The Difference between Leadership and Management Techniques - Essay Example

? Leadership and Management Leadership and Management Introduction: Understanding the vital role and significant importance of leadership and management is a key to achieve organizational mission. Efficient management and strategic leadership can take the company up to ladder of success. It enables organizations to maintain an encouraging and comfortable environment for the employees. Motivating employees is an essential tool to add efficiency in the production rate of the organization. The absence of management creates drastic impact on the organizational structure and values. It is because with proper management and leadership, companies lose their balance and processes become slow. However, leadership and management are close in meanings, but still there are some basic differences between these terms. This paper aims to discuss the difference between leadership and management techniques and their influences on the organizational structure. Links and Differences between Management and Leadership: Leadership and management both are needed to maintain all business processes successfully. The basic difference between management and leadership is that of notions they possess about the strategic tools and effectiveness of the proposed methods. The difference between their perceptions observed by the research includes viewpoints about changes in the organization such as; managers believe change would bring various challenges and threats for the company (Howatt 2008). However, leaders think that change provides an opportunity to the professionals to avail competitive advantage. At other side, when it comes to handle the change managers attempt to deal with it through strategic plans, but leaders aim to address such issues, through mind. Other differences between their approaches include managers` methodology of utilizing power through balanced activities. Managers, intend to understand and consider all aspects of the threats and try to concentrate on short-term plans (Howatt 2008). They follow their self-made views and examine self-performance to practice substantial and perform job accordingly. On the contrary, thoughts and practices of leaders involve a use of heart and mind logistics. Leaders possess capabilities to sense all possible facilities, which help them plan long-term strategic methods; they do intend to follow their viewpoints. They are flexible enough to alter or create new vision with the demands of the time (Howatt 2008). They simply do not focus to perform assigned duties in control like the managers` approaches, but they struggle for their dreams along with inspiration and self-motivation. In general, managers are looked as administrators not as leaders. Concept of managers as leaders emphasize on the fact that managers while performing as leaders are expected to promote new approaches. Managers can only perform as effective leaders, when they show interest towards executing proposed strategies of achieving goals. Additionally, they should have some qualities to inspire their followers and workers performing under their observations. A manager can inspire people like leaders by utilizing technical strategic tools (Adeniyi 2007). For example, if a manager intends to lead and manage things at the same time quietly, he/she can perform far much better than a cheerful leader. Most importantly bridging the gap between the basic difference in managers and leaders` functions can help managers to perform as efficient leaders (Adeniyi 2007). For example, leaders bring up new ideas and managers regulate the existing ideas, thus at this point it is vital that managers should understand the importance of taking up challenges, through changed strategies and modernized approaches. For the managers to perform as effective leaders it is vital to understand the demands of the position and fundamental requirements for being a good leaders otherwise, the whole organization has to suffer (Adeniyi 2007). For example, the US president George Bush was a good manager, but not a good leader because when he implemented new approaches, the US has to suffered great economical crisis. Eventually, he could not prove himself good leader neither an effective manager. However, on other hand we have an example of Ray Kroc an outstanding leader of McDonald`s. He has always taken initiatives to implement new approaches in order, to add efficiency in the productivity and business image and his flexible attitude helped him to become a good manager along with effective leadership (Adeniyi 2007). Definition of a leadership differs at various positions, when it is compared to the potential and work strategy of managers. A leader performing, as good manager is neither new nor it is a complex phenomenon because it has been observed that all leaders can be good managers, but all managers cannot prove themselves as good leaders (Northouse 2007). Without a doubt leaders are not like managers, they always seek new directions for upcoming issues or problems. When they plan to implement improved strategies, then they struggle more to manage the practical implication of that method to make the new proposed direction, a result oriented approach (Northouse 2007). They possess ability to lead their team effectively and manage their working team more efficiently even than managers. It is because a manager cannot understand the importance of new vision, because managers are habitual of following already existing vision. This, it could be clearly understood that leader possess more potential and professional ethics along with flexibility in order to maintain and bring out positive outcomes from the proposed ideas (Rothwell 2010). For example, Disney Walt was considered as a good leader as well as a good manager because he had flexibility and capability, to successfully maintain new direction in order to add efficiency in the characters and themes of Disney world. Moreover, Bill Clinton another great President of the US could be understood as perfect example of leader, who had also performed as a great manager. As an effective leader and an inspiring manager, Bill Clinton always looked