Importance of Leadership in Organisations - Coursework Example

Importance of leadership in organisations Teacher The leaders are expected to create realistic visions for their companies and the employees they guide, but these visions often have characteristics or properties that differ. There is, therefore, the realization that there is no one best leadership style to guide employees toward accomplishing organizational goals. As such, this paper discuses the effectiveness of different leadership styles drawing on my personal experience gained from my previous work. The paper also discusses the leadership strategies that can be implemented in order to operate effectively in global markets. Basically, leadership is defined as the ability to influence a group towards the achievement of set goals within the organization (Robbins, 1993). Leaders in organizations are often vested with the formal authority to influence the activities of the other members so that the goals of the organisation can be achieved. There is need for the leaders to influence the behavior of the people towards a certain direction so that the goals of the organization can be achieved. However, some leadership styles can either positively or negatively impact on the performance of the employees in the organization. In my case, the director in my previous company, GS Marketing used an authoritarian leadership style. This was more of command leadership where everything was centralised and communication flowed in one direction. The leader would give all the instructions and he would also make the final decision in the organization with little input from the other workers in the firm. This kind of leadership style impacted negatively on me since I was just treated like a mere worker who could not contribute anything towards the operations of the organization. GS Marketing was bureaucratic and formalised in terms of structure. A bureaucratic structure is described as one that is formal and it involves clearly defined patterns of operations and every action is specifically designed towards the achievement of the goals of the organization (Merton, 1940). GS Marketing was hierarchical in structure and power and authority was from top to bottom. The junior employees had to take orders from their leaders. The culture in the organization states the leader is always right and has the formal authority to make final decisions in the organization. In a bureaucratic structure as witnessed in my company, everything was centralized. I realized that this organization could not easily change and teamwork was greatly hampered. The organization used formalised operations where all forms of communication had to follow official channels and follow a specific order. The other aspect that impacted negatively on the spirit of teamwork in this particular structure is that the decision making process was centralised and there was no input from the other members of the organization who did not hold managerial positions in the firm. Rather, the organization used authoritative leadership style where particular focus was put on the vision of the firm as well as productivity at the expense of the needs and interests of the employees. Based on my previous leader’s ethical conduct and effective communication, I believe that this leader was not very influential in motivating and empowering me to improve my work performance. First and foremost, it can be noted that the leadership style of my former manager was authoritative and hierarchical such that I hardly had an opportunity to come closer to him. We hardly interacted with this person who ran the organization by virtue of giving instructions and commands down the line of authority to the subordinate workers. Our concerns and interests were hardly heard since there was a large gap that existed between the manager and the junior employees in the organization. Thus, I can state that I was not motivated by the leadership style of my manager since it was to hierarchical such that our voices were completely silenced. In other words, we were living in the dark in this particular organization. Motivation is loosely described as an incentive or motivator that is given to employees to improve their performance as a way of encouraging productivity and ultimately growth of the company (Carrell et al., 1995). Both content and process theories of motivation are often implemented in organizations in order to motivate the employees. In this case, the three (3) best practices organizational leaders can use to motivate employees and discuss their potential benefits include the following: allow employees to set own goals, give them responsibility and give them recognition for outstanding performance. The goal setting theory posits to the effect that job performance can be increased when the individuals are given measurable goals rather than ordinary performance standards (Carrel et al., 1995). Goal setting is seen as a challenge that can motivate the employees to improve performance hence this strategy should be implemented in the organization in order to improve the performance of the employees. If the employees are given the opportunity to manage by objectives, they are likely to be productive in their assigned tasks. For example, if the employees set their own objectives, they are in a better position to manage as well as to achieve them. Employees in the organization should also be given responsibility as a way of motivating them. This will go a long way in motivating them. When the employees are given some form of responsibility in the organization, they will begin to realise that they are treated as being important. This will go a long way in motivating them since they are treated like valuable assets to the organization rather than mere workers who are only there to take orders from their superiors. The employees who have responsibility in the organization can positively influence their peers to work towards the attainment of the organization’s objectives. This kind of responsibility can be in form of overseeing the activities of the other employees so that they are directed towards the attainment of the desired goals. Another effective practice to motivate the employees in the organization is to give them