Leadership Style in the Company - Case Study Example

Analysis of leadership style There are many styles of leadership which leaders use in their responsibilities. The choice of the leadership style depends with the choice of the leader and also by the people who he or she is leading. In choosing the leadership style to use the leader should be focused in making the organization or company achieve its objectives. He should also choose a leadership style that will create a conducive environment in the work place. This enhances better performance by the employees. James Edward is the director of Maryland general company which deals with car and other machinery sales. I work in that organization as one of the company's salesmen in the local market. James is responsible of overseeing smooth operation of all the company operations. He handles all the issues which arise in the company. All the coordinators of different programs of the company are answerable to him. There is no decision that can be made in the organization without his approval. His position is very crucial to the success of the company. James employs democratic leadership style in the Company. He allows all the staffs to participate in decision making of the organization. He is always keen not to make any decision without making consultations with the coordinators and the entire staff of the organization. Many people in the organization have a positive attitude towards his leadership. This is because of the equality among the staff and management that he strives to create and maintain. There is always a balance in the organization when it comes to decision making. The opinions of the staff members count equally with the opinion of the coordinators. His main principle is collaboration and communication which enhance seeking opinion of others and letting his opinions known (Woods 2005). All this has contributed to a work environment in the organization that the employees feel comfortable. As a result of feeling that their opinions are respected by their director the employees have a lot of commitment in achieving the goals and objectives of the organization. The collaborative and participatory environment that the director has created in the organization results more through solutions to most problems. This is because any problem that arises in the organization is solved in a collaborative way (Pride & Hughes 2004, p. 151). Therefore, in the organization there is great input in any decision making process despite the fact that it takes a long time to make decisions. There is so much sharing of knowledge among the employees and the director. This process of consultations and feedback result in better and more effective operations in the organization (Mulkeen & Anderson 1994, p. 172). By using this style the director has helped the organization from making deadly mistakes. This is because the staffs are free with the director and they always share with him whenever they feel that something is going wrong. The director always encourages a free flow of ideas in the organization which enhances creative thinking. Creative thinking is necessary in solving a problem of any nature in the organization. Also by allowing employees to use their ideas and gain credit for them, the director reduces the tension that most employees in many organizations generate with their managers (Mulkeen & Anderson 1994 p. 172). According to annual staff reports the rate of employees turn over has gone low since the director took over the leadership of the organization. James has succeeded in his leadership as he keeps the communication open where the employees are give a chance to put their ideas in an open manner. All the ideas put across are laid out for everybody to examine. However, there are some problems which rise in the organization because of this style of leadership that the director uses. One problem is that the director relies on the knowledge of the staff members (Carli & Eagly 2002, p. 790). Sometimes wrong decisions are made in the organization because of most of the staff members are not experienced. They are not capable of making sustainable decisions. This has made the organization face some challenges in tackling some issues. The organization takes a long time before passing any decision because of the discussions involved in coming up with any formidable conclusion. A lot of time is wasted in minor disagreements. This makes the director change his styles sometimes especially if an urgent decision needs to be made. This does not go well with the employees as they feel shortchanged by the director when they realize that he made any decision without thorough consultation. Looking critically at this style of leadership in as much as the employees are given a free hand in the decision making of the organization there is a need for the director to be careful in regard to the opinions that are given by the employees. Human beings have various aspirations in life. Some employees may give opinions with a negative motive. Many people would like to attain their self actualization. They may give opinions with an intention of bringing the director down so that they can get a chance of rising into that position in the company. This brings a need for careful examination of any opinion given. Whenever a leader in any organization decides to use the democratic style of leadership, there is a need to make sure that the staffs are empowered on issues like problem solving and also decision making. This helps the organization from making poor decisions, which might lead to its fall. If the staff of an organization are not empowered the probability of democratic leadership being ineffective, is very high. This is because the decisions made in such situations are weak due to lack of skills by the staff. Being given the position of a leader means that, the director is supposed to guide the company in realizing its goal. This means that the employees have trust in him that he is able to make decisions on behalf of the organization. Giving the employees the right in making decisions for the organization may create a negative attitude with the employees. This arises when the employees of the organization feel that they are burdened in being asked to put forward their views concerning a certain decision that need to be made. Sometimes the employees feel overburdened because they have their duties. They may feel that the director is not doing his duties. When such feeling starts developing among the employees, there are chances that they do examine the opinions that they give. Unexamined opinions mean that poor decisions will be made in the organization. This is one of the major causes of down fall of many organizations. In his leadership the director uses the scientific management theory. He has developed a spirit of cooperation between all the employees, members of the management team and himself as a director. He ensures that the work is done by use of scientific procedures. When any issue arise in the organization, he encourages the coordinators and other employees to make clear observations in order to find out what may be the cause, effect and also examine the impacts that the issue may have to the operations of the various programs where they work. Before any decision is made he encourages thorough examination so that the decision made works for the good of the organization. Conclusions made follow a through examination of any issue that arises. James also believes that the success of the organization depends on division of responsibilities between workers and management (Canadian Council for Small Business & Entrepreneurship summer 2002 p.30). Each of the groups takes responsibilities in which they are best fitted to perform. He does not like the notion where the management in many organizations rests all the work to the employees. Another scientific management principle that he employs is system reward for meeting the organizations theory. He motivates the employees by using competitive salaries and promotion programs according to hard work and dedication among the employees. He uses various methods of appreciations such as encouragement for work well done, gifts, certificates to motivate employees to work hard so that the organization can attain its goals. He has also introduced the issue of bonus where that staffs who works hard are given additional bonus for their hard work. This has enhanced the performance of the employees as they strive to get the bonus. This has resulted to increased productivity in the company. He introduced training where the company takes the responsibility of training the employees instead of leaving them to study for their own. This aims to unearth the talents that are not developed among the employees. Trainings help the employees to develop more on their talents to make sure that they perform to their best. The training is applied to every employee including the management team members. The well structured training also helps in retaining of the staff. These trainings are aimed at bringing every staff’s production efficiency into full play in order for the organization to accomplish maximum profit. The use of the scientific management theory by James has dramatically changed the organization both in its management and also in the operation of the performance of the employees. The company's profits have increased since he took over as the director because of his effective management strategies. References Bertrand, R 2008, A journal on German Social Democracy: Six Lectures, BiblioBazaar, LLC. Charleston, SC. Business and Entrepreneurship. Vol 16, Canadian Council for Small Business & Entrepreneurship publication. Pg 30Canadian Council for Small Business & Entrepreneurship (summer 2002).Journal of Small Carli, L & Eagly, A 2002, Journal of Social Issues, Gender, Hierarchy, and Leadership, Wiley-Blackwell Publication, New York. Mulkeen, A. & Anderson B 1994, Democratic leadership: the changing context of administrative preparation, 1ST edition, Ablex publishers, New York. Pride, W. & Hughes R 2004, Business, Houghton Mifflin, Orlando. Woods P 2005, Democratic leadership in education, 1st edition, SAGE publication, New York. Read More