Comprehensive Leadership - A Culturally Sensitive Approach to Organization Structuring - Case Study Example

Comprehensive Leadership - A Culturally Sensitive Approach to Organization Structuring Introduction Leadership involves influencing other people to act in a particular way that the leader believes is likely to bring success to them. People work better when they have a clear vision of where they would like to be in future (Kesler, 2002). The leader helps people to discover their talent and identify how it can be applied to accomplish their desires as a group. He uses his/her knowledge to help groups of people to set goals and develop a strategic plan to ensure that they do not fail in accomplishing tasks. In communities, leaders are in charge of explaining concepts to the followers, organizing and spearheading action. This paper presents a critique of leadership from various aspects such as an interview with a community leader, personal leadership reflection as well as a servant leadership profile. Interview with an Elected Community Leader (in Charge of 8,000 Community Members) The community leader argued that leadership develops with experience. Before he could develop to an effective leader that he is now, he had problems relating with the people that he represents. When he was campaigning for the post, he was motivated by the conviction that he had the necessary qualifications to lead. The post was open for every person who felt he was capable. After election, the leader later learnt that the leadership qualities he had were far from sufficient in community leadership. He realized that people solely depended on him to provide a solution for all their problems. According to him, he initially contemplated giving up leadership. The pressure was so much that it was not possible to accomplish tasks without disturbances. He views some of the experiences in leadership as having a significant impact on developing his leadership style. One of the most troublesome experience was a situation whereby two of his close assistants had disagreed explicitly, making the community to raise concerns regarding his leadership. He realized that this would jeopardize his reputation, while on the other hand it could lead to the fragmentation of the decision making group. He first solved the problem internally and later realized that it was important to let people know that there were no disagreements amongst his subordinates. The other experience is when the community was faced with a severe drought, leading to the death of animals and deterioration of the community’s health. The community was looking upon the leader to provide a solution to the predicament that was facing the people. As a leader, he learnt that it is difficult to convince people that there is no way out of problems. Such a declaration would lower the people’s confidence on him. He initiated dialogue with his subordinates that led to the appointment of a delegation that would approach leader from the neighboring community for assistance. He headed the delegation that was readily accepted in the other community. The leader mobilized community members to make contributions to assist the people who were suffering. Since then, the two leaders spearheaded cooperation among the two communities in terms of trade, farming activities as well as assistance during calamities. The community leader stated that the two experiences were valuable in his leadership role since he acquired essential knowledge in regard to coping with challenges. In the first experience, he learned strategies for conflict resolution. Under such circumstances when one is required to make a decision without favoring one side, the leader noted that effective leadership requires the capacity to cope with dilemma, and the ability to make a sound decision that leaves the warring parties satisfied. The second experience was also valuable in the sense that the leader learned to collaborate with other communities to assist each other in times of problems, as well as cooperate to accomplish common objectives. He also learned that community members were highly dependent on him in regard to finding a solution to their problems; hence he has always been spearheading problem solving in the community. Views regarding leadership have changed over time according to the community leader. Initially, he considered leadership as the use of the skills acquired in education to lead. However, this view has diminished in the leader’s mind after realizing that each day brings new challenges and that the approach to each problem has to be unique. This means that not many problems facing the community can be solved in the same way. The leader’s views have turned to critical thinking as the most important aspect in problem solving. Education is supportive to critical thinking, but he feels that leadership needs not solely be based on it. The leader stated that, “It requires understanding people and making them understand you to be an effective leader”. The leader notes that there has been a great change in regard to his anticipation. Initially, he expected to always be happy with accomplishments each day, and the prestige that he would have in the community. However, his view of leadership changed after realizing the many challenges that resulted in sorrow, disagreements and many other negative aspects. The leader viewed leadership in his area to be somehow different from other arenas. In the first place, he observed the leadership style of the neighboring community