Transformational Leadership Style - Assignment Example

Transformational leadership style Introduction Psychologists have broadly categorized leadership styles into a number of general categories depending on the level of involvement of the subjects in the decision-making process and the communication structure that is adopted in the framework. In (Iqbal, 2011), four categories are identified as autocratic, democratic, free reign and transformational. Autocratic leadership is described as a form of leadership where the leader makes the decisions personally without any input by anyone and is implemented by the members of the team. The study also describes democratic leadership as a fully participatory form of leadership and a free reign as a situation where the subjects dictate what has to be done, and the leadership has no direction in this framework. The same study describes transformational leadership as the most recent form of leadership. The core characteristic of this style of leadership is to inspire the team to produce revolutionary results (Edward and jean 2013). In this form of leadership, the leader identifies a need for change in an organization and creates a pathway towards attaining this change. In addition, the leader taps into the emotional aspect of the team to inspire them to achieve this change (Marshall & Marshall 2011). In Ciulla (2004), the idea of a transformational leader has been improved further by distinguishing this type of leadership from selfish and manipulative styles of leadership. In this study, the type of leadership is described as that which is driven by ideologies, is charismatic and confident. Regardless of the leadership style taken by the leader, a good leadership style is characterized by greater inspiration to the team hence greater achievement of the goals and objectives (Babatunde 2013). The individual, therefore, has to try to adopt a framework that best suits the intention of the person in achieving the goals. It should be noted that each person’s adoption of these frameworks will produce varied results depending on the effectiveness of the adoption. In this paper, I provide my personal leadership style and advance the discussion on the influence of an individual personal leadership plan on the communication within and without a team. Personal leadership strategy and communication At a personal level, one has to develop a strategy to deal with the leadership hurdles that one comes across in a team. To communicate this strategy effectively depends on the type of leadership that an individual adopts in dealing with the members of the team. For instance in an autocratic type of leadership, the decision and communication would be made unilaterally (Lussier 2012). My personal leadership style is a blend of transformational leadership style with a little bit of autocracy. The type of leadership is favored because the transformational style of leadership provides for a more progressive approach to management and is favored in the management of today’s corporations. However, it poses significant limitations on the leadership of the Modern Corporation (Kirimi & Barine 2012). Autocracy, on the other hand, will assist in making decisions that do not require a high level of consultation and are required to move the corporation forward. For instance, take a case where friends have to make a decision, and the vote is at a deadlock. In this scenario, there would be no need to continue making more consultations between the friends but to make a decision and move on. In this case the time that is to be wasted can be saved by the autocracy. In Kirimi & Barine (2012), the limitations of transformational leadership are given. The author argues that the content of a leader is much more important. In the case where the leader lacks content, the message cannot be inspiring as it should be and as such transformational leadership would not be very practical. The strengths of this personal leadership style include the ability to save time and still involve the participation of colleagues in the team. By adopting a transformational face, this type of leadership involves the emotions of the individuals, their mentality and inspiration. On the other hand, the use of autocracy to resolve disputes is necessary to break deadlocks and develop positions of progress that are in the best interest of the team. Apart from this, the ability of transformational leadership to be turned into cults (In Day 2014), is a danger that has to be avoided. By the introduction of some aspect of autocracy, the aspect of leader- follower set up in transformational leadership is easy to avoid. Communication to the external constituency in this leadership style will not be monitored to some extent. Limitation in monitoring is necessary in order to generate ideas for the team, promote diversity and improve innovation (Mumford, 2012). However, major statements regarding the team and the confidentiality of issues that are private will have to be guarded and left to be handled appropriately. A well-coordinated structure of information and communication within and without a team will help get information in and out of the team at official level (Knapp, 2010). However, this style of leadership has a level of weakness that can only be directly observed on the team. While one tries to be transformational and retaining a level of autocracy, the team’s reaction to the style of leadership could be in two parts. On the first instance of a display of autocracy, the team might assume that it is for the general good. However, subsequent repeat of the same would probably lead to a level of discord within the team. As such, the team leader needs to be crafty in promoting the ideologies that one deems fit for the organization using this leadership style. Leadership strategies As a leader, it is necessary to develop a strategy that will help one deal with the dynamics of a team. The strategies that have been advanced by business leaders included the use of positive leadership, positive team climate, positive interpersonal relationships in the organization and positive/well-defined communication structure (Cameron, 