Application of Psychology on Leadership and Management - Essay Example

Application of Psychology on Leadership and Management Personality refers to individual differences in the characteristic patterns of thoughts, behaviors and feelings. It is studied under the umbrella of personality psychology which explains why personalities vary from one person to another. It is studied in two broad areas i.e. with an aim of understanding individual differences in particular characteristic and to understand the various parts of a human that forms their personality. In order to better explain the dynamics and patterns of human behavior and personalities, various theories have been found by philosophers. In those theories, the theorists who were of diverse professional backgrounds came up with “frames within which they explained human personality, what dictated the kind of personality that one would possess and the characteristics of those various personalities” (Tjosvol and Tjosvol 7). Psychologists endeavor to explain why people with the same heredity (from the same mother and/or father) and same environment react differently. They also explain why people of different heredity and past life experiences may sometimes react in the same manner in a similar environment. There are different theories all of which endeavor to explain human personality. Tjosvol and Tjosvol widely studied the major groups of theories that study people’s personality such as trait, behavioral, psychoanalytic, humanist and social learning (9). They embrace different approaches for example, the biological theories that suggests that the genetics of an individual are responsible for a person’s personality. This involves heritability which suggests that there is a link between person’s traits and the genetics. Behavioral theorists on the other hand explain that the personality of a person is dictated by the environment in which the individual stays. Tjosvol and Tjosvol studied that behavioral theorists study the measureable and observable behaviors of individuals by explaining that personality is adopted from the friends with whom one hangs most of the time (6). It is based on the belief that behavior and by far personality is a result/product of the fuse between an individual’s genetics and the environment. Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud Psychoanalysis is the oldest theory of personality and is based on the Sigmund Freud’s arguments and analysis of human personality. From this theory, personality is based on psychic energy (libido) and the unconscious. Man slowly develops from the id to the ego and finally to the super ego which form the basic structure of the human personality. There is a balance between the pursuit of pleasure and aggression as signified by life and death. Sigmund Freud was the founder of the psychoanalytic theory of personality and was later on in studies copied by Adler and Jung. The theories of personality are not just limited to the psychological understanding of human beings, they are important in “building careers at work places” (Gallos 12). The application of such knowledge at the work place is not limited to the medical field either; it is broad based covering such areas as teaching, engineering, leadership and management among other professions. This paper explores the applicability of psychology more so the psychological theories of personality in the everyday lives of managers and leaders. This is because leadership and management are always intertwined: a good, manager needs to have excellent leadership skills, styles and approaches. Leadership is only easy when the leader know the kind of people he/she is dealing with at any given point. This will inform the kinds of rewards and motivation that he/she applies. It will also inform the distribution and delegation of duties among staff members. Personality traits of individuals show what kinds of duties an individual will best perform in because it gives a clue of individual’s areas of strengths and those of weakness. Sigmund Freud came up with the psychoanalysis theory in which a persons psyche is divided into three parts; the id, ego and superego. The id is driven by internal instincts and reflexes and acts on the basis of reality and logic. In his argument, the role of the id was to gratify “instinctual and biological needs of a child like drinking water and eating” (Gallos 10). As the child continues to interact with his/her environment, the ego slowly and surely develops. As opposed to the id which operates on the pleasure principle, the ego operates on the reality principle. This is because the ego begins to recognize that certain behaviors lead to punishment because there is a shallow understanding of what is right and what is wrong. The super ego is known to have developed when the child can live by the societal norms and values. Gallos widely explored that this knowledge sets a limit to the types of gratification that one can seek in a contextual setting (6-7). Based on the Freudian psychoanalytic theory, human beings always have desires that they would want to accomplish within a given time frame. Although Freud argued that the id was in children and is impulsive in wanting immediate gratification, similar scenarios do happen in management and leadership. There are times that a leader/manager is in a dilemma and needs to make fast decision so as to determine the fate of the company and/or the people he/she leads. There are times when involving a third party in a decision making process is not easy. It is the role of the leader to direct what happens. The “cognitivity of the leader is hence needed in such times” (Tjosvol and Tjosvol 8). The cognitive capability of the leader should be such that he/she can handle many cases fast and simultaneously. This requires “elasticity on the leaders/managers part so that the needs of the company and the people who are led are met” (Gallos 10). Just as argued by Freud, there are stages that workers and the led undergo in order to attain the job objectives. One does not fully know and apply the rules and procedures of leadership when they are new in the job. Gallos studied that it takes a couple of years for one to overcome the usual fears that accompany performance in any given job in leadership (8-9). Leaders should hence during and after selection of their workers based on merit be considerate of the workers intelligence and level of experience. The way an individual behaves when under pressure is not just a result of professional qualifications, but also a product of external input of the leader. The leader can hence encourage those under him/her to achieve personal and job related goals by continuously motivating them