BUSl-1323 Leadership in Organisation

-This is my first attempt and I have no changes that can be applied.

Report: This report aims to comprehend the importance of effective lead ership to the
success of an organisation or group. In order to achieve this, this report is divided into two
sections: The main focus of the first section is Virgil Abloh, the CEO of Off-White. This
section will examine the leader's background, the leadership challenges he faced and his
leadership effectiveness. The second and final section will consist of a personal reflection on
the group presentation about the leader.

PART I: Virgil Abloh, Chief Executive Officer of Off-White

1. Case Description

1.1 Leader's background information

Virgil Abloh was born in Illinois in 1980 and died on November 28, 2021, at the age of 41
after a private battle with cardiac angiosarcoma {L uke, 2021). The founder of Off-White and
the Creative Director of Menswear at Louis Vuitton was raised in a suburb of Chicago by
Ghanaian immigrant parents. Abloh used to attend the High School; outside of school Abloh
developed a passion for skateboarding, which he claims to believe sparked his first interest
in fashion {Nast, 2022). In addition to his growing fashion obsession, his mother, Eunice
Abloh, who used to be a seamstress at that time taught him the intricacies of her trade. In
2002, Abloh graduates with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and in 2006 graduated
with honours with a master's degree in architecture, where he met Kanye West (Luke,
2022). On the day of his graduation, he misses his final critique to meet with Jonh
Monopoly, Kanye West's then-manager, West was so fascinated with Abloh that he decided
to hire him as his creative director in 2010 (Nast, 2022). Abloh established a variety of
activities over the next few years, including a retail space gallery and the Pyrex Vision . By
2013, the designer had decided to leave Pyrex Vision to focus on his new idea, Off-White,
which is a Milan-based multi-platform creative enterprise that combines streetwear, art,
luxury, and travel. In 2018, Abloh was named artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear
designs, succeeding his mentor Kim Jones (Nast, 2022). After a two-year Abloh dies in
Chicago, however after his death, Ab loh is remembered not just as a simple designer, but as
the black designer who overcame obstacles and whose rise to the pinnacles top of the
traditional luxury industry revolutionised the entire fashion industry (Friedman, 2021).

1.2 Leadership challenge

Virgil Abloh decided to enter the fashion industry in order to show through his art what he
most repre sent s. As he always stated, he worked tirelessly over the years to establish a solid
foundation for his muse, whom he refers to as "t he young black man" (Felix, 2021). His
upbringing in a Chicago suburb where streetwear is the predominant fashion style inspired
him to incorporate his entire culture into fashion, illustrating through his art what his
community represent most. According to numerous studies Fashion is, of all the commercial
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Academically, there are different forms of leadership, but each leader shares certain
leadership characteristics. Virgil Abloh embodied transformational leadership.

Transformational leadership can be defined as the capac ity to affect significant change in
both followers and organisations (Daft, 2015), and it is also characterised by the capacity to
effect meaningful change in both followers and organisati ons. Transformational leaders are
those who can influence an organization's vision and culture while also promoting product
innovation (Daft, 2015). In contrast to transactional leaders, who lead through social
exchange, such as a politician whose job is contingent on, for example, jobs in exchange for
votes (Burns, 1978) transformational leaders motivate and inspire followers to achieve
extraordinary results while also developing their own leadership capacity and motivating
them to be more than they expected (Daft, 2015). A transformational leader's primary
focus when leading a team is on int angible characteristics such as vision, ideas, and shared
values, the elevation of followers' needs and abilities, as well as and the connection of these
characteristics to the organizati on's mission (Bass,1995).

This type of leadership is also associated with a strong communication capacity on the part
of the leader. Since the transformational leader has a huge responsibility directing and
controlling the organisation, he/she understands that regular communication is essential for
establishing personal relationships with followers and keeping everyone moving on the
same page ( Daft , 2015). In this sense, the transformational leader is regarded as a
communication champion, which is, a person who is philosophically grounded in the belief
that communication is essential for establish ing trust and gaining commitment to a vision
(Young and Post, 1993).

