Leadership and Management - Essay Example

Leadership and management Each and every organization requires leadership and management because all of them are affected by their contexts, philosophies, governance structures, value systems, and the legal ground rules under which they operate. These are the forces and factors that control their leadership and management needs. Over the years, the significance ascribed to the roles, functions, and traits of leaders has led many to ask a common question as to what makes an effective leader and why? Many of the social and behavioral scientists have tried to offer answers to this question. Leadership, however, is a surprisingly complex and elusive concept that requires in-depth understanding and explanation. As it is important to distinguish between leadership (or leader) and management (or manager), this paper compares and contrasts the role of a manager and a leader. It also tries to differentiate between management and leadership. Although managers and leaders functions and roles overlap considerably, the term manager connotes that authority has been formally granted to an individual by an organization. Management involves power legitimate formal authority that is granted to the occupant of a position by a higher organizational authority. Responsibility and accountability for the use of organizational resources accompany the power accorded to a manager or director. In contrast, the term leader implies effective use of influence that is somewhat independent of the formal authority granted to an individual because of position. Leadership cannot be granted to a person by a higher authority; rather, those who decide to follow bestow it on an individual. While managers have formal authority, leaders have the informal ability to get things done by attracting and influencing followers. Effective managers in any organizations must be leaders also, and many leaders become managers, leaders, and directors. The two sets of roles and functions, however, differ (Steven, 2001). Traditionally managements the term "management" refers to the activities (and often the group of people) involved in the four general functions i.e. planning, organizing resources, leading a group of people, and controlling and coordinating the organizations system. One of the common views of management is getting things done by a group of individual. To most employees, the term "management" probably means the group of people (executives and other managers) who are primarily responsible for making decisions in the organization (McNamara, 1999). Leadership is the ability to bring people together to dedicate themselves to a common goal. Leaders are people who get things done. Leaders are known by their accomplishments. According to Stephen Covey Leadership is not about management. Leadership focuses on the top line and Management focuses on the bottom line. While managers focus on the numbers, leaders focus on people. Management is doing things right whereas leadership is doing the right things. Team building and vision is the core of leadership. Leadership is all about building peak performing teams, teams focused on accomplishing goals. Leaders are able to effectively communicate and motivate the team to perform the set goals. Psychological research has discovered the following positive personality variables associated with strong leadership that includes warmth, friendliness, self-confidence, ability to stand up to pressure. These researches have also found that the absence of the negative qualities of arrogance, hostility, boastfulness, egotism, and passivity are correlated with positive leadership (Romney, 1996). Leadership and the roles of leaders in organizations A veritable leader attracts followers. Authenticity in a leader allows trust to be built and maintained. A leader must project fearlessness in facing challenges. A leader must stand firm even in the presence of criticisms, but still having the courage to admit his mistakes. Leaders are good listeners. An effective leader listens emphatically. He welcomes ideas and inputs from his team. This promotes harmony within the team. He creates enough opportunities for open communication then he capitalizes on the ideas shared within the group but making sure that he provides recognition for these ideas. Though he places a high value on dialogue and feedback, he knows when to take action. Leaders are good decision makers. An effective leader, who is focused, authentic, courageous and emphatic, must also have the proper timing in making and executing decisions. He prioritizes and moves with appropriate speed. A great leader uses time as his ally. Time management is the important parts of good leadership. It is also important to set an example to the team through proper time management. A leader must have talent or specific skills at some task at hand. He must possess initiative, tied up with a certain degree of charisma that motivates and stirs people to motion. He has dedication - a service to a cause with a clear sense of mission. A leader is results-oriented, optimistic, and is of the belief that he has the ability to “make a difference”. He should also possess the ability to encourage people and foster growth in them. He must be a role model, someone who leads by example. Self-knowledge and self-awareness are also essential characteristics. Building a strong leadership is all about building a performing team. Before one may lead, he must first understand the people who he will be leading. He must be able to see and understand his subordinates’ situation in their point of view. Observe how they act, speak and think. It is important that a leader identifies each person’s talents and skills in his team and specifies the task to be performed by