| This article will be analyzing Steve Jobs and his | | | | computer scientists and the film industry. The short |
| control over the media organization known as Pixar | | | | was nominated for Best Short Animated Film at the |
| from 1986 to 2006. The two integrated theories | | | | 1986 Academy Awards. Pixar now had influence in |
| used by Steve Jobs were transactional leadership and | | | | the film industry and hoped to use it to its |
| transformational leadership. By blending these two | | | | advantage. After this Academy Award nomination, |
| theories I've noticed that Steve Jobs managed to | | | | Pixar was emboldened to release its second product |
| create his own brand of Charismatic leadership. Steve | | | | called RenderMan. Jobs hoped that products like |
| Jobs, in a sense, looks at these theories as two | | | | RenderMan and Ringmaster would ignite a consumer |
| stages of one movement. | | | | uprising. He hoped to encourage amateur people to |
| Who is Steve Jobs? | | | | create computer animation on their home computer, |
| In 1986 Steve Jobs bought a Graphics Group from | | | | the same way the Macintosh allowed untaught |
| Lucasfilm's computer graphics division. Even though he | | | | people to create professional-appearing documents |
| bought it for 10 million dollars, this was considered an | | | | like newsletters and flyers. |
| inexpensive purchase. George Lucas was in the | | | | Unfortunately for Jobs and the Pixar Company, these |
| process of some financial difficulties. He was going | | | | products did not garner a lot of interest. Pixar sold |
| through a divorce and at this time in California the | | | | slightly more than 100,000 RenderMan licenses. |
| spouse receives half of everything. George Lucas did | | | | RenderMan received wide publicity and respect when |
| not want to lose financial control over his Star Wars | | | | James Cameron became a loyal user with his films, |
| enterprises so he made plans to give his ex-wife a | | | | The Abyss and Terminator 2. Revenues from |
| monetary settlement. | | | | RenderMan and the Pixar Image Computer were not |
| Lucas thought that selling his computer graphics | | | | enough to bring Pixar out a financial slump. Another |
| company was the fastest way he could generate | | | | idea to boost profits was to begin producing |
| more revenue. He expected to get 100 million for the | | | | commercials and eventually a television show. Their |
| company. Steve Jobs managed to get the company | | | | most popular ads were for Life Savers candy and |
| for only 10 million. Jobs relocated the company to | | | | Listerine. |
| Emeryville, California and named it Pixar. This purchase | | | | Pixar had many financial hardships. They saw hope |
| was one of several strategic moves Steve Jobs | | | | when Lasseter's third short film, Tin Toy, was |
| made from 1986 to 2006. While making these | | | | released and received an Oscar for Best Short |
| decisions, Steve Jobs was incorporating transactional | | | | Animated Film. Tin Toy was centered on a group of |
| and transformational leadership. | | | | toys in an infant's room and was much more |
| Transactional to Transformational | | | | sophisticated than earlier productions. This success |
| Debra Nelson, in her book Organizational Behavior | | | | took place around the same time as James |
| discusses how Jobs started off working for Atari and | | | | Cameron's release of The Abyss, which featured a |
| then eventually created his own company called | | | | RenderMan rendered character. Tin Toy was the |
| Apple Computers. Jobs was a visionary and his | | | | precursor to Toy Story. |
| software design brought immediate financial success | | | | Disney's animation world was having amazing success |
| to his employers in the present but Jobs was looking | | | | in the late 80s. The Little Mermaid was a huge |
| ahead to the future. Wayne Gretzky was often | | | | financial triumph for them. Fortunately for Pixar, |
| asked about his success in hockey. Gretzky would | | | | Lasseter maintained contact with Disney, and pitched |
| always say that he doesn't focus on where the puck | | | | the idea of a Christmas television special. Katzenberg, |
| is; he focuses on where the puck is going. This is a | | | | the head of Disney film, enjoyed all of Lasseter's |
| saying that Steve Jobs quoted often. He was always | | | | shorts and offered Pixar a three film deal. Lasseter |
| trying to "see where the puck was going" in respect | | | | began working on extending Tin Toy to a feature |
| to computer technology. | | | | film now known as Toy Story. |
| This did not sit well with many of his employers. The | | | | When Steve Jobs heard this news from Lasseter, he |
| CEO of Apple essentially "ousted" Steven Jobs for his | | | | rearranged the entire Pixar Company. He shut down |
| visionary talk. It was at this point that Jobs formed | | | | almost every sales office. After Steve Jobs |
| another company called NeXT computers. Steve Jobs | | | | reorganized the company, the only work for the |
| also purchased what is now Pixar. These actions on | | | | sales staff was to continue to sale the RenderMan |
