THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL TRAINING

-------------------------------

COURSE: Quản Trị Học

TITLE: Leading

Teacher : Le Thi Tu Anh

Group’s name : Group 1
Semester : 1st (2023-2024)

Hanoi, Vietnam
October, 2023

1
Contents
Evaluation results discussed...................................................................................................................3
A: Theories.............................................................................................................................................4
I. Overview of leading........................................................................................................................4
II. Leadership:....................................................................................................................................4
1. Definition...................................................................................................................................4
2. Leadership styles........................................................................................................................4
III. Motivation....................................................................................................................................5
1. Overview of motivation..............................................................................................................5
B: Amazon.............................................................................................................................................6
I. Introduction of Amazon......................................................................................................................6
1.Overview.....................................................................................................................................6
I. Leadership in the case of Amazon...................................................................................................7
1. Why Jeff Bezos is an autocratic leader.......................................................................................7
2. Amazon’s benefits when following autocratic leadership style..................................................7
3.Amazon’s demerits when following autocratic leadership style..................................................7
II. Motivation.....................................................................................................................................7
1.Attractive remuneration policies..................................................................................................7
2.Recognition and rewards.............................................................................................................7
3. Career pathways.........................................................................................................................8
4. Positive work environment.........................................................................................................8
C: Comment...........................................................................................................................................8
D: Appendix...........................................................................................................................................8
I. Jeff Bezos and Transformational Leadership..................................................................................8
1. Theories of transformational leadership.....................................................................................8
2. Transformational leadership in the case of Jeff Bezos................................................................9
E: Sources............................................................................................................................................10

2
 Evaluation results discussed

No. Name Contribution Outcome quality Attitude Overall

Rating
1 Nguyễn -Do leadership theory and -Participate in 3/3 -Good attitude A+
Phương incase of Amazon. group discussions. -Support team
Anh - Give the outline and -Make the content members
personal comment focused and - Be proactive
- Present leadership in case complete in completing
of Amazon -Submit your work
assignment on time
2 Lê Vân Anh -Do the introduction of -Participate in 3/3 -Good attitude A+
Amazon. group discussions. -Support team
- Set team’s objective -Make the content members
- Synthesize document focused and - Be proactive
- Present Introduction of complete in completing
Amazon and Motivation -Submit your work
theory assignment on time
3 Nguyễn Thị -Do the powerpoint. -Complete the -Good attitude A-
Minh Châu -Give outline and personal assignment -Give creative
comment. -Participate in 3/3 ideas
- Present leadership theory group discussions
- Missed the
deadline once.
4 Vũ Quỳnh -Do the motivation theory -Participate in 3/3 -Good attitude A-
Chi and in case of Amazon group discussions -Be proactive
- Present motivation in case -Complete the in completing
of Amazon assignment work
completely and to
the point.
- Missed the
deadline once.
5 Vũ Mạnh -Do the leading overview -Participate in 3/3 -good attitude C
Đức - Give outline and personal group discussions -no initiative
comment. -Complete the yet
- Present overview of assignment
leading and comment -Missed the
deadline twice.

3
 A: Theories
I. Overview of leading
1. Definition
- Leading consists of motivating employees and influencing their behavior to achieve
organizational objectives. Leading focuses on managing people, such as individual
employees, teams and groups rather than tasks.
2. Describe
- Leading involves influencing others through direction, inspiration, and motivation
toward the attainment of organizational objectives.
- Leading is distinct from the organizing function of management, which generally
includes arranging or assembling resources.
- Leading is the glue that allows for the coordination of people toward a common goal
or collective response to a situation.