towards the accomplishment of goals. Tjosvol and Tjosvol studied that motivation from a leader would include such things as appreciating and fairly rewarding those who do right and excel in their work (5). This can also be achieved by reinstating the company goals and strategies so that the led are made aware of what is expected of them as far as productivity is concerned. Motivation of workers is almost always accompanied with punishment. However, punishment is supposed to correct a wrong and not demean the worker who has done a mistake in the work context. The leader/manager should hence be keen to “apply praise and punishment deservedly” (Tjosvol and Tjosvol 4). A worker should know what extent of mistakes in line with the profession is permissible. A leader/manager hence has the role of making clear the company expectations and also communicating what actions are likely to be taken against those who do not comply to the vision and goals of the company. The leader must be assertive in his/her own right, executing the goals of the company and maintaining a balance between company needs and individual needs. For example, the leader should be assertive enough to tell a worker who continuously reports late to work of the financial implications of the hours lost in lateness. He/she should then be “able to place a penalty to those who do not keep to maintaining time, ethics and organization at the work place” (Gallos 3). The application of the psychoanalytic theory that was coined by Sigmund Freud is not limited to company leadership, political leadership and managers need the skills too. A political leader should be one that fully understands himself/herself. This is also referred to as self identity. Tjosvol and Tjosvol explored that the way an individual views oneself is a determinant of how much he/she can execute the peoples and individual visions and thereafter attain the desired ends (9). Whether the leader is extroverted or introverted in personality, there is need for quick and appropriate decisions most times. There are major universal characteristics of leaders that are related to the personality that determines to what extent a political leader can command a following among the people he/she leads. These are called personality traits of leaders. These include competency, honesty, inspiration, intelligence, fair mindedness, broad mindedness, straightforwardness and the ability to imagine among other traits. In addition, a leader’s qualities include independence, self reliance, risk taking, assertiveness, self sufficiency and ambitiousness. Gallos studied that the stated qualities are closely interrelated to the person’s personality since this is what dictates the outcomes of leadership (12-14). An effective is the one that can motivate a person or a group of people to attain what would otherwise not be attained in the given spectrum of time. The dimensions of personality that inform leadership thereby affecting the decision making process include extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to new experience and emotional stability. The major characteristics of extroverts are their talkativeness, assertion, energy and enthusiasm. Tjosvol and Tjosvol stated that leaders with these characteristics display the need for perfection and always maintain a good public relations strategy (9). This is good for leadership positions that demands massive influence on the led. Additionally, the leader should be able to consult with other concerned parties in a decision making process. A leader should also be “organized and have the ability to plan” (Gallos 3). He/she should however be elastic enough to uphold change when it is deemed as the best move towards the accomplishment of individual and organizational goals. Based on these studies, companies and organizations are taking to the route of rigorous selection of their leaders based on the argument of Freud on stages of development, character traits and personality types that are as a result of conflicts between the members of the psyche. The qualities of leaders based on personality are also receiving scrutiny in the selection of leaders who serve in public offices. This is based on the argument that the output of a leader is based predominantly on the “personality and not solely on the skills” that have been attained through academic and professional training (Gallos 11). Carl Jung Theory and Personality Carl Jung in his theory of personality insisted that man could have any if the following personality types depending on how he/she received information; extroverted or introverted, sensing or intuitive, judging or perceiving and thinking or feeling. A combination of the personalities described would result in 16 personality types. This however does not imply that an individual will fall strictly in one of the types; it could be a combination of many personality traits. In essence, there is “no human who can strictly possess one of the personality types” since even extroverts perform introverted functions and vice versa (Tjosvol and Tjosvol 7). Since a leader cannot cage individuals into prescribed formulas of behavior, the leader can learn on the individual strengths and weaknesses of his/her workers and all else that he/she leads. Based on the studies of Jung, each individual has a natural preference of what to do and the personality type of an individual tells how an individual is likely to cope to certain situations at a given point in the professional ladder. It also gives a clue and blue print on which environments specific employees would operate best. Based on this theory, individuals are able to choose on “career paths and management methods as well as leadership styles and methods” (Tjosvol and Tjosvol 106). It also guides the way a leader and/or the individuals who are led will handle interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships in the work place and beyond. Leaders being focused on client oriented approaches are today advocating for a closer understanding of those they lead. Gallos studied that personality of a person dictates on what an individual can do, how the individuals will do it, under what circumstances the individual will do it and the results that the individual can bear when other factors are made favorable (71). Focus is hence moving from authoritarian leadership in organizations to consultative approaches in which the employees can speak out on what makes them comfortable about what they do and what does not. Given the heavy investment in human capital, leaders are building solid relationships not just with fellow leaders, but also with those who are led so that the leader can have a true measure of the success of a new project or