Leadership in the Marine Corps - Research Paper Example

Leadership in the Marine Corps Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Introduction 2 Leadership Theory in Marine Corps 3 Generic Leadership Theory 3 Contingency Leadership Theory 3 Traits Theory of Leadership 4 Marine Corps Leadership Principles 7 Influence of Gender in Marine Corps Leadership Process/Theory 9 Influence of Ethics in Marine Corps Leadership 10 Value and Culture in Marine Corps Leadership Theory 10 Leadership Issues Facing Society and Community 11 Conclusion 13 References 14 Introduction Leadership is a vital aspect for regulating, guiding and motivating people in any organization. In Marine Corps, leadership helps to increase self-assurance, faithfulness, pride and generate a feeling of responsibility. Inborn ability of a person cannot be altered, but through leadership the sleeping ability of a person can be stimulated. Marines are trained with having leadership goals, personalities, and principles. The key purpose of Marine Corps’ leadership is achievement of task which necessitates goal based method. And, the other purpose of it is to ensure the safety of team members. The personalities which make a great leader can be learnt in university and in military camps. Not every person is fit to become a leader. Majority of people is specialized in certain technical areas and possess the aptitude to flourish well in that area only and it is good for the society as well as if every person excel in leadership there will be lack of people in other areas and subjects (The Brookside Associates Medical Education Division, 2001). The paper describes the leadership theories and principles of Marine Corps. Besides, aspects such as gender, value, ethics, and culture will be discussed as these issues can impact on the leadership of Marine Corps. The leadership issues which are being faced in the contemporary society and community will be considered in this paper. The objective of this paper is to understand the generalized idea about Marine Corps leaders, how they operate in the society and cultural environment. Leadership Theory in Marine Corps Generic Leadership Theory Generic Leadership Theory states that “great leaders are born, not made”. This theory suggests that the inborn leaders have no such requirement for training as they establish themselves. Meanwhile, Marine Corps monitors and assesses the applicants for identifying inbuilt leadership ability for occupying leadership position. Though generic leadership theory is not completely true, Marine Corps’ require certain essential abilities to become designated as a leader (Page & Miller, 2002). Contingency Leadership Theory Contingency leadership theory suggests that leadership style must differ according to circumstances. Certain researchers disagree with contingency leadership; they say that leadership style depends on the character of a person which is not easy to adjust according to situation. In Marine Corps, at times the contingency theory is applied for achieving present day’s operation. The Marine Corps leadership requires that leaders must be ready for varied ranges of conflict (Page & Miller, 2002). Traits Theory of Leadership Many young males and females arriving at Marine Corps satisfy and identify leadership traits from basic training. Marine Corps’ leaders possess 14 leadership traits which are: Reliability: Marine Corps leaders are reliable because they inevitably perform tasks appropriately which are allocated to them. Manner: Manner is the other personality trait of leadership. Marine Corps leaders develop an encouraging impression through their unique posture, presence and personal behavior. Bravery: Bravery is one of the most common traits for Marine Corps leaders. They identify fear of risk or blame, but through their bravery they proceed with serenity and determination. Decisiveness: Decisiveness is the capability to make decision on time and pronounce them in strong and influential way so that the followers are bound to abide. Patience: A Marine Corps leader must have patience to tolerate pain, exhaustion, pressure and privation in any kind of unfavorable condition. Eagerness: A Marine Corps leader must show genuine curiosity and enthusiasm while performing his duty or task. Creativity: Creativity is one of the most vital leadership traits of Marine Corps leader. He/she should be able to take corrective measures in absence of any instruction from higher authority. Integrity: Integrity must be present in a leader. It is the decency of personality and accuracy in maintaining ethical principles which develop faithfulness and trustworthiness in a Marine Corps leader. Decision: A Marine Corps leader must be able to evaluate critical realities and develop possible resolutions on which comprehensive decision can be made. Impartiality: Biasness is not a trait of a good leader. A Marine Corps leader should offer reward according to merit and give penalty to people fairly so that impartiality is maintained. Knowledge: Knowledge is the other important trait of a good leader. It is the art of understanding any subject whether science or art. Marine Corps leaders possess professional knowledge and understanding on several common subjects. Perception: Martine Corps leaders have the perception to deal with other people without giving a chance of any offence. Generosity: To become a good leader, one must avoid self-comfort and personal improvement at the cost of other people. Loyalty: Marine Corps leaders are always loyal to their nation, team members, units, followers, peers and their superiors. There are several Marine Corps leaders who possess quite a few leadership traits discussed above. Marine Corps