Qualcomm: Evaluation of Leadership

Qualcomm Leadership : What Makes It Tick

Introduction

Being at the top post of a large business organization is a very tough job . Leading people is more than managing business because these people are the workforce that fuels the organization towards success . This is why Tom Peters and Nancy Austin , authors of the best-seller , A Passion for Excellence (1985 , described leadership as

Leadership means vision , cheerleading , enthusiasm , love , trust , verve passion , obsession , consistency , the use of symbols , paying attention as illustrated by the content of one ‘s calendar , out-and-out drama (and the [banner_entry_middle]

br management thereof , creating heroes at all levels , coaching effectively wandering around , and numerous other things . Leadership must be present at all levels of the organization . It depends on a million little things done with obsession , consistency , and care , but all of those million little things add up to nothing if the trust , vision , and basic belief are not there

Thus , this definition goes to show that gone are the times when leadership means that the leader completely dominates his or her subordinates . Experts already emphasize role of empowerment , through decentralization , and dramatically reducing formalization and eliminating standardization . Business organizations now are moving from formal control systems , such a bureaucratic , to those involving shared information , collaborative strategies , such as clan control and developing adaptive cultures are essential (Daft , 2004

Daft (2004 ) summarized the managerial implications of the structural /environmental adaptation in business organizations “Today ‘s organizations must poise themselves to innovate and change , not only to prosper but merely to survive in a world of increased competition (2004 br

. 400 ” Fundamentally , the business executive ‘s role in organizational change is to : 1 ) recognize the need for change , and 2 ) make it happen (Daft , 2005

On the other hand , Qualcomm is one of the most successful IT companies to date . Aptly listed in Fortune 500 , the company develops manufactures , licenses , delivers and operates digital wireless communication products and services based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA ) technology . The company pioneered the commercialization of CDMA technology , and provides system software for wireless voice , data communications and Global Positioning System (GPS ) products to wireless device and infrastructure manufacturers . The company operates primarily in the Americas , Europe , and Asia Pacific . It is headquartered in San Diego , California . In fact , as a proof of the viability of Qualcomm ‘s business , the company recorded revenues of 5 ,670 million during the fiscal year ended December 2005 , an increase of 16 .2 over the previous fiscal year . The company saw a net income of 1 ,970 million in fiscal 2005 , an increase of 9 .4 over fiscal 2004 (Qualcomm Website

Led by Irwin Mark Jacobs , Qualcomm has proved that it had a strong research and development team which has a proven track record for innovation in wireless communications technologies . The company ‘s research and development expenditures have been steadily increasing . The company ‘s R D expenditures in fiscal 2005 , 2004 and 2003 were approximately 1 .01 billion 720 million and 523 million respectively . As a percentage of… [banner_entry_footer]