Motivational leaders who consider not only company development but also societal and national development as a whole are needed in the current tumultuous climate. Motivational leaders see the best in their employees and also facilitate society's efforts to breed compassionate and transformational leaders for inclusive growth. This case study highlights the major motivational leadership style adopted by Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani at different stages of his business deployment. Through his tactics and wisdom, he has not only changed the complete face of Indian industries but also helped society stand up during the pandemic. This case discusses four motivational leadership approaches, i.e., compassionate leadership, inclusive leadership, transformational leadership, and value-based leadership. A motivational leader understands that people and society are the sources of all progress and innovation and thus the key to success in the future. This case study may be used in MDPs, FDPs, and academic programmes to highlight the value of motivational leadership.
TopIntroduction
“To make Reliance the world’s most healthy company, protecting, promoting, enhancing employee health and wellbeing; providing outstanding health services and operating an exemplary HSE management system in all sites, services, and offices of the enterprise, improving productivity and reducing health care costs; and with our results, inspiring our customers and partners”, is an endorsement of healthy workplace strategy at the highest level.”
– Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Limited, in 2022
The eagerly anticipated Forbes Billionaires 2022 list highlighted that list of the world's wealthiest people was affected by the crisis in Russia and Ukraine, the coronavirus outbreak, and weak market conditions.
With a net worth of $100.1 billion, Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), is the only Indian to make it to the coveted top 10 list and is placed 10th richest on Forbes' list of billionaires for 2022. Reliance Industries, a $74 billion corporation with holdings in petroleum, oil and gas, telecommunication, and merchandising, is run by him as chairman and CEO. He is unquestionably among the most prosperous businesspeople in the history of commerce. Thanks to his tactics and vision, he has dramatically transformed the appearance of Indian industries and improved the nation's economy.
He is the sort of person who has big ideas. He has a gift for predicting the future. He is aware of the strategy that will support future business growth for the organisation. He is able to predict a company's potential and its survival span.
Mr. Mukesh Ambani supervised the construction of the largest grassroots petroleum refinery in the world at Jamnagar in Gujarat in the late 1990s and integrated it with petroleum, a sea port, and related infrastructure and also supervised the construction of a second refinery in Jamnagar. Along with developing Reliance's infrastructure, he oversaw the installation of a multi-format, organised retail network over all of India. Reliance Retail is currently India's biggest organised retailer. He has accomplished world firsts in client acquisition for Jio, Reliance's digital services endeavour. With end-to-end solutions that address the full value chain across a variety of digital services in crucial sectors of the public interest, including as entertainment, healthcare, security, and financial services, he directed and developed one of the largest 4G broadband wireless networks in the world.
Mr. Mukesh Ambani is a member of “The Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum” and a chosen foreign member of the prestigious “American National Academy of Engineering”. He is a member of the global advisory council for Bank of America.
TopLeadership
In the past 15 years, a new category of leadership theory, instead referred to as “compassionate,” transformational,” “inclusive,” and “value-based,” has emerged in organizational works (Bass, 1985; Bennis & Nanus, 1985; Burns, 1978; Conger & Kanungo, 1987; House, 1977; Tichy & Devanna, 1986).
Beyond management is leadership. The goal of management is to accomplish tasks by utilizing organizational resources as well as the formal procedures and rules that are in place. On the other side, leadership occasionally entails implementing novel ideas and improvements that may not be well-liked by everyone. Depending on the leader's use of authority and the level of latitude granted to subordinates, a variety of techniques for facilitating change within an organization can be identified.
An authoritarian strategy entails a leader making choices alone and instructing followers on how to behave. A consultative strategy entails speaking with the individuals who will be affected by a decision, possibly soliciting their opinions and suggestions, and also alerting them of any changes that are likely to occur.
Giving people the opportunity to participate in decision-making, potentially through cooperation, is a democratic approach. The leader's task is to facilitate the formation of teamwork structures and to motivate the teams to assume accountability for decision-making.