How the Concept of Leadership Can Help the Management of an Organization - Research Paper Example

? Leadership in the workplace –how the concept of leadership can help the management of an organization? Contents Introduction 3 What is leadership? 3 Essential qualities of a leader 4 Leadership styles 4 Example of Leadership 7 Conclusion 8 Reference 9 Introduction In every phase of life we come across a situation where we require the guidance of an experienced person. That person is known by several names at different context but they perform the same tasks. We know them as teachers in school, as coach in the playground, as mentor in office & as a leader in the political background. The common factor among all of them is that they are responsible for guiding, supporting, motivating, instructing, teaching, organizing a group of people. In general these people are called or considered as leaders within their particular field of operation. The term leadership simply means the method of influencing a group of people & guiding them towards the accomplishment of a common objective. Our present topic of discussion is the effect of leadership within a workplace and its application within the management of an organization. Generally the organizations get highly benefitted by the implementation of proper leadership approaches as it results in improved quality of goods & services produced by the organization (Maslanka, 2004). What is leadership? Leadership refers to the way by which an individual organizes a group of people so as to achieve a common goal. Leadership is a process of social influence in which an individual attempts to gain the support and help of a group of people to accomplish a common goal (Northouse, 2010, p.4). “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes”-Peter Drucker (RAUP, 2012). “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way”- John C. Maxwell (Akbarzadeh, 2011, p. 123). “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing right things”- Peter Drucker (Singh, 2002, p.328). “Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individual to achieve a common goal”- Northouse (sage pub, n.d). Essential qualities of a leader The qualities which a leader must possess are- A leader must have an honorable character and always be lenient in offering selfless service. A leader must be reliable, and must be able to offer trust and confidence to his or her followers. A leader must be able to communicate to his or her followers clearly and efficiently. Proper supervision is essential. A leader must be modest, helpful and co-operative as because he or she have to lead a team of followers. Dictatorship is an important characteristic of a leader, but it needs to be fair and just. Overconfidence and ruling attitude has a negative impact. A leader must be capable of handling responsibilities and take strategic decisions as per requirement (Maxwell, n.d). Leadership styles 1. Transformational Style- in this style the leader guides and transforms the staff. The leader makes continuous efforts to address the grievances of the employees and motivate them for improved performance. Here open communication between the staff and the leader is always encouraged and the leader follows participative style of management. The staff gets highly influenced by the leader in Transformational Leadership Style. (Lai, 2011) 2. Transactional Style- Here the main focus of the leader is on management’s objectives. In this style the leader constantly motivate his followers by offering rewards for completed tasks. These leaders are mostly work oriented; they usually follow a particular structure and practice directive style of management. In this style of management, innovativeness and creativity are ignored and people are often motivated by the use of extrinsic motivational factors like incentive and holiday trip (Hood, 2007, p.16) 3. Laissez-faire Style- This is also termed as Passive Leadership which exercises least control on the staff. The managers avoid the responsibility of setting objectives and making important decisions. It allows the scope for macro management and self management. Here the interaction between the leader and his followers happen on a rare basis (Bowerman & ET. Al, 2010, p. 34). 4. Mixed Styles- Most of the managers chooses the good element from all the styles and led their organizations with the help of a mixed style of leadership. This style motivates the employees from both the intrinsic and extrinsic viewpoint. When the transformational leadership attitude and the transactional leadership related rewards are used, a positive co-relation can be noticed among the staff of the organization. Some theories of leadership 1. Bass theory of leadership states three basic ways or theories to explain how individuals can become leaders. They are- Trait Theory- Some individual inherits some special traits naturally which help them to become leaders and acquire the quality of leadership. Great Events Theory- Occurrence of some events inspires an individual to perform some tasks, which brings out the leadership qualities present within an individual. Process or Transformational Leadership Theory- Sometimes individuals choose to become leaders so as to meet the situational requirement by learning and acquiring the qualities of leadership. This is totally based on the situation and the individual’s willingness to undertake such situation (Bass & Bass, 2009). 