at the future characteristics. It is because a manager intends to solve the current issues and a leader aim to set new directions for the future (Rothwell 2010). However, being an effective leader and a good manager he performed both functions simultaneously. Exploring a balance between the demands of leadership and management is a difficult task for the practitioners because it has found that a balancing difference in the demands of leadership and management can only be differentiate, when a transition take place. This is a transition from a manager to a leader. Growing abilities of the managers lead them towards leadership, where they just do not have to manage their performances, but they are expected to empower and manage others` performances as well. Demands of management and leadership could only be balanced, when leaders would understand their fundamental demands such as strengthening vision, maximizing needed values, having different experiences to face future challenges, acquire tendency to monitor all procedures and implementation of policies. However, all demands of management are related with identification of the task and strategies to handle recent situations. Managers are expected to ensure that all other employees working under their supervision have capability to cope up with the demands of the organization. On other hand, organization also needs to find out demands of the employees as well as of managers to motivate them. In short, it could be said that balance in the demands of management and leadership can only be created by7 understanding and fulfilling their basic needs within the work environment. Leadership Principles that Support Organizational Values: Principles of leadership are important to recognize the values and cultural system of the organizations. It is vital to develop and identify fundamental principles of leadership because it gives a vision to operate business procedures and performances of the employees working under an effective leadership along with the vision of strengthening organizational values. Values need support because values allow organization to further strengthen, their business network (Cohan 2005). Values are considered as an essence of the organization that should be respected and understood by all those willing to serve the organization with their skills and abilities to lead and manage. Essential principles need to maintain organizational values include relationships among employees (Cohan 2005). It means valuing employee relationship should the foremost priority of leadership strategy. Secondly, leaders are expected to encourage as many people as possible to get involved in the current project with some limitation. It is considered important because two minds are always better than one (Stewart 2006). Other leadership principles that could promote organizational values include trust and maintained actions that speak louder than words. On other hand, training potential candidates could be another result oriented principle because it helps to fight against shortcoming in the proposed strategic methods (Stewart 2006). Mission statements and visions are the strongest pillars behind the existence of the organization. No organization can stand in the business world without having a proper and distinguishing vision. A leader plays vital role to create organization vision and to maintain communication system between the organization and other companies (Adair 2010). Real leaders view situation from different perception. They simply do not dream, but they believed to turn their vision into reality. A leader in an organization does not keep his vision confine, but they intend to lead a company with their visionary principles. At first place, leaders examine available resources of the company and then compare them with the needs of organization necessary to compete with the other companies. Leaders develop vision for the company with the awareness about the targeted audience and along with the capabilities of staff members and primary policies of the company (Bahri 2009). Moreover, they possess knowledge regarding significances of small and realistic visions. Leaders` Wide-spectrum viewpoints give companies opportunity to insights things and situation from different and innovative style. In addition, leaders` performances and thoughts do not only create a vision for the company, but it permits and introduce new effective methods of communicating with other external sources and organizations specifically those companies, which have similar aims and motives to serve in the community (Rothwell 2010). Even though, visions and visionary regulations of a leader are vital to have in an organization, but those who are following their leaders needs to have motivation and an example in front of them. Enthusiasm, energy and passion to work for the company are some stronger tools of motivation that leader should have to encourage all other employees (Daft and Lane 2007). All staff members, working under leader`s supervision seek help from their leader and intend to perform like them in the company. It is because a leader possesses reputable position and recognition in the office and every individual aim to have such reputation in their working environment (Daft and Lane 2007). Thus, apart from vision, performance of a leader with energetic and passionate approach help employees to learn and get inspire from a successful leader. Additionally, personality, work style, and energy of doing work create a sense of purpose, enthusiasm, and commitment in other employees willing to follow the directions of a compassionate leader (Horn and Pitfield 2008). Setting an exemplary moral is an obligatory job of a leader to motivate organization members. Additionally, in order to add more efficiency in the organizational practices along with detrimental values. Leaders demonstrate ethical attitude when they perform their duties that are morally effective and correct (Zhu 2008). Positive attitude towards new approaches encourage staff members to adopt moral awareness and sense of self-actualization. For example, role of leaders to alter organizational practices and performances of other practitioners