Elon Musk is one of the richest Americans in the world. His wealth is a direct result of his ingenuity, innovation, and being driven to succeed. The usual barriers to success do not stop Musk from developing costly enterprises, such as Tesla Motors and SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation). If your personal net worth is $137 billion as of 2021, there are few barriers to whatever you want to do with it.
Begin this Case assignment by reading about Elon Musk’s leadership style at Tesla Motors.
Khan, M. R. (2021). A critical analysis of Elon Musk’s leadership in Tesla Motors. Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, 11(1), 213-222. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40497-021-00284-z
Elon Musk’s ‘hardcore’ management style. a case study in what not to do. (2022, November 28). Elon Musk’s ‘hardcore’ management style: a case study in what not to do. The Sunday Mail.
Wagner, K., Frier, S., & Stone, B. (2022). Can Twitter survive the chief twit? Bloomberg Businessweek, (4766), 42.
Then, use the following to refresh your knowledge on the characteristics of strong leaders such as Elon Musk:
Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2021). Chapter 9. Power, conflict, and coalition. In Reframing organizations: artistry, choice, and leadership (7th ed). Available in the Trident Online Library. [Read Chapter 9 but pay special attention to Sources of Power.]
Chapter 13. Power and politics. (n.d.). 13.3: The power to influence. In Organizational behavior. University of Minnesota.
https://open.lib.umn.edu/organizationalbehavior/chapter/13-3-the-power-to-influence/ This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
Luthans, F., Luthans, B. C., & Luthans, K. W. (2021). Organizational behavior: an evidence-based approach (14th ed.). Information Age Publishing.
Tipuric, D. (2022). The enactment of strategic leadership: a critical perspective, p. 154-160. Palgrave MacMillan.
Case Assignment
Once you have finished your research, write a 4- to 5-page paper addressing the following issues. Make sure to cite at least 3 of the required background readings in your paper:
Which type(s) of power did Elon Musk have: reward power, coercive power, coercive power, legitimate power, or expert power?
Considering the creation of Tesla and SpaceX (manufacturing), is Twitter the right business type (social media) for Musk to buy or was it a mistake?
What do you think are the most important lessons on leadership and power that you learned from reading about Musk’s struggle with his employees?
Did Musk make good use of his sources of power and influence tactics, or did he misuse or abuse his power?
