Role of Transformational Leaders as Change Agents - Assignment Example

ORGANISATION BEHAVIOUR By Location Organisation Behaviour Introduction One of the significant roles that leaders are expected to play is managing different types of people within an organisation. Experts have highlighted that effective leaders not only focus on the tasks, but are also concerned about the personalities and characters of different employees. This is critical for leaders to understand if they are to manage people effectively. Psychologists have embarked on a rigorous process of categorizing different people. This categorization has been done based on certain personality traits that people in each category share. Without doubt, employees form the most critical resource in any organisation. Leaders are faced with the compulsion of managing human resource effectively in promoting the goals of the organisation. Leaders who appreciate the diversity in personalities exhibited by different employees cannot achieve this. There is a salient need for leaders to gain familiarity with different personality types by understanding their common trait preferences, strengths, and weaknesses. With such an understanding and appreciation, a leader can choose the effective management styles for employees with different personality types. In addition, the modern workplace exhibits a high level of diversity in terms of cultures. Therefore, leaders have to prove competency in managing people of different cultures. Since employees do not exhibit similar levels of performance, it is critical for a leader to be able to handle employees of varying capacities. This paper will discuss how a leader can prove to be competent when dealing with different types of employees. Effective Leadership to better Manage ‘Personality Type A’ and ‘Personality Type B’ staff In order to manage type A personalities effectively, leaders should make efforts to understand their specific personality traits. Moreover, it is important to establish what they value most in their lives and things that they consider as priorities. Type A individuals are a unique set of personalities who are characterized by obsession with work and competitiveness. They exhibit a competitive spirit in everything that they indulge in. They are individuals who are determined to emerge as the best. They are unlikely to settle for less and prove to be extremely ambitious. Their ambition is what leads to an ardent obsession with work. They exhibit concern for meeting stringent deadlines and have a sense of urgency that defines their entire lives (Hanif & Sarwat 2011, p. 93). Usually, their sense of urgency may lead them to exhibit a high level of impatience, especially when things do not happen at the pace they want. Their impatience may often lead to a high level of frustration, especially when they are expecting something or they want to complete a certain task. Their frustrations may eventually develop into stress and depression. This may make them very hostile and aggressive. They easily become overwhelmed by anger and can prove to be discourteous. On the other hand, type A individuals are oriented with a high level of achievement. In the work place, they are defined as enterprising people. Their weakness emerges when they overdo themselves in an effort to compete with others and appear as the best (Hitt, Miller, & Colella 2011, p. 89). Usually, this spirit may serve to depress them and take them down eventually, if they do not achieve what they want. In the work place, type A personalities overburden themselves with numerous responsibilities, proof to be highly competitive and ambitious. Therefore, leaders must have a strategy of ensuring that they tap in the potentials of these individuals for the benefit of the organisation. For example, giving them space to carry out tasks without direct supervision can make them register a high level of performance. They perform better when the organisation uses an incentive system that rewards their competitiveness. Moreover, leaders should strive to give them management and leadership positions that match their personalities and strengths. They are very effective when placed in vertical positions within the organisation. Since they have an obsession for work, it is important to give them space to undergo self-motivation (Kinicki & Kreitner 2008, p. 69). Although type A personalities are often criticized for their competitive spirit and extreme ambition, they can prove to be highly beneficial to an organisation, when placed in the right positions. However, they lack the capacity to balance their life and work. Therefore, an effective leader should consider giving them time off as an incentive for completing tasks on time. This will indirectly give them time to rejuvenate. This conforms to the Laissez-faire leadership style, which is the most effective for type A personalities. On the other hand, type B individuals lack the competitive spirit exhibited by the type A personalities. They are more relaxed and prefer to depict a laid-back personality. They seem to be more flexible and have the capacity to adapt to changing situations. They are willing to follow new routines even if such moves compel them to let go of the old behaviours. They experience minimal stress and engage in active pre-planning before executing any task. They are more prone to procrastination, which may serve as a barrier for them to meet deadlines. They are social people and appreciate the attention. However, they are highly expressive and prove to be more outgoing (Kreitz 2008, p. 108). It is critical for leaders to understand the personality traits of type B personalities in an effort to manage them effectively. Type B personalities require a measure of motivation in the workplace, but not too much supervision. They function better in teams, but are likely to be taken down by solitary jobs. They register a high level of performance when assigned jobs or tasks together with other employees, whereby