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9609 · 7.3.1

Leadership — practice questions

Practice and worked examples for 9609 Leadership. Short previews only — attempt the full question in MarkScheme against the official scheme.

Worked example 1

Founder-CEO of tech firm resists delegating as staff grows to 200. Innovation slows and key engineers leave. Evaluate leadership issues.

Show solution outline

Leadership gap: Founder vision strong early but cannot scale — still laissez-faire/heroic when structure needed (7.1).

Management gap: No clear roles — engineers lack career paths (2.2.2 esteem needs unmet).

Change leadership missing: No story for why professional management needed — departures accelerate.

Fix: Co-CEO/COO hire, empower product leads, communicate vision for next growth phase (7.2); founder shifts to strategic leadership not daily coding.

Worked example 2

A retail chain is implementing a new POS system in two identical stores. Manager A uses an autocratic style, while Manager B uses a democratic style. The project is expected to increase revenue by $9,000 per week once live. Using the data below, calculate the net financial impact for each store over the first 8 weeks and evaluate which leadership style was more effective.

Data:

  • Staff turnover & replacement cost: $1,500 per employee
  • Standard training cost: $1,200 per store

Store A (Autocratic):

  • Implementation time: 4 weeks
  • Staff turnover: 2 employees quit due to poor morale
  • Additional remedial training cost: 600600

Store B (Democratic):

  • Implementation time: 5 weeks (due to consultation)
  • Staff turnover: 0
  • Additional remedial training cost: 00
Show solution outline

Objective: To calculate the net financial impact of each leadership style over 8 weeks.

Step 1: Calculate Total Costs for Manager A (Autocratic) This includes turnover costs, standard training, and remedial training.

  • Turnover Cost: 2 employees × 1,500=1,500 = 3,000
  • Training Costs: $1,200 (standard) + $600 (remedial) = 1,8001,800
  • Total Cost (A): 3,000+3,000 + 1,800 = **4,8004,800**

Step 2: Calculate Total Costs for Manager B (Democratic) This only includes the standard training cost as there was no turnover or need for remedial training.

  • Turnover Cost: 00
  • Training Costs: $1,200 (standard)
  • Total Cost (B): **1,2001,200**

Step 3: Calculate Total Revenue Gains for Each Store The revenue gain of $9,000 per week only starts after the implementation is complete.

  • Revenue Gain (A): The project finished in 4 weeks, so gains are for weeks 5, 6, 7, and 8 (4 weeks). 4 weeks × $9,000/week = $36,000
  • Revenue Gain (B): The project finished in 5 weeks, so gains are for weeks 6, 7, and 8 (3 weeks). 3 weeks × $9,000/week = $27,000

Step 4: Calculate Net Financial Impact Net Impact = Total Revenue Gain - Total Costs

  • Net Impact (A): 36,00036,000 - 4,800 = **31,20031,200**
  • Net Impact (B): 27,00027,000 - 1,200 = **25,80025,800**

Evaluation: Based purely on the 8-week financial calculation, the autocratic style of Manager A resulted in a higher net financial impact ($31,200) compared to the democratic style of Manager B ($25,800). The faster implementation allowed Store A to realise the revenue benefits one week earlier, outweighing its higher costs from staff turnover and remedial training.

However, a full evaluation must consider the longer-term and non-financial consequences. The democratic approach, despite being slower, resulted in zero staff turnover and avoided extra training costs, suggesting higher employee morale and buy-in. This could lead to greater long-term productivity, lower future recruitment costs, and a culture that is more adaptable to future changes. The financial advantage of the autocratic style is likely to diminish over time, and the high staff turnover could be a significant strategic weakness.