Leadership Theories and Their Application in Workplace - Speech or Presentation Example

? Take ways from Leadership Skills The essay aims to define leadership using one’s own words and to indicate what leadership involves. Further, the discourse would describe the different leadership theories in simple words. In conjunction with the discussion of the leadership theories, one would present a theoretical application in one’s workplace (convenience store) through the provision of an example. Finally, one’s personal view on the best leadership skills and a description of the follower's role in leadership process would be proffered. A concluding portion would highlight relevant concepts and lessons learned from the essay. Take ways from Leadership Skills Leadership is an important component in the existence, survival and functioning of any group or organization. Many organizations have been aware of the fact that their success is greatly dependent upon the quality and effectiveness of this dimension. As an organization grows in size and complexity, the requirements for an efficient and effective leadership multiply. In this regard, the essay aims to define leadership using one’s own words and to indicate what components or elements are involved in leadership. Further, the discourse would describe the different leadership theories in simple words. In conjunction with the discussion of the leadership theories, one would present a theoretical application in one’s workplace (convenience store) through the provision of an example. Finally, one’s personal view on the best leadership skills and a description of the follower's role in leadership process would be proffered. A concluding portion would highlight relevant concepts and lessons learned from the essay. Definition of Leadership The term ‘leadership’ has received various definitions and explanations depending on the perceptions, experiences and understandings of those who discuss it. One’s personal definition of leadership sees it as an act or behavior manifested by a person possessing qualities and traits that enable that person to influence others into achieving a well defined goal. At the simplest, leadership have three key elements: leader, followers and the situation (Martires & Fule, 2004). To determine what leadership involves, one must take into consideration various points of views. From the view point of the leader, there are skills and traits that are commonly manifested and exemplified by leaders. According to Martires & Fule (2004), leadership is at once personal, interpersonal, and situational. But it can be viewed from one perspective at a time. At the personal level, traits and skills are highlighted. At the interpersonal level, style comes to the fore. Finally, at the situational level, the contingent nature of leadership manifests itself. Murray Ross and Charles Hendry drew a personality profile of effective leaders from many tests conducted to identify leadership traits. In general, they found that effective leaders have attibutes as follows: (1) self-confident, well-integrated, and emotionally stable; (2) warm, sensitive, and sympathetic toward other people and give practical, helpful suggestions; (3) intelligent in relation to the gorup members; (4) identify with the goals and values of the groups they lead; (5) want to take leadership responsibility and are competent in handling new situations; (6) can be relied on to perform leadership functions consistently; and (7) in elected or public positions, usually possess more enthusiasm and capacity for expression than other types of leaders (Ross & Hendry, 1957). On the other hand, various skills are exhibited by leaders as essentially described by Henry Mitzberg, to wit: (1) skills of introspection; (2) entrepreneurial skills; (3) conflict-resolution skills; (4) peer skills; (5) information-processing skills; (6) skills in unstructured decision-making; and (7) resourse generation and allocation skills (Mitzberg, 1973). Leadership Theories There are diverse leadership theories that evolved through the years starting from Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y that illustrated the interplay between leadership style and assumptions about the nature of people as either inherently liking or disliking work, avoiding responsibilities or being ambitious. A famous leadership theory is the contingency approach developed by Fred Fiedler stating that “a leader’s success is contingent on two factors: (1) leaderships style, the leader’s typical way of interacting with the group; and (2) situational control, the degree to which the leader has control over the situation” (Martires & Fule, 2004, p. 169). Another theory, the situational model of leadership by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard suggests that the choice of an appropriate leadership style depends on the development level of subordinates; where four development levels were depicted as a combination of competence and commitment (Martires & Fule, 2004, p. 173). A path-goal theory of leadership is an action-oriented approach that defines what functions a leader has to perform and what roles he has to play in order to achieve group goals. As explained by Robert House, the path-goal model is based on various motivational theories suggesting that leader behavior increases the motivation of subordinates to the extent that this behavior makes the satisfaction of the needs of subordinates dependent on effective performance and improves the subordinates work situation through various uses of rewards, support, guidance and coaching (House, 1971). Application to Work Setting As a manager of a convenience store, I got to apply the leadership theories through a combination of the path-goal theory of leadership and the situational model. At the convenience store, through the path goal theory, I am made aware of the explicitly defined mission statement (to give customers the greatest value for the most affordable price) that guides the direction of strategies toward which all department objectives must be designed. Herein the starting point of applying any leadership theory is the definition of goals and objectives of the organization. After which, as a manager, I use the situational model to assess and evaluate the level of competencies and commitment of the subordinates. This is premised on the belief that there is no one best style of leadership. A style for one situation may fail in another situation. Therefore, in the convenience store, in determining the most appropriate leadership style to apply, after evaluating the level of competence and commitment of subordinates, I study and analyze the role I would assume as a leader, in conjunction with the following factors: the distance of the leader to the group being led, knowledge and control of resources, nature of tasks, motivation of workers, group productivity, leader’s recognition of work accomplished, communication network, size of the group, educational qualifications of both the leader and the followers, and the personalities of both the leader and the followers. For new entry personnel, for example, the leadership style that I acknowledge that needs to be applied is more on the authoritative style to give appropriate direction, monitoring and supervision until the subordinate learns his or her responsibilities with minimal supervision. The emphasis in the convenience store is towards giving customer satisfaction by ensuring appropriate supply of goods and by assisting them when needed. There should be observance of minimizing cost and maximizing revenues to ensure that the business is sustained and supported through the achievement of defined goals. Personal Reflection One is supportive of the belief that there is no best style of leadership. An effective leader adapts and adjusts to the situation after careful evaluation and assessment of his or her followers and the situation at hand. The crucial roles that leaders must observe and adhere to are roles to accomplish the task or identified goal and the role to develop the personal and professional growth of the followers. Conclusion The essay was hereby success if achieving its goals of defining leadership and identifying the key elements, traits, skills and relevant theories that involve its application to contemporary work setting. It is therefore acknowledged that the success of an organization depends much on the quality of its leaders. By evaluating the situation and one’s followers, leaders must be flexible and knowledgeable in applying relevant theories that would ensure that goals and objectives of the organization are effectively achieved. References House, R. J. (1971). A Path-Goal Theory of Ledership Effectiveness. Adminsitrative Science Quarterl , 323-328. Martires, C., & Fule, G. (2004). Management of Human Behavior in Organizations. Quezon City: National Bookstore. Mitzberg, H. (1973). The Nature of Managerial Work. New York: Harper and Row. Ross, M. G., & Hendry, C. E. (1957). New Understanding of Leadership. New York: Associated Press. Read More