an active interaction is present. They are best suited for customer care jobs and other tasks, which involve the interaction with stakeholders and customers. Type B personalities exhibit a high level of creativity and give a lot of attention to details. However, they may do this at the expense of time. Therefore, effective leaders present type B personalities with deadlines and timelines for drafts. This serves to keep them aware of the value of time. Moreover, they prove to be patient and are better placed in work departments that require creativity and innovations. This is because they are likely to be patient enough for positive results. Understanding how to manage these individuals can benefit the organisation immensely. Notably, transformational leadership proves to be effective in managing the type B personalities (Martos 2007, p. 385). Effective Leadership to better Manage Different Cultures Notably, different cultures promote different behavioral patterns and have different expectations in the workplace. Some cultures promote a specific type of communication style that makes them feel appreciated. Therefore, effective leaders must gain an understanding of different cultures and their expectations in order to manage them effectively (Molineux 2013, p. 15). In order to be able to manage different cultures effectively, a leader should understand the five dimensions of culture that were described by Hofstede. One of these dimensions is the power/ distance, which is a measure of the level of equality existing in a certain society. There are societies and cultural groups that realize the realities of inequalities. In some of these societies, there are high levels of inequalities while in others, people practice and support an even distribution of power. When leaders understand the views of different cultures on the distribution of power, they are in a better position to manage such individuals. For example, managing people who believe in equality must exhibit a leadership style that treats all the employees as equals (Osland 2007, p. 69). Failure to consider this may contribute to the development of friction in issues related to power. Notably, some societies have embraced the new wave of individualism, which exists in the modern globe. Employees who believe in individualism tend to be more concerned about personal goals and interest and make efforts of achieving their goals. People who believe in individualism are autonomous and require job positions that give them the space to exhibit such autonomy. It would be unfair for a leader to deny such people an opportunity to exercise their autonomy. Such employees require empowerment so that they can gain the required competency to handle different tasks on their own. They appreciate the space to make certain decisions within the workplace. On the other hand, other cultures promote collectivism. Individuals from such cultures value community networks and are more likely to promote the interests of a group. Therefore, effective leaders should strive to place them in teams so that they can work towards common goals. In such a position, they exhibit a higher level of performance (Podsiadlowski et al 2013, p. 160). Since people from collectivist cultures are closely connected to the organisation and are loyal, they deserve to be appreciated so that their loyalty is maintained. These individuals from collectivist cultures are the types of employees who will walk an extra mile for the sake of organisation al goals. Therefore, they are a treasure to any organisation. Understanding the expectations of people from collectivist cultures can help a leader utilize their strengths. Other cultures that leaders should consider include the views on masculinity and the uncertainty index. Societies that promote masculinity are less likely to embrace womens leadership. On the other hand, cultures with a high uncertainty index are more likely to invest in projects that do not exhibit any ambiguity. The fifth dimension is that of long-term orientation. Individuals from cultures that promote long-term orientation exhibit an attachment to traditional ways of doing things (Ratcliffe 2010, p. 37). Notably, modern leaders need to bring all the above cultures into the organisation and practice cross-Cultural leadership style. This will serve to promote diversity within the organisation. Leaders should also introduce a diverse management team, which can leverage such diversity to become a significant resource to the organisation. The diversity management, team should place employees from different cultures in each team so that they can bring in different strengths that are critical in promoting organisational goals. Most importantly, leaders are making use of the conflict that results from the salient differences of cultures as a positive thing for the organisation. Without doubt, leaders need to exhibit diversity consciousness and make efforts of appreciating diversity and people from different cultural backgrounds (Schumacher 2009, p. 30). Effective Leadership to better Manage High Performers It is critical for leaders to develop strategies for managing high achiever within the organisation. These types of employees exhibit a high level of self-discipline couples with an evident focus when working towards their goals. They are able to exhibit an internal control of all the activities when they are determined to achieve something. Moreover, they exhibit a remarkable level of competency and expertise in handling the responsibility assigned to them. They are determined to remain professional as they pursue different goals related to their tasks. Understanding the unique traits that define high performers can help leaders develop the strategies required to boost their performance and make them critical assets to the organisation. Notably, nothing is impossible for high achievers as long as they receive the right measure of support from their leaders. They are committed to achieving and