Who's the Boss?

A basic leadership structure

A leadership team in an organization functions as the response element to company goals and strategies. Each member in the team plays a role in business activities and overlooks how each of them are executed.

In a C corporation [an entity whose profits are taxed independently from its owners under subchapter C of the Internal Revenue Code (Colgate, n.d)], the definitive hierarchical leadership structure begins at the top with the chairman and board of directors, who dictate the objectives and offer direction for the company. It is the job of the chief executive officer (CEO) to report directly to the board of directors and is responsible for directing the organization forward according to their set goals which were appointed by the board. The chief operating officer then reports to the CEO and administers the operations of the organization, overseeing departments such as marketing, production, legal as well as administration. The chief financial officer also reports directly to the CEO manages the organization’s finances and simultaneously overseeing accounting and treasury functions. Below the C levels (high ranking executives) are the department managers who present back to their appropriate C level executives (Duff, n.d).

Headboy's Leadership structure

Headboy Industries Inc. is an organization with an entrepreneurial structure, a small company in the first stage of the organizational life cycle. The organization has a top manager, workers in the operating core & a few support staff. The power focuses on the top manager, who exercises it personally. Power is an abstract existence, it cannot be seen but its effect can be felt, in an organization, power exists in a relationship between two or more people (Hraljournal, 2006). Decision-making and creation of the organization structure are the responsibility of the top manager. The resulting strategy reflects the top manager’s vision of the world. In the entrepreneurial organization the focus of attention is on the leader, therefore leadership reigns in this organization (Hraljournal, 2006).

The existence of leadership is created through the behaviour & atmosphere of the founder and managing director of Headboy Industries Inc. Ludwick Marishane. The Leadership structure maintained at Headboy Industries Inc. motivates people within the company to obtain a common understanding that allows them to reach their goal. Headboy Industries Inc. rely on their leadership structure to influence members to pursue organizational goals. The concept of leadership within the organisational structure directs and coordinates the activities of members toward achieving group objectives (Hraljournal, 2006). The organizational structure is a form of control which aims to encourage organizational members at Headboy Industries Inc. to behave in a certain way towards organizational goals (iosrjournals, 2013).The structure of the roles, responsibilities, authority and communication relationships are influenced by Marishane to accomplish the organization’s tasks and achieve its objectives. Organizational knowledge is generated by employees & stakeholders through the learning & knowledge acquired at Headboy Industries Inc., and the innovative organisation. Ludwick Marishane’s passion is his addiction to learning and mentoring others to unleash their true potential (Afripreneur, 2010).As a leader he continually thrives on learning & helping the people around him to pursue their passions and happiness.

Different leadership styles

Taking an organization from ordinary to extraordinary require the understanding between what leadership is and what management is. According to writer and consultant Peter Drucker, "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things" (Benincasa, 2012).

Leadership style is described as the manner and approach of providing direction, enforcing plans as well as inspiring people (Leadership Styles, 2015).

There are various leadership styles which a company may wish to implement into their business structures, however, here are six different leadership styles that were analysed in relation to style and effects in the corporate climate:

1. The pacesetting leader demonstrates a sense of excellence and self direction. In other words this type of leader expects their followers (or other management below them) to work at the same level and standard as they do on a timely basis. This style works effectively provided that the team is motivated and skilled, as the leader requires results fast. Used extensively, this style may overwhelm team members therefore distorting processes of innovation.

2. The authoritative leader directs the team towards a common vision and targets end goals, leaving the technique in which team members get there, to each of their discretion. This style is dubbed as the “come with me” leadership approach. This style of leadership works best when the team requires a fresh vision as a result of changing circumstances or when definitive supervision is not necessarily required. These type of leaders inspire an entrepreneurial spirit along with energetic eagerness for the mission.

3. The affiliative leader intends to create emotional bonds which brings together the feelings of bonding and belonging to the organization. This style is dubbed as the “people come first” leadership strategy. It works best in times of when team members need to alleviate stress or when the team needs to rebuild their trust in one another.

4. The coaching leader advances people for the future. This style can be dubbed as the “try this” approach to leadership. This style is successful when the leader wants to assist teammates in building lasting personal strengths that helps them succeed in all aspects of their lives.

5. The coercive leader requires immediate compliance. This style is also known as the “do as I tell you” leadership strategy. It is most effective during times of crisis such as a company takeover attempt or even during an emergency such as a natural disaster. This style may also assist in controlling a problematic teammate when all else has failed.

6. The democratic leader creates harmony and unity through participation. It may be called the “what do you think?” leadership approach and is most successful when the leader depends on the team to buy into, or, have ownership of a decision, plan or goal. It also works when a leader is uncertain about business decisions and requires fresh, new ideas from skilled team members, offering the leader sufficient guidance to make the appropriate decision (Benincasa, 2012).

7. The charismatic leader represents qualities of charm and influence. Charismatic leaders are often guided by their beliefs and commitments to their project objectives. Their main focus is on the audience, by attempting to improve the status quo and committing positive change to the objectives of the project (Spahr, 2016).

Ultimately, the styles that leaders wish to implement into their respective organizations need to elevate and inspire their teams. If they manage to do that, then, they have an excellent recipe for success with every team they work with hereon after (Benincasa, 2012).

