1.Provide an anaylysis of Gap's Leadership Style 2. What are your recommendations for the company going forward, in term's of their strategy?

Leadership Style at Gap Inc 1

Leadership Style at Gap Inc
Leadership Style at Gap Inc 2

Introduction:
„Gap Inc. is a leading international specialty retailer offering clothing, accessories, and
personal care products for men, women, children, and babies under the Gap, Banana Republic,
and Old Navy brand names. Gap brand includes Gap, GapKids, BabyGap, GapBody, and Gap
Outlet.‟ (case study). The Gap has 1,900 stores around the world, employing more than 13,000
people, and generated $16.3 billion in revenue in 2004. The company's primary goal is to
achieve and maintain a 20 percent growth rate each year. To achieve this goal, the Gap needs to
keep all employees connected with immediate access to real-time information.
Leadership at Gap Inc.
A leader has certain skills and characteristics which they display so as to enhance the
performance of the organization as well as themselves. Great leaders set the example of
attainment of new heights by having different traits which influences others and shape the
behavior of others in a particular direction. The leaders generally displays different
characteristics such as self-confidence, strong decision making, motivation, which helps in
influencing their followers and enhancing their performance and the growth of the organization.
Leadership can be said as an ability of a person to influence a group to achieve a
specified goal and target. It is the process which emerges from the interaction between the
leaders and the followers which helps in accomplishing the challenging and demanding
organizational goals.
Leaders have several characteristics and traits which help them to think out of the way
and succeed, they have a strong focus on different perspectives of their skills and knowledge
which helps them to lead a team or the organization, they need to have a strong focus on
different traits which helps them in giving a proper path and direction to work on. They have a
Leadership Style at Gap Inc 3

strong focus on self-confidence, strong decision and time management which will help in having
a strong output and result.
According to Kouzes and Posner, 2007, „Leadership is the art of mobilizing others to
want to struggle for shared aspirations” whereas as per Northouse, 2010, “Leadership is the
process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.”
According to both authors, the leadership is way through which one motivates others to achieve
the desired goals and objectives. Thus the leaders have a...