Effective Leadership and Management Styles for Improving Organizational Performance - Research Proposal Example

? AN ANALYSIS OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLES FOR IMPROVING ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE By Lecturer: of Affiliation: City and State: Date: An analysis of Effective Leadership and Management Styles for Improving Organizational Performance Introduction Following the rapid competitive in the global business, there has been a considerable interest on the abilities to create organizational change through employing effective leadership and management styles. Leadership and management has become a widely concerning issue across varied organisation in the contemporary business environment. Effective leadership and management styles employed in an organisation has been said to be the major key aspects for improving organizational performance. In the current competitive business world, leaders or managers are looking for making employees productive in order to improve organizational performance. Effective leadership and management styles have become the significant tools for improving the internal operations, responding rapidly to external opportunities, streamlining the product development or management, achieving technological breakthroughs and managing challenges in the business environment. There has been an extensive body of research exploring the issue of effective leadership and management styles employed in the current business environment to improve organizational performance (Armstrong 2009; Yukl, 2012). Researchers have realized the significant of successful business operations through employing effective leadership management style in the current competitive business environment (Darling and Heller, 2012). Therefore, this research proposal seeks to offer an analysis on the way organizations can create change through employing effective leadership and management styles; thus achieving effective business performance. Research Objectives To examine the way effective leadership and management styles contributes to effective business performance. To analyze the way effective leadership and management styles affect workers task performance. To discover the relationship between effective leadership, management and employees job fulfilment; hence increasing productivity. To assess the potential impacts of employing effective leadership and managements styles in maintaining the normal flow of organizational performance. Research Questions 1. To what extent do effective leadership and management styles affect workers task performance? 2. How do effective leadership and management styles influence organizational change? 3. What is the relationship between effective leadership and management styles and employee job satisfaction? 4. How effective leadership and management styles do contribute to increased organizational performance level? Hypotheses Effective leadership and management styles employed in a particular organisation contributes to job satisfaction, increased productivity and influences wok performance as opposed to lack of effective leadership management styles in another organization. Literature Review Varied literatures have attempted to examine the way effective leadership and management styles have contributed to significant organizational performance in an organization. The Relationship between Effective Leadership and Management Styles and Employees Job Satisfaction Effective leadership and management styles have been linked with workers contentment. Schoemaker, Krupp and Howland (2013, p. 132) argue that employing effective leadership management roles contributes to employee satisfaction. This is crucial because satisfied employees can work together as a team toward increasing organizational productivity. The connection between organizational management styles and labor contentment cannot be overstated. This is because effective match between management styles and organizational operation realities can substantially lead to high level of performance. Raes, Heijltjes, Glunk and Roe (2011, p. 103) add that management is considered as one of the significant determinant of employee labor contentment. Thus, successful leaders should influence their followers by employing effective leadership and management styles in order to motivate employees. Raes, Heijltjes, Glunk and Roe (2011, p. 113) point out that employees satisfaction depends upon the styles employed by the leaders or managers. The internal environment including leadership management styles, organizational climate and human resource management relations are among the determinants of employee satisfaction in an organization. Therefore, leadership styles such as transformational and transactional play significant role toward employee satisfaction level; thus enabling them to improve productivity level. Ways through Which Effective Leadership and Management Styles Influence Organizational Change Yukl (2012, p. 67) argues that transactional leadership is one of the effective approach that contributes to organizational change. This is because a transactional leader seeks to inspire and motivate employees, as well as, maintains high moral standards that followers seek to emulate. Transactional leaders communicate efficiently with their assistants and clarify to them on the way duties should be performed. There are numerous behaviors revealed when employing this leadership management style such as contingent reward and management by exception (Cameron and Green 2009, p. 89). The research also indicates that trait and behavior leadership management style have been among the approaches employed by varied leaders toward creating organizational change (Darling and Heller (2012, p.61). Great leaders are the one who poses certain characteristics or trait that will enable them to influence their followers. Successful leaders should communicate, listen and be ready to solve any conflicts arising in the organization effectively; hence creating organizational change. Ways in Which Effective Leadership and Management Styles Affect Workers Task Performance Leadership managing styles influences work task performance in the