Managing Change In British Airways

Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

Masters in Business Administration (MBA)

Full Time

Managing Human Performance

Student –Shabbir Hussain

Lecturer – Allan Macpherson

Date – 8th January 2007

Introduction

This assignment presents a critical analysis of Bob Ayling’s Strategies towards change at a time when company was running successfully. This paper discusses issues such as leadership, change management, motivation and the impact of his strategies on organisation and on its employees. At the start it focuses on his leadership style followed with his approach towards change and motivation. It concludes that Bob Ayling’s vision of change and strategies were correct but the way he tried to achieve his goals were not admired by employees or people around him and were not successful.

Leadership

Leaders are those who make organisation successful and their leadership makes the organisation grow and achieve its goal. Leader encourages and motivates their followers. Definitions of leadership are as follows.

“Leadership is about having a set of values and believing in them, but it is also having foresight, knowledge and intuition, especially about people. Leaders can not expect others to believe in them if they do not believe in themselves.”

Malpas M. (2006 cited by Porter K. et al, 2006)

“Leadership is the process in which an individual influence other group members towards the attainment of group or organisational goal.”

Shackleton (1995 cited by Torrington D. et al, 2005)

If we try to put Bob Ayling in these definitions. He doesn’t fit in it because he didn’t influence his employees instead he force them. He thought he has analysed the figures and situation and as per him the cost cutting was necessary but he didn’t explain to his employees why the change is required and he didn’t took his management in confidence. Initially he wa