Collaborative Culture and Investing in People - Essay Example

COLLABORATIVE CULTURE Student’s Name: Code + Course name Professor’s name University City, State Date Introduction The traditional perception of leadership equated the concept of being a leader to the behaviors, values and competencies of the leader. Nevertheless, today, the changing dynamics of leadership within the education sector does not focus much on the attributes of a leader but rather the ability of the leader to work with people in order to implement positive change in the institutions that they run. Leadership has therefore been defined as the capacity to get things done through people. On the other hand, collaborative leadership is depicted by people working together in a supportive and inclusive manner to meet the objectives of the organization (Growe, 2011). In many organizations, leaders seek results that cannot be attained solely by their efforts. It is paramount for leaders to develop an effective collaborative culture at the workplace. This paper aims to discuss three major strategies that managers can utilize to build a collaborative culture within the workplace. Investing in People A significant approach of investing in people is through Bandura perspective of personal and collective efficacy. According to Bandura (1998) self-efficacy is the ability of an individual to believe in their capability to perform behaviors that are necessary to attain a certain outcome. Collective efficacy, on the other hand, involves people's shared beliefs in their collective ability to achieve their desired results. Collective and personal efficacy may differ within the unit agency however both efficacies serve the same purpose. Bandura (1982) proposes that for people to develop a collaborative culture, there is the need for them first to develop self-efficacy. This is because, in order to work together successfully, members have to perform their tasks with a high sense of self-efficacy. In most cases people with low self-efficacy usually shy away from difficult tasks, have low commitments to goals and low aspirations. This implies that they cannot work collectively with others in the organizations. A leader should, therefore, create a working environment where the followers can gain self-efficacy that is a prerequisite for effective collaborative culture. Experimental studies by Adams, Reese and Bandura (1982) indicate that self-efficacy can be raised to differential levels through the use of vicarious modes of influence. In this case, the findings of the study support the idea that a leader can control the self-efficacy of the followers. Motivation is another significant approach of investing in people is to build a collaborative culture within the workplace. A crucial thought in the mind of every individual when it comes to collaboration is the question of ‘'what do I gain?'' or ‘'How will the collaboration assist me?'' To create an effective collaborative culture in educational institutions motivation is a useful approach. Bandura (1998) highlights that a significant proportion of human behavior and motivation is usually controlled anticipatorily by the outcomes that are expected for a given a certain actions. The corresponding theory that is related to the argument is the expectancy-value theory that propagates the actions of individuals are in most cases influenced by the value or outcome they gain from participation in a certain activity. If people are motivated by the results of working collectively, then they are bound to take part in the process. In essence, a leader motivates the followers by providing outcomes that are valuable to them when they work collaboratively this include both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards that are associated with collective performance. It is also worth noting that self-efficacy plays a pivotal role in the motivation of an individual to complete a particular task. Consequently, leaders that intend to build a collaborative culture in the workplace have to inculcate self-efficacy to their staffs (Bandura 1998). Optimistic self-efficacy ensures that the employees handle the day-to-day challenges of the workplace effectively. Since disappointments, setbacks, frustrations, inequities, failures, adversities and impediments characterize the workplace environment, it is imperative that the employees should have optimistic self-efficacy to guarantee their continued motivation. The positive wellbeing and human accomplishments depend on the optimistic self-efficacy of the individual. The personal and collective efficiency of the workers also heightens their trust and confidence in the worth of what they are striving to accomplish in the organization. It is evident that efficacy activates four primary processes: cognitive, emotional, selection and motivational. In relation to the cognitive aspect, efficiency influences an individual's thought pattern thus having a direct influence on the ability of the person to either undermine or enhance his/her performance in the workplace. Therefore, leaders that integrate self-efficacy among the workers enjoy their guaranteed commitment to the firm and its objectives. Furthermore, the individuals set high goals for the organization thus steering it to greater heights to enable it attains competitive advantage. Regarding the emotional processes, it is proper to understand that self-efficacy plays a central role in the ability of the workers to cope with the numerous workplace challenges (Bandura 1998). Subsequently, it is appropriate to opine that the individual efficiency of a worker in the organization determines the level of depression and stress that the worker experiences at the organization. Therefore, leaders ought to heighten the self-efficacy levels among their laborers so as to ascertain that they perceive threats positively to guarantee their focus and motivation. It suffices to state that the self-regulation