organization. Organizations are structured in a manner that can enable them to accomplish the set objectives across the management level. Therefore, in realizing the set objectives, managers should employ effective management styles and formulate effective strategies, which will enable them to meet effective the set targeted organizational goals (Armstrong (2009, p. 78). Poor formulation of strategies and poor management styles will greatly impact the task performance of employees; thereby contributing to poor organizational performance. Therefore, for organizational to operate effectively, managers or leaders should employ effective management styles. This is crucial because effective management styles are among the significant factors that influences or affect organizational effectiveness. The significant implementation of management strategies and organization behaviors will influence job performance of labor force. One of the effective management styles is encouraging teamwork because teamwork enables workers to make decision faster and accomplish task faster within the stipulated time frame (Cameron and Green (2009, p. 56). Research Method The researcher will employ quantitative research design method, because this will enable the researcher to carry out systematic investigations of data collection and their relations. Under this design methodology, the researcher will arrange the dependent (leadership management styles) and independent (organizational performance) variables by attempting to maximize objectivity of research findings. The subject matters will be measured or tested using experimental studies and this is where the researcher will deliberately manipulate or manage the variables. This is through controlling or manipulating leadership management styles to determine in case they contribute to significant organizational performance. The experimental studies will take time series because the researcher will measure the variables more than once in order to achieve the intended set objectives. Data will be collected by using questionnaires and sample surveys methods, first the sample survey technique will be used to collect data from the participants. Therefore, the researcher will envisage some behavioral aspects of the study population of concern. In sample survey, the researcher will use simple random sampling technique by assigning each of the set population a certain number. This will enable the researcher to determine the way effective leadership and management styles will contribute to increased organizational performance level. For example, the researcher may presume that 10 people represents the total population of 10, 000 people and this will be generated and computation done in order to assign each sample similar numbers effectively. Secondly, the researcher will distribute questionnaires to varied participants chosen to participate in the research study, the questions will be set and written in a form that will be distrusted to the participants to enable them answer the research questions. The research form will be collected later for further data analysis in order to enable the researcher understand the way leadership and management styles contributes to effective business performance. Timetable Activities Time Period the Rear 2013 May June July Aug. Sept. October Nov. Dec. Carry out pilot study Formulate Objectives Formulate research questions Formulate research hypotheses Write-up literature Construct of research design method Carry out experimental studies Sample selection Prepare and distribute questionnaires Analyze data Write-up ethical issues Edit and compete report Print and bind report Figure 1: Chart Indicating Various Stages of the Proposed Research Project Practical Issues Relating to the Research Research issues will always rise especially this will be noted in the research design method used, data collection method and research questions. There are varied issues that will arise from the data collection methods employed, in the case of sampling, varied sampling errors may occur especially when using simple random sampling method; thus impacting the effective research results. They will also produce weak research evidence because of choosing participants randomly; thus some participants with vital information will be left out. Lastly, ruling out confounding factor may create a challenge to the researcher. Secondly, questionnaire methods may pose threat to validity because not all participants will understand the questions. It will also contribute to information biasness because some participants may exaggerate the information, interpret in their own ways or hide the truth. The ethical issues should be addressed and pilot study conducted before caring out the research study. The researcher will address ethical issues by consent information and assuring the participants that information recorded will only be used for study purpose; thus it will remain private and confidential. Pilot study is vital because it will help the researcher to collect significant information and understand the potential problem that may arise from using varied data collection methods. Reference List Armstrong, M. (2009). Armstrong's Handbook of Management and Leadership: A Guide to Managing for Results. [N.P.]: Kogan Page. Cameron, E., & Green, M. (2009). Making Sense of Change Management : A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools & Techniques of Organizational Change. [N.P.]: Kogan Page. Darling, J., & Heller, V. (2012). Effective Organizational Consulting Across Cultural Boundaries: A Case Focusing on Leadership Styles and Team-Building. Organization Development Journal, 30(4), 54-72. Raes, A. L., Heijltjes, M. G., Glunk, U., & Roe, R. A. (2011). The Interface Of The Top Management Team And Middle Managers: A Process Model. Academy Of Management Review, 36(1), 102-126. doi:10.5465/AMR.2011.55662566 Schoemaker, P. H., Krupp, S., & Howland, S. (2013). Strategic Leadership: The Essential Skills. Harvard Business Review, 91(1), 131-134. Yukl, G. (2012). Effective Leadership Behavior: What We Know and What Questions Need More Attention. Academy Of Management Perspectives, 26(4), 66-85. doi:10.5465/amp.2012.0088 Appendix Read More