One Best Way to Lead People in Organisations - Coursework Example

To What Extent Does Leadership Research Support The Idea That There Is "One Best Way" To Lead People In Organisations? Table of Contents Literature In Support Of “One Best Way” 4 Criticism of the ‘One Best Way’ Leadership Notion 6 Evaluation 8 Conclusion 10 References 11 Introduction The demand for exceptional leaders is increasing in the modern time due to the advancement of the technology and the society. The continuous changes in the business environment have created the need for effective leaders who have the ability to meet the challenges of the complex competitive atmosphere wherein the world is open for trade. In this regard, leadership has been viewed as a significant variable affecting the performance of the organisation. The leadership literature is categorised by a proliferation of the definitions. It is stated that there are various methods for observing leadership with several interpretation of its connotation (Hayward, 2005). Generally, leaders are the people who have the ability to turn their vision into reality through the governance and influence they have over the people. The views regarding leadership have altered in the passage of years but the concept of guidance remains the same. Leadership has been well-defined as the competence of a person to influence others efficiently to attain the specified goals and objectives. Moreover, others are of the view that it is the relation by which one individual creates impact on the behaviour of several people in the organisation. Leadership is further evaluated as the quality of interaction of the leader rather than the level of hierarchy to solve the problems by conversation and not instructions (Hayward, 2005; Packard, 2008). Another framework for leadership is its relation with the management and it is observed that leadership creates changes by establishing the vision along with directing the people to follow by strategizing the policies along with motivating the staff (Hayward, 2005). Thus, a brilliant leader of the organisation needs to motivate the employees by driving them to achieve a common goal. Correspondingly, can leadership be successful by practising “one best way”? (Hayward, 2005). The objective of the study is to evaluate the notion “one best way” regarding the leadership style for managing people in the organisation. The study will proceed initially through the evaluation of different literatures in support of the notion i.e. ‘one best way’ to lead people in an organisation. Subsequently, in order to reach a justified conclusion certain criticisms will be presented regarding the notion ‘one best way’ of leadership. Literature In Support Of “One Best Way” Through the leadership research, a broad position is identified regarding the attitude of the leaders towards the management of the organisation to accomplish the desired goals (Yukl, 2007). One of the spectrums is the traditional or the personalists which view that specific personality or behaviour helps in providing effective leadership. On the other hand, the other spectrum states that ‘situationist’ is better form of leadership wherein the differences in the opinion are valued and contribute to the effective performance of the organisation (Yukl, 2007). In the personalist view, leaders do not change their attitude in executing the framed strategies to achieve the goal at any given situation. The leadership theory followed by the leaders of the personalist view was the “trait theory” or the great man theory. This theory was created in the early days for managing the people to attain the common goal of the organisation. The trait theory studied the personality qualities useful for the effectiveness of the leaders. As per this theory, the notion i.e. ‘one best way’ to lead can be apprehended (Fleenor, 2011). According to this theory, there are several universal features of personality that help in defining the effectiveness of the leaders without giving any importance to the situation with regard to the change in behaviour. In keeping with this theory, the characteristics of the leader play a vital role in attaining success (Bolden, Gosling, Marturano, and Dennison, 2003). Additionally, ‘one best way’ concept was of importance in the past as the leaders were of the opinion that taking views from the subordinates will not be effective for the success of the organisation. The ‘one best way’ was effective as the leaders were exclusively accountable for making the people work by following the autocratic form of leadership. In this approach the decision is taken in a centralised manner by the leader depending on the trait and judgement (Bolden, Gosling, Marturano, and Dennison, 2003). According to some people, the autocratic form of leadership is better as there will be no chance for differences in opinion as the subordinates will be given no power to put their view forward (East Tennessee State University, 2009). The decision by the leader would be the last decision on the given issue. The key characteristic of this form of leaders is that they do not value the opinion of the group members. The leaders dictate the work to the employees and make them act according to their will based on their judgement rather than taking into account the