Leadership and Management as Some of the Most Important Aspects of the Organizational Structure - Essay Example

Leadership and management are some of the most important aspects of organizational structure. Proper leadership and management are key factors that determine the success of an organization’s operations. The concepts of leadership and management within are quite different. In essence, leadership refers to the process by which an individual has the ability to enlist the support of others so as to accomplish a common task. Management on the other hand is described as the process of getting resources together to enable one to accomplish a certain task. According to F.T Taylor, management is “the art of knowing what you want to do and then seeing that it is done the best and cheapest way”.1 The management process comprises of organizing, planning, directing, staffing and controlling an entity so as to attain a certain objective. Some researchers have identified differences between leadership and management. Warren Bennis listed a number of differences between the two. The first of these differences was that a manager maintains and administers while a leaders work is to develop and innovate. He also said that while the manager is a copy, a leader is an original. Managers mostly focus of systems and structure while the leader’s focus is on the people. While managers rely on control and imitating, the leader originates and inspires trust. Management is characterized by short term views while it is the exact opposite when it comes to leadership. The basic duty of management is to do things right while for leadership, it is to dot he right thing2. Although these differences exist between leadership and management, the two must go hand in hand so as to ensure maximum efficiency within an organization. The subject of leadership and management has attracted much attention from researchers who have identified different approaches to the two. Most of these approaches are quite significant and relevant in today’s world as will be discussed in this paper. Leadership Theories An important theory of leadership is Bass Theory which states that the way people become leaders can be explained in three basic points. The first is that certain personality traits may naturally lead people to leadership roles. This is also called the Trait theory. An important occurrence or crisis may cause a person to exhibit leadership qualities never seen before. This is also referred to as the Great Events Theory. The third point is that a person people can choose to become a leader by learning leadership skills. This is what is referred to as Transformational Leadership theory.3 The Trait theory of leadership operates on the assumption that individuals inherit traits and qualities that make them more suited to leadership roles. This theory normally identifies certain personality and behavioral characteristics that are shared by leaders.4 This means that if two or more leaders share certain characteristics such as charisma, then they are better suited for leadership roles than other people. However, this theory has a major weakness in that it only concentrates on a few traits or characteristics. It also does not answer the question f how people with certain leadership qualities do not become leaders.5 Trait Theory is closely linked to the Great Man theory of leadership which assumes that leaders are born not made. This means that the capacity that one has for leadership is inherent. This theory was popularly used in the past to paint pictures of heroic, mythical leaders who were destined to be great leaders in all situations. This theory, like the trait theory, is not easily applicable in today’s world where leaders are nurtured and developed. Another important leadership theory is the role theory which assumes that individuals normally their own roles and those of others depending on social reading and learning. Expectations are formed about these roles and people encourage other people to act in the context of the role expectations they have assumed for them. According to this theory, people normally act depending on and within the roles that they have adopted.6 Depending on what we read, hear and discuss, all of us have our own internal perceptions about what the role of leaders are or should be. These perceptions are sent out as signals to leader who in turn conform to the roles put upon them.7 In organizations today, there are formal and informal guidelines for a leader’s role which often shape the expectations around leadership. Many institutions normally carry out training sessions for their leaders where organizational values and culture are emphasized. Behavioral Theory is another important leadership theory which bears considerable significance in today’s world. According tot his theory, leaders can actually be made, which means they do not necessarily have to be born. This theory does not focus on inherent traits and capabilities; rather it is more concerned with what individual leaders can actually do. Behavioral theory of leadership is pegged on the assumption that leadership is a behavior that is definable and learnable.8 In today’s world, the behavioral theory is used to categorize different styles of leadership. For instance, in many public offices, leaders there are normally empowered by the positions they hold. Behavioral theory could be used to explain why there tends to be more bureaucratic tendencies in public organizations than in private entities. The Transformational approach to leadership assumes that people follow other people who offer them inspiration. Leadership within this theory is characterized by vision, ability to inspire, good communication skills, and a tendency to emerge after a crisis. A good example of this theory in practice would be when one talks of bold, strong and charismatic leaders. Nelson Mandela could be viewed as a transformational leader due to his boldness and charismatic personality. The situational approach to leadership is task specific. It maintains that an individual can be taught leadership skills which can then be improved through practice.9 This theory operates on the premise that different contexts demand different kinds of leadership. For instance, the kind of leadership in a political context is considered to be different from the kind of leadership needed in a business environment. Situational approach to leadership identifies four ways in which leaders can influence others: directing, coaching, supporting and delegating.10 Situational approaches to leadership can be used to measure the applicability and effectiveness of various leadership styles found in the work place today. Servant leadership is an approach to leadership that puts a lot of emphasis on the duty of the leader to serve his followers. In this school of thought, leadership arises out of a need to serve to serve, rather than to be served.11 This is the kind of leadership that is propagated in many institutions today. The concept of servant leadership summarizes the functions and duties of a leader, which is to ensure that his or her followers have all the resources and processes needed to achieve a certain objective or complete a given task. Management Theories One of the most common theories of management is the social systems approach. This approach views the organization as a cultural system that is composed of individuals who work together in cooperation. Another feature of the systems approach is the existence of a relationship between the internal and external environment of the company. This approach requires there be cooperation among members of the group so as to ensure organization’s goals and objectives are met.12 The systems approach also requires the establishment of harmony between the goals of groups involved and organizational goals to enhance effective management.13 This system is significant in the real world in that it ensures that managers operate in the social system within which the organization is situated. This means that organizations which follow the social systems approach to management are able to meet the demands of society, thus ensuring maximum success. Another significant theory or approach to management