II. Leadership:
1. Definition
- Leadership is the process of interactive influence that occurs when people accept
someone as their leader to achieve common goals.
2. Leadership styles
2.1. Definition of leadership styles
- Leadership styles are the behavioral patterns that a leader adopts to influence the
behavior of his (or hers) followers. It reflects the leader's behaviors, attitudes, and
actions in influencing and directing others.
2.2. Main types of leadership style

Free-rein/ Democratic style Autocratic style

Laissez-faire style

Description ● Leader hands ● Leader involves ● Leader holds absolute

off approach team members in the power and make
and has decision-making decisions without any
minimal progress and input from followers
involvement encouraging
4
 ● Allows communication ● Leader has full control
followers to ● Empowering over the decision-
make followers to making process and
decisions participate in expects strict
● Leader shaping compliance from the
provide little organization’s goals, subordinates
guidance or strategies and
supervision to operations
their followers

Advantage Permits self-starters to do Enhances personal Stresses quickly, orderly, and

things as they see fit commitment through predictable performance
without leader participation
interference

Disadvantage Group may drift aimlessly Democratic process is time- Approach tends to decrease
in the absence of direction consuming individual initiative
from leader

III. Motivation
1. Overview of motivation
Motivation is about providing people with the means to achieve their goals, and also about
ensuring that the individual's goals and the organization's goals are aligned to some degree.
There are a few popular ways of motivating in corporations such as:
- Attractive salary
- Training and inspiration
- Good workplace
B: Amazon
I. Introduction of Amazon
1.Overview
- Amazon is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Seattle,
Washington. The main areas that the Amazon company is focusing on are cloud
computing, digital streaming, artificial intelligence and e-commerce. The company is

5
 considered one of the Big Four technology companies along with Google, Apple and
Facebook.
- Amazon is known for changing the mindset of established industries through
technological innovation and large-scale development. Additionally, Amazon is the
world's largest e-commerce marketplace, AI assistant provider, and cloud computing
platform as measured by revenue and market capitalization.
1. History:
- Starting in the early 90s, shopping demand in the world, especially in developed
countries, is increasing. On the other hand, this is also the time when the Internet is on
the rise. Realizing this, Jeff Bezos decided to establish Amazon - an online sales
website. And in July 1995, the website was officially formed and put into operation.

I. Leadership in the case of Amazon

1. Why Jeff Bezos is an autocratic leader
- According to Pearce and Sims (2002) and Sosik and Dinger (2007), the four main
features and characteristics of autocratic leaders are:
● Centralized decision-making
6
 ● Direct supervision
● Limited individual autonomy
● Authoritarian control

- The CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, prefers the employees to listen and agree with him.
He leads the major work teams of Amazon and also personally supervises them. This
means the decision-making process is centralized in the company. All of the traits
mentioned above make him an autocratic leader.

2. Amazon’s benefits when following autocratic leadership style

- Quick decision-making
- Clear direction
- Suitable in crisis situations

3.Amazon’s demerits when following autocratic leadership style

- Lacks of creativity and innovation
- Reduces employees’ morale and motivation
- Dependence on the leader
=> Stressful work environment that is exhausting for employees => High employee turnover
rate. Before the pandemic, Amazon was losing about 3% of its workforce weekly.