prevailing situation or the views of the employees. This form of leadership is treated as the best as the time taken by the leaders regarding any decision is quick. This form of leadership is effective while dealing with projects which require quick and strong judgement without delays. Leadership style is useful as under such leaders the employees work as a machine and provide profits without being able to give their opinion. The chances of confusion regarding the decision and the work to be done are negligible (East Tennessee State University, 2009). The leaders having the belief that there is ‘one best way’ of leadership state that different situations and varied behaviours of the people can be managed by using one leadership style. For example, if a leader follows a democratic style or autocratic style of leadership in the organisation then he will continue to do so irrespective of the situation. This helps the employees in understanding the requirement of the management and working accordingly without expecting any change. The concept of change is not followed by the leaders who believe in the notion of “one best way” (Sage Publication, 2010). Criticism of the ‘One Best Way’ Leadership Notion Leaders who are effective are of the opinion that there is no ‘one best way’ in leadership to manage the people. It is opined that leaders adopt their style of management depending on the situation and the behaviour of the people (Ken Blanchard Company, 2007). It is determined from the study of Ken Blanchard Company (2007) that the success of the leader depends on the style of leadership adapted by them according to the situation. The best leadership is exhibited when the leaders take into account various dimensions such employee behaviour, market and the situation before implementing any decision. According to the fact depicted in the Ken Blanchard Companies Situational Leadership II Model, there are four leadership styles which signify the amalgamation of the behaviour of the directive and supportive leader depending on the situation (Ken Blanchard Company, 2007). As per the situation, the leaders might act in order to provide better result and get a competitive edge in the market (Mississippi College, 2007). Leaders, who believe in the perception that there is ‘no best way’, follow the supportive behaviour which recommends two-way communication from the leaders wherein the employees get the opportunity to put their view forward. The leaders provide encouragement and facilitate support to the members and also engage them in the process of decision making as per the need of the organisation. It is stated by the researchers that managing and developing people to do their best require great leadership skill which is possible by delivering a smart and flexible style of leadership to the employees in the organisation (Ken Blanchard Company, 2007). Competencies of the employees and the leaders are different and so are their methods of leadership style. With the changing environment, the behaviours of the employees are changing and so are the methods of managing them. In the modern world, the leaders follow the situational and transformational forms of leadership to be effective and to have long-term sustainability in the organisation. In relation to these forms of leadership, the contingency theory proposes that there is no one best way to lead the establishment with people having different behaviours (Harris and Nelson, 2008; Parry and Meindi, 2002). The theory is of the view that the situation along with the principles of leadership combined together forms the best style of leadership. The theory focuses on the different variables useful for the leadership to be effective. The variables include the leader’s style, followers’ skills along with motivation and nature of the work. It is observed that at times the leader needs to be friendly with his/her employees to keep them motivated and get better performance. Conversely, leaders need to be stringent with their policies to be effective in the competitive market (Light, 2006). Leadership is one of the key factors in coordinating and aligning the process of the organisation by focusing on the performance of the employees and the management. Various issues and tactics help in creating a better leader depending on the situation and the demand of the people (Stellar Leadership, 2010). Moreover, leadership style depends on the behaviour of the leaders such as the ‘Task-Oriented’, ‘Relations-Oriented’ and the ‘Change-Oriented Behaviours’. Leaders who are driven by the task-oriented performance would follow autocratic leadership and the leaders following the relation-oriented behaviour such as the use of the parental leadership. The leaders supporting the behaviour of change follow the transformational form of leadership in order to increase the efficiency of the employees in the organisation (Packard, 2008). Thus, a key criticism to the concept of ‘one best way’ of leadership states that in order to be successful and effective in the market with high revenue generation, it is important for one particular leader to follow a mix of management styles in an organisation. No one best way is the notion followed by the leaders who give relevance to the fact that change is important in order to survive