is the Human relations theory which focuses on an organization’s workforce as an important part of management. This approach is very much significant today as it puts into focus how organizations use their human resources to achieve desired organizational results.14 The human relations approach helps managers to understand the needs of workers and hence they can look for ways to meet these needs so that employees can maximize their productivity within the company. Another common approach to management is the contingency approach which stipulates that managers operate depending on their situations.15 This is to say that if a manager is to make a decision, he has to take into consideration all the different aspects of the situation. Many international companies today use the contingency approach of management when establishing business in new areas. One of the outstanding characteristics of management is that it is a function or a process, in particular a social process which involves group effort. Management is aimed at the achievement of a number of predetermined goals. It is also a profession that is comprised of different functions. It is an art, and at the same time it is also a science. As an art, management enables one to tackle situations and as a science, it provides principles16. An organization needs its managers to not only assign tasks, but also define the purpose of those tasks. When managers organize workers so as to maximize efficiency, they must also ensure that skills are nurtured, talent is developed and results are inspired. Levels of Management There are there different levels of management: top level managers, middle level managers and first level managers. First level managers are those that serve at the lowest level of the management ladder. They include: supervisors, foemen and section officers. These are the managers whose focus is normally more on the direction and controlling of managerial functions. Their duties normally include assigning tasks, offering guidance and supervising employees, looking after the day to day operations and productivity of the company and making recommendations and suggestions to the managers at the higher level. Middle level managers on the other hand consist of general managers, department managers and branch managers. These are the managers who are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that their departments function smoothly. They are responsible for the execution of the organization’s plans in accordance with the stipulated policies and principles. They also discuss policies and other information from the top level to the lower level. Middle level managers offer inspiration and guidance to managers at the lower level so that they may enhance their performance.17 At the top of the management ladder sits board of directors, directors, assistant directors and chief executive officers. The duties of top level managers include overseeing the operations of all departments in general. They are the ones who develop goals, policies and strategic plans for the companies that they have been mandated to manage. They also play the significant role of mobilizing external resources. They are also the link between the organization and shareholders and members of the general public.18 Functions and Roles of Managers The functions of managers have been broadly classified as: planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, staffing, controlling or monitoring and motivation. In planning the managers decide on what needs to be done in the future. They also are responsible for developing plans for appropriate action. In organizing, managers usually make the maximum use of the recourses at the company’s disposal so as to ensure that plans are carried out successfully. The staffing function requires managers to analyze jobs and carry out recruitment and hiring of new individuals for specific jobs. Leading or directing involves the determination of what needs to be done and getting the right people to do it. In controlling or monitoring, the managers normally check the progress made against plans that had already been laid down. Motivation is a basic function for managers which require them to offer inspiration tot heir employees for them to carry out their duties diligently and efficiently.19 The basic roles of management are categorized as: interpersonal, informational and decisional.20 The interpersonal role involves coordinating and interacting with employees. Informational roles are those that involve the sharing, handling and analyzing of information. Decisional roles on the other hand are those that involve making appropriate decision for and on behalf of the organization. Managers need to have some specific skills which enable them to perform their managerial duties efficiently. These skills include: technical, conceptual, political, interpersonal and diagnostic.21 Technical skills are those that are useful for specialized knowledge. Conceptual skills enable managers to analyze situations that are deemed to be too complex while political skills enable them to establish a strong power base and make relevant connections. Interpersonal skills make it easy for managers to motivate, delegate, mentor and communicate with their employees. Diagnostic skills are those that give the manager the foresight that enables to appropriately respond to certain situations. Most organizations today look for managers who have got the skills to perform most, if not all of the tasks required. Having academic documents does not automatically qualify one to be a good manager. Some of the skills required for managerial positions are acquired outside the classroom situation, mostly through experience. Managers who have technical, political, conceptual, interpersonal and diagnostic skills are normally able to steer their organizations to prosperity. Such managers know how to use technology and adapt to current market needs in order to put their businesses ahead of the competition. They are also well aware of socio-political situations in their areas of business and so they can make the connections that are necessary for the success of their companies. They normally have good interpersonal skills that enable them to communicate effectively with their employees, fellow managers, shareholders and the general public. Conclusion Now more than ever, proper leadership and management practices are crucial to organizations. Businesses have become globalised and this has increased competitiveness in various sectors. Different national and international companies have adopted various approaches to leadership and management so as to stay relevant and profitable in the current business environment. Each of the leadership and managerial approaches adopted by different organizations has a significant impact on how operations are carried out. Since different organizations have different approaches to how they conduct business, they normally use different leadership and management styles so as to achieve their end goal. In other words, organizations today adopt those leadership and management approaches that suit them best. Bibliography Clegg, S., Kornberger, M and Pitsis, T. Managing and Organizations: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. Sage Publications, Sage, 2008. Cole, G.A. Management Theory and Practice. Cengage Learning, New York, 2011. Fryer, M. Ethics and Organizational Leadership: Developing a Normative Model. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2011. Gold, J., Thorpe, R. and Mumford, A. Handbook of Leadership and Management Development. Gower Publishing Ltd, Surrey, 2010. Hill, C. and Jones, G. Strategic Management Theory: An Integrated Approach. South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, OH, 2009. Lussier, R.N and Achua, C.F. Leadership: Theory, Application and Skill Development. South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, OH, 2010. Moyles, J. Effective Leadership and Management in the Early Years. Open University Press, Berkshire, 2006. Winkler, I. Contemporary Leadership Theories: Enhancing the Understanding of the Complexity, Subjectivity and Dynamic of Leadership. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2010. Read More