Abstract

In March 2015, Tim Cook (Cook), the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of technology giant, Apple Inc. (Apple), was named as the “world’s greatest leader” by Fortune magazine. The case study is about Cook and his leadership at Apple. Cook spent the early years of his career at IBM and Compaq Computer before joining Apple in 1998. The case describes how Cook transformed himself from a soft-spoken operations manager into a high-profile leader at Apple. It also analyzes in detail Cook’s leadership and management style. The case discusses how Cook not only led the company to even greater financial success but also changed the culture of the company along the way. It goes on to discuss the challenges that Cook could face in the near future and whether he could guide Apple to the next league.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the role of a leader in giving strategic direction to a company and in initiating change.
• Study the personal characteristics and traits of Tim Cook that made him different from Jobs and also contributed to his success
• Discuss and debate whether with Cook’s leadership, Apple would continue to remain at the helm of tech innovation.

Keywords

Leadership, Leadership style, Great Man Theory of Leadership, Autocratic leadership, Democratic leadership, Consensus building, Change management, Culture, Driving culture change, Management style, Personality, Traits, Strategic management, General management