Leadership in the Aftermath of the Earthquake in Christchurch or Japan - Essay Example

? THE IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP IN RECOVERY EFFORTS AFTER EARTHQUAKES AND OTHER CALAMITIES INTRODUCTION This early an earthquake of the 9.0 magnitude struck Japan, triggering a tsunami that swept the coastal communities and cities, thereby destroying crops, properties and killing thousands. The 2010 Christchurch earthquake also tested the strength of a people. Both incidents proved how disasters can unify people through leaderships and teams dedicated to rise beyond expectations. The way an organization or an activity is led affects the success of the organization or endeavour. Leaders need the support and help of their subordinates. Success of an activity depends on the collaborative efforts of the leader and the subordinates. In the discussion that follows, we start our hypothesis by emphasizing on the need for unity in a team to make the leadership effective. The question is: what about the characteristics and behaviour of the leader? Does it matter to have a charismatic and transformational leader? Many organizations of today have given much importance on leadership because good leadership enhances quality and improvement. We theorized that the style of leadership truly affects the effectiveness of the leadership and the success of the organization. This is demonstrated in the aftermaths of the two natural disasters. 2. Leadership Theories a. Visionary Leadership and Strategic Management (Westley & Mintzberg, 1989) Westley and Mintzberg (1989) attempted to define leadership and management in the era of the eighties when organizations were becoming more complex and globalization was beginning to take root within organizations. Strategic vision emerged and the authors described it as one that came out from the concepts of strategy and leadership. Managers have to have vision for their organizations and their products. A leader must have a strategic vision – vision for a product, service, or his/her organization. This is known as visionary leadership which is a part of strategic management. Visionary leaders vary according to the type of vision they have for an organization or product. For example, Steve Jobs had a vision for Apple Computer. In the 1980s, Jobs saw a kind of revolution in his mind and imagination. He wanted to figure this out and so worked with all his efforts to materialize his vision. This was cut short when he was ousted as CEO of the company he founded. When he was re-hired in the 1990s, he worked again on his vision for Apple until the company and the products he had envisioned materialized. Today, there is what we call strategic management in the context of HRM and total quality management (TQM). This kind of management must have evolved from the strategic vision concept of Westley and Minztberg (1989). b. Transcendental Leadership (Cardona, 2000) There have been various definitions of leadership but Cardona quoted Rost (1991) in defining it as focusing on “exchange relationship”. The concept emphasizes relationship between leader and followers or subordinates, rather than on the qualities of the leader. But a transformational leadership emphasizes on the qualities and behaviour of the leader since subordinates trust their leaders because of their qualities and behaviour. Relational leadership has two types. Economic relationship focuses on the relationship of the chief of the office or organization and his/her subordinates. But their relationship is limited to the contents of the employer-employee agreement where both have explicit rights and privileges. The other type – social relationship – covers a relationship which is not bound by the obligations of a contract. Inside the business organization, the relationship of the boss and the employee concerns meeting the needs of the latter, for example the needs of the employee’s family at the same time his obligation to please his/her employer. This is not covered by legal provisions of a contract although there is a hidden obligation on the part of the subordinate to please his/her boss. Transformational leadership has a purpose. It seeks improvement and transforms people. The author emphasizes that because transformational leaders are transformed individuals they also transform situations and produce positive outcomes. c. Team Leadership (Zaccaro, Rittman, & Marks, 2001) The authors define team leadership and the success of a team. They provide their expert concepts along with an evidenced research on “functional leadership”. The leader’s main job is to provide the action where some functions are not being taken care of by the rest in the group. The performance of the team depends largely on the individual contributions of the talents and capabilities of the members. Today’s teams are required to perform in difficult situations or environments but these are aided with new technology and communication that help them to perform effectively. Such communication tools include the Internet and mobile communications that allow leaders and their team members to coordinate their actions with the full support and guidance from top management in a ‘command centre’ (as the case