| his part demonstrate, "the kind of rhetorical work a | | | | product to other software makers. The creative |
| leader in transformational mode needs to do when | | | | division of the company, headed by Lasseter, was |
| confronted with a staff (Apple Computers) firmly | | | | tripled. Jobs put all his energy into producing the film |
| embedded within a transactional mode. It offers | | | | Toy Story. This was a risky investment on Steven |
| further insight into the rhetorical features that make | | | | Jobs' part. If this film failed, the Pixar Company would |
| Steve Jobs' discourse so persuasive" (Nelson 248). | | | | not survive. |
| Steve Jobs convinced many people to follow him as | | | | On opening weekend, Toy Story earned $39.1 million, |
| he planned to build computer technology of the | | | | enough to regain the production costs. By the end of |
| future. | | | | its theatrical release, the film netted over $200 million |
| Steven had essentially worked in transactional mode | | | | in box office receipts, an inconceivable amount for an |
| when building the Apple Computers company but he | | | | animated feature. Pixar became a household name, |
| desired to extend the transactional mode to a | | | | proving that Jobs' vision was not an insane idea. Toy |
| transformational mode. Unfortunately Apple | | | | Story proved to be cutting edge filmmaking that led |
| Computers CEO was comfortable with a transactional | | | | to several profitable CGI films. |
| mode and did not want things to change. | | | | Under Job's leadership, the Pixar company produced |
| A leader like Steven Jobs can be a transformational | | | | Toy Story (1995), A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 |
| leader and a transactional leader. It is harder for a | | | | (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), |
| transactional leader to switch to looking into a | | | | The Incredibles (2004), and Cars (2006). When the |
| transformational future but it's easy for a leader who | | | | contract with Disney came closer to its end, Jobs |
| is primarily transformational, like Steven Jobs, to | | | | made plans to seek a new contract with a new |
| vacillate between the two modes of present and | | | | distributer. With the obvious success of computer |
| potential future. "Exceptional transactional leadership | | | | animated films, he could easily find another distributer |
| cannot substitute for transformational leadership" | | | | or distribute them himself. The Disney chief |
| (Nelson 402). "Steve Jobs has an uncanny ability to | | | | executive, Michael Eisner tried to prevent Jobs from |
| create a vision and convince others to become a | | | | leaving but Eisner failed. |
| part of it. Some scholars see transformational | | | | This failure, among other things, cost Eisner his |
| leadership and charismatic leadership as very similar" | | | | position. Bob Iger replaced Eisner at Disney; then, |
| (Nelson 402). | | | | Iger managed to work a deal with Jobs. In this deal, |
| Charismatic Leadership in Pixar | | | | Disney would purchase Pixar in an all-stock |
| When combining transactional and transformational | | | | transaction worth 7.4 billion dollars. This deal made |
| leadership a leader can become a strong charismatic | | | | Jobs one of the most powerful leaders of the |
| leader of an organization. Steve Jobs' CEO leadership | | | | century. Jobs became more powerful, as a |
| over Pixar from 1986 to 2006 was a perfect | | | | shareholder to Disney, than Roy E. Disney himself. |
| example of charismatic leadership born out of these | | | | After this deal was made, Jobs owned 7% of the |
| other two approaches. Charismatic Leadership is hard | | | | companies stock and joined the company's board of |
| to define because many scholars disagree on the | | | | directors. Now Jobs not only oversees Pixar but |
| criteria for someone to have charisma. Most | | | | Disney. He is one of only six men that sit on this |
| everyone agrees that charismatic leaders possess | | | | committee. Because of the success of Pixar |
| gifts and talents that are used to effectively | | | | animation, the Disney committee often looks to Jobs |
| persuade people to believe in their ideas. | | | | for sage technological advice. |
| I would consider transactional leadership and | | | | Conclusion |
| transformational leadership as very valuable talents | | | | When the CEO of Apple computers rejected Steve |
| that could be used to effectively persuade a group | | | | Jobs' new innovative ideas, Steve Jobs could have |
| of people. Jay Conger in his book Charismatic | | | | folded. He could have acquiesced to the way things |
| Leadership in Organizations connects these three | | | | were. Steve Jobs could have decided to retire in his |
| forms of leadership into one approach. "Many | | | | thirties but he did not. He had a desire to see |
| researchers postulated that charisma is a popular | | | | computer technology do something it has never done |
| attribute of leaders who serve in the change agent | | | | before. After leaving Apple Computers Steve Jobs |
| or transformational roles. Others believe that | | | | did four key things. He: |