could be understood as leaders do not have grow trees only, but they are responsible to take care of the soil as well (Zhu 2008). Furthermore, various motivational theories have been developed that a leader should adapt to increased productivity of the company. Such as, Frederick`s theory of Scientific Management says that supervision is close supervision and strict control is compulsory, but should be maintained in friendly manner. Additionally, employees should not be over burdened. Leaders should bring such approaches through which tasks should be equally distributed among employees with respect to their skills and interests (Miner 2007). Theory of motivation by Mayo suggests that leaders should know how to communicate with the employees effectively and encourage them to maintain healthy relationships with all (Miner 2007). It is because researchers have found that efforts of employees while working in a team are far much result oriented than individual`s effort for the company. Being an effective leader is not easy and motivating employees through exemplary moral or strict rules is not sufficient. Nevertheless, motivation through rewarding and appreciation is equally important at other hand. Experts have suggested that leaders should decide about reward before disclosing upcoming action plan (Armstrong 2007). Bonuses and incentive encourage employees to work hard through the whole plan and appreciation after successful efforts motivate them in perform much better in future to attain cash reward along with appraisal from the concerned authoritative bodies (Armstrong 2007). Leadership Styles to Achieve Organization Objective: Leadership style can influence several work regarding attitudes such as workers` behaviour, encouragement and presentation. This is all that could influence different stages of organizational commitment. There are two most important styles of leadership including transformational and transactional (Phillips and Gully 2011). Transactional leaders motivate their admirers to attain realistic level of performance by working with awareness about obligations, identification of targets and creation of self-actualization. According to researchers, transaction leaders are needed to possess important qualities (Phillips and Gully 2011). For example, the art of management through active and passive exception, along with persuasion of conditional compensation is foremost. However, transformational leaders can bring an optimistic modification in the followers. Specifically those, who are keen, compassionate and enthusiastic, additionally, they show willingness to follow directions of their leaders in more ethically (Daft and Marcic, Understanding Management 2010). Transformational leadership is considered positively influential because researcher have found that commitment is influenced by the workers` behaviour and their performances and these conditions are associated with transformational leadership that could add efficiency in the organizational practices at any level (Daft and Marcic, Understanding Management 2010). Being a compassionate leader, transactional leadership style should be adopted because this style does not only maintain balance between level of commitment, but transactional approach guide and lead all followers systematically. By adapting this style of leadership, a leader can guide all of his admirers at every stage along with the consideration of each small strategic tool and its effective use (Hellriegel and Slocum 2007). Moreover, when transactional approach is compared with transformational approach, this method of leading employees has more flexibility for alterations needed to bring positive outcomes. When rate of productivity changes or competitive market start imposing more challenges for the organization, a prominent switch in leadership style takes place and it is known as situational leadership (Hellriegel and Slocum 2007). At one side, it has observed that leadership style could be altered when a company hires many new employees, who seek help and guidance from their leader. In this situation, a leader has to change some of the leadership policies in order to bring those new individuals up to level of other employees (Bahri 2009). Moreover, when a company suffered great loss because of weak policies, then in this condition a change is required in over all leadership styles and policies. Reflective Statement: This assignment about leadership and management styles helped me understand the basic differences between the duties of leaders and managers. I have identified their visions and strategies of working and guiding all those performing under their observations. Moreover, I have learned that leaders are considered as more innovative and flexible as compared to the managers. However, leaders possess more qualities to become good managers, but managers usually lack ability to perform as effective leaders. List of References Adair, J., 2010. Decision Making and Problem Solving Strategies: Learn Key Problem Solving Strategies; Sharpen Your Creative Thinking Skills; Make Effective Decisions. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Adeniyi, M., 2007. Effective Leadership Management: Integration of Styles, Skills and Character for Today's CEOs. Bloomington: AuthorHouse. Armstrong, M., 2007. A Handbook of Employee Reward Management and Practice. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Bahri, S., 2009. Follow the Learner: The Role of a Leader in Creating a Lean Culture. Cambridge: Lean Enterprise Institute. Cohan, P., 2005. Value Leadership: The 7 Principles That Drive Corporate Value in Any Economy. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 48(1), pp.109-11. Daft, R. and Lane, P., 2007. The Leadership Experience. Mason: Cengage Learning. Daft, R. and Marcic, D., 2010. Understanding Management. Mason: Cengage Learning. Hellriegel, D. and Slocum, J., 2007. Organizational Behaviour. Mason: Cengage Learning. Horn, A. and Pitfield, R., 2008. Beyond Ego: Influential Leadership Starts Within. Toronto: ECW Press. Howatt, W., 2008. Leadership vs. Management. London: Way with Words. Miner, J., 2007. 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