capabilities of an individual has an influence on the associated level of motivation of the person. Efficacy is a central determinant of the self-regulation capabilities of an employee. Therefore, leaders should increase the individual efficiency of the workers to enhance their ability to regulate themselves thus guarantee their continued motivation in the organization. Apparently, people set goals and strive to attain them at the workplace. Self-efficacy ascertains that the works fulfill all the set objectives in the organization. Finally, leaders should utilize self-efficacy to increase the selection capabilities exhibited by their employees (Bandura 1998). Apparently, the skills influence the ability of an individual to set the proper environment that would benefit the organization. Excellent selection capabilities also guarantee the ability of an individual to control the environment to attain the set goals of the organization. Leader-Worker Trust and Worker-Worker Trust Apparently, the prevalence of trust between the leaders and the workers improves the collaborative aspect of the staff members of the organization. For instance, trust between the principal and teachers is a good example in a school environment. However, it is mandatory to understand that the role of developing confidence in the organization or school is the prime responsibility of the managers and principles respectively. It is also worth noting that trust is an essential component of the culture of the organization or school. It has a direct influence on the nature of the work performed by the teachers or workers. According to O’Brien (2011), developing trust in the organization depends on the behaviors and attributes of the leaders besides the implemented institutional mechanisms, procedures and policies. Therefore, building the relationships within the workplace should be one of the primary objectives of the principals and leaders in the organization. The relationships constitute the organization’s internal social capital that plays a pivotal role in integrating the two social parties in the environment. Open communication forums held by the managers and principals suffice to be one of the strategies of enhancing trust between the leaders and workers in the workplace. Apparently, holding frequent open forums with the junior employees establishes a strong relationship and bond between the leaders and other employees at the workplace thus guaranteeing a collaborative environment. It is also mandatory for the leaders to make themselves available for their staff for the provision of support information and motivation. Enhancing the relationships at the workplace is beneficial to both the school and organizational environment since it increases the dedication of the teachers and employees towards attaining the set goals and objectives (Mees 2008). A collaborative environment at the workplace develops a sense of responsibility to all the workers. Consequently, the workers find themselves attached to accomplishing the assigned roles to ensure the collective attainment of the target goals. The performance of the organization towards attaining competitive advantage and the school performance are critical indicators of the degree of collaboration in the organization and school respectively (Daly & Chrispeels 2008). Therefore, it is imperative that the leaders should exhibit positive behavior and actions to develop trust among the employees. Employees look at the actions of their leaders to discern whether it is appropriate to trust them or not. The decisions of the managers under uncertainty and challenging situations portray their ability to handle issues at the organization thus confidence that their employees have for them. It is evident that honesty, commitment, and personal integrity are the fundamental attributes of a leader that guarantee trust among the workers. The failure of a leader or principal to portray the attributes in the actions associated with handling critical issues at the organization impacts adversely on the trust of the employees for the leader. In such a case, the level of collaboration at the organization would be dismal as a result of the minimal levels of trust that the workers have for their managers. It is also important to note that trust should be either way. The leaders should also believe the employees by engaging them in decision-making. By so doing, the leaders guarantee self-satisfaction on the part of the employees (Harris, Caldwell & Longmuir 2013). The worker-worker trust is also important towards enhancing the collaboration of the members of an organization. The existence of trust between leaders and junior employees and the prevalence of confidence among the employees that occupy the lower employment cadres at the workplace results into a ‘bonding' social capital (Leana 2011). High levels of collaboration suffice to be one of essential characteristics of the social capital that contributes positively towards the ability of the organization to attain its goals and objectives. It is also evident that the social capital would increase the levels of commitment of all the employees to their roles and responsibilities in the workplace. It also integrates the culture of responsibility thus enabling the staffs to understand that their individual roles are pertinent to the success of the organization. By so doing, a collaborative workplace environment boasts of increased employee efficiency and output. Fostering the Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence encompasses the self-awareness, motivation, self-regulation, social skills and empathy exhibited by the leaders and other employees of the organization in their everyday activities at the workplace. According to Goleman (2003), even though technical skills and intelligence quotient (IQ) are the major determinants of the performance of a leader in the organization, emotional intelligence also plays