Headboy’s Leadership style

Headboy Industries Inc. implements a charismatic leadership style, as Ludwick Marishane is viewed as a charismatic leader, who challenges people within the company to perform above and beyond what’s expected of them & to constantly pursue organizational goals. The followers of a charismatic leader, acknowledge the leaders beliefs, obey the leader willingly, feels affection toward the leader & are emotionally involved in the organizational mission (Hraljournal, 2006). Marishane is an envisioning leader with a strong vision for the future that can motivate others to help realize it. He can see beyond current realities and helps followers believe in a brighter future, thinking ahead of situations as an opportunity for advancement (Venturesafrica, 2015). Ludwick Marishane is an energizing leader who is able to demonstrate personal excitement, personal support, express personal confidence, and seek success among the team members (Hraljournal, 2006).A charismatic leadership is influenced through Ludwick Marishane who has a profound emotional effect on his followers, through his vision, shared values, and ideas to build relationships. He recognises the ability to bring about innovation and change through addressing the organizations needs and concerns, helping members in the organization look at problems in new ways, and encourages members to question the status quo. They have the ability to lead changes in the organizations mission, strategy, structure, culture, and to promote innovation in the products and technology at Headboy Industries Inc. (Hraljournal, 2006). Ludwick Marishane’s leadership style supports innovation & knowledge management initiatives which leads to organisational benefits (Venturesafrica, 2015).

Establishing the role of leadership in innovation culture

It is the leader’s responsibility to congregate teams and direct them towards optimal performance outcomes. A leader who is effective, recognizes the importance of grasping differences among people, and knows how to work around those differences in order to get the best work out of the team. This process is what cultivates a healthy working environment which stimulates continuous improvements, innovation and initiative. Therefore, in order for leaders to foster an environment that incorporates these qualities in their culture of innovation, they need to:

1. Trust themselves in order to trust others

Innovation recreates the rules. This requires team members to be more transparent than ever. Therefore, people need to trust themselves to make appropriate decisions before learning to trust others.

2. Collaborate and discover

Collaboration is all about taking leaps of faith in order to discover fresh ways of thinking and creating outstanding outcomes, along with working closely together with fellow team members.

3. Communicate to learn

The manner in which teams communicate with each other allows for thinking in new dimensions, which in turn, leads to new innovations.

4. Be a courageous change agent

In order for teams to innovate successfully, leaders must challenge each member of their team to think in a critical manner in order to encourage continuous development. People who possess the mindset of a “courageous enable” takes charge and makes things better in order to improve the organization’s overall performance.

5. Correct to perfect

Leaders need to correct along the way, in order to result in the perfect combination of people within a team. Correction steers the team towards the promise of the culture the team and ultimately the organization is attempting to create (Llopis, 2014).

How does Headboy’s leadership cultivate a culture of innovation?

Innovation is a critical force in the improvement of organizational performance and in enhancing economic growth and development. Ludwick Marishane recognises that Headboy Industries Inc. must be innovative to survive and flourish in the competitive and rapidly changing environment and is involved in the idea generation and implementation of products during the innovation process. The importance of innovation & knowledge creation in organizations is enhanced by the relationship and leadership styles within the organization (iosrjournals,2013).The success of Headboy Industires Inc. links to their leadership structure and culture in contributing to the company’s successful innovation. They are effective in supporting business performance to ensure leadership in the industry.

As a leader at Headboy Industries Inc., Ludwick’s journey into creative entrepreneurship was not by accident or chance, it was cultivated and nurtured by his father who had always encouraged innovative ideas. He credits his dad for fanning the flame of entrepreneurship in him while he was in his first year at high school (Venturesafrica, 2015). His love for science has encouraged his quest in inventing things, it was the invention of the first Drybath product in the world which brought Marishane into the limelight. The simple question from a lazy friend (why doesn’t someone invent something you can just put on your skin and avoid the need to bathe?) who refused to take a bath, triggered Ludwick’s inquisitive mind to make a research on a solution to the problem. His idea led to the creation of an anti-bacteria cleanser he called “Dry- Bath.” DryBath, a clear gel, is the world’s first and only bath-substituting skin gel, which works without soap and water. Since the invention of DryBath, Marishane has patented the product and registered it as a company to commercialize it.

They seek to become the home of African innovation, providing global solutions to global consumers. This is aligned in their mission to contribute extensively to the development of a globally-inclusive African innovation ecosystem. The company is currently focused on globally commercializing its DryBath Gel product and contributing to youth development through their Pioneers @Uni program (Headboy, n.d). Their mission is to develop innovative products that solve the global consumer’s pressing needs, while contributing extensively to the development of Africa’s own world-leading innovation ecosystem (Southafricainfo, 2015).

Headboy Industries believe in the pursuit of a sustainable society, where Headboy’s products & services can play an instrumental role in creating a mindful contribution to their customers' ability to fulfill the individual & societal purpose (Headboy, n.d). Marishane’s focus is on successfully commercializing the DryBath® Gel as the global standard for the waterless personal hygiene retail segment. This experience is being used to develop the experimental expertise for developing innovative products & processes that practically solve problems for African & other customers (Linkedin, n.d).

Apart from Drybath they are commercializing an innovation that increases the ROI on bursaries offered to university students .Their work is focused on the model Headboy as a commercial technology innovation company, with an intense focus on conducting measurable experiments that can produce measurable insights & sustainable growth for our private or public clients (Linkedin, n.d).

Ludwick run’s his business full-time, while working on initiatives that promote technology & innovation entrepreneurship, amongst young people. He is currently focused on developing a viable case that will be used to position Headboy Industries Inc. as a privately run technology innovation agency, with an intense focus on conducting measurable commercial experiments that can produce sustainable results for private or public clients (Inspiration Indaba,2015). Marishane sees himself as a visionary, and aims to understand the world of business whereby Africa will be the first to benefit from his skills. He has have good leadership capabilities, and an innate understanding of people and business processes (Venturesafrica, 2015).