Question

In 1977, Honda, a Japanese company, announced plans to build a motorcycle manufacturing plant in the United States near Marysville, Ohio, and in 1980 announced plans to build an automobile manufacturing facility in the same area. Ever since the company made these announcements, Honda’s history has been nothing but impressive.To empha- size this success, the Marysville Auto Plant now produces the Accord Coupe for export to Japan. Honda of America has become a leading auto exporter in the United States, and the motorcycle plant has produced its one-millionth unit of the Gold Wing motorcycle. Many maintain that the following belief statement, which appears prominently on the Honda of America website, is a primary reason for the company’s success: “Why do people want to work for Honda? How does Honda achieve industry-leading quality year after year, mak- ing extremely complex products such as cars, trucks, motor- cycles, and engines? The answer is in Honda’s foundation

principle—the tenant upon which all the other Honda phi- losophies are based. It’s called Respect for the Individual.”

Founders Soichiro Honda andTakeo Fujisawa believed in creating a workforce in which each member’s ideas received the full consideration and respect of the group. People are diverse and that’s a good thing, Mr. Honda believed, because diversity of thought, skills, background, and experiences can enrich the workplace and the product, if the differences are allowed to generate ideas.

In order for the associates’ best ideas to come forward, they must feel valued and comfortable speaking up and in- teracting with their work groups.That’s where respect comes in. Only in an atmosphere of maximized respect and inclu- sion can a workforce reach its highest levels of achievement.

Activities

You have just been contacted to interview for the top management position at Honda of America. You would be responsible for both automobile and motorcycle manufac- turing. Before you visit the Marysville facility for a series of face-to-face interviews, however, you have been asked to answer the following questions related to your own beliefs about how managers should handle people. Answer the fol- lowing questions in preparation for your trip to Marysville.

15. What management style would you use at Honda of America? Discuss its short- and long-term implica- tions for production levels.

Answer 1

I would be using Transformational Leadership.

Transformational leadership refers to the mechanism by which a person interacts with others and establishes a bond that enhances both the boss and the employee's sense of commitment and morality.
Bass (1985) indicated that managers with disruptive leadership habits affect workers by (1) motivational effect, (2) expressing high standards to followers and empowering them to be loyal to and part of the organization's common mission, (3) motivating them to be imaginative and innovative, and (4) creating a welcoming atmosphere that, in effect, contributes to a shared vision in the organization;

Accordingly, managers exhibiting transformational leadership behaviors should, by extension, promote innovation among employees. In particular, since managers with transformational leadership habits continue to improve the inherent morale of workers, help workers develop more expertise and skills to achieve their mission, and enable them to address their challenges in fresh and effective ways, they can encourage employees to engage in innovative habits if they need to. In other words, workers under transformational leaders will effectively demonstrate innovative output when requested or anticipated, which includes sensitive creativity and creativity that contributes.

Nonetheless, since workers continue to consider their transition boss with extraordinary influence as an outstanding person and obey him or her as a role model, their actions and attitudes may be restricted and reliant on the actions and perspectives of the members.

Indeed, previous surveys have shown that workers under the leadership of change have formed a small range of expertise and skills, pursued the dream and interest of the leader as "enthusiastic dogs," and have highly relied on their leaders.

Therefore, they will find it difficult to recognize and define operational problems on their own-which are critical elements of both anticipated innovation and constructive innovation. Transformational leadership would also promote receptive innovation and contributory innovation for workers but not anticipated creativity and constructive creativity.

Short term implications that the company will receive lots of ideas which might or might not be applicable.

Long term implications are that these ideas might be the one that could be in a form of product which is to be offered to the actual customers.