Paper Example - Dynamic Work

The Soul of a new machine is a factual book written by Tracy Kidder and published in 1981. The book focuses on a team of engineers who worked hard to build a minicomputer despite facing many challenges. Some of the challenges these engineers faced included; working under grueling conditions, they faced manpower shortages, operated on a severe budget while their competitors had sufficient funds. The main character in Kidder's book was Mr West, who also led the team of engineers as their boss. Despite all the challenges the team faced, West displays excellent leadership skills in the approaches he takes.

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West was the type of leader who was determined to see his team succeed and ensured that he employed the most skilled employees. This is evidenced when he goes out to recruit many young graduates. West focused mostly on the younger generation because he knew they are the most determined and creative. West was also a motivational type of leader. Although he poorly paid his team, West was able to motivate them to in designing a completely new machine. Other than being poorly paid, his team was also overworked and were never given any overtime.

West depicts the qualities of a risk-taker. At the time, everyone thought West was not serious when he choose to recruit a team that was mostly made up of inexperienced 'kids.' Straight out of college and without any experience, nobody imagined these young people would design a top-notch computer. Unlike other people, West believed that his young team was perfect since "they didn't know yet what was impossible" (Kidder, 2011).

West knew there was a need to complement his green hire. He, therefore, went out to recruit some senior members. For instance, he hired Steve Wallach and gave him the role of designing the architecture of the computer. West is also a convincing type of leader. At first, Wallach declined to join West's team, but since West believed Wallach was among the best, he convinced him to join, and in return, he would eventually get his machine to the world. With hopes to revenge on North Carolina, Wallach finally accepted West's offer.

Since he knew the challenges he had, West had everyone sign up before joining his team. By signing up, it meant that one agreed to forsake every obstacle that might face the success of the project. These obstacles included friends, families, and hobbies. West was also a motivational leader as he implied a stock option as a reward.

In Jim Davis's case study, Who's In Charge? The company faced weaknesses in that its existing resources and capabilities were weaker in comparison to other firms. In other words, the company was less efficient in improving and aligning with the current trends of the market. This, therefore, affected the company's performance to the negatively as it became weaker in comparison to its competitors. Having been given the responsibility for results, Jim Davis must apply specific leadership approaches if he needs to revive the company's performance. Davis should first understand that the company is affected by limitations of skills, capabilities, and resources. One leadership approach that would save the company would motivate employees to improve their marketing skills. In addition to that, Davis should fully be part of the marketing team and provide guidance.

Reference

Kidder, T. (1981). The Soul of A New Machine. Little, Brown and Company.