Evaluate the sources of power of Oprah in Harpo Production. Analyse the sources of power have Oprah in the entertainment industry.
In Harpo, the sources of power of Oprah Winfrey are fame, ethical leadership, and philanthropist. Fame is the power that Oprah portrays in her talent as a talk show host, radio presenter, and writer. However, with her talent, Oprah has attracted billions of people to her company since the production facilities, products, and the content contains her name. Oprah is famous in television talk show because billions of television viewers across the world watch her shows. She is also an established entrepreneur because she started Harpo, a production company that deals with media and entertainment in the United States.
Currently, Harpo is a huge company because it makes about $400 million in sales per year and employs about 410 employees. Oprah’s fame has earned her honour from individuals, who listen to her radio channel, watch her shows, read her magazines, and purchase her products. Moreover, ethical leadership is another source of power, which Oprah shows. By respecting and treating all employees equally, Oprah demonstrates ethical leadership for she acts as a role model and urges her employees to relate well among each other in the company. Oprah is also a philanthropist in that she contributes million dollars for the construction and development of schools in South Africa and other projects across the world.
Organisational culture is transmitted to employees through several communication channels. Critically analyse what the factors that create and sustain an organisation’s culture are Harpo is?
Factors that create and sustain an organisational culture in Harpo are attractive remuneration package, signing of privacy and confidentiality agreement, and professionalism. The attractive remuneration package is a culture in Harpo, which motivates, rewards, and creates a favourable working environment. Essentially, Harpo has the capacity to employ and retain employees because it considers exploitation as an unethical practice.
Additionally, the signing of privacy and confidentiality agreement is a culture that enables Harpo to maintain to conceal its secrecies from the competitors, who steal ideas and utilise them in gaining competitive advantages in the production industry. The privacy and confidentiality culture has made Harpo rank among the best companies in the world. Consequently, privacy and confidentiality have enabled Harpo to remain relevant in the production industry for decades.
Professionalism as a factor that creates and sustains organisational culture is demonstrated when the company employs qualified managers, who are able to come up with long-term goals. The managers promote professionalism in the values and principles that they apply in the management of Harpo. Being one of the leaders, Oprah has demonstrated ethical leadership by focusing on values and principles as primary elements of Harpo, rather than concentrating on gaining huge profits. Fundamentally, Harpo does not compromise ethics in the business world for the sake of money.
Compare and contrast leadership and power from this case. Use Oprah as a tool for the grounded theory that we previously discussed.
Using Oprah as a tool for the grounded theory, leadership and power have some relationships. From the case study, it is evident that power and leadership are inseparable elements in an organisation. Comparatively, the power that Oprah Winfrey employs in the leadership of Harpo emanates from her fame, talents, resources, and ethical leadership. Harpo is a unique company because of the power that Oprah wields in the management of Harpo. She also portrays her power when she names the company, products, facilities, and content using her name. The naming creates a brand, which attracts a billion people, who follow her product due to her fame. In contrast, leadership and power have some differences in the case study. Despite having no power, Oprah started Harpo and successfully managed it to an excellent company.
The successful management of Harpo implies that power is not essential in the management of companies and enabling them to achieve set goals. On the other hand, the leadership of Harpo is dependent on the power of Oprah for it to sustain the achieved developments. In case her power fades, it implies that the company would collapse. Therefore, comparisons and contrasts of the leadership and power reveal that they are inseparable elements in an organisation, which are essential for successful management Harpo.