In addition to possessing traits such as ambition, persistence, and persuasion,

transformational leaders are innovative and creative and inspire their followers to follow
suit. Consequently, and in conclusion, individuals admire, respect, and identify with
transformational leaders (Bass, 1995).

2.2 Evaluation of leadership effectiveness/endorsement

As stated previously, a transformational leader acts in certain ways to achieve superior

results for him and for the organisation. Studies by Bass (1985) and from to Avolio (1997)
stated that these leaders behave in such a manner by employing one or more of the four
core components of transformational leadership, clai ming that these are the requirements
or differences between a transformational and non-t ransfo rmational leader. The four
components are referred as the 4 Is: Idealized influence, inspirational motivation,
int ellectual stimulation, and individualised consideration. To evaluate Abloh's success in
overcoming his leadership challenge as a transformational leader, it is necessary to examine
his leadership behaviour to determine if it aligns with the aforementioned four Is. Clea rly, a
leade r who seeks transformation is not required to strictly follow the 4 Is in order to be
considered a transformational leader; however, his leadership style tends to comply with
these 4 components.
Idealized Influence refers to a le ade r' s ability to serve as a role model for his or her followers
through exemplary behaviour. In this case, followers respect and admire the leader, and
they tend to identify with and imitate the leader. Moreover, leader with great deal of
idealised influence are risk-takers, more consistent, and their followers frequently attribute
them with extraordinary perseverance and determinat ion . In an idealised influence, the
leader must exhibit high standards of ethical and moral conduct in his leadership style (Bass
and Riggio, 2006). As previously stated, Virgil Abloh has influenced and affected tens of
thousands of people worldwide in the fashion industry. Due to his foresight and planning
over the years, Virgil was able to revolutionise the fashion industry by introducing a new
standard for the upper social classes; they started to consider st reet wear, which was
previously only dressed by the lower classes, as fashionable and of high quality . Not only did
Abloh bring an aesthetic that was norma lly reserved for t he low er classes to the upper
echelons of the fashion world, but he also set high prices for it, making what was previously
considered cheap become expensive (Alessandrinii, 2022). As a result of his massive fashion
infl uence, Virgil became one of the few black designers to lead a luxury brand, Louis Vuitton
where he t ook hi s vision of "t he muse: black young man" to a new level (Felix, 2021).

Inspirational motivation: Trans fo rmational leaders possess inspir atio nal motivation when
t hey provide meanin g and challenge to t heir followers' work, thereby motivating and
inspiring those around them. Leaders create expectations that are clearly communicated to
followers and demonst rat e commitment to goals and shared vision (Bass and Riggio, 2006).
Even though fashion was where he stood out most, Virg il Abloh desired to serve as an
inspiration for people outside of the fashion industry, particularly for t he black community.
He has always made it clear that everything he does is for the purpose of inspi ring others,
and that his hard work and compassion are for the young generations to see people that
look like them (b lack people) in positions of power. As he stated in an interview with Vouge
in 2021, "Just as I was inspired to do and be better by t he exceptional Black leaders who
came before me, I take the responsibility of being an inspir at ion for the next generation of
Black youth very seriously. I remain committed to leadin g by example, facing the numerous
cha lleng es of being Black in t he United States with optimism, compassion, and focus"
(Alessandrini i, 2022). Due to his effective use of power and infl uence, Abloh was able to
ach ieve his goal of inspirin g t he black community, one of t he many inst ances where this is
reflected is in 2019, when Abloh used his position at Louis Vu itt on means to create
collections that highlight ed Black culture and social just ice, that collection was inspired by
Dr. Martin Luther Kin g, in which each piece celebrated MLK's legacy and timeless call for
freedom (Nast, 2021b). In 2021, he also chose to highlight Black culture and challenge the
status quo of luxury fashion at the Lou is Vu itt on menswear fashion show in Shanghai. The
show was created in collaboration with a majority of Black creators as a means of
empowe ring and encouraging them ( Al essand rinii, 2022).

