Leadership Concepts at Wawa Inc. - Free Essay Example

The concept of leadership has been integral to the success and survival of every organization, and Wawa Inc. is not an exception. Leadership involves the act of getting things done through others (Andriukaitiene et al., 2017). Moreover, it entails a process in which the executive directs, guides, and influences the work of other individuals in attaining organizational objectives. The aspect of leadership can assume various concepts, including process and actions since it entails a power position held by an individual, which provides him with an ample opportunity to influence other members of the organization. Therefore, the aspect of effective leadership is an integral part and a driving force towards organizational success (Andriukaitiene et al., 2017). Good leadership creates an effective and cohesive working environment for all stakeholders in the organization. The leader is at the core of the organization's power structure as he is charged with such responsibility, including mobilization, and directing other members of the groups. Therefore, by incorporating various aspects of leadership, the paper aims to explore the application of leadership theories and concepts at Wawa Inc.

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As a member of the Wawa organization, leadership has played a significant part in steering the organization forward. The primary objective of the organization is to provide services in more than its 860 convenience stores. Therefore, leaders at Wawa are expected to promote and demonstrate a high level of integrity, advance in global understanding, and goodwill, and promotion of peace through the concept of fellowship profession and community leaders. Wawa Inc. is a United States-based chain of convenience stores and gas stations, which is located along the Eastern coasts of America. The corporation operates in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC. Moreover, Wawa Inc. operates multiple food markets across the above-mentioned divisions. Moreover, Wawa Inc nurtures and promotes such aspects, including environmental ethics, the creation of both national and international awareness, and leadership development among the members. The organization is dedicated to producing the best products and services for its customers. Therefore, for the effective operation of Wawa Inc., effective leadership is a core concept among the employees of the organization and the senior leaders. Leaders emerge in a group by such aspects, including the virtue of their personality characteristics and qualities or by virtue of the common interest and consent of the group members (Andriukaitiene et al., 2017). The leaders are primarily charged with the responsibility of representing the interests of the employees and organization stakeholders.

Notably, in discharging their duties, the leaders should act according to the set regulations and laws of the organization. For instance, the leaders of both Wawa regions in Washington DC may command a widespread influence over a wide range of people, while the impact of the leaders in smaller regions may be limited. However, it is important to note that both are leaders in their own capacity and fulfill the definition of leadership. Therefore, leadership involves an influential process since the leader stands in a sole position to regulate, control, and change the attitude and behavior of members of the organization. In the long run, the performance of the organization would be significant. Similarly, the employees have to comply with the leader's direction and desires and, to some extent, contribute to the overall effectiveness of the leader. Moreover, an effective relationship ought to exist between the leaders and their followers, which should be largely characterized by various interpersonal and social interactions (Weiss, 2015).

Notably, many leadership theories exist, and leaders should remain vigilant to incorporate the best leadership theory that works best for the organization. Since Wawa Inc. provides multiple services to customers across the United States, the organization would primarily be aimed at providing service to society and its members, the primary leadership theory that would be greatly exemplified would be participative leadership. As noted by Huang et al., (2010), participative leadership is effective since it incorporates the input of members. For instance, at the organization, we work both different regions across the United States, and it is the employees of the organization who can come up with various suggestions to improve the effectiveness of the organization since, most often, they are the ones on the “ground” while providing such services. Therefore, the input, suggestions, and recommendations of the employees would be integral to the leaders, and the overall leadership of the club.

Participative leadership involves the cooperation of all members in such processes, including decision-making (Huang et al., 2010). This type of leadership is also referred to as a democratic leadership style. At Wawa Inc., the participative leadership approach usually assumes such aspects, including discussion as a group, which involves the figurehead overseeing the process and facilitating discussion about how best the organization can offer services to the stakeholders. Moreover, the provision of any relevant information is disseminated transparently, and the sharing of ideas is channeled through an open system acceptable to all the members of the organization including the superiors and their subordinates. Moreover, in participative leadership, the leader is charged with summarizing the ideas and information of all the group members (Huang et al., 2010). Moreover, all members of the group are charged with the responsibility of implementing the decisions. Notably, participative leadership decision-making can assume different forms, but the most important aspect is the collective input of members of the organization.

