Leadership Theories and Behavior in Organization - Essay Example

Leadership Theories and Behavior in Organization The business world depends on the contribution of its human resources in order to succeed. The managers of companies are responsible for the performance of their workers. Employees respond to the guidance provided by their leaders. Leadership can be defined as the action or influence necessary for the direction of an organization of effort in a group undertaking (Oxford, 2010). Leadership is needed for employees to have a sense of direction in the workplace. Workers need someone to guide the organization that offers the employees all the support and help needed for them to complete their tasks. Organizations that have good leadership teams have higher success rates. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the topic of leadership through the use of concepts, theories and practical applications. The use of leadership extends itself to many career choices including the nursing profession. Nurses work a lot independently due to the job requirements which includes constantly caring for the patients in a hospital. Training nurses and giving them empowerment can help build leadership in this group of workers. Some leadership mechanisms available to practicing nurses are peer support, guidelines and protocols, and perceived clinical leads (Burns, 2009). Young nurses who are able to develop their leadership skills can earn higher income due to the fact that they can use those skills to become supervisors of other nurses. Nurses that develop their leadership skills can also increase their opportunities in the corporate world by increasing their level of education. A family nurse practitioner with a master’s degree can earn an average salary of $70,081 to $85,814 (Payscale, 2010). A nurse can also enhance her leadership skills by going through the tough training and educational experience that a graduate level degree program requires. Leadership abilities are needed in order to succeed in the business world. Due to the fact that managers are responsible for the performance of the employees of a company they must possessed well developed leadership skills. Managers have to have vision and learn to recognize that they need help to get the job done. Leadership is not limited to the managerial ranks. A lot of floor employees have excellent leadership skills that can be exploited to improve a business operation. There are certain competencies that are needed for persons to become good leaders. Good communication skills are essential for a person to exert leadership.”Business leaders are confronted with numerous challenges, such as globalization, cultural diversity, black economic empowerment, and transformation“(Botha & Claassens, 2010). A good leader realizes that there are a lot of internal and external factors that influence the ability of a company to compete in the fierce business environment of the 21st century. There is some controversy in the business world regarding what makes a person a leader and whether or not leadership is an innate ability. A person that is able to communicate well has a better chance of becoming a leader in the future. The truth is that leadership is something that one is not born with like blue eyes. A person gains leadership abilities through the value of education, training, work and life experiences among other factors. A common mistake that is often made is assuming that seniority will automatically lead to enhance leadership abilities. Just because a person has a lot of experience at doing something does not imply that that worker has the interpersonal skills, wisdom, and intelligence required to be a leader. Effective leaders raise the productivity of their followers and help them developed their work skills (Watson, 2008). One of the earliest leadership theories developed by Karl Max in 1947 is the charismatic leadership model. Charismatic leaders are devoted individuals that utilized exceptional heroism or exemplary character to gain the trust of their followers (Katene, 2010). Throughout history there have been many charismatic leaders that have influenced our society in a positive manner. One of those leaders was Dr. Martin Luther King. Martin Luther King was able to captivate the imagination of thousands of people when he expressed his ideas to groups of people. Charismatic leadership is a valuable skill set to master in the field of politics. Bill Clinton was a charismatic leader that help the United States enjoy great economic progress during the 1990’s. In business charismatic leaders can help a manager gain the trust and confidence of the different stakeholder groups interested in the financial results of an enterprise. Companies that have leaders as part of their staff are at a competitive advantage. A lack of leadership is an undesirable business scenario. Organizations that do not have good leaders in charge do not have a clear sense of direction. During the 1990s the apparel giant Nike Corporation suffered from a lack of leadership that led to the practice of using sweetshops located in developing countries to manufacture its shoes and clothes products. The company lost millions of dollars of revenue due to public image consequences. A good leader will establish a clear code of ethical standards that must be followed by the employees of the company. Corporate social responsibility has become an important strategy that managers and leaders must follow to keep up with the expectations of stakeholders. Great leaders have significant responsibility in developing the strategy and culture of their organization (Keith, 2010). The organizational culture of a company is an important element that determines the success of a business enterprise. The organizational culture of a company can be defined as the system of shared actions, values, and beliefs that develops within an organization and guides the behavior of its members (Schermerhorn & Hunt & Osborn, 2003). Companies with strong cultures are more effective and productive. The leaders of organizations are responsible of developing a good organizational culture. Bill Gates is an example of a business leader that created an innovative, adaptive, and fun to work for organization culture at Microsoft. Business leaders must comply with high ethical standards in order to gain the respect of their workers. Many leaders establish work standards for others to follow by leading by example. A supervisor that is opened minded and respectful to their subordinates will get the same treatment from its staff. Due to the uncertainty of the future organizations need leaders that are able to guide them towards the roads of prosperity. In order for businesses to achieve effective change they need leadership to be present throughout the organization (Weinstock, 2010). Good leaders are able to establish work plans that are attainable and challenging. An organization whose leaders had a vision of expansion beyond the expectation of others is the coffeehouse giant Starbucks Café. The leadership team at Starbucks utilized ethically responsible practices such as fair trade coffee in order to increase the customer base of the company. When expanding into foreign locations companies should use a leadership task force that includes workers that are residents of the country. It is important for organizations to develop the leadership skills of its personnel. A technique that helps build leadership skills in workers is the use of team units. Teamwork allows workers to work closely with others which help employees improve their leadership and interpersonal skills. Leadership styles such as transformational leadership can influence the behavior of others. An example of a transformational leader that is able to influence the behavior of others through his actions and words is the current president of the United States Barack Obama. One of the main factors that led to his election in 2008 was Obama’s ability