenced and nurtured by the technology of automation, but still there are some missing links available regarding the benefits. The findings of this paper have suggested that there are both positive and negative impact automation has on aspects like employment and employee motivation in the retail sector. The research further explains that in the service sector like healthcare the organizations have an unavoidable choice regarding the substitution of workers for automation technologies and it is only because of the unhealthy work conditions and circumstances in this sector. In order t handle this event in a systematic manner the authors have delivered certain recommendations. The authors in this literature mentioned that in the healthcare sector the leaders should focus on providing effective training to their existing workers before the deployment of new technologies so that they can improve their knowledge and skills to establish a proper alignment with the new technology.

Identification of Creative Leadership Development Program
Creative leaders are always effective and productive leaders. In order to address this issue of job loss due to automation the requirement of creative leaders is very important in CHL Holdings. In this section four creative leadership styles will be proposed, which will be suitable to handle this problem on CHL Holdings.

The Authoritative style of leadership: Under this Leadership Development Program usually a leader needs to be visionary. Under this category the leaders establish long term goals and promote that goal to their team members and they also inspire their team members to follow their long-term goals. A visionary leader never thinks for the short term, he/she always has a long-term plan to drive his/her team with proper coordination with the business objectives (Iqbal, Anwar, &Haider, 2015).

The Affiliative style of leadership: Under this Leadership Development Program the leaders usually stay very close to the team members both physically and mentally. These leaders only focus on areas like team building, bonding with the team, building effective relationships, helping the team members etc. This type of leader is very much team-oriented. This leadership style has its benefits. An effective relationship between the leaders and their team members allows the workers to stay motivated and automatically their productivity increases (Preston, et al., 2015).

Democratic leadership style: This is one of the most common but effective leadership styles. A democratic leader always considers his/her team members in all kinds of the decision-making process. Democratic leaders never neglect the opinions, ideas and perceptions of their team members in any sort of circumstance. A democratic approach effectively delivers the sense of security, importance and personal development to the team members. This Leadership Development Program effectively keeps the workers motivated towards their job responsibilities (Fiaz, Su, &Saqib, 2017). So, a democratic leadership style can also be a potential choice for CHL Holdings in terms of solving its leadership related issues identified previously. The Coaching style of leadership: This particular style of leadership is focused on developing the team members’ skills and knowledge levels so that they can stay aligned with the always-changing business world (Shapie, et al., 2016). This particular leadership style can also be implemented in CHL to make a balance between job loss and automation.

Justification of the Leadership Strategies
There are several reasons for selecting The Authoritative style of leadership. This particular leadership style puts pressure on the leaders and it reduces pressure from the shoulders of the team members. This helps the team members to establish a proper work-life balance. This leadership approach allows the leaders to make complex decisions, whereas the other team members get the chance to increase their specialized knowledge in their area of expertise. As this leadership puts pressure on the leaders it automatically lowers the pressure from the team members and it increases their expectations automatically.

There are certain reasons behind choosing the Affiliative leadership style. This leadership style promotes the importance of feedback in the workplace. Under this Leadership Development Program the team members are open to provide feedback about their leaders, on the other hand, leaders are also allowed to deliver their feedbacks on their team members. This exchange od feedbacks can establish a transparent professional environment among the leaders and their team members. If CHL considers this leadership style, it will be able to eliminate issue poor team dynamics. On the other hand, Affiliated leaders are very much efficient in solving problems among the team members. These leaders are very pro-active in identifying and solving problems and maintaining a smooth work process with their teammates. By considering this leadership style CHL Holdings will be able to solve the issue of internal conflicts.

When it comes to democratic Leadership Development Program, it will be able to solve the maximum of the leadership related issues CHL Holdings is facing currently. This leadership style is very easy to practice. Democratic leadership is very effective to bring leaders from critical situations where usually they face problems in making decisions. Democratic leadership allows leaders to include their team members in the decision-making process, which automatically motivates those employees for their job roles. Democratic leadership helps leaders to solve complex problems because under this style of leadership leaders can receive opinions from them. Democratic leadership promotes teamwork, it helps the leaders to build a better and productive team for the well-being of the organization. Adopting a democratic leadership strategy will help CHL to solve leadership issues like lower motivation, high staff turnover, higher absenteeism etc.

In a coaching-based Leadership Development Program the leaders are supposed to guide their team members in every step. Under this leadership style the leaders usually act as parents to their team members. The adaptation of this leadership style by CHL Holding will help the brand to solve the identified wicked problem that might be generated through the implementation of automation. The coaching style of leadership focuses on providing training and development support to the team members so that they can develop their skills and knowledge to address the requirements of the ever-changing business scenarios. By adopting the coaching style of leadership CHL will be able to train their team members for the new automation technologies that are going to be implemented.

