Arguments and Counterarguments to Interpersonal Approaches to Leadership - Coursework Example

Arguments and Counterarguments to Interpersonal Approaches to Leadership Interpersonal Approaches to Leadership: Arguments and Counterarguments Leadership is a complex management skill that requires various approaches, especially in organizations with high cultural diversity. Interpersonal approach to leadership is one of the most potent approaches that company executives can employ in managing their employees. Fundamentally, interpersonal approach to leadership focuses on the relationship between the leader, or manager, and the employees/followers (Neufeld, Wan, and Fang 2010, pp. 230-233). The leader attempts to create a close working relationship with his/her followers through constant and effective communication. In such a case, every employee or follower has the freedom to consult with higher authorities without following any channel. Interpersonal leadership style comes with a number of benefits much as it elicits various criticisms (Khattak, Shah, & Said 2014, p. 163-166). This paper uses credible sources to explore interpersonal approach to leadership with all its aspects, including criticisms and counterarguments from various scholars and philosophers. Interpersonal approaches to leadership revolve around the four basic organizational fundamentals namely teamwork, conflict resolution, communication, and networking. Unlike most approaches to leadership, interpersonal leadership approach endeavors to enhance the relationship between organization managements and their employs besides promoting healthy employee-to-employee relationship, which is essential for all organizations. An interpersonal leader will always attempt to unite his/her followers in order to forge a common front that is acceptable by all the stakeholders. In organizations, the managers try to create a close working relationship with their juniors in order to encourage openness among the employees, especially on critical issues that affect the employees or the organization (Khetarpal & Srivastava 2000, p. 79). Interpersonal Leadership Ling, Chia, and Fang (2000, p. 734) state that in order for leaders to develop an effective interpersonal approach in any organization, they must possess excellent interpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills entail the skills that enable various employees and managers of a particular organization to get along, especially in multicultural environments. The first interpersonal skill required for interpersonal leadership is teamwork where the leaders play an active role to foster collaboration among their juniors and followers. Teamwork implies that the leader has to mentor his/her followers to embrace group work in all circumstances. The leaders might opt to delegate tasks that require wide consultations among the group members in order to enhance the decision-making process among the employees. Neufeld, Wan, and Fang (2010, pp. 230-233) claim that networking is another crucial aspect of interpersonal skill that enhances the effectiveness of interpersonal approaches to leadership. Through the networking approach, leaders ought to harness self-confidence in their followers. Since interpersonal approach to leadership focuses on the relationship between persons, networking plays a central role with the leader encouraging close interaction among employees and other organization staff. The organization will have leaders, staff, and employees who understand each other well, particularly professionally and personally, hence the employees will have a smooth working relationship with their leaders and managers (Millissa 2013, pp. 559-564). When it comes to communication, it is worth noting that any interpersonal approach to leadership must embrace good communication among the followers in order to succeed. Effective communication is an essential component of every organization’s plan because of its numerous benefits. Through interpersonal communication, leaders can influence the decisions and attitudes of their followers without necessarily appearing to be autocratic (Khattak, Shah, & Said 2014, p. 163-166). The leader encourages and practices face-to-face communication, preferably verbal, among/with his/her followers. Such interpersonal communications usually take the form of workshops, conferences, boardroom meetings, and annual general meetings. Interpersonal leaders understand the power of interpersonal communication in uplifting the confidence of employees and other stakeholders within the organization (Mast, Jonas, Cronauer, & Darioly 2012, p. 1056-1059). Criticisms and arguments against Interpersonal Approaches to Leadership Since every theory that purports to enhance personal and professional development has a counterargument, it is worth noting that a number of criticisms have been directed towards interpersonal approaches to leadership. Most of the critiques argue that interpersonal approach cannot be the most effective way of leading organizations in the 21st century. Like any other approach to leadership, interpersonal approach also has its proponents who disagree strongly with those who oppose the method (Díaz et al. 2013, p. 920). Nonetheless, leaders of organizations must choose the most suitable leadership approach based on the dynamics of their respective organizations. It should be so considering that every organization has its unique challenges and dynamics that require different leadership styles. While some organizations require aggressive and autocratic leadership styles, subtle interpersonal approaches may work well for some. Overall, it is necessary to scrutinize various criticisms have been leveled against interpersonal leadership approaches (Fritz 2005, p. 90). The first criticism against interpersonal approach has to do with the limited scope of the leadership style. According to Konrad Adenauer Foundation (2003, p. 17), interpersonal approach to leadership stretches as far as the organization boundaries but it does not extend beyond the boundaries of the company. It means that leaders that have adopted interpersonal style will only dialogue with their juniors within the company boundaries. Such a leadership approach will not apply to any external interaction