Lussier, Management Fundamentals, 7e
© 2017, SAGE Publications
Answers to Case Questions
Chapter 12: Leading With Influence
Apple
1. Would you consider Steve Jobs a leader, a manager, or both?
2. Would you consider Tim Cook a leader, a manager, or both?
Tim Cook appears to be more of a manager then a leader. His leadership is certainly not as
3. Would Ghiselli say that Steve Jobs or Tim Cook have the traits of a successful leader?
He would say that Jobs was a successful leader. But it is interesting, since Ghiselli would
wonder how Jobs was not very strong in supervisory ability. At times, Jobs was quite tough on
4. Which basic leadership style—autocratic, democratic, or laissez-faire—would Jobs’s critics
say he used? What style is Cook?
5. Could you make a case for the Ohio State leadership style of high structure/low
consideration or low structure/high consideration in analyzing Jobs’s versus Cook’s
leadership style?
Lussier, Management Fundamentals, 7e
© 2017, SAGE Publications
Jobs was more high structure and low consideration. He liked to have control and he wasn’t
6. Using the University of Michigan leadership style model, was Jobs or Cook job centered or
employee centered?
Jobs was job centered since he was totally focused on computers that were sleek and modern
7. Which Leadership Grid® style—(1, 1) impoverished, (9, 1) authority-compliance, (1, 9)
country club. (5, 5) middle-of-the-road , or (9, 9) team—would Jobs’ and Cook’s critics say
they used?
Although it would be nice to say he was (9, 9), it would be fair to say (9, 1) was more
8. Was Steve Jobs a charismatic leader?
Yes. Many people consider Jobs a great speaker and very enthusiastic.
9. Was Jobs considered a transformational or transactional leader?
10. Is Tim Cook considered a transformational or transactional leader?
11. Which contingency leadership style, task oriented or relationship oriented, would Jobs’
and Cook’s critics say they use?
Jobs’ was task oriented, while Cook is more of a balance between task and relationship
oriented.
12. Did leadership play a role in the change in performance at Apple with and without Steve
Jobs as CEO?
Lussier, Management Fundamentals, 7e
© 2017, SAGE Publications
3
Yes. Apple should have used Jobs’s leadership skills and never fired him from his own
company.
13. Would you liked to have work for Steve Jobs? Why or why not?
14. Would you like to work for Tim Cook? Why or why not?
15. Was Steve Jobs or Cook an entrepreneur? Why or why not?
Jobs is a classic self-made success story of an American entrepreneur. That is why it was sad to
16. What external environment factor did Apple change for the business and general
economy?
Technology.
17. What decision-making model is used at Apple when selecting new products and
transitions?
18. What is the strategic level of planning of this case, and what strategy is Apple using?
Corporate level. Apple has diversified into products related to their original computers.
19. Why do you think Cooks moved the structure of the organization from one that was
divided by function, to one that was cross-functional? States some advantages to cross-
functional teams.