applied an authoritarian approach whereby community members were required to strictly adhere to instructions from the leader without being involved in the decision making process. The leader highlighted the decision making process in his community that involved collecting views from the community regarding matters affecting the members, analyzing and incorporating the most appropriate ideas in the final decision. He viewed it as people oriented leadership whereby the leader understood the relevance of the community members in the success of his leadership. The leader stated that he reflects about the effectiveness of his behavior as the initiator of a community project to build a reservoir that could serve the whole community with water that was scarce during the dry season. Were it not for his initiative, the leader believes that the water problem would have escalated especially due to the fact that the population continues to increase leading to a greater demand for water. This reflection generates new insights especially when he focuses on a long-standing problem affecting the community. The community has been capable of dealing with a number of problems due to the behavior of the leader of being an initiator. The leader observes that people need to learn to understand others early in their careers. He views emotional intelligence as the key to effective leadership, and that people should not lay their leadership aspirations on educational qualifications only. They need to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. He also wishes that people aspiring to become leaders be aware that leadership is not only concerned with happiness. His advice is that such people need to understand that there are many challenges in leadership that they have to be prepared for. Assessment of Personal Leadership My orientation towards power is that I have high hopes for power, but at the same time I tend to fear it. In other words, I would like to be in a position of power, but I dislike the failures associated with power. I would be cautious when using the power that can be bestowed to me by the community or any other more powerful individual. For example, if I am given power to oversee the decision-making process in the community or within an organization, I would be cautious not to impose my decision on others. I would ensure that I avoid getting in to situations which may cause embarrassment, such as my followers’ unrest as a result of imposing decisions on them. I would like to be in a powerful position where I am capable of positively influencing others and to be their mentor in regard to accomplishing their goals. I dislike authoritarian leaders overseeing my work. Rather, I would wish to work under an authoritative leader who understands my interests other than imposing decisions on me. I would not fear working independently when in power, but I would always communicate my plans to the people before implementing them. I highly appreciate diversity in regard to gender, religion and ethnicity among other aspects of humans and therefore while in a powerful position, I would always ensure that all people are treated with esteem. My leadership motives comprise the desire, enthusiasm and dedication to act in the right way, and to promote high commitment among my subordinates. I believe that when my followers are satisfied, they are committed towards accomplishment of a common goal. Promotion of commitment among them involves letting them know that their decisions are significant in the group’s endeavors. I usually do not rely on emphasizing on compliance to my requests. Instead, I motivate everyone to remain focused on the goals and also have in mind that without remaining committed to their tasks, it is unlikely that the group will accomplish its goals. I believe that promoting commitment is more than emphasizing on efficient resource management. Generating focus and satisfaction among my subordinates makes them resourceful and willing to cooperate. I am dedicated to maintain inventiveness among my subordinates, to ensure that tasks are accomplished with deftness and focus on the goals. I ensure that my leadership behavior reflects the significance I attach to the actions that I would like my subordinates to engage in. For example, I believe that the success of a group or organization can only be achieved through team work. My motive to build strong teams reflects this understanding, which is significant in the accomplishment of the laid down goals. I am also committed towards maintaining harmonious relations among members of the group. This is because of the knowledge that workplace conflicts hamper the realization of goals. Decision making can not be effective when group members engage in conflicts. I also have a motive of generating a sense of ownership among members of my group in regard to our goals. This is accomplished through encouraging them and helping them realize their dreams. I always demonstrate interest and enthusiasm whenever one of my group members succeeds in his/her endeavors. In many situations, when they realize that their leader appreciates their efforts, they tend to get motivated to work harder. I always ask whether my subordinates are satisfied with the progress. This helps in encouraging constructive discussions that are important in keeping the group aware of the progress. I demonstrate proficiency in the day to day activities so that my subordinates can realize that they work under the leadership of a capable person who has