them. Besides the team should be assisted by the leader as and when it is required. This builds mutual trust within the group, which will promote a stronger team spirit. Leadership needs to earn the trust of its team and the leaders have confidence in their team. A leader is always pleasant and friendly to all his team members. A leader must also provide compelling evidence that he can deliver. A leader must be able to concretize ideas and implement them. A good reputation is most important for a leader. A good leader inspires others to follow by setting an example. A leader sets the direction and strives to influence people to follow that direction. He must be a role model who adopts a persona that embodies his mission and vision, and is worthy of imitation. A leader trusts in his team and motivates them for high performance. A good leader is always generous in praising and recognizing each individual who is a performer and appreciate all contributions, big and small. A leader must project fearlessness in facing challenges. A leader must stand firm even in the presence of criticisms, but still having the courage to admit his mistakes (Smith, 2005). The most important attribute for a leader is being principle-centered. Centering on principles that are universal and timeless provides a foundation and compass to guide every decision and every act. All enduring philosophies, religions and thoughts are based on principles such as integrity, compassion, trust, honesty, accountability and others at their core. Leadership is all about communicating to people their worth and potential. It is the influence on others to help them discover their own voice, to find their own purpose, to make their unique contribution, and to release their potential, that truly defines leadership (Khan, 2005). There are numerous theories on leadership. Different leaders carry out their roles in a wide variety of styles, depending on the situation and circumstance. There are also various methods how leaders motivate and manage their people. But in the end, leadership is really all about faith, people and purpose. It is about having a vision, the faith that it can be done and the drive to enlist others in the pursuit of that purpose. Finally, leadership is the ability to influence people. Leadership is influence. Leadership is important because it influences the destiny of people. Leadership also determines, to a large extent, what a group of people will be able to achieve. Leadership moves people towards common goals, principles and values. Good leadership enables people to work together well, and realize their potential. Good leadership results in strong people and excellent results (Christian-faith.com, N.D). A good leader leads by example. The greatest authority in leadership is reserved for those who have done themselves the things they seek to motivate others to do. People what to be part of a winning team. A good leader must be positive even in the face of setbacks, so that people will not be discouraged and give up. This requires the quality of steadfastness and endurance. A good leader is self-disciplined. A good leader can sacrifice his or her present comfort for future benefits, and in this way inspires others to do the same. A good leader manages his or her time well. A good leader invests in others and empowers others to achieve and to become leaders themselves, without being threatened. Management and the roles of Managers in Organizations A typical definition is that “Leaders do the right thing and managers do things right.” A more standard definition is usually something like “managers work toward the organization’s goals using its resources in an effective and efficient manner.” In any organizations, different levels of managers are present they include top managers, middle managers and first-line managers. Top (or executive) managers are responsible for overseeing the whole organization and typically engage in more strategic and conceptual matters, with less attention to day-to-day detail. Top managers have middle managers working for them and who are in charge of a major function or department. Middle managers may have first-line managers working for them and who are responsible to manage the day-to-day activities of a group of workers (McNamara, 1999). The traditional perspective on management, and how to be effective in that role, was developed in an era of business stability and complacency characteristic of the 1960s and 1970s, and drew heavily upon the work of Fayol (1916), and then Mintzberg (1973) and Katz (1974). This traditional perspective that management is a universal set of functions and roles underpinned by personal skills and characteristics remains the cornerstone of many contemporary management texts, where managerial input is defined according to Katz’s (1974) typology, as shown in Table below. Table : A selection of management text definitions of technical skills, human skills, and conceptual skills traditionally required by managers. AUTHOR TECHNICAL SKILLS HUMAN SKILLS CONCEPTUAL SKILLS Bartol & Martin (1991, p. 18) Skills that reflect both an understanding of and a proficiency in a specialized field Skills associated with a manager’s ability to work well with others both as a member of a group and as a leader who gets things done through others. Examples: communicating, motivating others to develop themselves and perform well Skills related to the ability to visualize the organization as a whole, discern interrelationships among organizational parts, and understand how the organization fits into the wider context of the industry, community, and world Daft (1997, pp15-17) The understanding of and proficiency in the performance of specific tasks The ability to work with and through other people and to work