Reference no: EM133216814

Case: You will write a research report investigating aspects of leadership that you have studied in Topics 6-8. Investigate the case of Suma wholefoods. Find at least 5 sources of information including as many academic journal articles as possible. The sources may be related directly to Suma or some aspect relevant to its leadership (e.g. cooperatives, worker participation, workplace democracy, employee participation, ethics, motivation). You will then analyse the case data by addressing three focus questions drawn from the relevant chapters of the textbook. To get you started, an introduction to the case is presented below. Following that information the suggested the format of your report is given below. Case introduction - Suma "The example of Suma wholefoods, based in West Yorkshire in the UK provides insights into alternative forms of organizing that encourage a more collective approach. Established over forty years ago, Suma started life in 1975 as a conventional business, and since 1977 has been organized a worker-owned and managed cooperative which prides itself on equal pay (all staff are paid exactly the same), multi-skilled working and collaborative decision making. They currently employ around 160 staff who collectively own and are responsible for the operation, management and health of the business. Their ethos and practices are underpinned by an expectation of self-management, where staff are expected to find information for themselves when arriving at decision. Suma is run by an elected management committee which works through a process of consensus management. As they argue in their recruitment literature: Suma members are expected to be both workers doing their daily jobs and managers of the business. At Suma variety is the spice of life. As a trainee member, you will be expected to demonstrate your ability to contribute to the management of Suma whilst working in a range of roles. For example, you could be working in our sales team; order picking; checking in stock; driving a wagon; cooking lunch for 100 people or managing a project. Suma members carry out a mix of both manual and desk-based jobs each week. Hours can be flexible, and benefits are generous. At Suma we value diversity - our workforce is made up of people from all walks of life with a commitment to ethical values and collective working. You must be highly motivated with a strong desire to take on responsibility within our co-operative." (Carroll, Ford, & Taylor, 2019, pp. 310-311)

Case overview: Write a case overview based on your research highlighting information that relates to the leadership concerns of ethics, power, and motivation.

Leadership at Suma: Making specific reference to your research on the Suma case and leadership theory answer the following questions:

Question 1. A consultant recently argued that the emphasis on corporate governance and social responsibility has distracted leaders from key business issues such as serving customers and beating competitors. Do you agree? Should leaders put business issues first or ethical issues first? (Daft, 2018, p. 189)

Question 2. What types of power and influence tactics are evident in the leadership processes at Suma? (see Daft chapter 10)

Question 3. In what ways does Suma aim to build a thriving workforce? (see Daft chapter 8, making reference to specific theories of motivation)