with the company because the external environment may be under different leadership styles. Companies usually interact and communicate with other companies through various telecommunication networks and crowd source. These communication channels do not require interpersonal communication probably because of geographical and logistics barriers. Besides, modern technology threatens to phase out interpersonal communication because of its inability to conquer the barriers that modern communication styles can do (United States & Pearson Custom Publishing 2008, p. 28). When an organization hires and trains people who can interact with the organization fraternity, then interpersonal commitment becomes irrelevant. The leaders of an organization only have to set tasks that are meaningful and clear using the tools of technology. When they do this, they can attain the overall objective of the organization without necessary adopting interpersonal leadership (Fritz 2005, p. 90). The proponents of this argument assert that interpersonal leadership can only thrive where the company policies and systems have failed. However, the training of visionary employees can make them model the organization’s vision. It means that highly motivated employees can perform better without interpersonal leadership. The only requirement is proper hiring, training, and development. Besides, some employees may perceive interpersonal relationship with their leaders as being overbearing and an infringement into their personal and professional space (Konrad Adenauer Foundation 2003, p. 17). Since the modern world and business environment is becoming more global and virtual with time, interpersonal leadership faces extinction. It means that the era when interpersonal communication used to thrive is gone. Besides the technological advancement, which enable leaders to manage the affairs of their followers and the organization that they work for, great leaders need not necessarily be personally involved in the affairs of their employees and followers. Interpersonal leadership makes little sense in virtual companies, which have mushroomed with the advent of the technological edge (Ling, Chia, & Fang 2000, p. 734). Geographical and technical gaps may necessitate leaders to interact with their followers via virtual means. Great leaders, who deliver impressive outcomes, remain professional in the sense that they respect the personal space of their followers and employees, in case of organizations. Visionary leaders can inspire teamwork and networking amongst employees through formal communication and rewards. Getting personally involved with the affairs of the employees may lower the regard that the employees have for their leaders. The openness and confidence may create management confusion in the sense that the employees may start treating their leaders the same way they do to any other ordinary individual within the company (United States & Pearson Custom Publishing 2008, p. 28). Fostering organization culture and developing the skills of employees are practices that usually lead to better outcomes when compared to adopting interpersonal approach to leadership. With the right training and development programs for employees, organizations can ensure effective communication and teamwork among their employees. In essence, Interpersonal leadership style takes a toll on the managers’ time, energy, and productivity. It means that organization leaders will spend most of their time bonding with the employees in order to inspire the confidence of the employees on each other. On the other hand, some organizations can achieve the same objective through well-coordinated office parties and proper inculcation of organization culture on the employees. Indeed, employees who appreciate and respect the core values, mission, and vision of an organization will make efforts to uphold the organization culture of the companies that they work for (Konrad Adenauer Foundation 2003, p. 17). Pros of Interpersonal Approaches to Leadership Despite the numerous critiques and counterarguments directed at interpersonal leadership, it is worth noting that the approach delivers a raft of benefits to organizations who adopt it through their leadership. Most of the counterarguments to the approaches of interpersonal leadership have unique reasons and backgrounds that may not necessarily apply to the particular situations in different organizations (Zeffane 2010, p. 248). In this regard, it is imperative to relook at the pros of interpersonal leadership as it relates to organizations in order to make clear arguments concerning its merits and demerits. All leadership styles and techniques have advantages and disadvantages, depending on the circumstances of an organizations and the mode of application of such leadership styles. Indeed, every convincing theory must have a counterargument or criticisms in order gain an unbiased acceptability (Renko, El Tarabishy, Carsrud, & Brännback 2015, pp. 58-61). Interpersonal approach to leadership promotes better relationship between the leaders and their followers the close interaction between leaders and their followers, particularly in organizations. Leaders who adopt an interpersonal approach in promoting teamwork and conflict resolution arrive at amicable solutions faster than those who prefer other methods. Conflict resolution within organization requires active participation of all the stakeholders involved without the feeling of compulsion to participate (Bambacas & Patrickson 2008, p. 56). Only interpersonal approaches to leadership can attain this objective because of the openness that it creates between the top leaders of organizations and their employees. Hence, leaders can understand the affairs and challenges of their followers in a much deeper way and find suitable solutions to the problems in a timely manner (Neufeld, Wan, and Fang 2010, pp. 230-233). When compared to the other approaches, interpersonal approach to leadership takes the lead in enhancing teamwork and networking. The truth to this argument lies in the fact that followers and employees who relate freely with their leaders and managers will tend to network more. Such employees and followers will develop cordial relationships with whomever they