maybe). Success also depends largely on the leader’s ability to maximize the members’ potential and abilities to perform their desired functions. The authors emphasize that researchers have little knowledge of how leaders create and manage teams that carry out successful goals. They contend that past leadership theories focus on how leaders influence their subordinates. One theory, the path-goal theory, stresses on how leaders influence subordinates to accomplish certain functions or goals. However, it focuses on the leader and not on group interaction and cooperation for better performance. (Zacarro et al., 2001: 453) 3. Leadership in Practice In the late eighteenth century, Napoleon Bonaparte was rampaging in Europe and doing conquests after another. Countries surrounding the Mediterranean were afraid and worried especially Britain which was next in Bonaparte’s list of victims. When this intelligence report reached the British authorities, they were looking for someone in the military to lead the British force to meet Bonaparte. Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson was chosen because of his impeccable traits of bravery and devotion to duty but above all his charismatic personality that allowed him to unite and convince his subordinates and fellow officers to work on a common strategic action. (National Maritime Museum, n.d.) Nelson had a style of leadership that was unique in the annals of the military – he would listen and ask the opinion of his fellow officers and subordinates. Nelson’s style of leadership is a model even up to today. The twentieth century manager should know how to listen and ask the opinion of the members of the team. This will contribute to the success of the leadership and of the organization to which the team belongs. On the other hand, Steve Jobs of Apple Computer and his extraordinary talent as an innovator and leader of an ailing company allowed him to resurrect Apple Inc. and make it one of the greatest innovators of the twentieth century until today. Jobs introduced innovations, elegant designs, and new devices/gadgets. The success of the company is due to the wise management of Jobs, who has just resigned from his job as CEO after leading Apple for years. (Robertson, 2011) Another charismatic and transformational leader is Mahatma Gandhi who led his people in the struggle for the independence of India from British rule. Gandhi led and convinced his people to a unique way of protest – disobedience without violence, or humility and fasting instead of fighting by force. He was successful in doing so because (or due to the fact that) he was an effective leader. (Holman, 2003: 21) Howard Gardner (1999) described Gandhi as “a creator with superlative interpersonal intelligence”. Gandhi knew how to convince people. This was his intelligence, as described by Gardner. There is also the leadership of Malcolm McLean who headed a small trucking business into what is now called containerization. Containerized shipping was invented by McLean but his brand of leadership enabled the company to soar to greater heights. Containerization is another innovation of a business company. (Mayo & Nohria, 2005) Frederick Smith, the leader and manager of FedEx, a private overnight delivery business, also introduced a new brand of management and leadership. His belief that delivery service can be privatized led this ‘small’ business into what it is today. Nobody thought that ‘snail mails’ could be improved, but with Smith’s leadership and management, FedEx is now one of the leading global companies of the world. (FedEx, 2010) Another leadership style that every aspiring leader should emulate is that of Jesus Christ’s. Christ’s leadership is the most fascinating but down-to-earth. He came down from heaven to become man and to save man. Every Christian knows Christ’s charismatic and transformational ways. His leadership now spans generations and will always be with us as a shining example of leadership and management. His church – no matter what Christian denomination – becomes well managed for as long as you ask his guidance. He also wants us to be like him because he is sinless. Rick Warren says that we are created to be like him (Warren 2002: 171). We should be like him. All leaders should understand his teachings and follow his leadership principles. The leaders of the rescue teams that retrieved the victims and bodies of the Christchurch earthquake used such method – understanding, compassion and transforming the rescuers. They almost lost stamina and strength but since they were working as a team and looked up to God for help, they produced miracles. Days after the earthquake, the rescue teams still were able to save lives who had been buried beneath the rubbles. It is almost the same with the Japan disaster. The Japanese spirit of camaraderie enabled them to rise beyond the worst moment in their history as a nation and as a people. Politicians sacrificed their political ambitions. At the height of the retrieval processes, Japan’s prime minister resigned amidst criticisms that he was not handling the situation properly. It was a sacrifice on his part in order to save the country from another disaster – the nuclear leak that was threatening Japan and neighbouring countries. 