Leadership Studies and Theories - Assignment Example

Leadership Studies and Theories The Changes from Old to New Paradigm of Leadership Several changes have taken place in the leadership environment. The shift in leadership perspectives has also been necessitated by different business environments. This section aims at discussing some of the issues that have changed from the old to new perspectives of leadership. It also discusses some of the necessary changes that led to the changes in the leadership and management issues in the current business centers.

The old leadership paradigm was centrally positioned toward establishing order and discipline in the organization. The new approach has embraced flexibility and they welcome disruptions as a means of achieving something new in the organization (Casserley, & Critchley, 2010). Such facets have set the new leadership into a renewed approach to the dynamics in the organizations. One of the business environments that have changed the leadership from order to flexibility is the facts of dynamic business environments.

The economic environments do not need rigidity. Agility to change has become a focus in establishing the competitiveness of leadership. Such approaches have also increased the need to change to a new paradigm. The old paradigm of leadership has values for boundaries and division among people existing within a given organization. This factor is opposed to the ideology of the new paradigms of leadership in which sharing of visions and tasks take the order to the management. These new approaches still hold on the doctrine of shared honor for differences.

The new leadership system tends to be outgoing in its approach by allowing the participation of people (Casserley, & Critchley, 2010). One of the factors has necessitated a change in leadership pattern involves the existence of the need to involve the lower level participants in the decision-making process. The needs to increase the levels of integration between the employees and management processes have been an issue of concern in the new business environments. The old leadership paradigm focused on the centralization or the concentration of power and operations within a defined scope.

The new leadership shift has its focus on decentralization whenever possible. Such factors imply that an organization may have different parts of the operation. The need to divide authority within the organization has necessitated a shift in decentralization (Fernald, Solomon, & Tarabishy, 2005). The need to develop departmental operations in business operations has necessitated the facts of decentralization and power distribution in the current organizations. The aspiration to balance business operation has also decentralized the leadership paradigm in business centers.

The change from order and discipline has been the most effective change in the leadership paradigm. The dynamicity of the environments in business today has determined the success and failure of companies. Many businesses have closed down due to the doctrine of customs and rigidity of order in performing their operations. Such factors make the current leadership an effective measure in changing the strategic leadership issues involved in organizational development. The factor is also effective in that it determines the success of the new business instituted under the new leadership paradigm.

The Leadership Approaches The Trait Tacticto Leadership. The trait theory is among the central approaches that have been of significant effects in elaborating the appropriateness of leadership. According to this approach, there are certain leadership characteristics that have been categorized to be universal across all leaders. The approach also argues on the origin of good leaders. These approaches describe the traits or the characteristics that leaders must possess to excel in administering their duties as leaders.

Perseverance and assertiveness are some of the leadership traits that are attributed to good leadership in the current business world (Moore, Croom, Flowers, & Wilson, 2003). The trait theory tends to make a standard point of reference in which all the characteristic of good and bad leaders may be determined. The trait approaches also reflect on personal traits that people possess in influencing the minds of people that they work with inside the organizations. The Behavioral Methodologies. The behavioral approach to leadership illustrates the personality of an efficient leader.

The behavioral approach reflects the strong influence the ways in which leadership reflect their boldness towards the people they lead. Positive ego is one of the personality characteristics that people develop in relation to maintaining a strong leadership position (Moore, Croom, Flowers, & Wilson, 2003). Self-confidence is also another factor that is considered essential in explaining the behavioral approach to leadership styles. Confidence defines what how a person can boldly approach a situation as a leader.

All these behavioral characteristics must exist within a person who is well developed and grounded mind to take a leadership position. The Contingency practice.Itenumerates some of the dynamics in the leadership setting. The concept looks at the profile of different leadership positions in relation to the situations presented by the environments. According to this theory, it argues that leadership faces different business and management environment in which the business operates (Fernald, Solomon, & Tarabishy, 2005).

According to this approach of leadership, top management positions are faced with different challenges in which they are to approach them with different knowledge that can be depicted on the character traits of an individual. Correspondencesof the theories. Some correspondence exists in the leadership approaches. They all identify some of the factors involved in evolving a good leadership personality. According to the three approaches involved in explaining personal traits of leadership, they address attributes that may be inborn or nurtured within the individuals (Fernald, Solomon, & Tarabishy, 2005).

The three aspects of leadership are effective in addressing the required practices or conducts that are expected from a leader. References Casserley, T., & Critchley, B. (2010).A new paradigm of leadership development. Industrial and Commercial Training, 42(6), 287-295 Fernald, Lloyd W., Jr, Solomon, G. T., & Tarabishy, A. (2005).A new paradigm: Entrepreneurial leadership. Southern Business Review, 30(2), 1-10. Moore, G., Croom, B., Flowers, J., & Wilson, B. (2003).Academic leadership in a changing world: A new paradigm for course development and delivery.

NACTA Journal, 47(4), 69- 70