II. Motivation
1.Attractive remuneration policies
- Amazon paid their employees over 20.50$ per hour. Besides, they offer a range of
great benefits that support employees and eligible family members.
2.Recognition and rewards
- Amazon satisfies their employees while motivating them to work harder, contribute
more; as they know their efforts will be recognized and rewarded.
- Besides, they also promote employee competition by having separate incentives and
rewards based on each person's abilities.
3. Career pathways
- Amazon offers various career development opportunities as one of the best places to
grow potential.
- They also provide long-term and stable jobs for employees, creating clear career
pathways.
7
4. Positive work environment
- By creating a supportive atmosphere, Amazon reinforcing desired behaviors and
motivates employees to become better, to think outside the box, break their limits;
teamwork; and promoting good interactions between individuals. However, it also
requires a lot of effort and capacity from the manager to maintain balance
C: Comment
 Although the CEO of Amazon is classified as an authoritarian leader (a.k.a. autocratic
leader), he did not only follow just one style. In fact, if you search on the Internet, you
may find research that implies Amazon is also under another leadership style, such as
democratic style or transformational style.
 Authoritarian leadership is suitable for new companies because of its quick decision-
making and clear goals, which will keep everything organized through the beginning
phase. But for the long-term goal, this leadership style would not be so effective
anymore, as the followers will be too dependent on the leader, or exhausted by the
discipline set by the leader. Thus, authoritarian leadership will reduce Amazon
employees' motivation and creativity.
 Jeff Bezos' leadership style and his wise thinking have helped Amazon become a
strong "empire" in the world market. Therefore, leaders and managers also need to
find a suitable style to apply skillfully, thereby leading their businesses successfully.
 This style is extremely suitable for Amazon's staff, which will require new,
groundbreaking, creative business strategies.
D: Appendix
I. Jeff Bezos and Transformational Leadership
1. Theories of transformational leadership
1.1. Definition
Transformational leadership is a leading style in which the leaders influence and inspire their
followers to come through their self-interests in order to achieve higher goals.
1.2. Main features of Transformational Leadership
(1) Charisma or idealized influence: the leader acts as a role model for the followers
(2) Inspirational motivation: the leader articulates a vision that is appeals to and inspires the
followers with optimism about future goals
(3) Intellectual stimulation: the leader stimulates and encourages creativity in the followers
(4) Personal and individual attention: the leader attends to each follower’s needs and
appreciates individual contribution to the team, enhancing members' need for self-fulfillment
and self-worth.
8
2. Transformational leadership in the case of Jeff Bezos
2.1. How Jeff Bezos applied the principles of Transformational leadership to Amazon

+ Simplification: Knowing their direction ever since they has been founded
+ Motivation: Internal motto: “Work hard. Have fun. Make history.”
+ Facilitation: Give employees access to knowledge bases
+ Innovation: Jeff Bezos tries to “foster a culture of innovation and invention”

+ Mobilization: Empowering other leaders and participants

+ Preparation: Jeff Bezos never ceases to learn => Also inspires this trait/habit to employees
+ Determination: Take risks in decisions => Let employees see that hard work does pay off
2.2. How Amazon approached the business world with transformational leadership

9
E: Sources

https://www.theforage.com/blog/companies/working-at-amazon#:~:text=And%20in
%202023%2C%20Amazon%20was,places%20to%20grow%20your%20career
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/amazon-worlds-largest-online-retailer-ayesha-
saleem#:~:text=Amazon%3A%20The%20World’s%20Largest%20Online%20Retailer
https://www.incentivemarketing.org/RPI/Education/Blog_Entries/
How_Top_Companies_Reward_Employees.aspx?WebsiteKey=73de3932-41c6-4d54-bede-
85550f7c088f
https://hbr.org/2018/10/how-amazons-higher-wages-could-increase-productivity
https://www.aboutamazon.com/what-do-each-of-amazons-leadership-principles-really-
meanhttps://www.aboutamazon.com/workplace/employee-benefits
https://www.aboutamazon.com/what-do-each-of-amazons-leadership-principles-really-mean
https://blog.grovehr.com/amazon-company-culture
https://thebusinessprofessor.com -
https://timviec365.vn/company-vip/cong-ty-amazon.html
https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/Amazon

What is Leadership? - ProQuest

Transformational vs. Transactional Leadership Theories: Evidence in Literature

Pros and Cons of Transformational Leadership (With Definitions) | Indeed.com

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stefan-Catana-3/publication/
349380465_A_view_on_transformational_leadership_The_case_of_Jeff_Bezos/links/
602d907792851c4ed57bf413/A-view-on-transformational-leadership-The-case-of-Jeff-
Bezos.pdf
What is Leadership? - ProQuest

(PDF) LEADERSHIP STYLES

‘To what extent does Amazon.com, Inc success be accredited to its organizational culture and
ND Jeff Bezos's leadership style
Amazon could run out of workers in US in two years, internal memo suggests
10
11