in the market and also in order to retain the employees for effective performance. Evaluation The notion of ‘one best way’ to lead an organisation has given rise to several leaders who have succeeded as well as failed in their endeavours. These leaders followed the trait theory where they had believed that the success of the organisation depends on conducting ‘one best method’ under any circumstances. The leaders were of the opinion that the losses in the organisation were not due to their style of leadership but due to the external factors. This made the notion “one best way” to get its focus. Nonetheless, in the later years, a new paradigm has emerged in the style of leadership with the concept that there is no one best way of leadership. ‘Transactional’ as well as ‘transformational’ are the leadership styles followed by most of the successful leaders such as Alan Mulally and Steve Jobs. The success story of Ford Motor Company reveals a clear view of the strategy adopted by Alan Mulally in his leadership dimension (Carey & Keller, 2012). In the initial years, the organisation was facing losses as it did not change their decision as per the situation and the need of the employees. However, after adapting the transformational form of leadership, they understood that for an organisation to be successful different ways must be applied for handling different people and instances. They reacted and changed their tactics as per the situation based on the theory of contingency. The notion gave the view that effective leaders are the ones who set their ways but they allow others to follow their own way by following the principles of the organisation to achieve one common goal (Bowerman and Wart, 2010). Successful leaders believe that even if they have huge power to make effective use of the employee, they cannot impose their will over others and treat every employee as a different entity. The variation in the change of their leadership style leads to effective leadership and a successful organisation. In the recent years, it is observed that every successful leader believes in the situational form of leadership as every culture and person requires to be treated differently for better result. Leadership can never be commanded, but it should be earned for the success of the organisation. Respecting employees and their views along with their opinion gives rise to a successful leader (Bob MacDonald, 2013). Conclusion Leadership is a complex relation among the leaders and the employees with the purpose to achieve success and bring change as per the needs of the business and the human resource. The style of leadership needs to change according to the requirement as well as the situation. Different situation needs to be tackled in a dissimilar manner to gain better and effective results. By following the situational leadership style, the leaders need to analyse the situation and then implement the strategy. The success story of Ford Motors by Alan Mulally materialised because he transformed his style of leadership as per the situation and believed that good effective leadership is achieved by ‘not following one best way’. Consequently, it can be concluded that in the modern changing business environment, the leaders need to change their style of leadership as per the situation. The success and effectiveness of a leader can be substantiated owing to the fact in reality there is no ‘one best way’ to lead an organisation. References Bolden, R., Gosling, J., Marturano, A. and Dennison, P., (2003). A Review of Leadership Theory and Competency Frameworks. Centre For Leadership Studies, pp. 2-42. Bowerman, K.D. and Wart, M.V., (2010). The Business of Leadership: An Introduction. United States: M.E. Sharpe. Bob MacDonald, (2013). Often The Best Way To Lead Is To Follow. Home. [Online] Available at: http://bobmaconbusiness.com/?p=5705 [Accessed March 03, 2014]. Carey, D. and Keller, J.J., (2012). How The Ford Board Recruited Alan Mulally. CEO Recruitment, pp. 31-36. East Tennessee State University, (2009). Leadership Theories and Styles. IAAP, pp. 1-49. Fleenor, J.W., (2011). Trait Approach to Leadership. Encyclopaedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, pp. 830- 832. Hayward, B.A., (2005). Relationship Between Employee Performance, Leadership And Emotional Intelligence In A South African Parastatal Organisation. Department of Management Rhodes University, pp. 1-117. Harris, T.E. and Nelson, M. D., (2008). Applied Organizational Communication: Theory And Practice In A Global Environment. 3rd edn. United States: Taylor & Francis. Ken Blanchard Company, (2007). A Situational Approach to Managing People. No One "Best" Leadership Style, pp. 1-2. Light, M., (2006). No One Best Way: A Study of Non Profit Leadership Capacity Building. First Light, pp. 1-20. Mississippi College, (2007). Situational Leadership. Leadership Track, pp. 35-45. Packard, T., (2008). Leadership and Performance in Human Services Organizations. Sage Publications, pp. 143-164. Parry, K.W. and Meindi, J.R., (2002). Grounding Leadership Theory and Research: Issues, Perspectives and Methods. United States: IAP. Stellar Leadership, (2010). Unlocking Leadership. Article, pp. 1-13. Yukl, G., (2007). Leadership in Organizations. 6th ed. India: Pearson Education India. Read More