exhibiting professionalism. They commit themselves to complete different tasks on their own and they are less likely to delegate tasks. However, they are more prone to developing an attitude of perfectionism. These may serve to limit to perform because they strive for ensuring that a task is completed perfectly and may not tolerate human error (Martin 2012, p. 6). Moreover, because they are used to excelling in different tasks, they may exhibit an evident fear when venturing into new tasks. This is brought about by their fear of failure because they are used to success. Leaders handling high achievers should rely on the path-goal theory because high achievers have different needs from other employees. For example, applying aspects of transformational leadership can propel them to higher success. In order to maintain individuals with the characteristics described above, and ensure that their high performance benefits the organisation, it is important for leaders to communicate clear expectations to the high achievers. When such individuals are well aware that their employer expects a lot from them, and when they understand how performance will be assessed, they are more likely to exert themselves in an effort to achieve. While communicating the expectations with them, it is of importance to highlight the specific objectives and goals that the organisation has defined and help them to develop personal goals that conform to the organisational goals. Such a strategy can serve to ensure that high achievers are focused on a specific goal and that they can exhibit professionalism when working towards it (Martin 2013, p. 30). High performers are motivated by challenging tasks and are constantly in need of interesting projects to work on. This is majorly because they are focused on achieving, and when they have interesting projects at hand, they remain more focused. Challenging tasks present opportunities for them to put their skills into practice and register a high level of professional advancement. It is critical for them to recognize their strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, leaders should help them carry out a personal analysis in an effort to identify their strengths. When they are in complete appreciation of their strengths, they can focus on them while working towards achieving organisational goals. Moreover, leaders can empower them to overcome their weaknesses. In addition, leaders need to present high achievers with social assignments that will give them opportunities to advance their skills. Feedback is of a significance importance to high achievers, and leaders should constantly give feedback to them highlighting their achievement and giving constructive criticism (Veiseh et al 2014, p. 120). Finally, leaders must help high achievers to accept failure honestly and be willing to take on new ventures. Effective Leadership to Improve Organisational Culture Research has identified that many leaders face challenges when implementing organisational culture change. However, there is a salient need for leaders to ensure that an organisation abides by a culture defined by the values and beliefs that maximize the productivity of the organisation. Organisational culture is critical in ensuring that employees have good working relationships with each other, and that there are effective employer-employee relationships. An effective organisational culture also ensures that communication channels within the organisation remain functional promoting productivity. It is the role of leaders to instill values in the employees. In addition, leaders should introduce belief systems that promote productivity (Doke & Beagrie 2003, p. 31). Therefore, leaders must ensure that organisations have effective communication channels that can serve to pass down values from the top office to all the employees. Notably, effective leaders need to involve their employees in the decision making process, so that they can experience a measure of belonging to the organisation. Transformational leadership is the most effective style that can help leaders to manage organisational culture. Through this, they can be more committed to organisational goals. Worth noting is the fact that an effective leader should ensure that employees are motivated and empowered. Different motivational theories have been developed to help leaders design strategies of motivating different types of employees. The value of an appropriate organisational culture cannot be underestimated as it brings together both the management team and the employees to exhibit concerted efforts in a bid to achieve the organisational goals. Therefore, a leader should consider all these steps in an effort to ensure that the organisation is defined by a functional culture (Shanker & Sayeed 2012, p. 480). Conclusion Leaders play an imperative role in their management of varying personalities within an organisation. Notably, the effectiveness of the employee management is based on their tasks, characters, and personalities. Researchers have opined that that it is the obligation of the managers to take advantage of the varying personalities of employees to the benefit of the organization. For example, in order to attain the full effectiveness of a personality type A employee, the manager is obliged to grant them more time off for a personal rejuvenation. As highlighted in this paper, different cultures pose challenges to managers and therefore, they should embrace the five dimensions of culture Hofstede described. Transformational leadership and the application of the path-goal theory are some of the major concerns that managers need to include in their scope so as to manage the high achieving employees. Therefore, effective management should embrace the application of psychological principles and the application of the experimental behaviour analysis in order to maintain work safety and improve individual and group performances. 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