to inspire others due to his superior leadership abilities. A way for a country or business entity to improve the leadership capabilities of a group of people is by offering educational opportunities (De Vries & Korotov, 2010). Offering total compensation packages that include educational incentives is a great way to inspire talented workers to develop their leadership skills. One of the most effective mechanisms for developing leadership skills is the use of teams. There are industries such as the sporting industry in which the team concept become of utter importance. Sports teach people how to work together, a trait that is very valuable in the business world. In the NFL the quarterback is the position that must show leadership to effectively run an offence. Leaders have to be able to inspire their follows in order to achieve the best possible results. Based on the Multidimensional Model of Leadership athletes perceive their coach to be the primary leadership figure to follow (Damon, 2009). The most successful coach in the NBA, Phil Jackson, is a leader that delegates the leadership role to other members of the team. The application of leadership can provide benefits in any type of business scenario. A service industry that requires a high degree of professionalism due to the intimacy of the business transaction is maternity services such as midwives. Midwives need strong leaders to guide them through the term of the pregnancy. Supervisors of midwives need to use their leadership abilities to establish a close bond with the midwife in a mentor-protégé relationship. The leader must be able to influence the behavior of the protégé to act responsibly throughout the nine month maternal period. The use of authority is an effective leadership technique in the maternal industry (Hinchliff, 2010). The United Nations uses diplomacy to exert leadership and guidance over affairs that affect the entire world. A country that needs the immediate attention from the United Nations is Africa. Africa has one of the lowest living standards in the world. People have to survive on income of less than $2 a day. The use of transformational leadership is a way to influence the global society to begin formulating solutions to solve the problems Africa is facing. Barack Obama is a transformational leader that has the power to force change to occur in Africa. For change to occur in the long run leadership has to arrive from within Africa. There are already transformational leaders such as Nelson Mandela who are fighting to help bring Africa out of poverty. The use of leadership can provide benefits in the academic community. Students that show leadership skills are better able to deal with the pressures of university life. A leadership technique that can be used to enhance the learning experience of college students is collaborative leadership. A University that teaches a course dedicated to collaborative leadership is Maxwell School of Syracuse University. Collaborative leadership requires students to develop capabilities in designing a network, structuring governance, managing conflict, and effectively engaging the public (O’Leary & Bingham & Choi, 2010). The use of teamwork has become a widespread practice in the business world. Employees that can develop collaborative leadership skills are able to provide greater contributions when working in team settings. The work environments are changing and employees have to adapt and work under alternate settings. A practice that has become very popular today is the use of virtual work arrangements. Telecommuting is a work arrangement in which the employees works out of his home or on the road and reports to the firm through the use of telecommunication devices such as the internet, telephone, cellular, and fax machines among other devices. Due to the changes in the work environment employees have to be able to develop virtual leadership skills. Virtual leadership can be defined as leading in an environment that is not physical. “The challenges of virtual leadership are the same as traditional leadership, but occur in a much different venue where direct supervision and interaction are impossible”(Kerfoot, 2010). Leadership in the virtual world has to occur from both sides because the employee as well as the supervisor must demonstrate self-discipline and the ability accomplish tasks independently. Leadership skills can benefit people of all ages. Young high school students can benefit from developing leadership skills because these skills can open up opportunities. A person that has leadership is able to lead groups of people. Having leadership can enable a high school student to gain positions such as captain of a sporting team, president of the class, or to be the tutor of other classmates. Along with teachers a job position in high school that must show great leadership skills are school counselors. School counselors are leaders whose actions have a deep impact on the school environment (Briggs & Staton & Gilligan, 2010). These professionals are responsible for guiding the career paths of young aspiring students. An organization that deeply benefits from the virtues of leadership is the United States Army. Due to the nature of work performed by military personnel the Army needs to have persons that can provide leadership to soldiers. Leadership in the army must be present throughout the organizational hierarchy. Soldiers believe and depend on the guidance of their sergeants since in combat their lives depend on that bond of trust that they develop with their leader. The US Armed forces have been using leadership as primary tool long before the business world started using leadership (Useem, 2010). Due to the emphasis on teamwork military personnel are trained to be leaders. A group of workers that work hard every day using physical force and endurance are construction workers. Leadership abilities can help motivate construction workers to achieve greater productivity. A good leader will help, teach, and mentor the worker so that the employees become competent at performing their job. Safety is a critical factor that companies must comply with at all times in the construction industry. Due to the fact that leadership is not prescribed to one’s position any person can become a leader (De Rue & Scott & Ashford, 2010). A construction worker with exceptional skills can inspire others and lead by example. Leadership abilities within a workforce are a valuable asset to have. Due to the value of leadership corporate executives must emphasize leadership development within the staff. The development of leadership skills can help foster a more productive organization where the employees work together in order to accomplish common goals. The use of teamwork, problem solving, and collaboration are three strategies that can be used to develop the leadership skills of workers. Participative leadership can help get more people involved in positively influencing the behavior of others. When people develop leadership skills they become more confident people because they better prepared to participate in the corporate world and contribute towards helping other become better employees. The use of leadership can help improve organizational behavior at different types of institutions. In the corporate world the managers are the individuals responsible for the work performance of the employees. Having leadership abilities is essential in order to perform managerial work. Managers can benefit from having leaders through the organization. Leadership is not limited to the managerial rank as anyone can develop these skills through education, training, and experience. Obtaining leadership skills can help workers gain confidence and positively influence the behavior of other workers. The success of an organization depends on the quality of its human capital. Good leadership can help companies optimize the productivity of its laborers. 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