due recognition whenever they have achieved outstanding performance that is unmatched. For instance, the employees that have outperformed other people in the organization should be recognised for their relentless effort in their work. This can be in form of promotion or other form of responsibility in the firm. This will significantly help the employees to improve their performance. Managing cultural diversity is often seen as a very important concept in as far as global operations of an organization are concerned. Bendick, Egan, and Lanier (2011) posit to the effect that employee diversity equips businesses to deal with diverse customers. The concept of cultural diversity also entails that organizations should create equal employment opportunities regardless of race, colour, religion, sex or national origin in a bid to end workplace discrimination. This has led to what is broadly referred to as diversity and it is very important in the operations of the organization in the global market place. Cultural diversity in organizations has significantly reduced workplace discrimination based on race, colour, creed and belief. Bendick, Egan, and Lanier (2011) argue that workforce diversity is very effective in advancing business objectives that are mainly related to issues of productivity and profitability in the firm. The other advantage of workforce diversity is that it creates access to a broader pool of potential employees who are skilled and talented. This also helps the organization to relate well with diverse customers which leads to the creation of loyalty among them. The workers form the back bone of the organization hence the need for the leaders in the organization to be accommodative to the needs and interests of diverse workers so as to be able to motivate them. Once motivated, the employees become productive. It can be noted that companies often hire employees from diverse backgrounds as a result of the fact that they represent the tastes, as a well as interests, of many people from various cultural backgrounds. However, managing diversity is quite challenging in some instances. In other countries like Australia, the legal framework places limited obligations for the organizations to manage diversity (Syed & Kramar, 2010). Concerted efforts need to be put by the government in order to ensure that diversity and inclusion are implemented in different organizations. In some instances, the leaders are not comfortable with including people from diverse backgrounds in managerial positions. The main reason is that the culture of the leaders from the host countries may not be compatible with those of expatriate managers. The most effective business strategy that can be used to address challenges related to leadership and organizational culture as well as managing diversity can be dealt with accordingly through inclusion and diversity. This seems to be a broad concept, but it is very effective in as far as stirring the organization towards the attainment of the desired goals is concerned. As noted, the management and leaders are mainly involved in making decisions that affect the operations of the organization as well as influencing the workers so that they can pull their efforts towards the attainment of the desired goals. Robins (1993) posits to the effect that involvement of all employees in the decision making process is a very effective strategy that can motivate them to be productive in the organization. They will share the same vision and objective with the leaders if they are involved in the decision making process by the leaders. As noted above, a good example can be drawn from the case of Tesco. Basically, Tesco is a renowned retailer which operates chain stores in the UK and it has successfully implemented this strategy of diversity and inclusivity in its operations. Currently, it is rated one of the best retails stores across the globe because it has carefully implemented the above mentioned business strategy in its operations. Tesco’s strategy is that it “puts people first, ensuring its customers and colleagues are at the heart of everything it does” (Tesco, 2012). Tesco strives to create value for its employees as well as customers through its strategy of inclusion and diversity in its operations. UK is a multicultural environment that is characterised by people from diverse backgrounds. Through Tesco’s policy, everyone is regarded as important and this has significantly contributed towards enabling the company to attract talented people from diverse backgrounds which enhances its operations in this market that is characterised by competition. People from diverse backgrounds have different tastes hence it is imperative for the organization to cater to these. Over and above, it can be noted that the success or failure of an organization in its operations mainly depend with the leadership style used by the leaders. As discussed above, authoritarian leadership style can negatively impact on the performance of the employees since they are not motivated by doing their work. They are not given the opportunity to realise their own goals. The structure and culture of an organization also have a bearing on its overall performance. Therefore, it can be concluded that the business strategy alongside the leadership style adopted by the company significantly helps in improving its performance especially in a global market place. References Bendick, M., Egan, M.L. and Lanier, L. (2011) ‘The business case for diversity and the perverse practice of matching employees to customers.’ Personnel Review, 39(4), 468-486. Viewed from: . Carrell, R. et al (1995). Human Resources Management: Global Strategies for managing a diverse workforce. 5th Edition. USA. Prentice Hall. Merton, R.K. (May, 1940). ‘Bureaucratic structure and personality.’ Social forces, Vol 18, No.4. pp. 560- 568. Robins, S.P (1993). Organisational Behaviour: Concepts, controversies and applications. New Jersey: NJ. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs. Syed, T. & Kramar, R. (2010). ‘What is the Australian model for managing cultural diversity?’ Personnel Review, 39(1), 96-115. Viewed from:The TUI Library. Tesco (2012). ‘Using diversity and inclusion to provide better service.’ Viewed from: . Read More