are stimulated to remember or rehearse these leadership traits which make them great leaders (Fox, 2011). Marine Corps Leadership Principles Unlike other managerial leaders, Marine Corps leaders have certain principles which they need to follow. These principles are provided to all marines to set objectives for controlling and managing their attitudes and manners in front of others. The leadership principles of Marine Corps are described below: Recognizing Own Drawbacks And Pursuing Self-Improvement: The principle of Marine Corps is to constantly improve themselves because no one can possess all knowledge or skills and there is always a chance for improvement. Marines seek to enjoy lifestyle with constant progress. Generate A Feeling Of Obligation Among Followers: It is the principle of marine leadership to generate a feeling of obligation within entire unit or organization. Marine Corp leaders enable their subordinates to make them responsible for their job and take appropriate decision on time. Be Technically And Strategically Talented: Marine Corps’ leaders are educated systematically in mechanism of their tasks and are strictly verified yearly in general abilities of their occupations. Make Comprehensive and Sensible Decision: Marine Corps are influential with respect to making decision. They understand the benefits of subordinates. Marine Corps leaders recognize worthy employees and accordingly allocate tasks to them. In this way, they effectively accomplish their duties and objectives. Keep the Subordinates Notified: Marine Corps are trained to follow the orders and they are given proper justifications when the time is right. It is the principle of Marine Corps to ensure that their groups are clear about the objectives of the organization and the way they can fulfill them. Marine Corps always keep in touch with their subordinates to validate if everything is progressing according to plan or not. Take Responsibility: Marine Corps take responsibility to display that they have faith in their own aptitudes. If any error is occurred by them they are encouraged to make things correct. Acknowledging faults reveal their honesty and maturity. Ensure Allocated Task Are Understood, Administered And Accomplished: Marine Corps are quite specific about their tasks and they supervise the employees for their accountability to complete their allotted jobs on time. They often set targets or standards to generate pressure on the subordinates which allows for great control on their performances. Provide Training To Team Members: The employees should act as a team and accomplish task in a harmonized style. Marine Corps ensure that there are effective communications within all divisions. They devote employees in providing cross training so that each division has a clear understanding on the responsibility. Proper Utilization of Team: Marine Corps leaders are realistic regarding the strength and the capabilities of the team members and organizational resources and accordingly utilize everything properly to achieve the goals. Set Example: Setting example is one of the principles for Marine Corps’ leadership. In order to make a proper and appropriate decision and make their teams informed, Marine Corps need to provide a luminous example to show what is expected from the subordinates (Department of The Navy, 2007). Influence of Gender in Marine Corps Leadership Process/Theory Gender has significant impact on leadership process. Females have a habit of approving more democratic or participative style compared to males. Women Marine Corps leaders incline to function in different ways by focusing more on connectivity and harmony. Organizations guided by women appear to be controlled in a different way to incorporate the connectivity and intimacy which is preferred by majority of female leaders. According to Sally Hegelsen, females’ organizational formation reveals a web system, where senior leaders introduce themselves in the center of it. Women who select Marine Corps as a career have a tendency to familiarize with leadership. As marine is usually a male dominated environment, women often self-select for those profession fields. Female Marine Corps prefer communication style more dominant and approve phenomena related in present day society. They incline to adapt male oriented manners to fit in the environment. Several researches depicts that women Marine Corps leaders develop two kinds of adaptation one is cooption and the other one is segregation. Cooption relates to those arrangements where women consent male descriptions of the position and pursue for merging into male organizational culture. On the other hand, segregation demonstrates groups of female employees who are secluded from the mainstream and thus encourage womanly relationship, support and collaboration to deal with low position and poor working environment. Several studies provide indication that in marine environment, female are bound by misogyny or abhorrence of women (Kelley, 1997). Influence of Ethics in Marine Corps Leadership Leadership and ethical requirements are conspicuous and inimitable to counterinsurgency. The changing and uncertain atmosphere of present counterinsurgency puts a superior importance on leadership at each marine level ranging from sergeant to general. The Marine Corps should be experienced in wide range of responsibilities. They must adjust quickly with the impenetrable challenges and grasp new capabilities as well as adjust with new environments (U S Department of the Army, 2007). Marine Corps leaders are likely to perform ethically through shared morals and beliefs. They possess unique specialized bonds of applying military decision for the public they serve. Marine