Intel lectual St imulation implies that the transformational leader encourages t he innovative
and creative efforts of their followers. Creativity and problem-solving are encouraged not
only by the leader, but t he leader also encourages the followers to do likewi se; in a case
involving intellectual st imulat ion, the leader encourages others to examine problems from
multiple perspectives (Bass and Riggio, 2006). As head of the men's department at Louis
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propels people into action and the change prompted by a sense of purpose. In addi t ion, the
four characteristics of transformational leadership demonstrated that Abloh possessed the
qualities necessary to be considered a transformer, someone who revolutionised the history
of fashion while promoting opportunities for his community. Abloh was able to accomplish
all of this through his leadership. For a leader such as Virgil, a fashion designer who aspired
to transform the fashion industry, transformational style was the optimal strategy to
overcome his challenge. In fact, according to research, transformational leadership is the
most effective method for positively influencing the satisfaction and performance of
followers (Yammarino , 1993). Moreover, transformational leaders are able to inspire
followers' belief in the work 's higher purposes, thereby enhancing followers' commitment,
hard work, and performance (Sparks and Schenk, 2001), which is what Virgil needed the
most from his future followers, Not only when he became the head of menswear at Louis
Vuitton, but also when he first had the vision of bringing streetwear to high-top fashion. For
such change to occur, Abloh had to be able to communicate his vision to those who would
become his collaborators, and they all had to at least understand what he was trying to
accomplish. This is in accordance with what Shamir (1993) suggests, namely that common
vision or values should be critical to supporting commitment, which should in turn positively
affect the performance of the followers, and only a transformational leader can achieve this.

3.2. Recommendations

Based on the analysis above, it is concluded that the leader in question led adequately,
utilising his communication abilities and traits to turn his dream into a reality. In addition to
succeeding in a challenge that could be interpreted as a failure, Virgil has created numerous
opportunities for the less fortunate and for those who desperately want to do something
but have not had the chance. Virgil Abloh should serve as a model not only in the fashion
industry but for all industries. Leaders from all over the world should learn from his brevity
and concern for the people he represents. Virgil Abloh is viewed as a role model by the
majority of new black designers who have always sought recognition in the fashion industry;
he inspired the new artists to create and produce. Even after his death, Abloh is still viewed
as a style icon by the younger generation, as he was able to unite people through a common
cause and demonstrate that anyone can achieve his vision regardless of the circumstances,
a lesson t hat leaders should learn from him. As stated by the Chairman of LVM H, Bernard
Arnault, "Virgil was not only a brilliant designer , but also a man with a beautiful soul and
great wisdom," (Nast, 2021a) and this is how he should be remembered.

Part II
The second part is focus on Self-Reflection about the presentation with my colleagues about
Virgil Presentation. For the self-reflecting it will be used Rolfe et al.'s (2001) reflective
model. Rolfe et al.'s (2001) reflective model is based upon three simple questions: What? So
what? Now what?
 Occasionally, collabora t in g with others can be challenging. Divergen t -per spect ive individuals
may or may not agree on certain issues. Initially, our group phase was disorganised and
unfocused, but as we relaxed and reflected, the flow of ideas improved. It appears that
communication was required to initiate proceedings. Then, ideas began to emerge and
everything began to flow. Our team's communication was excellent, and we all agreed with
the leader 's task dist ribution . It was my responsibilit y to print the poster. We were
constantly exchanging ideas, and I assisted everyone in highlighting all the details and
suggestions the instructor was providing to improve our presentation and also our
assessment. In the end, we all did an excellent work presenting, and even after the
presentation training, we were still brainstorming ways to improve.

Appendix
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