the ability to lead the group to success. In general, my motives are mainly focused on maintaining a positive attitude among members of my group, which is important in any activity or action that affects us all. I have always been successful in influencing others through showing concern to their beliefs. I understand that each person would wish to be appreciated in regard to the day to day accomplishments. I influence my colleagues and subordinates through consultation whereby I allow them to offer their views regarding various issues affecting the group. This maintains their interest towards making contribution to the decision making process. On the other hand, I employ my knowledge and experience to persuade others to adopt my views. This is due to my understanding that people tend to engage in actions which they can visualize reason. I offer logical explanations in every action that I persuade them to perform. Being inspirational is a tool that I have always used to convince people to adopt my ideas. I have always inspired my followers in regard to taking positive actions on matters affecting them. This is accomplished through generation of interest for them to be enthusiastic about engaging in the particular action. Under such circumstances, my subordinates are usually convinced that they are doing the right thing for themselves and for the entire group. I demonstrate understanding of their emotions, which makes it possible to persuade them to do something. More over, I try as much as possible to make my subordinates feel important in the group. This usually occurs before persuading them to undertake a particular action, which makes it possible for me to lead the group in accomplishing tasks without resistance. Combining efforts is important for the accomplishment of tasks. I realized that people are usually convinced to do something when their leader demonstrates to them that other leaders in other organizations or groups act in the same way as him/her (Alldredge et al. 2003). I therefore form alliances with the leaders from other groups whom we have a common objective. When they visit me and support my ideas in the presence of members of my group, it is usually easy to persuade the group to adopt my ideas. I do not rely on compliance through intimidation, but I ensure that my followers are aware of the consequences of not adhering to my instructions. I ensure that they understand the examples of other people who never succeeded because of not following my recommended course of action. I consider using examples to avoid an outlook of authoritarian leadership. On the other hand, apart from helping people to discover what they can gain from adhering to my advice, I motivate them through offering rewards to ensure that they work harder. These tactics have been significant in influencing others to act according to my opinion. Creativity is one of my strongest characters that have enabled me to lead my group to success. I have always focused on inventiveness as the key to a successful team. There are many situations whereby I have spearheaded creative projects in my group, such as designing unique income generating activities, developing original and lasting solutions to problems facing my group, planning for social responsibility and many other creative activities. Creativity has been useful to my leadership position since members of my group have confidence in me and they believe that I am capable to generate solutions even to the most difficult issues. I highly appreciate the loyalty that I receive from my subordinates due to creativity. My personality is unique and has enabled me to be a strong leader in my group. I like to analyze facts independently and communicate to my subordinates after finding out that my original decision is workable. I also like guiding my subordinates to generate action from theories and develop goals which they work hard to accomplish. I am always determined to accomplish personal goals and make things work for others. I value knowledge greatly, as well as competent people who are able to work according to the laid out plans. I always focus on realizing my vision through developing long-term goals, while emphasizing on high standards of performance. I like leading others to accomplish their goals. My leadership style is authoritative, whereby I encourage other people to raise their views in regard to matters affecting them and the group as a whole. I know that among members of my group, I am the most qualified in regard to decision making. This understanding allows me to help them to realize the deficiency in the decisions they make. I ensure that my subordinates build their trust in me and that they understand that I am competitive in regard to performing tasks. I ensure that the actions taken are focused on accomplishing organizational goals. I take the slightest opportunity to benefit my group, and take the necessary action whenever the opportunity arises. I value harmonious relations in the workplace, which I believe is the most significant factor that can enhance cooperation and productivity in the workplace. I also ensure that the entire group comprises of members who are trustworthy, which I highly value because of the potential for trusted people to accomplish tasks in the right way. I also trust them and have never doubted their integrity. I value collective working to accomplish a common goal. Personal and group learning are also part of my values since I believe that they enhance performance among members of my group as well as my ability to lead them. I have been effective in developing a strong and trustworthy group that works towards accomplishing a common goal. Servant Leadership Profile Servant leadership involves ensuring that other people are empowered to utilize their full potential to accomplish tasks. It involves setting up a vision by the leader for the followers to visualize the future and endeavor to accomplish success (Cunliffe, 2004). The leader helps other people to discover their potential in transformational leadership. The leader in such a situation works towards generating enthusiasm among the subordinates for effective performance. The servant leader helps people to build strong teams that are necessary for sharing ideas and working together to accomplish a shared vision.  