Management: Analyzing the Role of a Leader and Their Motivational Role - Literature review Example

Management: analyzing the role of a leader and their motivational role Management using the goal approach model emphasizes that an organization should focus its efforts on achieving its general goals and objectives. As such, organizations usually plan on the activities to be engaged in by the workforce in so as to achieve the set objectives. The process involved in coming up with, and achieving the objectives requires the involvement of a manager to organize the activities. An organization’s ability to achieve its goals depends on the type of leadership that exists in the organization and the personal motivation of the workforce. Essentially, not all managers are leaders and not all leaders are managers. A manager is any person who is appointed and given the managerial authority to influence others, while a leader is a person who has the ability to influence others to perform their actions, with or without formal power. According to Hunter, leadership involves influencing people to work towards achieving a common goal (28). This paper aims at analyzing how effective management can achieved through good leadership. Essentially, the focus is on the traits that characterize a good leader and the responsibilities of the leader in ensuring that the workers strive to achieve the goals set by the organization. Leadership requires an individual to be able to guide others to achieve specific tasks, while also maintaining a good relationship with them and coaching them on how such tasks can be achieved. Hunter argues leaders should be servants rather than rulers over the low level employees (44-45). By using the servant leadership model, Hunter writes that leaders should be willing to act in a manner that promotes behavior aimed at meeting the needs of the organization (28). As such, the only way a person can qualify to become a leader is by first recognizing that they are servants to the other employees. Service to the other employees involves creating those relationships that let the employees know that a leader is willing to work with them for the good of the organization. As Kouzes & Posner write, when leaders create positive relationships with their followers, extraordinary results are achieved (25). Being a servant and a trust worthy person in relating with the workers in not enough to ensure good leadership and guarantee the attainment of organizational objectives. One of the most important ways of ensuring that employees are performing at their optimum is by motivating them. In order to properly motivate the team, the leader’s credibility is of utmost importance. As such, Kouzes & Posner state that leaders should be able to do what they say they will do, so as to maintain their credibility (38). Otherwise, if the leader does not deliver on what they promised to deliver, then they lose their credibility and their ability to motivate their team. In this way, leaders should be able to set examples for the other employees to emulate. Aligning one’s actions with their behavior and speech ensures that the leader motivates the employees to do the same and ultimately contribute to the success of the organization. Autonomy is one of the innate psychological needs which if met; Pink writes that an individual becomes motivated (72-73). If a worker’s autonomy is thwarted, then they are less likely to be motivated to do the work assigned to them. It is the role of the leader, therefore, to create a working environment which fosters workers’ autonomy. Autonomy does not mean independence from the leadership and from all other team members. Rather, autonomy is all about having the choice to act in a particular way while ensuring that one remains within the boundaries of organizational behavior and respects the leadership and colleagues. When an individual is given the chance to make their own choices, their performance is significantly improved. Motivating the employees to feel important to the organization is one of the most challenging tasks a leader is faced with. Pink writes that in order to properly motivate employees, the leader should take a heuristic approach to the organization of tasks and duties (43). In a heuristic approach, the worker’s motivation is intrinsic in that it comes from within the worker and is not forced on them. Pink gives the example of a worker who is motivated to engage in a particular task because it is intriguing and challenging versus a worker whose motivation comes from imposed goals (50). A person who participates in an activity because it is challenging and interesting is bound to have produce better result than one who does so, so as to meet sales targets and other targets set by the management. However, Pink acknowledges that not all employees can be intrinsically motivated; meaning that there is need to incorporate extrinsic motivation (40). An effective leader recognizes the efforts of the other employees and encourages them to pursue success. According to Byham & Cox, workers who feel excluded by a dictatorial form of leadership are often demoralized and often do not meet the organizational goals (193). Byham & Cox, therefore, advice that employees should be empowered so as to guarantee constant improvement (203). Only a committed and dedicated leader can be able to empower employees to the level that is required to effectively meet the goals of the organization. Employees will feel more motivated if the leader listens to their ideas, finds out what is important to them, and using this information to align the capabilities of the team to the organizational goals. A charismatic leader, according to Kouzes & Posner is one who allows team members to express their emotions then aligning these interest and aspirations to the vision of the organization (158). A leader who recognizes that they cannot solve all the organizational problems by themselves and enlist the help of the other employees is more likely to receive cooperation from the latter. Seeking help encompasses the delegation of duties. Byham & Cox write that a leader should be able to delegate duties to other workers without having to give up their authority to make decisions (109). As such, the employees feel responsible for the tasks allocated to them while still recognizing the authority of the leader. Employees cannot be forced to improve their performance in the workplace but can only be empowered to achieve this improvement. When the management forces the workers to improve their performance without motivating the, the latter often improve in such a way that they reach an acceptable level but do nothing to improve beyond that. The best way to extrinsically motivate employees is to offer them rewards for the completion of tasks. As such, compensation becomes an important factor in getting employees to work towards meeting organizational objectives. However, Pink warns that the use of cash rewards can be detrimental since it can cause employees to consider it their right to be compensated every time they complete a task (53). When an employee satisfactorily completes a task, then there is no harm in appreciating their efforts and participation through a reward. The best way to show this appreciation, according to pink, is through praise and positive feedback. In particular, positive feedback is important as it makes the individual ware of the fact that they are efficient and also allows them to improve on their weaknesses. Pink advises leaders to especially focus the feedback on the efforts and strategies used by the worker rather than on the completion of a task (68). As such, Hunter writes that the worker feels appreciated for having participated in the process (108). In this case, the worker is bound to engage in a similar or any other exercise in the future. Communication is a vital skill that any person charged with leading others should have if success is to be realized. By encouraging face-to-face communication, the leader ensures that they foster a good relationship between them and the other employees. According to Byham & Cox, a leader should be able to effectively communicate to the employees the direction that the organization wishes to take towards the attainment of set goals (115). In addition, the leader should guide the activities of the employees in steering them towards the direction desired by the organization. During the process, the leader should constantly give feedback to the team, letting them know whether the direction they are taking is right or not. Communicating the desired goals, the processes involved, the roles of each person, and giving frequent feedback are activities that leaders should engage in to ensure organizational success. From the foregoing, it is clear that effective management is only possible if the manager is a good leader. Instead of exercising power on workers and given them instructions on how to go about achieving the goals of the organization, a leader works with the others, sets a good example, motivates them, and acknowledges their efforts. One can, therefore, safely conclude that the only way that a goal approach model can be used in realizing organizational success is by ensuring that managers become good leaders. Works Cited Bhyam, William & Cox, Jeff. Zapp! The Lighting of Empowerment. New York: Ballantine Books. 1988. Print. Hunter, James. The Servant: A Simple Story about The True Essence Of Leadership. New York: Crown Business. 1988. Print. Kouzes, James & Posner, Barry. The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons. 2002. Print. Pink, Daniel. Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates. New York: Canongate Books. 2011. Print. Read More