Corps’ leaders act proactively to develop and to maintain appropriate ethical atmosphere in the organization. Through representing appreciated standards they provide perceptible examples for the followers. They develop a standing operational process to inhibit infringement of legal and ethical instructions. Effective Marine Corps leaders react rapidly and aggressively in indication of any dishonest or unethical conduct (Petraeus & Amos, 2009). Value and Culture in Marine Corps Leadership Theory Value and conviction detained by different cultures can impact on the behavior of persons, groups, and organizations. According to Hofstede’s concept on leadership, there are four scopes of cultural values and philosophies which can impact on leadership process which are: Egoism versus Communism, Mannish versus Feminineness, Lenience versus Fanaticism of Uncertainty, and ‘Power Distance versus Power Equalization’. Generally, it can be said that the traits of leaders are the reflection of social cultures which impact on their abilities and performance. Any cultural change such as cross border business, international rivalry or other kind of cultural collaboration can generate new experience and it can impact on the leadership variables. Leadership can change with culture, for instance, American culture escalates two types of leader; autonomous and risk taking leaders. Dutch culture focuses on impartiality in leadership. Iranian culture prefers supremacy and authority power in their leaders. Malaysian culture expects leaders to be humble, diffident and noble. French culture appreciate charming leader with high negotiation and alliance ability (House & Et. Al., n.d.). Leadership Issues Facing Society and Community The present day’s society is facing several changes and trends of changes. Business communities have become more competitive and dynamic due to issues such as globalization, corporate governance, new economy, change in technology and augmented selections among individuals. To cope with the challenges of new society and community, there is need for influential leaders who can actively respond in any kind of situation. Due to globalization new processes, customs, thoughts and values are familiarized to broader audience which forces leaders to adjust with the changes to fulfill the requirements of their own society and communities. Development is occurring at every socio cultural level. The cultural philosophies and know-hows are forming the new phase of modern society. The responsibilities of leaders become more complex which calls for evolutionary management such as Marine Corps leaders who can utilize their capacities in positive manner and contribute towards making a better society (Thomas & Jackson, 2002). Conclusion Marine Corps leaders can have powerful impact on the principles of an organization. They are liable for incorporating credibility and faith in organization. An aim of a leader is to operate the subordinates in such a way so that they can accomplish the specified objectives of organization. Leaders can provide a clear image to the employees regarding honest and ethical position which make them to function at highest level. In present days, developing and encouraging institutional honesty has becomes vital aspect for any leader. Unless leaders put more focus on issues such as morals and ethics to the employees they will take these matters lightly which can impact on organizational performance. Marine Corps with their leadership traits can develop a symbolic message to the employees regarding reliability, honesty and conducting duties efficiently which can make an organization profitable in order to endure in this fluctuating environment (Lassiter, 2004). References Department of The Navy, (2007). Marine Corps Leadership Principles and Traits. United States Marine Corps. Retrieved Online on December 02, 2011 from http://classes.engr.oregonstate.edu/eecs/fall2007/ece507-003/LeadershipPrinciple.pdf Fox, W. L., (2011). Six Essential Elements of Leadership: Marine Corps Wisdom of a Medal of Honor Recipient. Naval Institute Press. House, R. J. & Et. Al., (No Date). Cultural Influences On Leadership And Organizations: Project Globe. University of Zurich. Retrieved Online on December 02, 2011 from http://www.thunderbird.edu/wwwfiles/sites/globe/pdf/process.pdf Kelley, M. J. M., (1997). Gender Differences And Leadership A Study. Air War College. Retrieved Online on December 02, 2011 from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/awc/97-104.pdf Lassiter, D., (2004). Leadership: Facing Moral and Ethical Dilemmas. Leadership Advantage Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 4. Page, C. L. & Miller, S. H., (2002). Leadership Models. United States Marine Corps Lejeune Leadership Institute. Retrieved Online on December 02, 2011 from http://www.mcu.usmc.mil/LLeadership/LLI%20Documnets/Leadership%20Models.pdf Petraeus, D. H. & Amos, J. M., (2009). U. S. Army U. S. Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field. Manual Signalman Publishing. The Brookside Associates Medical Education Division, (2001). Priciples of Marine Corps Leadership. Operational Medicine. Retrieved Online on December 02, 2011 from http://www.brooksidepress.org/Products/OperationalMedicine/DATA/operationalmed/Manuals/FMSS/PrinciplesofMarineCorpsLeadership.htm Thomas, J. R. & Jackson, D., (2002). Trends and Issues Impacting Community Leadership at the Start of the 21st Century. Ohio State University Extension. Retrieved Online on December 02, 2011 from http://www.leadershipeducators.org/Resources/Documents/Conferences/Lexington/Thomas.pdf U S Department of the Army, (2007). U.S. Army Counterinsurgency Handbook. Skyhorse Publishing Inc. Read More