Motivation and Productivity in the Workplace - Literature review Example

Leadership 2 Literature Review A multicultural workforce is considered as very difficult to manage by leaders. Leaders in this regard have to adopt diversity training to bridge the gap that are there between the diverse cultures of the workforce. Organizations incur additional costs under such circumstances. In order to avoid any misunderstanding while communicating with subordinates of an organization, leaders sometimes communicate through writings and also inform them about the leadership traits that are to be followed in the organization. Discrimination is considered to be often found in multicultural workforce and it leads to conflicts and arguments in an organization (Elmore, 2000). It is also considered that multicultural workforce tends to have diverse ideas and opinions which are considered as both harmful as well as beneficial. There are numerous organizations in UAE that faces such problems and leaders have to be quite innovative to deal with such problems. Consumers may also feel dissatisfied if employees of an organization cannot communicate efficiently with them. The leaders of organizations in UAE face a significant challenge in this regard to maximize the opportunities that are available and to minimize costs. Organizational Behaviour is concerned about those processes which deal with how individuals, groups, and people cope among themselves in organizational structures. In this regard, organizational behaviour follows an approach which can be termed as systematic. It interprets the relationship between people and organizations in terms of the whole organization, whole group, whole social system, and whole person (Lambert, 2002). It strives to achieve a better relationship between people by achieving objectives such as social, organizational, and human. Organizational behaviour comprises numerous topics such as leadership, change, teams, and human behaviour. It must be noted in this regard that the base of an organization depends on its management’s values, philosophy, goals, and vision. These factors play an important role in driving the culture of an organization which consists of informal organization, formal organization, and social environment. The culture of an organization plays an important part in determining the type of communication, group dynamics, and leadership within an organization. A multi cultural workforce in an organization comprises people who are from different cultural backgrounds and as such they are considered to have different ways of approaching a problem. Leadership is considered as the ability to influence members of an organization toward achievement of organizational vision or set of organizational goals. The influence in this regard can be considered as formal which is provided by possession of any managerial rank in an organization. Management positions in an organization involve to an extent formally designated authority and as such it is quite possible that individuals may assume a leadership role simply because of their organizational position. But in this regard it is important to note that all leaders are not considered as managers. In the same way, all managers are also not considered as leaders. Organizations provide their managers with certain formal rights but there is no guarantee that those managers will also be able to efficiently lead a group. The ability to influence people outside the formal structure of an organization is considered as more important than formal influence (Heath, 2006). This is also considered as of significant importance with regard to multi cultural work force of organizations operating in UAE. Early studies have identified certain traits of great leaders that set them apart from any average person. There are various theories that have been formulated by researchers in an attempt to explain the functioning of effective leadership. These theories seek to address several questions with regard to leadership such as relationship between followers and leaders, situational impacts on leadership, and leadership behaviour. Leadership is considered to be an important field of study in the world of today. There are numerous discoveries with regard to new aspects of leadership (Mintzberg, 1994). The success of an organization is considered to be dependent in a significant way on effective leadership. The management of multi cultural work force in organizations operating in UAE can only be done through the adoption of effective leadership styles. Transformational leaders can play a significant role in this regard. Transformational leadership involves motivating and guiding followers in the direction of organizational goals by clarifying task and role requirements of employees. It involves inspiring followers to transcend their self interest for the betterment of the organization (Dartey-Baah, 2011). Transformational leaders are considered to have an extraordinary and profound impact on their followers. They are considered to pay attention to the developmental needs and concerns of individual followers in the organization. They guide followers in changing their awareness of issues by helping them to have a new way of looking at old problems. They are quite capable of inspiring, arousing, and create excitement in followers such that they put an extra effort with regard to achievement of organizational objectives (Bennis, 2009). A distributed leadership culture in organizations that are operating in UAE is also considered as an important means to overcome the problems of cultural