Moreover, participative leadership has often been successful in organizations that have defined roles of operation, just like Wawa Inc, which requires little oversight and management. Different types of participative leadership exist, including consensus, autocratic, democratic, and collective leadership (Huang et al., 2010). Notably, at Wawa Inc., all types have always been applied according to the presented circumstances in the organization. For instance, at some point, the leader would not have additional power over the employees and hence the decision would be based on the consensus of the employees and all stakeholders of the organization. Moreover, sometimes the responsibility of the organization falls on all the club members. For instance, service delivery to new regions in the organization would involve the responsibility of all the members. The general principle of the leadership at Wawa lies in the aspect of democracy (Huang et al., 2010). However, in some circumstances, the leader may apply autocratic participative leadership to emphasize some of the critical issues of the organization.

For instance, the leader may notice, the negligence of some members of the organization and hence may abandon the aspect of democracy and apply some autocracy to ensure that the corporation is in order. There are several advantages of participative leadership, including a boost of morale, members' buy-in, collective thinking and responsibility, retention and unity, value, and independence (Huang et al., 2010). All members of the organization would feel empowered and energized when they take part in all high-level decision-making, which is critical to the organization's success. Moreover, the members would be likely to implement changes for the overall good of the organization, but with the direction of the leader. Moreover, this type of pf leadership boosts morale.

For instance, both employees and managers at Wawa are not working in a vacuum and also provide a deeper feeling and understanding of distribution chains at a lower level. With the introduction of many ideas, and opinions, the leadership of the organization is more likely to have creative and innovative thinking. Organizational loyalty is also likely to increase. For instance, some members of the organization members have been loyal for many years and have, opted to offer multiple services to the organization without any doubts of rotation or quitting the organization. The member of the Rotary Club feels valued when the leaders consider their input. For instance, if the organization members form an active part of decision-making and often require less marginal oversight, all members are part of the process. Notably, the effect of power and influence of a leader on the followers is felt in not of the organizations, and Wawa Inc. is not an exemption.

Multiple studies have also revealed that the use of power and influence significantly contributes to the motivation of leaders. For instance, the use of a participative leadership style by the leaders at Wawa has significantly led to the motivation of the employees. The ability to influence others forms a significant aspect of leadership since leaders must be influential in determining the overall success of their organizations through their strategies, decisions, and their influence on other members (Weiss, 2015). The act of influence entails the ability of one person to change and affect the actions and behaviors of others and, even to a greater extent, society as a whole. At Wawa Inc., the leaders have a positive influence of power from both the senior and the junior leaders. Notably, every leader has a different influence on his subjects based on the leadership environment and how they feel about his subjects. Moreover, it is also important to note that every effect of power and influence is not always positive.

As a junior employee of the organization, I have always been consistent with how I relate to my senior colleagues and everyone at the organization. Moreover, I have always ensured that I set effective and positive professional standards. Some of the leaders in other organizations have faced rebellion in their organization since their subjects have always felt they are not treated fairly as human beings, but instead as machines and robots. Therefore, it is important to create an effective balance to ensure effective influence on the followers and also to ensure that proper organizational culture is fostered for the overall good of the organization. Most of the followers are often receptive since they always have a passion for what they do and always want to do it perfectly. The power and influence of my Washington DC senior organization leader vary significantly since he has often employed such negative aspects, including favoritism to some of the members, while, to some extent, he always acts with a high level of transparency.

This has, to some extent, led to credibility concerns making him lose respect for some of the employees. Position and power are the levels of degree of influence the leaders may have on the followers (Andriukaitiene et al., 2017). It involves such aspects, including hiring, firing, remuneration, promotion, and discipline. All these aspects should be conducted according to the stipulated organization guidelines and without any compromise. Transparency and openness of leaders promote good organizational coexistence (Weiss, 2015). The positional power is always high when the leader has such discretion, including direction, evaluation, discipline, and reward. At the Wawa chain division in Washington DC, the organization has got large customer base, and at times it prompts the leaders to hire and replace employees.