Is There a Difference between the Leader and the Manager - Essay Example

A manger leads an organization to accomplish its objectives. A leader manages the resources of an organization in order to accomplish the objectives of the organization. Hence, both the manager and the leader’s ultimate goal are to attain the objective of the organization. Is there a difference between the leader and the manager? This question has been debated by countless scholars throughout the decades and to this date they have been unable to arrive at a consensus. Kreitner (2006) defined management as ‘the process of working with and through others to achieve organizational objectives in a changing environment’ (p.5). He defined leadership as ‘a social influence process involving voluntary pursuit of collective objectives’ (p.469). The obvious difference observed in these definitions is the word ‘voluntary’. Whereas the manager is able to work with others to pursue objectives through formal procedures, the leader is able to get others to perform their duties voluntarily. Functionalists’ theorists believe that a manager has a particular set of functions which must be performed in a systematic manner for the success of the company. Henri Fayol, generally known as the father of the functional approach, classified the various functions of a manager into five categories, namely, planning, organizing, command, coordination and control. (Kreitner 2006) Kreitner (2006) expanded on Fayol’s approach and posited eight different managerial functions of planning, decision making, organizing, staffing, communicating, motivating, leading and controlling. Interestingly, Kreitner included leading as a function of management. He discussed leading in terms of role models and the adaptation of ideas to particular situations. The author of this paper believes like Kreitner that leading is a subset of managing. In order for a manager to effectively fulfill the goal of maximizing the value of an organization then it is essential that such an individual adopts good leadership qualities. On the other hand, a leader does not necessarily have to be a manager. A leader can arise in the midst of a group to fulfill the specific task of the group in so doing this individual does not have to manage the resources in the same way as a manager. This leader can motivate the other members of the team to utilize their particular resources to the best of their ability. All the same a good leader should have the qualities of a good manager. Although this individual may not have the skills and the knowledge that are needed to manage the overall operation of the organization. This individual can inspire the members of the organization to use their skills and knowledge to achieve the objectives of the organization. Are there differences between a leader and a manager? The manager has the required skills and knowledge base to move the organization forward but may not have the backing of the staff members. Conversely, the leader may not have the required skills and knowledge but may be able to inspire those who have the required skills to accomplish their task effectively and efficiently. Efficiency refers to the ability to utilize resources without wastage whilst effectiveness refers to one’s ability to get the job done well (Kreitner 2006 and Bobinski 2004). Bobinski (2004) equates efficiency with managers and effectiveness with leaders. He posits that the leadership has to do with the ‘quality’ of the output whilst the management has to do with the ‘time’ it takes to accomplish the desired objective. Further, Bobinski (2004) noted that ‘good managers put people in positions best suited to their skills.’ From this statement one can deduce that a manager may put a leader in the position of leader of a team based on the manager’s analysis of the skills required to complete a particular task. Another difference observed by scholars between a leader and a manager is that an individual can become a manager of an organization in a day but ‘leadership doesn’t develop in a day (Maxwell 2002, p. 22). Whilst a manager may take three years to acquire the educational qualification to become the manager of an organization Maxwell (2002) argues that leadership is developed throughout one’s lifetime. Yet another difference was noted by Johnson (2007) who argued that a leader uses more action than words. The leader leads by example unlike the manager who uses direction and enforcement of policy to attain the completion of a task. Bottom of Form Hill C. & Jones G. 2006 posited that the key to leadership is ‘the discipline to prioritize and the ability to work toward a stated goal’ (p.30). However, the author of this paper would like to argue that prioritizing and working towards a goal is also a key ingredient in effective management. In essence the two concepts leaders and managers require similar attributes. Consistent with this idea is Colvard’s (2003) analysis of the differences between managers and leaders as essentially a difference in central functioning. He claims that ‘managers provide leadership, and leaders perform management functions. But managers don’t perform the unique functions of leaders.’ In addition, Colvard (2003) argues that managers use limited resources efficiently within the short term whereas the leader is more concerned with the benefit to the organization for the long term. In short, he posits that ‘good management is important, but good leadership is essential.’ Based on the information gathered from several authors the author of this paper concludes that there are indeed differences between a leader and a manager but it is essentially a difference of functioning. One can be a manager and not have leadership qualities but one would be totally ineffective. The organization would not perform at its maximum level. Likewise one can be a leader and not be a manager but one would need the qualities of the manager for optimum success. A leader without management qualities would result in the organization moving in a direction but not necessarily in the right direction. A manager without leadership qualities would result in the organization that remained at the bottom end of the scale. There would be no competitive edge for an organization with a leader who has no management qualities likewise a manager with no leadership qualities. It is true to say that there are many managers who are without leadership skills but the output of their organization attest to the fact that success in terms of optimal functioning of an organization needs the qualities of an individual who is both a leader and a manager. References Bobinski D. 2004, The difference between management and leadership, Management-Issues Ltd [Online] Available at: http://management-issues.com/2006/5/25/opinion/the-difference-between-management-leadership.asp \ Colvard J. 2003, Managers vs. Leaders, Outlook, [Online] Available at: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0703/070703ff.htm Hill C. & Jones G. 2006, Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach, Seventh Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. Johnson R. 2007, The Difference between a leader and a manager, Available at: http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi=2123 Kreitner, R. (2006) Management, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. Maxwell, J. 2002, Leadership 101: What every Leader Should Know, Thomas Nelson, Inc Nashville, Tennessee. Read More