2. Situational Leadership style is based on the attitude of people towards the work delegated to them & their response towards the act of being led by a leader. The concept of situational leadership is dependent on the key elements of relationship behavior & task behavior. The relationship behavior refers to the amount of emotional & social support provided by the leader. It indicates the communication flow between the leader & his followers. Task behavior refers to the direction & guidance provided by the leader. It is highly work- centered & focuses on the efficient accomplishment of the objectives. In the situational style of leadership, four basic situations have been identified by the leadership experts that are based on task behavior on one axis & relationship behavior on the other axis of the graph (Uzonwanne, 2007, pp. 8-9). The following illustration exhibits the diagram of a situational leadership framework- The four styles as shown in the diagram are- Style 1 (S1 or Directing): High task/low relationship This leader is considered to be very strict who only focuses on the accomplishment of the task & maintains very low level of relationship with the followers. Style 2 (S2 or Coaching): High task/high relationship This leader is highly committed towards the task as well as towards maintaining a healthy relationship with the employees. Style 3 (S3 or Supporting): High relationship/low task This leader puts more emphasis on dealing with the followers & maintaining better relations with them. Style 4 (S4 or Delegating): Low relationship/low task This leader puts lesser stress on both the task & relationship behavior. 3. Behavioral Theory is centered on the concept that people are not born with leadership qualities. An effective form of leadership is highly based on the proper behavior of the person. Researchers think that for a leader to become successful, his behavior should adapt with the changing circumstances. In simple terms we can say that leadership is something that can be taught (Penn, n.d). 4. Various organizations frame their own leadership styles. Vodafone’s Global Leadership Competencies are focused on five categories namely International team development, strategic vision, values communication, commercial drive & building organizational capability. Similarly Lufthansa school of business develops the student’s leadership concepts by following the leadership framework set by the Lufthansa Leadership Compass which includes breakthrough problem solving, winning others, attitude & drive, leading people, entrepreneurial leadership & international business competencies. FedEx rates the would-be leaders on the basis of 9 qualities namely Integrity, Judgment, Flexibility, Charisma, Courage, Individual consideration, Respect for others, dependability and Intellectual stimulation (Bolden & ET. Al., 2003). Example of Leadership Starbucks Corporation, based in Seattle, Washington, is the largest coffeehouse company in the world. The company is known to provide exceptional treatment to its employees and workers. In 1997, three employees were killed in a robbery in one of the stores of Washington D.C. In this situation, in spite of calling a legal counsel for support or issuing a press release, the CEO, Howard Schultz, himself tried to console and relieve the employees from their trauma. He himself flew to Washington D.C. and tried to spend an entire week with the employees and their families in that area so as to realize the days that they were passing through and find a solution to such. Howard Schultz’s compassion inspired the employees and they found ways to get relieved from their trauma. This attitude of the CEO is an example of leadership as it helped him to gain the trust of his employees (Stansberry, 2010). Conclusion It can be concluded that to become a leader, an individual must apply leadership skills and knowledge in his or her attributes, such as, in character, beliefs, ethics and values, which will help him or her to become unique. The four factors which affect the outcome of leadership are Leader, Followers, Communication and Situation. A manager or supervisor cannot be considered to be a leader in all situations since all managers or supervisors do not possess the qualities of a leader. A manager or supervisor may lead to the accomplishment of objectives of assigned task in an organization, but it cannot be considered to be the achievement of leadership. The quality of leadership is possessed when it attains success in inspiring the followers to achieve high target. Leadership is something that can be learnt and that varies to a great extent depending upon the changing circumstances. Thus leadership is linked not to the position but in influencing others to achieve their goals. Word Count 1578 Reference 1. Maslanka, A.M. 2004. Evolution of leadership theories. (Ashford University Ed.) United States: ProQuest, UMI Dissertations Publishing 2. Northouse, P.G. 2010. Leadership: Theory and Practice. USA: SAGE. 3. RAUP, M.R. 2012. Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes. [Online] Available at < http://www.personal.psu.edu> [Accessed August 5 2013] 4. Akbarzadeh, K. 2011. Leadership Soup: A Healthy yet Tasty Recipe for Living and Leading On Purpose. USA: Xlibris Corporation 5. Singh, N. 2002. Human Relations and Organizational Behavior. 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Leadership Style and Decision-making Models Among Corporate Leaders in Non-profit Organizations USA: ProQuest 13. Penn, A. n.d. Leadership Theory Simplified. [Pdf] Available at < http://www.uaex.edu> [Accessed August 5 2013] 14. Bolden, R & ET. Al. 2003. A REVIEW OF LEADERSHIP THEORY AND COMPETENCY FRAMEWORKS. [Pdf] Available at < http://www2.fcsh.unl.pt> [Accessed August 5 2013] 15. Stansberry, G. 2010. 10 examples of Tremendous Business Leadership. [Online] Available at < https://www.openforum.com> [Accessed August 5 2013] Read More