Full Spectrum Leadership at Lockheed Martin: A Case Study

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Table of Contents

Literature Review1

Introduction1

Research Questions2

About Lockheed Martin Corporation3

Full Spectrum Leadership Model at Lockheed Corporation4

Investigating the Outcomes7

Full Spectrum Leadership Model and Organizational Culture10

Full Spectrum Leadership Model and Change in Global Environment13

Effective Leadership Development18

Full Spectrum Leadership Model and Organizational Mission20

Values, Motivation, and Ethics21

The Competing Values Framework28

A Comparison of Leadership Models30

Conclusion31

References32

Literature Review

Introduction

The abundance of theories and models of leadership, from the great man theories through trait theories, behavioral theories, situational and contingency theories, to the more recent transformational theories, could suggest an approaching saturation point but the opportunity to look at some of these theories through a new lens cannot be overlooked (Blanchard, Hodges, 2003). Many leadership theories have been described in models that represent the characteristics of leadership in two dimensions with competing dichotomies of apparently opposing leadership styles such as: (a) autocratic and authoritarian versus democratic and egalitarian, (b) directive versus participative, (c) task versus relations-oriented, and (d) laissez-faire versus motivation to manage (Bass, 1990). Researchers have added texture to these models with new dimensions and different perspectives.

For the better part of a century scholars in the subject area of leadership have focused significant effort on the development of a comprehensive leadership model (Blake, Mouton, 1964). From the early framework of the “Great Man” theory which hypothesized that leaders were born and not made through the trait theories which generated models based on leadership traits, behaviors and attributes, each new generation of models included new leadership attributes borne from the business issues of their day: employee and organizational needs, new technology, global proliferation, and more destructive threats (Blake, McCanse, 1991).

Seminal models have become so broad that they can now be described as impractical from an individual and organizational perspective. In other words, contemporary models include so many individual leadership attributes that leaders cannot satisfactorily and effectively exhibit all of the required attributes in their day to day performance. Furthermore, leadership requirements have become as customized and narrowly focused as the businesses from which they are generated. In some cases generic and comprehensive leadership models represent more than is necessary for specific industry leadership scenarios (Bijlsma-Frankema, Koopman, 2004).

Reddin (1967) added effectiveness to the task-relationship model and Hersey and Blanchard (1969) added follower maturity to the same model and later referred to this as follower readiness, describing a continuum of styles from telling, through selling and participating, to delegating (Hersey, 1984).

The literature outlines leadership theory and recent research relating to leadership values and styles that represent critical factors influencing leadership behavior described within a framework developed by the author. The analysis of the literature highlights the importance of values-based leadership and the need for leaders to understand the different leadership styles and be able to switch between the styles to meet the needs of the situation. The value of understanding the different leadership styles is reflected in the opportunity to develop specific behaviors that reflect these styles. Although leaders naturally perform better in one style compared to another, recognizing the situation and associated style ...