an equally similar role. Self-awareness implies that the leaders ought to have a personal understanding of their emotions at the workplace. It also entails the understanding of one's drives, needs, weaknesses, and strengths. The result of people that exhibit proper self-awareness is utmost levels of honesty; both with oneself and other employees in the organization. Apparently, the prevalence of honesty as an attribute of most of the employees at the organization creates the trust that plays a pivotal role in enhancing the degree of collaboration expressed by the employees at the workplace. Managers and leaders that intend to increase the collaboration aspect in their organizations have to understand the influence of their emotions on the feelings of other individuals at the workplace. Individuals that exhibit high levels of self-awareness also understand the impact of their emotions on their performance at the workplace. Therefore, high self-awareness levels enable a person to understand and respond positively to the demands of particular customers that include the reason behind the frustration of the client. Self-regulation also suffices to be a pertinent aspect of emotional intelligence. Since personal emotions are the result of biological impulses, it is important to manage the resultant effects of the impulses rather than striving to eliminate their occurrence. Self-regulation enables leaders and managers to handle frustrations positively at the workplace by engaging in inner conversations that result in proper responses to particular situations. Therefore, to control the feelings and utilize them in effective ways, it is imperative that leaders and managers should portray high levels of self-regulation. Empathy turns out to be one of the essential components of emotional intelligence. It refers to the ability of a leader to understand the emotional composition of another individual. Therefore, leaders that have empathy skills learn to treat people positively based on their emotional reactions. As a business leader, one exhibits empathy by understanding the feelings of another person alongside other multiple factors to make intelligent decisions that impact positively to the company. Therefore, it is inappropriate for the manager/leader to condone bad habits that may have an adverse effect on the survival of the enterprise. For instance, in the case of a merger, the manager of a division should exhibit empathy while addressing the employees of a department rather than stating bluntly that the firm will fire some of the employees that occupy redundant jobs. Consequently, employees build confidence in the manager thus enhancing the degree of collaboration at the workplace. Motivation is the fourth attribute of emotional intelligence. It refers to an intrinsic passion that compels an individual to work for other reasons that surpass status and money. The person expresses persistence and energy in his pursuit of the goals of the company. Leaders that portray the attribute develop trust among their subjects by acting as role models. Social skills are pertinent in the development of a collaborative workplace environment. The skills enable the leaders to have the necessary proficiency in the building of networks and management of the relationships (Sy & Cote 2004). The social skills also allow the manager to develop the rapport in the organization as well as finding a common objective for all the employees of the organization. Conclusion Developing an effective collaborative culture at the workplace suffices to be one of the primary responsibilities of the leaders of an organization. The three main strategies that leaders have to implement to attain a collaborative workplace environment encompass investing in the human capital to enhance their workplace efficiency, enhancing the level of trust among the employees and fostering emotional intelligence among the leaders. The fundamental aspects of emotional intelligence include self-awareness, motivation, self-regulation, social skills and empathy. A collaborative workplace environment impacts positively on the performance of the business since each worker strives to display the best results while accomplishing the assigned task. Reference List Bandura, A 1998, ‘Personal and collective efficacy in human adaptation and change’, Advances in psychological science, vol. 1, pp. 51-71. Bandura, A, Reese, L & Adams, N 1982, ‘Microanalysis of action and fear arousal as a function of differential levels of perceived self-efficacy’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 43, pp. 5-21. Daly, A J & Chrispeels, J 2008, ‘A question of trust: predictive conditions for adaptive and technical leadership in educational contexts’, Leadership and Policy in Schools, vol. 7, pp. 30–63. Goleman, D 2003, ‘What makes a leader’, Organizational Influence Processes (Porter, LW, et al. Eds.), New York, ME Sharpe, pp. 229-241. Growe, R 2011, ‘Collaborative Leadership in the Era of New Normal’, Educational Administration and Supervision Journal, vol. 29, no. 4. Harris, J, Caldwell, B & Longmuir, M F 2013, ‘Literature review: A culture of trust enhances performance’, Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, Melbourne. Prepared in partnership with Educational Transformations. ISBN, 978-0. Leana, C R 2011, ‘The missing LINK in School Reform’, Stanford Social Innovation Review, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 30–35. Mees, G W 2008, ‘The relationships among principal leadership, school culture and student achievement in Missouri Middle Schools’, PhD dissertation, University of Missouri. O’Brien, D 2011, ‘How leaders develop and direct relational trust building efforts in schools’, Masters by research thesis, University of South Australia. Sy, T & Côté, S 2004, ‘Emotional intelligence: A key ability to succeed in the matrix organization’, Journal of Management Development, vol. 23, no. 5, pp. 437-455. Read More