The path-goal theory of leadership focuses on flexibility of the leadership style to fit with the prevailing situation, thereby motivating and generating satisfaction among the followers, which improves their productivity. The leader-member exchange theory on the other hand focuses on the tendency of leaders to select a particular group among members of a larger group. Such members are compelled to work harder to maintain their relationship with the leader (Bate et al. 2000). An example of servant leadership is a situation where the leader discovers something that could be useful for the whole group in future. The servant leader explains his vision and values to the subordinates and ensures that they understand the implications on their welfare. This helps the leader to be strong in his leadership style since the subordinates work towards supporting his bid for the good of the whole group. A teacher leading his group of learners to understand concepts for a bright future demonstrates servant leadership. The benefits derived by the teacher from the leadership are the satisfaction gained after seeing his/her students accomplish their educational goals. He/she works selflessly to help learners to understand the concepts clearly to use them in their future endeavors. Description Personal Vision I visualize the possibility of leading the members of my group to success as a possibility. I have a vision that in course of my leadership, I will once be honored for helping others to deal with the problems that hinder success. When I reflect on the past where we have come from as a group and where we are now, I understand that it will be possible to accomplish our goal. I have been successful in helping my group to overcome the challenges that we have been facing in the course of accomplishing our goals. At present, I have substantial experience that I believe will help me to accomplish my vision. In future there are possibilities of having a strong group that will be admired by other groups. They will be consulting my group to gain knowledge on how they can accomplish as much as the group will have accomplished. I have passion for hard work since I believe that it is significant in accomplishment of goals. I feel that if every member of my group works hard, it will be easy to achieve the group’s objectives. I have set long-term plans to acquire more knowledge that can enable me to be an effective leader. In my plan, I intend to try as many new approaches to the accomplishment of the group’s objectives. However, in accomplishing this, I will have to encourage and motivate my group members to focus on accomplishing a shared vision. I will ensure that they understand the plan clearly and that they are involved in most of the decision making so that they can own the decisions and the ultimate goal. Conclusion In most cases, the leader motivates people to utilize their potential to do something for their own benefit as well as for the benefit of others. Leaders use their skills and expertise to guide others in accomplishing tasks, as well as helping them to overcome hurdles that may hinder satisfaction. It requires critical thinking and a high level of emotional intelligence for a leader to be successful in dealing with subordinates. Generating satisfaction among followers is one of the fundamentals for effective leadership. People adhere to instructions when they feel satisfied with the manner in which they are led. Satisfaction helps in the avoidance of resistance among the followers. The community leader interviewed has been capable of spearheading important activities in the community. He believes leadership is learned from experience. Servant leadership is important to generate satisfaction and empowerment among followers. I have been capable of helping members of my group to accomplish objectives as well as discover their potential. I have long-term goals that will enable the group to advance, and I also have plans to ensure that the group is focused on accomplishing a shared vision. References Alldredge, M., Johnson, C., Stoltzfuz, J., & Vicere, A. (2003). Leadership development at 3M: New process, new techniques, new growth. Human Resource Planning, 26(3), 45. Bate, P., Khan, R., & Pye, A. (2000). Towards a culturally sensitive approach to organization structuring: Where organization design meets organizational development. Organization Science: A Journal of the Institute of Management Sciences, 11(2), 197. Cunliffe, A. L. (2004). On becoming a critically reflexive practitioner. Journal of Management Education, 28(4), 407. Kesler, G. C. (2002). Why the leaders never gets deeper: Ten insights about executive talent development. Human Resource Planning, 25(1), 32. Read More