Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2009 in the subject Organisation and administration - Miscellaneous, grade: 1,5, , language: English, abstract: 1. Introduction The 4th November 2008 was an important day for the US citizens and the entire world. This day proved for many that the American dream is still possible. For the first time in history an Afro-American candidate became President of the United States of America. Barrack Hussein Obama, a man with an uncommon background, has managed to win the election clearly with 365 electoral votes against his republican counterpart John McCain, who ended his campaign with 173 votes. Who is this man and how did he realize his goal to become president despite the strong competition and the fact that just 40 years ago, racial segregation still was a major problem in the US? Clearly, he was different compared to his rivals in many ways and this finally accounted for his overwhelming result. The following paper shall identify and analyze these success drivers from an organizational behavior perspective. To what extent did he make use of theories discussed in class, like effective leadership and organizational structure? To begin with, the authors will provide a brief overview in regard to the US American election system, a major reason, why the nation was ready for reconsiderations and change. An initial descriptive discussion of Obama's election campaign as well as those of his competitors shall serve as a basis for the following integrative analysis, linking both theory and practice in a comparative manner. What made Barack Obama, his campaign and his operations so unique and successful? The subsequent work will provide answers this central question. [...]