Basic Leadership
Structure
An
organization’s leadership structure depends on the company and/or the project.
The structure helps define the roles and responsibilities of the members of the
department, work group, or organization. It is generally a system to give
members of the group a direction and hierarchy when completing projects. A good
leadership structure will allow people and groups to work effectively together
while developing hard work ethics and attitudes (Amabile & Khaire, 2008) .
Miller’s Leadership
Structure
The standard hierarchical leadership structure
starts at the top with the chairman and board of directors, who set the goals
and direction for the company. The chief executive officer reports directly to
the board of directors and has responsibility for running the company according
to the goals and direction set by board. The chief operating officer reports to
the CEO and manages the operations of the company, overseeing production,
marketing, legal and administrative departments. In Miller’s leadership structure,
there are the various committees who report to their appropriate executives.
A nomination committee is focused on evaluating
the board of directors of its respective firm and on examining the skills and
characteristics that are needed in board candidates.
A disclosure committee is a group tasked with
reviewing all proposed disclosures about the company and its products prior to
their release.
The audit committee is an operating committee of
the board of directors charged with oversight of financial reporting and
disclosure. Committee members are drawn from members of the company's board of
directors, with a Chairperson selected from among the committee members.
A remuneration committee is established to ensure
that remuneration arrangements support the strategic aims of Miller as a business and enable the recruitment,
motivation and retention of senior executives while also complying with the
requirements of regulation.
The corporate accountability and risk assurance
committee’s objective is to assist the board in the discharge of its
responsibilities in relation to the group’s alcohol policies and corporate
accountability, including sustainable development, corporate social
responsibility and corporate social investment (SABMiller, 2014) .
Different Leadership Styles
Autocratic leaders make decisions without consulting their team members, even if their input would be useful. This can be appropriate when you need to make decisions quickly, when there's no need for team input, and when team agreement isn't necessary for a successful outcome. However, this style can be demoralizing, and it can lead to high levels of absenteeism and staff turnover.
Democratic leaders make the final decisions, but they include team members in the decision-making process. They encourage creativity, and people are often highly engaged in projects and decisions. As a result, team members tend to have high job satisfaction and high productivity. This is not always an effective style to use, though, when you need to make a quick decision.
Laissez-faire leaders give their team members a lot of freedom in how they do their work, and how they set their deadlines. They provide support with resources and advice if needed, but otherwise they don't get involved. This autonomy can lead to high job satisfaction, but it can be damaging if team members don't manage their time well, or if they don't have the knowledge, skills, or self motivation to do their work effectively. (Laissez-faire leadership can also occur when managers don't have control over their work and their people)
Miller’s Leadership Style
No matter who you are or where you work within SABMiller, your job will
be to use your talent and energy to help us make great beer.
The secret of Miller’s success is that they recruit the right people and
ensure that everything that they do is guided by a set of simple but vital
values as the basis for how the employees work together.
Miller’s values epitomize the enduring beliefs that are at the heart of
the business:
The group values
People are their enduring advantage
Accountability is clear and personal
They work and win in teams across the business
They are customer and consumer focused
They do their best for local communities
Their reputation is indivisible (SABMiller, 2014) .
Basically, Miller uses a democratic approach to leading their employees.
All members focus on their own field within the business where they are able to
discuss problems and solutions, and then report to the board where a final
decision will then be taken by the chief executive.
Role of
Leadership in Innovation Culture
As an approach to organization development,
innovation leadership can support achievement of the mission or the vision of
an organization or group. With new technologies and processes, it is necessary
for organizations to think innovatively to ensure continued success and stay
competitive and to adapt to new changes, “The need for innovation in
organizations has resulted in a new focus on the role of leaders in shaping the
nature and success of creative efforts.” (Quarterly, 2008)
Without
innovation leadership, organizations are likely to struggle. The new
21st-century view of valuing innovative thinking is seen as a potentially
powerful influence on organizational performance. Successful innovation
leadership requires a leader with certain characteristics. These include
expertise in the domain, creativity, ability to carry out transformational
leadership behaviors, planning and sense-making and social skills.
Innovative leaders can be recruited and hired through professional
networks and referrals or alternatively found through succession planning,
which involves identifying innovative leaders who are already working within
the organization. Innovative leaders are now in demand as organizations see the
progress and success that comes with innovative thinking and processes. (Dr. Hunter, 2012)
How
Miller’s leadership encourages/ cultivates a culture of innovation
Miller believes in high
performance and high engagement.
At Miller they’re particularly proud of their culture. It’s a culture that delivers strong performance, but knows the value of having fun. It encourages and rewards successful people. And, above all, it’s about teamwork that delivers results.
At Miller they’re particularly proud of their culture. It’s a culture that delivers strong performance, but knows the value of having fun. It encourages and rewards successful people. And, above all, it’s about teamwork that delivers results.
Miller has set out expectations of
their employees and the workplace. They ensure that:
- Employees are motivated to set challenging goals and have the drive to exceed them. The company expects their people to go the extra mile and to be dissatisfied with the concept of average;
- There is a healthy discontent with the status quo. Their culture is marked by a restless desire to challenge the norm and by an enterprising, pioneering spirit which underpins everything the company does;
- Employees are to take accountability for their actions and share a sense of commitment, enthusiasm and enjoyment for what they do;
- Great people work together to generate new ideas and new ways of working, where innovation is driven by their passion to constantly raise the bar;
- Miller succeeds by cutting out unnecessary bureaucracy and by focusing on adding real value;
- People are recognized for good performance and rewarded accordingly and;
- They all work hard and toast their achievements.
The Miller teams are supported by central resources designed to produce
economies of scale and skill, eliminate duplication of effort and allow sharing
of insights and best practice around the group.
Providing a fair and diverse
workplace across the business and beyond- Miller’s success is driven by each of
the 70,000 people they’ve employed worldwide. Miller believes that better
business decisions – and stronger business performance – are driven by groups
of competent, high-calibre individuals operating in a diverse environment with
the right skills, experience and motivation. They seek to treat all their
employees and contractors equitably and with respect, while providing them with
a safe working environment.
Miller rewards all employees
fairly by delivering a range of benefits, together with opportunities to reach
their potential and enjoy long, fulfilling careers with the company.
Bibliography
Amabile, T., &
Khaire, M. (2008, October). Creativity and the Role of the Leader.
Retrieved May 8, 2016, from Harvard Business Review:
https://hbr.org/2008/10/creativity-and-the-role-of-the-leader
Dr.
Hunter, S. (2012). Shifting to a Strategy of Innovation: The Key Role. In P.
Steinberg, Penn State Executive Programs in the Smeal College of Business,
The Pennsylvania State University (p. 6).
Duff,
V. (2003). Business Leadership Structure. Retrieved May 8, 2016, from
Chron: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/business-leadership-structure-62836.html
Quarterly,
M. (2008, January). Leadership and innovation. Retrieved May 8, 2016,
from McKinsey and Company: http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/leadership-and-innovation
SABMiller.
(2014). Annual Report. Retrieved May 8, 2016, from
http://www.sabmiller.com/docs/default-source/investor-documents/reports/2014/financial-reports/annual-report-2014.pdf?sfvrsn=10