diversity in such organizations. It states that people living in the environment are primarily responsible and also accountable for group and personal development. Team work is the best alternative to find the path that is best suited for an organization. It is concerned about the fact that each member of an organization must take a different role and that there must be demonstration of collective responsibility in this regard (Bertocci, 2009). The organizations should expect that there will be sharing of expertise and ideas in an ever changing environment to achieve constant growth. Distributed leadership in organizations that are operating in UAE will help them in a significant manner in building their capacities. It also acts as an important mechanism which supports collaborative relationships and networks in building interpersonal capacity within an organization. It also facilitates questioning, critical reflection, and expertise sharing. It is considered as not enough for organizations operating in UAE to have only a vision. The employees of the organization and the management must take equal responsibility in this regard (Schein, 1992). The systems and structures of organizations that are operating in UAE must be such so as to support a strong foundation for their employees to work in a collaborative manner. The values and ideas of distributive leadership could play an important role in managing the multi cultural work force in organizations operating in UAE. Transactional leaders can also play an important role in the management of multi cultural work force in organizations that are operating in UAE. Transactional leaders are considered to instruct people regarding what to do and also assigns task to them. A transactional leader makes it very clear to his subordinates what specific roles they are to play in the organization. He also communicates in a clear manner to his subordinates regarding the rewards that they are to get for obeying orders (Kurose, 2013). A transactional leader puts in place formal systems of discipline and punishment is implied for those who go beyond the formal systems of discipline that are there in an organization. The punishment or reward in transactional leadership is based upon performance. When a work is assigned to a subordinate by a transactional leader, that subordinate is considered to be fully responsible for that work that is assigned to him. If anything goes wrong in this regard, then that subordinate is considered to be personally liable and is punished for such failure. Such a leadership style can be very useful in managing a multi cultural work force where different people tend to have different approaches with regard to a specific problem. They also tend to have diverse ideas and opinions which can lead to conflicts and arguments in an organization (Valencia, 2013). But as employees are expected to be responsible for the work that is allocated to them and there is existence of punishment factor, such a situation can be considered as very potential in overcoming the problems that are posed by multi cultural work force. The main aim of effective leadership styles is to come out with a win-win solution with respect to multi cultural work force such that organizations bear little cost in this regard. Conclusion Each country has a culture of its own with values and norms that differ in a large way with respect to other countries. Leaders of organizations should make a serious effort in this regard to implement leadership behaviour that can be considered as suitable with respect to managing multi cultural work force. Leaders of organizations that are operating in UAE should also try to maintain an inclusive environment of working where people from various fields feel recognized and respected. Leadership role plays an important part in intercultural effectiveness of an organization. The role of leaders is considered significant in influencing safe behaviour in employees. The leaders of organizations that are operating in UAE must demonstrate planned interventions if there is any deviation from the agreed norms of the organization. They must in this regard take necessary corrective action to ensure that the organization does not deviate from its main purpose. References Bennis, W. (2009). On Becoming a Leader. Second ed. New York: Basic Books. Bertocci, D. I., (2009). Leadership in Organizations. First ed. Plymouth: University Press of America. Dartey-Baah, K. (2011). The impact of national cultures on corporate cultures in organisations. Academic Leadership Journal, Vol. 9(1), pp. 12-15. Elmore, R.F. (2000). Building a new structure for leadership. Washington: The Albert Shanker Institute. Heath, J. (2006). Business Ethics without Stakeholder. Business Ethics Quarterly, Vol. 16(4), pp. 533-537. Kurose, C. (2013). Motivation, Behavior, and Performance in the Workplace. [Pdf]. Available at: https://gsehd.gwu.edu/files/downloads/publications/2013/GWU_Kurose.pdf. [Accessed on: 20 March. 2014.] Lambert, L. (2002). Beyond instructional leadership: A framework for shared leadership. Educational Leadership, 59(8), pp. 37-40. Mintzberg, H. (1994). Rethinking Strategic Planning: New Roles for Planners. Long Range Planning, Vol. 27(3), pp. 22-30. Schein, E. (1992). Organizational Culture and Leadership: A Dynamic View. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Valencia, C. (2013). Motivation and Productivity in the Workplace. [Online]. Available at: https://www.westminstercollege.edu/myriad/index.cfm?parent=2514&detail=4475&content=4798. [Accessed on: 20 March. 2014.] Read More