interact with within their respective organizations. In addition, interpersonal leaders will inspire their followers to work in groups easily because such followers will have effective interaction with each other in terms of communication. Indeed, interpersonal leadership requires communication with the followers and employers at an interpersonal level. This communication builds trust among the employees of a particular organization (Renko, El Tarabishy, Carsrud, & Brännback 2015, pp. 58-61). Interpersonal approaches to leadership enhance the communication within a particular organization. Although the leaders involved might appear to be stooping to the level of their juniors, the communication outcome is usually impressive. Interpersonal leaders prefer face-to-face communication, which is verbal in most cases. They build a rapport with their juniors by staying in touch at all times (Mast, Jonas, Cronauer, & Darioly 2012, p. 1056-1059). Since they communicate with their juniors more often, they understand the plight of their followers who are free to communicate any issues to them without necessarily following the recommended channels of communication within the organization. Through interpersonal leadership, a leader can communicate with all his followers equally without due regard to their ranks. It is not a sign of disrespect to any of their followers of higher ranks, but it is an indication of the level of trust within the organization (Lussier & Achua 2015, p. 36). Final Thoughts Interpersonal approaches to leadership are still relevant in the modern era although a number of criticisms have been directed towards such approaches. Interpersonal leadership fosters teamwork and networking in the sense that the leaders inspire their followers to group in order to work towards attaining a common objective. In addition, an organization that embraces interpersonal leadership will receive more feedbacks from its employees than one that adopts other leadership styles. It means that most employees will open up if their managers adopt interpersonal leadership as opposed to other forms of leadership (Khan & Ahmad 2012). Communication is a key aspect in the success of every organization, whether via technology or conventional means. In this respect, organizations that embrace interpersonal leadership in all their sections will receive useful information that the organization needs in its operations (Mast, Jonas, Cronauer, & Darioly 2012, p. 1056-1059). Since every theory has criticisms from various quarters, interpersonal leadership approach is no exception and it is one of the most effective leadership styles given its numerous benefits. Many of criticisms have been leveled against interpersonal approaches to leadership have no basis because they do not evaluate the situations under which interpersonal approaches are likely to succeed. They merely offer a blanket condemnation of the approach based on the advancements in technology. Whether the corporate world and all organizations go global and virtual, nothing will replace interpersonal leadership because it offers unique benefits to the followers, their leaders, and organizations at large, especially through communication (Lussier & Achua 2015, p. 36). Reference List Bambacas, M & Patrickson, M 2008, ‘Interpersonal communication skills that enhance organizational commitment,’ Journal of Communication Management, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 51-72. Díaz, M ,Guadalupe D, Cárdenas, M, Carolina Pe And Ortiz, B A C 2013, El Liderzago Y Las Relaciones Interpersonales Dentro Del Clima Organizational/Leadership And Interpersonal Relationships Within The Organizational Climate, 2013, Institute For Business & Finance Research, pp. 918-924. Fritz, S 2005, Interpersonal skills for leadership, Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Khan & Ahmad, W 2012, ‘Leaders interpersonal skills, and its effectiveness at different levels of management,’ International Journal of Business and Social Science, vol. 3, no. 4, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/918788633?accountid=45049 Khattak, M N, Shah, T A & Said, B, 2014, ‘Significant Predictor and Outcome of Interpersonal Trust: Empirical Evidence from Pakistan,’ International Journal of Information, Business and Management, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 153-168. Khetarpal, I & Srivastava, R C 2000, ‘Management styles grounded in interpersonal roles: focus on heads of school in India,’ The International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 74-83. Konrad Adenauer Foundation (Malawi) 2003, Political leadership in a democracy, Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation, Lilongwe, Malawi. Ling, W, Chia, R C & Fang, L 2000, ‘Chinese implicit leadership theory,’ The Journal of social psychology, vol. 140, no. 6, pp. 729-39. Lussier, R & Achua, C 2015, Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development, Cengage Learning, New Jersey. Mast, M S, Jonas, K, Cronauer, C K, & Darioly, A 2012, ‘On the importance of the superiors interpersonal sensitivity for good leadership,’ Journal of Applied Social Psychology, vol. 42, no. 5, pp. 1043-1068. Millissa F Y Cheung, 2013, ‘The mediating role of perceived organizational support in the effects of interpersonal and informational justice on organizational citizenship behaviors,’ Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 34, no. 6, pp. 551-572. Neufeld, D J, Wan, Z, & Fang, Y 2010, ‘Remote leadership, communication effectiveness and leader performance,’ Group Decision and Negotiation, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 227-246. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10726-008-9142-x Renko, M, El Tarabishy, A, Carsrud, A L, & Brännback, M 2015, ‘Understanding and measuring entrepreneurial leadership style.’ Journal of Small Business Management, vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 54-74. United States & Pearson Custom Publishing 2008, Adaptive team leadership: MSL 301. U.S. Army, Washington, D.C. Zeffane, R 2010, ‘Towards a two-factor theory of interpersonal trust: a focus on trust in leadership,’ International Journal of Commerce & Management, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 246-257. Read More