Transformational Leadership and Organizational Culture - Term Paper Example

Management Structures and Leadership Styles in Sport I. Introduction When activating in a particular industrial area, managers have to make sure thatthey follow all principles of the specific market. Of course, there are general accepted management tools that can help leaders in a particular sector to improve their performance in accordance with the standards set and the demands of the above sector. In this context, the study of Bielski (2005, 26) showed that CEO's should have a series of attributes in order to succeed in their position: "a) they should value managing and leading people, i.e., getting work done through others; b) they should be intellectually curious, c) they should 'walk the talk'; d) they should be comfortable with their authority e) they should understand that to deliver full value, every aspect of the leadership system must be aligned with strategy: structure, processes, people, and human resource systems". The existence of the above attributes cannot lead to the assumption that a CEO is successful within a particular organization. However, it can be a positive indicator of his/ her professionalism and his/ her willing for success. Current paper examines particularly the issue of leadership in sports. The particular characteristics of management in the specific industry cannot be doubted. For this reason, it is necessary that all appropriate measures are taken in advance by the leader in the relevant organizations in order to avoid any potential failure or threat against the firm's interests. II. Management and Leadership in Sport One of the main aspects of management in sport is the administration of funds granted by various organizations and institutions. Regarding this issue Chadwick et al. (2005, 328) stated that "sponsorships are failing because corporations do not recognize that they are complex and challenging to manage; in this context a failure to professionally manage sponsorships still poses a threat to their effectiveness". It should be noticed however that because of the complexity of tasks involved in the sport management, a series of appropriate models and theories are available to individuals that are interested in activating in the relevant sector. One of the main issues that need to be addressed when involving in sport management, is the management of risk which is closely related with the specific industrial sector. For this reason, Bennett et al. (2001) proposed the implementation of a crisis-management plan (CMP) "that is understood and regularly practiced by all staff members" (2001, 27) and that "could prove invaluable in the event of an actual crisis; since it is impossible to conduct a physical-activity program that is 100 percent risk free, all programs should have an appropriate CMP covering a wide range of potential crises" (Bennett et al., 2001, 27). However, in many cases risk in sports appears unexpectedly with no time for preparation or for application of an appropriate plan of activation. In these cases, successful leader would be able to effectively adapt the elements of the CMP to the conditions of the particular case so that for the problem to be resolved on time. In accordance with the above an appropriate crisis-management plan should be available within every short organization and should be applied when external events or unexpected changes occur that need to be handled immediately. In such a situation the competencies of the leader will be 'expressed' offering to the organization the chance to survive and be developed. Regarding the above it should be noticed that "the primary goal of crisis-management planning is to develop comprehensive, written contingency plans that are based on existing resources and operational capabilities and that will enable staff members to deal with crises effectively" (Bennett et al., 2001, 27). In other words, the above plans should be appropriately designed in order to meet the needs of the particular sport organization while their performance should be closely monitored in order to evaluate their effectiveness in the long term. Leader will have to participate actively in all relevant efforts trying to keep the control of the procedure and to check periodically the performance of the crisis-management plan even in periods in which no sign of crisis can be observed. The role of team is also significant towards the success of the whole procedure. On the other hand, Diaz et al. (1996, 32) trying to respond to the following problem: "If good teamwork promotes productivity and quality improvement, then why are productivity and quality levels sometimes lower in a team environment' Both managers and subordinates have expressed dissatisfaction, anger, and exasperation over a team's frequent ineptitude and inability to generate good decisions". It should be noticed here that the performance of the team can be depended on many issues. A crucial element for the successful adaptation of the team in the organizational environment is the level of evaluation of the team's work both in the short and the long term. For this reason, in many multinationals around the world a series of rewards have been established for employees that achieve a high performance while a full medical cover is usually offered equally to all employees in enterprises internationally. Under these terms and given the fact that in most organizations internationally the competition is extremely high, we could understand the reasons for the existence of differentiations among employees within the same organizations. These phenomena have to be reported to the firm's leader and the latter should make sure that all employees are given the same chances for personal development and they all have access to the firm's supportive programs (e.g. maternity leave, provision for accidents and so on). The above situation can be explained in accordance with Diaz et al. (1996, 32) by the fact that "people in a team commonly feel that other team members decrease their chances for personal success while lower managers often do not provide the support needed for their teams because many of them do not know how to properly use the team concept". In this context, the role of the leader will be crucial. Especially for the case of a sport organization, leader will have to ensure that all athletes are given the same initiatives and support in order to success. In order to achieve the above target, a leader has to take into consideration all conditions related with the operation of the particular sport organization. Possible implications related with the nature of the specific sport should not be excluded. In the area of theory, leader can use a series of models in order to formulate the appropriate plan of action in accordance with his strengths and the needs of the specific industry. A well known theory that could be applied in this case is the 'Leader Member Exchange Theory' which supports that "because of time restrictions and assorted pressures, leaders generally develop close relationships with only a few key subordinates who are termed the "in group"; the leader's relationships with members of the "in group" can result in increased job latitude, influence in decision making, open communications, support for the member's actions, and confidence in and consideration for the member" (Case, 1998, 387). However, the possible application of this theory in the sport industry should be considered thoroughly in advance. The development of the above human network within a sport organization can influence the performance of the athletes who need to remain out of internal disputes and