effectively as a group member. Examples: motivate, facilitate, co-ordinate, lead, communicate, resolve conflicts The cognitive ability to see the organization as a whole and the relationship amongst its parts Gilbert et al. (1995, p.18) Acquired through training for or doing a particular kind of work The abilities that the manager uses to work with and through other people. Examples: communicate, empathize, work as member of a group Enable a manager to take a broad view of the organization & its environment & to visualize possible future courses of action Inkson & Kolb (1995, pp 30-32) Reflect expertise in a particular functional or industry area Enable managers to communicate effectively with people inside and outside the organization; they include both team work and leadership skills. Examples: communicate, motivate, inspire Skills of analysis which enable managers to find solutions to problems. See the organization as a whole, understand all its activities, interrelationships, position and goals Robbins (1996, p.8) The ability to apply Specialized knowledge or expertise The ability to work with, understand, and motivate other people, both individually and in groups. Examples: communicate, motivate, delegate The mental ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations This table shows that many texts based upon the traditional management perspective agree that managers need to possess and/or develop certain technical management skills that are the learned tools and techniques of management. Managers also require well developed interpersonal skills relating to working with others, with the component abilities encompassing everything concerned with managing and leading people. Katz (1974) despite classifying all three categories as ‘skills’, heralded the importance of distinguishing between the learnable technical skills of management versus the more abstract personal characteristics found in his ‘human’ and ‘conceptual’ skill categories. Skills of an effective administrator The six major factors that influence an administrator’s effectiveness are their technical skill, human skill, conceptual skill, intrapersonal skill, responsiveness democratic institutions, and a focus on results, including the moral consequences of one’s actions. Technical skill implies proficiency in a specific kind of activity and panic regularly in its methods, procedures, or techniques (Katz, 1974). Although technical skills are necessary in virtually every administrative position, their relative importance usu­ally declines as an administrator ascends within an organization’s hierarchy By the same token, technical skills are never likely to be the only characteristic that discriminates between effective and ineffective performers at any level in an organization (Perry, N.D.). Human skills are complex, and their role in organizations is difficult to summa­rize. At a minimum, they involve an awareness of oneself and how one’s actions affect others, perceptiveness regarding the motives and sensitivities of others, recognition of one’s responsibility to the group, genuineness in one’s relations with others, and the ability to bridge competing cultures, resolve conflicts, and nego­tiate (Katz, 1974). Communication is a human skill whose importance is accentuated by orga­nizational size, social cleavages, and network structures. Conceptual skills are to an administrator what effective design is to the larger enterprise. Each helps to unify and coordinate the administrative process. Robert Katz (1974) suggests that conceptual skill involves recognizing how an organization’s functions are interdependent and visualizing the organiza­tion’s relationship to its broader context. Besides these skills another most important skill of an administrator includes interpersonal skills. The association of intrapersonal skills with an individual’s character suggests that intrapersonal skills are highly consequential for ethical behavior. Conclusion People around the world today are seeking to understand the concept and practices of leadership. There are several reasons for the popularity of this topic, including that organizations are faced with changes like never before. The concept of leadership is applicable to any aspect of ensuring effectiveness in organizations and in managing change. Managing demands a new type of leadership in today’s multifaceted place of work. Hence it is essential that the 21st century managers must lead as visionaries and entrepreneurs, mentors and role model for change, team builders and servant-followers. To succeed, they must be aggressive in this competitive world, improve customer service, nurture a diverse workplace and meet unprecedented global, ethical, and business challenges. Managerial success depends on developing and using the leadership skills that move organizations and people forward toward common goals and objectives. References Bartol, K. & Martin, D. (1991). Management. New York: McGraw-Hill. Christian-faith.com, (N.D), Principles of Leadership, Retrieved 8 April 2006, from http://www.christian-faith.com/bible-studies/leadership.html Covey, S (1989), The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. 1st edition. Franklin Covey CO. Daft, R. (1997). Management. 4th Ed. Fort Worth: Dryden Press Fayol, H. (1916). Industrial and General Administration. Paris: Dunod. Gilbert, J., Jones, G., Vitalis, T., Walker, R. & Gilbertson, D. (1995). Introduction to management in New Zealand. 2nd Ed. Melbourne: Harcourt Brace & Co. Inkson, K. & Kolb, D. (1995). Management. A New Zealand perspective. Auckland: Longman Paul. Katz, R., (1974) "Skills of an Effective Administrator." Harvard Business Review, Boston: May 1974, Vol. 52, No. 5: 90-102. Khan, S. 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