Can you provide some valuable recommendations for the establishment of the Leadership Development Program?
The coaching style of leadership will be the most accurate solution for the wicked issue of CHL Holdings. For the Leadership Development Program of CHL Holdings, there will be three main steps, such as developing the emerging leaders, developing middle management and developing senior leaders.

Developing Emerging Leaders
CHL Holdings need to identify emerging leaders first. Along with identifying the emerging leaders it is also important to create self-awareness, establishing rational skills and also they should target evidence-based leadership skills to push a shift from self-management to managing a group of people shortly. There are certain elements which can be implemented into the leadership development programs for the emerging leaders, such as:

• Self-assessment is very important to consider. This step will allow the emerging and potential leaders to identify their strengths and weaknesses as a coach or guide.
• CHL should provide the responsibility to lead a practical project to its potential leaders, so that they can improve their sense of responsibility.
• Group coaching is a very crucial step to consider. This particular practice will make potential leaders an effective and impressive guide shortly.
• Monitoring is another major step that needs to be practiced by emerging leaders.

Developing Middle Management
In organizations the seasoned leaders usually have different requirements as compare to the emerging leaders and senior leaders. The Leadership Development Program for CHL Holdings needs to concentrate on developing the middle managers as per the requirement of the coaching-based leadership style. These middle managers need to improve their existing skills as well as learn new skills required in the coaching style of leadership. They need to learn these skills because they will pass these skills to the emerging leaders and in this way coaching style of leadership will blend into CHL Holding's organizational culture. Middle management Leadership Development Program should have certain elements such as:

• The involvement of professional or industry associations is important to have better knowledge or skills on coaching-based leadership style by the middle managers.
• Action based learning needs to be promoted among the middle managers, where they will be provided by highly complex situations to solve.
• Acting as a coach or mentor is also important for the middle managers.
• The middle managers should lead a major organizational initiative to improve their leadership skills.

Developing Senior Leaders
In the senior leadership development program certain elements have to be included, such as:

• Individual coaching is vital for a better discussion of complicated organizational issues.
• Coaching of Executive teams is also important for the senior leaders, so that they can improve team unity and the capability to identify the shared vision of CHL Holdings.
• The implementation of 360 degree assessment will be a must for the senior leaders of CHL Holdings.

Reference
Fiaz, M., Su, Q., &Saqib, A. (2017). Leadership styles and employees' motivation: Perspective from an emerging economy. Leadership Development ProgramThe Journal of Developing Areas, 51(4), 143-156.

Iqbal, N., Anwar, S., &Haider, N. (2015).Effect of leadership style on employee performance. Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 5(5), 1-6.

Nicholas, A., & Sacco, S.A. (2019).Automation, Jobs, & Employment.Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333948975_Automation_Jobs_Employment

Pham, Q. C., Madhavan, R., Righetti, L., Smart, W., &Chatila, R. (2018). The impact of robotics and automation on working conditions and employment [ethical, legal, and societal issues]. IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, 25(2), 126-128.

Preston, G., Moon, J., Simon, R., Allen, S., &Kossi, E. (2015).The relevance of emotional intelligence in project leadership.Leadership Development Program Journal of Information Technology and Economic Development, 6(1), 16.

Qureshi, M. O., & Syed, R. S. (2014).The impact of robotics on employment and motivation of employees in the service sector, with special reference to health care. Safety and health at work, 5(4), 198-202.

Shapie, M. N. M., Zenal, Z., Parnabas, V., & Abdullah, N. M. (2016).The correlation between leadership coaching style and satisfaction among university silatolahraga athletes. Ido Movement for Culture. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology, 3(16), 34-39.

Tondon, R. (2017). Leaders In Future Will Have To Balance Human Workforce And Machines. Retrieved from http://bweducation.businessworld.in/article/
Leaders-In-Future-Will-Have-To-Balance-Human-Workforce-And-Machines/13-10-2017-128560/

Vermeulen, B., Kesselhut, J., Pyka, A., &Saviotti, P. P. (2018). The impact of automation on employment: Just the usual structural change?. Sustainability, 10(5), 1661.

Wani, N., Najar, S.A., &Masoodi, Z.S., (2018).The Impact of Automation on Human Behavior-A Review.Leadership Development ProgramRetrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/
publication/324705664_The_Impact_of_Automation_on_Human_Behavior-A_Review