| charismatic leadership was the most exemplary form | | | | - Sold all his shares in Apple Computers |
| that transformational leaders could assume" (Conger | | | | - Managed to buy a 100 million dollar computer |
| 11). | | | | graphics company for 10 million |
| Under the leadership of CEO, co-founder and | | | | - Turned Pixar into a production company for |
| chairman Steven Jobs, "the Pixar animation studios | | | | computer animated feature films |
| combined creative and technical artistry to create | | | | - Sold Pixar to Disney which resulted in him having |
| original films in the medium of computer animation" | | | | more shares of Disney than Roy E. Disney himself |
| (Nelson 176). Toy Story was a revolutionary | | | | Now, the people at Apple Computers have |
| 3-Dimensional, all-digital movie. Toy Story was the | | | | welcomed Steve Jobs back with open arms. Some, |
| first of its kind. Steve Jobs worked with technology | | | | like Alan Deutschman, are even calling it "the second |
| guru Ed Catmull and the "multi-talented John Lasseter | | | | coming of Steve Jobs." These four key choices that |
| in an effort to develop software systems to | | | | Jobs made with the Pixar Company, demonstrate |
| produce animated, three dimensional movies using | | | | both transactional and transformational thinking; |
| computer graphics" (Mogel 189). | | | | causing Jobs to be one of the most Charismatic |
| From 1986-1991 they developed three core software | | | | leaders of our day.written by |
| systems: Marionette, Ringmaster and Renderman. | | | | Chester Elijah Branch |
| These were used to make animated shorts and | | | | WORK CITED |
| because Pixar was so cutting edge, they were able | | | | A Bug's Life. John Lasseter. Pixar, 1998. |
| to license these programs out to other people. Ed | | | | Bass, Bernard M. & Riggio, Ronald E. Transformational |
| Catmull talks about developing cutting edge animation | | | | Leaderships. New York: Routledge, 2006. |
| in an interview. When asked how Pixar could keep | | | | Boleman, Lee G. & Deal, Terrence E. Reframing |
| such an innovative edge he mentioned a lot of things. | | | | Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership. (2 nd |
| One important factor is having a group of honest | | | | ed.) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997. |
| people working with you. There are no class systems | | | | Bossidy, L. et. al. Execution: The Discipline of Getting |
| either; they all look at each other as peers. | | | | Things Done. New York: Crown Business, 2002. |
| He also stresses the importance of a good | | | | Cars. John Lasseter. Pixar, 2006. |
| communication structure. "I think we have one of the | | | | Conger, Jay. Charismatic Leadership in Organizations. |
| finest buildings for working and communicating that | | | | London: Sage Publications, 1998. |
| I've ever seen, which incidentally is a tribute to Steve | | | | Deutschman, Alan. The Second Coming of Steve |
| Jobs, who drove the design of it" (Catmull 1). Jobs | | | | Jobs. New York: Broadway Books, 2000. |
| draws people in, causing them to feel the "energy of | | | | Finding Nemo. Andrew Stanton. Pixar, 2003. |
| the building" as Catmull puts it. "And when you feel | | | | Kakabadse, Andrew. Working in Organizations. |
| the energy of the building, it helps the group come | | | | England: Penguin Publishing, 2005. |
| together and stay together and produce the magical | | | | Kotter, John P. What Leaders Really Do. Boston: |
| things (Catmull 1). | | | | Harvard Business School Press, 2002. |
| Steve Jobs drove this design for nearly ten years. In | | | | Linzmayer, Owen. Apple Confidential 2.0. California: No |
| the book The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, author | | | | Starch Press Inc, 2004. |
| Alan Deutschman chronicles how Steve Jobs | | | | Mogel, Leonard. Creating Your Career in |
| maintained an energy among his followers at Pixar for | | | | Communications and Entertainment. New Jersey: |
| a long time before there was any serious pay off. At | | | | Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998. |
| the end of 1986, Pixar had no foreseeable future, but | | | | Monster's Inc. Peter Docter. Pixar, 2001. |
| the very creative Lasseter was working on some | | | | The Incredibles. Brad Bird. Pixar, 2004. |
| new and innovated ideas. Lasseter had created | | | | Tichy, Noel M. & Cohen, E. The Leadership Engine: |
| several short films and one short film in particular | | | | How Winning Companies Build Leaders at Every Level. |
| attempted to demonstrate and validate the Pixar | | | | New York: HarperCollins, 1997. |
| Image Computer. The name of one of these films | | | | Toy Story. John Lasseter. Pixar, 1995. |
| was Luxo Jr; the film dealt with a pair of | | | | Toy Story 2. John Lasseter. Pixar, 1999. |
| anthropomorphic Luxo brand lamps. The larger was | | | | Vasconcellos, Julio. "Dr. Ed Catmull, Co-founder and |
| an infuriated parent watching the smaller lamp play | | | | President of Pixar Animation." IInnovate. Stanford |
| with a toy ball that eventually popped. | | | | University. 20 Feb. |
| Luxo Jr was exceptionally popular. It impressed | | | | |