2012). In positive leadership, the study introduces a concept referred to as positive deviance where the leadership makes intentional shift from the normal routine to achieve extraordinary performance. In this strategy, the ability to turn ones weaknesses into a formidable force for better results is achieved through invention and innovation. This is normally possible because the adverse situation requires a great measure of leadership and innovation to overcome the challenge faced by the team. Critics to this strategy believe that it could be dangerous because it can instill reckless optimism (Cameron, 2012). However, the proponent of this strategy insists that the strategy of positive leadership be universal and may only vary in implementation due to the variations in culture. As such the results or outcomes largely remain the same. It is, therefore, the requirement of the leadership to elevate their efforts and apply genuine competencies in implementing this strategy. Positivity is one of the key virtues that a team should possess in order to win. There must be a belief in oneself first in any circumstance before believing that in competition one can actually race to the finish let alone winning the race. Therefore as a team leader, the ability to keep a positive spirit even in adversity is an absolute necessity. It will also lift the spirit of the members of the team and make them believe that they can beat the present challenge and prevail. A favorable environment in the team is another strategy that a leader can apply to get the most out of the team. Favorable environment can be achieved through the provision of incentives that aim at making the workplace comfortable for the team members. In a scenario where the members of the team are satisfied by the resources that the organization provides for them to deliver and then performance is inevitable. Satisfaction is one source of motivation to the team members. This idea is advanced by (Hartman et al. 1994) by a study on how to improve the morale of the employees of the United States Transit Development Corporation. Other means of implementing this strategy could include employee motivation through awarding dedicated staff and good performance appraisal. While doing the appraisal, the team members do not have to feel threatened by the exercise. In this regard, the team leader has to ensure good practices in undertaking the exercise, thereby, ensuring good teamwork (Arthur & American Management Association 2008). Motivation and a good working environment is a good way of improving the confidence of the members of the team. Good leadership requires an individual to identify the specific talents and weakness of each member of the team and assign them challenges that they can afford. The workplace should also be supportive of the teams social status so as to make the most out of them. For instance, consider a scenario where there is a large number of new mothers in a team, the team can decide to hire the services of a nanny to take care of the children at work when their mothers deliver to the team. Finally, good interpersonal relationships within the team are also leadership strategy that can improve the effectiveness of the team. If a leader can set ground rules of engagement between the members of the team and solve conflicts amicably, then the team’s cohesion is likely to be higher. In this case, the ability to work together towards a common goal is easy to achieve (Scheer, 2009). However, in the absence of cohesion in a team, there could be chances of sabotage within a team. The acceptance of an individual within a group will improve the participation of the same individual’s participation. It is vital for every member of the team to understand the capabilities of each other and accommodate the positions taken by the different members. On conflict resolution, the leader should be tactful enough to avoid any friction and improve cohesion Conclusion There exist several styles of leadership that a leader can adopt depending on the desired leadership outcome. More recently the introduction of the transformational leadership style has been adopted in different contexts in business. Various issues have risen since its adoption in 1978. The issues include the possibility of individuals developing a cult-like following instead or real leadership and the individual leader’s content of the ideas that are to be used to inspire people. Due to these facts, the number of critics of this type of leadership is on the increase. In addition, the level of applicability and effectiveness in the business environment has also been questioned. Many business leaders and studies have focused their attention in developing robust leadership techniques that focus on finding a solution to the problems raised (In Day 2014, Ciulla 2004). The actions are considered to be remedies to the issues raised about transformation leadership. At personal level, an individual might decide to integrate the leadership techniques to arrive at a goal that one wishes to. Strategy is a crucial aspect of success of anything that has to be done. In leadership, in order to inspire or lead a group to complete a task successfully, there is a need to apply a variety of strategies that are based on business proven facts. These can include motivation, positivity in leadership, and good interpersonal relationships within a team. At personal level, one can devise a means of dealing with the members of the team to ensure that each is at his or her best to improve productivity. References Arthur, D., & American Management Association. (2008). Performance appraisals: Strategies for success. New York: American Management Association. Babatunde, A. (2013). leadership and management: understanding the principles involved. New York: David Daniels consultancy. Pp9 print. Cameron, K. S. (2012). Positive leadership: Strategies for extraordinary performance. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Ciulla, J. B. (2004). Ethics, the heart of leadership. Westport, Conn: Praeger. Pp179. Print. Hartman, R. J., Kurtz, E. M., Moser, E. 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