accomplishment of organization aims and objectives. It also helps the leader get “in touch with those who specific projects target effectively” (Tjosvol and Tjosvol 102). The practical applications of Jung’s theory of personality comes in handy when a leader has to decide which department an employee should work in and for what period of time. This is usually based on the managers/leaders understanding of staff’s strengths, weaknesses and passions. Tjosvol and Tjosvol studied that the keen eye of leaders in looking at the performance of those they lead has meant that leaders form rapport with the people they lead by understanding their personality types (100). Given that most organizations today are diverse in terms of cultural backgrounds and professional knowledge, leaders are adopting all rounded approaches in handling staff so that they remain relevant and competent in a changing managerial and/or leadership world. In the wake of the global wake to implement laws and statues that touch on gender equality and the place of women in the society, the psychodynamic theory of personality that was coined by Karen Horney is fondly remembered. She argued that the way a woman and a man were expected to behave was socially construed. The tragedy however was that this ended up forming a big part of the individual’s personalities. Women assumed inferior jobs and positions in the society because it was deemed okay to be so. In essence, “women had low self esteem and could not speak for themselves where men were” (Gallos 77). Although socially and culturally constructed, these unwritten rules played a part in making women the reserved people and back seat oriented individuals that they became. In the present day however, most laws speak on the affirmative action. Leaders and managers are at the core in the implementation of these laws at the work place. Women are no longer viewed as the less capable second class citizens that they were once viewed to be. Managers and organizational leaders are changing focus to have a representation of women at the work place. Selection is based on individual qualifications and professional prowess and not gender. Tjosvol and Tjosvol analyzed that women themselves are taking on major leadership positions because of their change of attitude on the way they view themselves and on the way they communicate their grievances and/or joys (98). Leaders are hence embracing the fact that women too are independent thinkers with an ability to make critical decisions at a far lesser cost than some men would do. Karen Horney theory and Personality Karen widely studied the neurotic personality of individuals. She explained that the personality of an individual was counterproductive and maladaptive in dealing with external relationships. Gallos explored that people want to feel good about themselves by forming relationships with other people (77). There are people in society today who owing to their past life experiences either cling so much or are withdrawn from association with people. Much as a leader may not have all the time to know the smallest detail of an employee to be’s past life, it is proving important for leaders to find such information. The manner in which this is done today is by asking employees on their family history, like if there are any chronic diseases that the individual to be recruited or the family from which he/she comes from has suffered. Tjosvol and Tjosvol argued that this provides the leaders and the managers with a blue print on how to handle such employees when they are hired because this may impact on their attitudes towards similar topics (122). Gruesome past experiences like divorces and involvement in road accidents have a way of denting a person’s initial personality and beliefs. Leaders, in the present contemporary world, having noticed the wealth that there is in keeping an equipped human capital are creating forums in which employees can benefit from neuro-therapy sessions. Gallos studied that these are geared towards increasing the involvement of the employees in the advancement of job objectives (12). It also helps improve efficiency in the employee’s areas of specialization thereby contributing to the common good of the organization. Victims of past childhood abuses operate on an adopted personality when they grow into adults unless the underlying causes of hurt are dealt with. This implies that those who do not find solutions for their childhood problems will have difficulties in coping with people. The leader needs the skills to handle such employees especially when their “returns to labor are high” (Gallos 65). Like Karen argued, organizations are built on relationships of which leaders and managers are the greatest partakers. Leaders are hence learning to embrace their employees and clients closely so as to ease the solution seeking process. In addition, leaders are progressively moving towards “remaining assertive in the decision making process” (Gallos 11). In essence, they are seeking a balance between when to hang out with people and when to stay alone. They are also learning when to uphold what others say and when not to all in a bid to make the workplace a habitable place to be. In conclusion, the applicability of psychological theories of personality is not limited to leadership and management alone. There are other professions where the understanding of an individual personality has played a pivotal role in bringing the desired changes in practice. For example, the medics have widely used the Freudian psychoanalytic theories to define the stages of development of a baby well into adulthood. Neurologists apply the Carl Rodgers and Karen Horney theory in treating their patients by neurosis. Psychologists and educators are also continuously applying the personality theories in understanding their students and relating with them. However, research into the authenticity and credibility of these theories has widely increased over the last few years. Although many more theorists have come up after the generation of Freud, the Freudian theories apart from the psychosexual theory have been applied continuously with minor adjustments. It is therefore imperative that the use of these theories will continue to grow in contextual practice in the present world unless new research results gain the propensity to render them obsolete. Works Cited Gallos, Joan V. Organization Development: A Jossey-Bass Reader. 1st ed. 2006. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2006. Print. Tjosvold, Mary M. and Tjosvold, Dean. Psychology for Leaders: Using Motivation, Conflict, and Power to Manage More Effectively. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1995. Print. Read More