concentrate on their personal development. Under these terms, in many cases it is necessary for the leader to proceed to a series of changes in order to ensure the appropriateness of any plan proposed with the needs of the particular organization and the willingness of the employees to participate on its realization. In the case of sport organizations, leader should also focus on the provision of the appropriate support to athletes in order for them to achieve their maximum performance. In this context, the study of O'Neill (2002, 15) showed that leader would have to answer the following questions when dealing with the 'restructuring' of the organizational framework: "a) what were the critical success factors in previous successful change efforts' b) what caused other efforts to fail' Are you prepared to take on the obstacles' c) who can veto' Can anyone say yes' d) what is the organization's risk profile' e) what has created a window of opportunity' How long might it last' f) what is the up side for stakeholders' g) what Have We Learned'". The significance of the role of leader in sport has been examined by Hoye (2004) who tried to analyze "the dyadic relationship between leaders (board chairs and paid executives) and members (volunteer board members) within the boards of Australian voluntary sport organizations" and found that "board chairs and executives perceived the quality of their leader-member exchanges to be higher than their respective relationships with board members, and that higher-quality leader-member exchanges among all three possible pairings of executives, board chairs, and board members were positively related to higher levels of board performance" (2004, 55). Apart from the above leader can use a series of performance measurement tools in order to ensure the appropriateness of the plans designed in accordance with the needs of the particular organization. In this context, successful leader need to be considered as an entrepreneur who has to ensure the capability of his firm to survive in the local or the international market. For this reason, it has been suggested by Baker et al. (2005, 497) that "high levels of entrepreneurship can be integral to a healthy social and economic context or, alternatively, a sign that people will exploit even the tiniest opportunity if it is the only chance they see and in this way opportunity costs and appropriability are typically important subjective reference points for entrepreneurs, because they exhibit important cross-national differences". Leadership and entrepreneurship if combined can lead a sport organization to a significant performance taking into account the competition both in the local and the international market. In the case of sport organization, competition will be related with the level of development of athletes in other organizations and the needs of the athletes participated in the specific organization (in terms of their survival but also their development in accordance with the demands of the particular sport). III. Leadership in sports - the case of Rolf Harrison An example of the skills required by a leader in the area of sports can be derived by the case of Rolf Harrison, a former player of tennis who is now the owner of a sports management company, the Savitar Pte. Ltd. Rolf began playing tennis when being approximately 8 years old. After participating in the Hong Kong National Junior Team (he lived permanently at that time in Hong Kong), he moved to USA in order to study. In USA he participated in the University's (Princeton) team of which he was a Captain (in 1989). Afterwards, he returned to Hong Kong and worked for a local firm marketing tennis products. After finishing his MBA degree in City University Business School (London) he went back to Hong Kong and worked for a well known company, the International Management Group (IMG) until 1999 when he established his own company, Savitar Pte Ltd. [1]. Rolf Harrison has been an indicative example of the personal development of a leader in sports. After involving for many years in a particular sport, tennis, Harrison managed to acquire the necessary knowledge for the establishment of his own company, Savitar Pte Ltd. The experience gathered during his life should be regarded as valuable for his entrance in the entrepreneurship particularly in the industry in which he was activating most of his life. IV. Conclusion The application of management techniques in the administration of sport organizations has been proved to be necessary taking into account the needs of the relevant organization in relation with its survival in the modern market. On the other hand, the application of the Leader Member Exchange Theory "appears to have possible implications for the sport setting: roles or the standardized patterns of behaviour required of all persons playing a part in a given functional relationship are an inherent part of the sport setting while athletes participating in team, dual, or individual sports or involved with sport organizations have experienced the various dynamics associated with role development particularly between coaches and athletes, athletes and other athletes, and/or athletic directors and coaches" (Case, 1998, 387). In other words, because sport organizations have many differentiations from traditional organizations, their administration and their control can be a really challenging task for any leader. On the other hand, in order for a sport organization to be developed in its industry it is necessary for its leader to have the necessary knowledge as well as the experience of the particular field. The above assumption can be justified by the fact that the specific industry has many particular aspects which can be handled successfully only if the leader has an extensive experience on the relevant sector having participated actively in sports. For this reason, in most cases leaders in sports organizations are former athletes who know the difficulties and the risks of the industry and have the necessary skills to confront any unexpected turbulence with the appropriate attitude. (words: 2185) Works Cited Baker, T., Gedajlovic, E., Lubatkin, M. (2005). A Framework for Comparing Entrepreneurship Processes across Nations. Journal of International Business Studies, 36(5): 492-510 Bennett, G., Connaughton, D., Spengler, J. (2001) Crisis Management for Physical-Activity Programs. JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 72(7): 27-31 Bielski, L. (2005). What Makes a Good Leader' the Go-To "Guy" with Vision and Passion Will Top the Org Chart-And Lead Change Management. ABA Banking Journal, 97(12): 21-27 Case, R. (1998) Leader Member Exchange Theory and Sport: Possible Applications. Journal of Sport Behavior, 21(4): 387-393 Chadwick, S., Thwaites, D. (2005) Managing Sport Sponsorship Programs: Lessons from a Critical Assessment of English Soccer. Journal of Advertising Research, 45(3): 328-341 Diaz, J., Trumble, R., Tudor, T. (1996) Work-Teams: Why Do They Often Fail'. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 61(4): 31-40 Hoye, R. (2004) Leader-member exchanges and board performance of voluntary sport organizations. Non Profit Management and Leadership, 15(1): 55-70 Lim, J. (2006) Transformational Leadership, Organizational Culture and Organizational Effectiveness in Sport Organizations, available at http://www.thesportjournal.org/2001Journal/Vol4-No2/sport-organizations.asp O'Neill, R. J. (2002). Government's Change-Management Challenge: Key Questions to Which Government Leaders Should Find Answers as They Embark on Systemwide Reform. The Public Manager, 31(1): 15 http://www.savitargroup.com/htmlpages/coach.html [1] Read More