Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon, the largest and most innovative e-commerce and internet technology company. The creation and effective management of such a large organization are possible only due to the exceptional characteristics of its leader. Bezos’s style is based on unconventional solutions and creative ideas, which is reflected in human resource management policies as well.
The company focuses on building a long-term relationship between employee and employer. This approach presupposes intrinsic staff motivation, development of their talents, and expansion of decision-making authority. The leader has unique qualities which allow him to build strong relationships with employees and make creative decisions. The purpose of the paper is to examine the characteristics of Jeff Bezos’ leadership.
The major reason Jeff Bezos’ leadership style is effective is his unconventional approach to all processes in the organization. As a visionary in the digital industry, Amazon needs a manager who is capable of risky and non-standard solutions. In contrast to vertical thinking, Bezos uses the lateral one, which allows him to seek creative alternatives (Koçak, 2019). Leaders utilizing traditional approaches analyze the situation based on facts and select the most appropriate solution. However, Bezos uses the available information to generate new ideas and search for unconventional paths. This approach allows the company to develop innovations that increase competitiveness, which is especially important for the digital sphere.
In terms of human resources, an unconventional approach also has several advantages. First of all, it allows developing the creative skills of staff, which gives them more freedom. They can express themselves by showing new ideas and make a significant contribution to the development of the organization. These benefits have a positive effect on the intrinsic motivation of the personnel. Moreover, lateral thinking allows Bezos to define the mission, vision, and values which workers can share and support.
The company’s mission is to help clients discover and find what they need using the Internet and other technologies. The website of the organization notes that they “aim to be Earth’s most customer-centric company” (“Our mission,” n. d.). Moreover, Amazon is committed to driving business growth and stimulating content creators to achieve success. The organization’s vision underlines its desire for international leadership in e-commerce and internet technology (Gregory, 2019). Bezos believes that accomplishing the goals is possible only through attention to customers and their trust.
The mission and vision of the organization form its values, which are the basis for the main principles of working with human resources. Amazon’s priority is not to fight competitors but to work with customers. They call it an obsession, which underlines the importance of this direction (“Come build the future,” n. d.). Another value of the organization is the focus on long-term results and the direct participation of the owner in all operations. Despite striving for new innovative ideas, Bezos also emphasizes the significance of calculating risks. The values most important for working with human resources are continuous learning, developing talented people’s skills, striving to simplify and minimize costs.
Focusing on such areas also has a positive effect on the intrinsic motivation of employees. For example, Bezos develops initiatives and programs for training and education for low-level employees in his organization (Crouse, 2018). Thus, he strives to maintain and develop the skills of the staff, even the least experienced. This approach helps Bezos build long-term trusting relationships with employees, which will also motivate them to improve their performance.
The development of staff talent also results in a better product, which directly affects the success of the business. The more experienced workers will be able to create the most user-friendly products while ensuring that the company’s core values are maintained. Another example of unique personnel management at Amazon is illustrated by the empowerment in 2015 of all employees to make decisions of the second type, which the company can reverse if necessary (Alqassimi & Upadhayay, 2018). As a consequence, expanding decision-making authority also helps motivate the team as they feel both responsibility and ability to contribute. Such managerial decisions regarding human resources are only possible because of Bezos’ unique leadership characteristics.
Bezos, as an innovative and transformational leader, has an instinct which he applies to all areas of business. He makes risky and creative decisions which may not initially be successful. He believes in himself and relies only on his vision, not based on the experience of other companies. Regarding human resources, it is reflected in the ability to find and maintain talent which will develop the organization and products.
Bezos is also curious and constantly learning, which he encourages in his employees. This feature allows him to implement the necessary changes and transform the company in accordance with the current needs of customers. Bezos also sets high standards for himself and his employees, which ensures continuous development. Finally, the leader is able to make bold decisions and disagree with conventional wisdom, which makes him authoritative in the eyes of followers.
In conclusion, the paper examines Bezos as an innovative leader and indulines his key qualities. The main emphasis is put on his style of managing human recourses. Bezos takes an unconventional approach to manage the organization’s processes based on his views and decisions. Moreover, he uses lateral thinking to find creative and innovative ways, which also allows him to increase the intrinsic motivation of the staff. Bezos uses mission, vision, and values to integrate each team member into the work of the company. He also tends to develop employee talents and expand their decision-making authority. Thus, Bezos possesses unique leadership qualities such as boldness, creativity, independence, and consideration for subordinates.
References
Alqassimi, O., & Upadhayay, S. (2018). Understanding the dynamics of leadership: A case study on Jeff Bezos and Jack Ma. Westcliff International Journal of Applied Research, 2(1), 28−37. Web.
Crouse, C. (2018). Jeff Bezos is ‘particularly proud’ of this Amazon employee benefit that helps workers go back to school. CNBC. Web.
Come build the future with us. (n.d.). Amazon Jobs. Web.
Gregory, L. (2019). Amazon.com Inc.’s mission statement & vision statement (an analysis). Panmore Institute. Web.
Koçak, D. (2019). Leadership without hierarchy and authority: Lateral leadership. International Journal of Social Inquiry, 12(2), 657−680. Web.
Our mission. (n.d.). Amazon. Web.