4. Conclusion/Reflection The cost of the disaster brought about by the tsunami in Japan was estimated to be in billions of dollars. Just how would Japan be able to withstand this economic turmoil was a big question. But Japan did cope and is recovering what with the cooperation of every citizen powered by the willingness and the human stamina of the Japanese psyche. The situation at that time was tense but the people – and even nature – were ‘calmed’ down and managed by good leaders composed of community organizers, political leaders and the ordinary Japanese who saw it fit to sacrifice more for their country and people. In a similar scene, the September 2010 Christchurch earthquake also brought in new perspectives in leadership during or after a natural disaster. Politicians, civic leaders and ordinary citizens, irrespective of race and tribe and all coming from the different parts of New Zealand and from the world, gathered strength to help the people fight loneliness and depression amidst uncertainty and chaos. The recovery efforts were supervised by Minister Gerry Brownlee, the designated Earthquake Recovery Minister of Canterbury. (Herald Online) We discussed transformational leadership. This style of leadership is one of those commonly used in organizations and businesses in this age of globalization. The new trend is for the leader to focus on his/her own people. We cannot have an effective leadership if we focus on the leader and his principles. Of course, his principles and the way he/she handles people do matter, but this has to be on the other way around. Meaning, the employees or followers should come first. To put it simply, the leader should know how to follow, so that he can lead, although not in the sense that he/she has to follow his subordinates. Following suggestions of ordinary employees or members of an organization is a good quality a leader should possess. He should lead his/her people to make the team effective. Bass and Riggio (2006: 16) explained that transformational leadership is universal. Transformational leadership can by its name transform people into the kind of followers an organization must have. Managers and future managers can take the lead and example of the personalities we have discussed in this paper. They are charismatic leaders but they also look for the welfare of their subordinates. One memorable passage that refers to Christ is: If you want to be a master, then serve the people. This means we have to be down-to-earth. In leading people, we have to be one with them. We have to look after our employees in the organization if we want them to serve better our customers. Gandhi did the same, along with successful military leaders. References Bass, B. M. & Riggio, B. 2006. Transformational Leadership. 2nd ed. United States of America: Routledge. Cardona, P., 2000. Transcendental Leadership. The Leadership & Organization Development Journal 21/4: 201-206. FedEx, 2010. Executive biographies: Frederick Smith. Available at: . Viewed 7 September 2011 Gardner, H., 1999. Intelligence reframed. New York: Perseus Books Group. Herald Online, 2011. Christchurch Quake: A year of 'dark and trying times'. Nzherald.co.nz, 4 Sept 2011. 6 September 2011. Holman, B., 2003. Icon of the month. In: Third Way, Summer 2003, Vol. 26, No. 6, p. 21. UK: Third Way Trust Ltd. Mayo, A. and Nohria, N., 2005. The truck driver who reinvented shipping. Harvard Business School Working Knowledge [online]. < http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5026.html>. Viewed 7 September 2011 National Maritime Museum, n.d. Building and managing a team. http://www.nmm.ac.uk/leadinglives/site/casestudy.htm?casestudy=1|page=1|access=0. Viewed 6 September 2011 Robertson, J., 2011. Jobs at Apple: master inventor, master marketer. . Viewed 6 September 2011 Warren, R., 2002. The purpose-driven life. Grand Rapids, Michigan: OMF Literature. Westley, F. & Mintzberg, H., 1989. Visionary leadership and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 1989: 10; ABI/INFORM Global, 17. Zaccaro, S. J., Rittman, A. L., & Marks, M. A., 2001. Team leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 12: 451-483. Appendices: a. Visionary Leadership and Strategic Management, by Westley and Mintzberg (1989) VISIONARY LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Westley, Frances;Mintzberg, Henry Strategic Management Journal (1986-1998); Summer 1989; 10, SPECIAL ISSUE; ABI/INFORM Global pg. 17 b. Transcendental Leadership, by Pablo Cardona (2000) Transcendental leadership Pablo Cardona Assistant Professor, IESE International Graduate School of Management, University of Navarra, Spain In recent years, the concept of transformational leadership has gained important support as well as some criticisms. The basic caveat to transformational leadership has been called the ``Hitler problem'' (Ciulla, 1995). Is Hitler a leader? Can he belong to the same category as Gandhi? Bass and Steidlmeier (1999) summarize some of these problems and propose a distinction between pseudotransformational leaders and authentic transformational leaders. Pseudotransformational leaders are ethically questioned because they appeal to emotions rather than to reason, and may manipulate followers' ignorance in order to push their own interests. Hitler or Saddam Hussein could be situated in such a category. On the other hand, authentic transformational leaders are engaged in the moral uplifting of their followers, share mutually rewarding visions of success, and empower them to transform those visions into realities. Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa are proposed as examples of this category. In order to distinguish between these two types of transformational leaders it is necessary to refer to certain core values that the leader shows in action. ``For transformational leadership to be `authentic', it must incorporate a central core of moral values'' (Bass and Steidlmeier, 1999, p. 210). Even though Bass and Steidlmeier try to explain how certain values are found in all traditions and cultures, they fail to specify which are the concrete ones that we should look at and measure in order to distinguish the good transformational leader from the bad one. It is difficult to propose specific values without analyzing the dilemma between natural law and cultural relativism. In this paper I propose an alternative approach to solve this problem. This approach is based not on specific values that the leader must show, but rather on the influence that the leader's values and actions have on the relationship between leader and collaborator. Depending on the type of relationship the leader promotes, I will distinguish three types of leadership: transactional, transformational, and trascendental leadership. Relational leadership and exchange theory In the last 25 years, different theories of leadership have studied the relationship between leader and follower. One of these theories is the leader-member exchange theory (or LMX), initially described by Dansereau et al. (1975). In 1978, McGregor Burns analyzed relationships between leaders and followers and defined the theory of transformational leadership, later to be modified by Bass (1985). More recently, Rost (1991, p. 102) proposed the following definition of leadership: ``leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes''. These paradigms focus on the exchange relationship between leader and subordinates (relational leadership) rather than stressing the leader's qualities or behaviors (personal leadership), or the match between the leader's style with the followers and task (situational leadership). Exchange relationships have traditionally been classified in two types: economic and social (Homans, 1961; Blau, 1964). Economic exchange is based on an explicit agreement between two parties. For example, the economic exchange relationship between boss and subordinate is regulated by an employment contract specifying the rights and duties of each in relation to the other. The failure of one of the parties to carry out his or her duties can lead to a legal suit by the other party. Social exchange, on the other hand, is based on an implicit agreement that… The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at The Leadership & Organization Development Journal 21/4 [2000] 201±206 http://www.emerald-library.com [ 201 ] c. Team Leadership Team leadership Stephen J. Zaccaroa,*, Andrea L. Rittmana, Michelle A. Marksb aPsychology Department, George Mason University, 3064 David T. Langehall, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030-4444, USA bFlorida International University, Miami, FL, USA Abstract Despite the ubiquity of leadership influences on organizational team performance and the large literatures on leadership and team/group dynamics, we know surprisingly little about how leaders create and handle effective teams. In this article, we focus on leader–team dynamics through the lens of ‘‘functional leadership.’’ This approach essentially asserts that the leader’s main job is to do, or get done, whatever functions are not being handled adequately in terms of group needs. We explicate this functional leadership approach in terms of 4 superordinate and 13 subordinate leadership dimensions and relate these to team effectiveness and a range of team processes. We also develop a number of guiding propositions. A key point in considering such relationships is the reciprocal influence, whereby both leadership and team processes influence each other. D 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Effective team performance derives from several fundamental characteristics (Zaccaro & Klimoski, in press). First, team members need to successfully integrate their individual actions. They have specific and unique roles, where the performance of each role contributes to collective success. This means that the causes of team failure may reside not only in member inability, but also in their collective failure to coordinate and synchronize their individual contributions. Team processes become a critical determinant of team performance, and often mediate the influences of most other exogenous variables. 1048-9843/02/$ – see front matter D 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. PII: S1048-9843(01)00093-5 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-703-993-1355. a. E-mail address: szaccaro@gm.edu (S.J. Zaccaro). Read More