Case Study:
Yahoo was once a giant in the internet world, experiencing rapid growth and soaring stock prices after being founded in 1994. But currently Yahoo is struggling against fierce competitors such as Google and Facebook. It was clear to their Board of Directors and shareholders that radical change was necessary in order for Yahoo to remain competitive. In 2012 former Google executive Marissa Mayer was named as the new CEO.
Since joining Yahoo, Mayer has not been shy or hesitant about bringing about change. This has included the purchase of over 20 companies, banning teleworking, strict new hiring policies, and clashes with other senior executives and shareholders. The results so far have been mixed, with some observers saying her hard-nosed approach is what is needed for a struggling company like Yahoo and others saying that her style is overbearing and unnecessarily harsh.
Do some research on Marissa Mayer and her approach to managing change. You will find a lot of articles about her as she is frequently in the news. Here are a few articles to get you started:
Yahoo's geek goddess. (January, 2014). Vanity Fair, 56, 68. [ProQuest]
Quinn, M. (Jan. 22, 2014). Poof. Marissa Mayer's honeymoon period at Yahoo ends. Oakland Tribune [ProQuest]
Cook, J. (2013, Mar 15). Can a 'hard reset' give Yahoo a boost? The Globe and Mail [ProQuest]
1. After you have reviewed the background materials on managing change and finished your research on Marissa Mayer, write a four to five page paper addressing the following issues. Make sure to cite both required background readings such as Avery (2004) or Luthans, et al. (2015) as well as specific articles on Marissa Mayer such as Quinn (2014) or Cook (2013) in your paper:
2. Overall, how would you describe Marissa Mayer's approach to leadership? Discuss her leadership style the best you can in terms of being a charismatic leader, a transformational leader, and/or a transactional leader. Draw upon the definitions of these types of leadership from the background readings and discuss them as they apply to Marissa Mayer.
3. What do you believe are the main benefits and drawbacks of Mayer's approach to leadership and change?
4. How do you think Marissa Mayer should change her leadership style?
Assignment Expectations
Follow the assignment instructions closely and follow all steps listed in the instructions.
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions, don't go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials
List supporting references and cite sources in proper format
Use appropriate writing style in essay form (organization, grammar, and spelling).
Include both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the "Writing Style Guide", which is found under "My Resources" in the TLC portal.
Carefully review the concepts and definitions of charismatic, transformational, and transactional leadership. Then write a two- to three-page paper addressing the following issues, using specific examples from your personal experiences. Make sure to cite at least three of the required textbook readings for your answer:
1. Did your supervisor meet any of the characteristics of a charismatic leader as defined and discussed in the background readings?
2. Did your supervisor meet any of the characteristics of a transformational leader?
3. Did your supervisor meet any of the characteristics of a transactional leader?
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions, don't go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials
List supporting references and cite sources in proper format.
Use appropriate writing style in essay form (organization, grammar, and spelling).
Include both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the "Writing Style Guide", which is found under "My Resources" in the TLC portal.
Required Material:
Leadership. (2014). Pearson Learning Solutions, Pearson, New York.
Barine, A. & Minja, D. (2012). Chapter 2: Definitions of transformational leadership. Transformational Corporate Leadership. Andrews LTD., Luton, Bedfordshire, GBR, pp. 32-47 [eBook Business Collection]
Luthans, F., Luthans, K. W., & Luthans, B. C. (2015). Chapter 13: Effective leadership processes. Organizational Behavior: An Evidence-based Approach. Charlotte, North Carolina: Information Age Publishing, pp. 390-393 [eBook Business Collection. Note: you don't have to read the whole chapter, just the pages on charismatic, transformational, and transactional leadership]
Yukl, G. & Michal, J. (2014) Chapter 8: A Critical Assessment of Research on Effective Leadership Behavior in Schriesheim, C. & Neider, L. Advances in Authentic and Ethical Leadership Research in Management Vol. 10 Charlotte, North Carolina: Information Age Publishing, pp. 212-213 [eBook Business Collection.
Note: you don't have to read the whole chapter, just the pages on charismatic, transformational, and transactional leadership] Also, to find books in the eBook online libraries don't copy and paste the entire reference into the search engine. Instead only use the title of the book. For example, use the following search terms into the eBook search engine to find this book "Advances in Authentic and Ethical Leadership" ]
Required Case Assignment Reading:
Yahoo's geek goddess. (January, 2014). Vanity Fair, 56, 68. [ProQuest]
Quinn, M. (Jan. 22, 2014). Poof. Marissa Mayer's honeymoon period at Yahoo ends. Oakland Tribune [ProQuest]
Cook, J. (2013, Mar 15). Can a 'hard reset' give Yahoo a boost? The Globe and Mail [ProQuest]
Optional Material:
Rainey, H. (2009). Chapter 11: Leadership, managerial roles, and organizational culture. Understanding and Managing Public Organizations (4th Edition). Jossey-Bass. Hoboken, NJ, pp. 325-333. [EBSCO eBook Academic Collection- you don't have to read the whole chapter just the sections on transformational and charismatic leadership]