Styles to Lead Others - Literature review Example

Leadership styles (Name) (Institution) (Course) (Instructor) (Date of submission) Introduction Leadership is the difference between successful companies and less successful ones. The way that the senior management of a firm is able to organize and match its resources with skills and capabilities determines how a firm perform both in the short term and long term. Leaders are mandated with rallying their subordinates towards a common goal, which in most cases is a firm’s vision. A vision, usually presented in a brief statement, outlines where an organization wants to be in the future. All operational and managerial decisions should thus be geared towards achieving that vision. Schermerhorn defines vision as an overarching goal that leaders set for their organizations or departments. Nonetheless, not all leadership is driven by the desire to achieve the vision. Personal or sometimes financial or other reasons might be the driving force for some leaders. Schermerhorn says that “Great leaders get extraordinary things done in organisations by inspiring and motivating others towards a common purpose” (p. 316). So where the common goal is the vision, then the leader is said to be vision-driven and the leader visionary. A visionary leadership thus entails assessment of the current situation and a clear and compelling sense of the future, as well as understanding of the actions needed to get there successfully. Visionary leaders thus have a clear sense of the future and are capable of inspiring and motivating their subordinates to work hard and accomplish a common goal or important tasks. Schermerhorn identifies key principles that visionary leaders must possess. They must be willing and capable of challenging the process, be enthusiastic, help others to act, lead by example and celebrate achievements. There are various styles to lead others towards a vision. Different leaders possess different leadership styles, which influences how the leaders relate and connect with their subordinates (Daft et al., 2008). One of the major leadership styles is Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory. This theory calls for leaders to adapt their style of leadership to developing the performance of their subordinates depending on how willing and ready the subordinates are to attain the assigned roles and responsibilities as supported by Daft et al. (2008). This model provides four key leadership styles as selling, delegating, participating and telling. This paper seeks to use a number of scholarly articles and texts to show how participatory leadership as a style matches with the five principles of visionary leadership. Leadership style Leadership style is defined as the characteristic manner in which a person behaves in attempting to influence the actions and beliefs of subordinates (Wang, Chou, & Jiang, 2005). Hybels (2009) defines leadership style as the pattern of behaviours that leaders display in their work and interactions with others. There are three major influences on the leadership style adopted by any leaders namely; leaders’ characteristics, subordinates’ characteristics and the organisation environment. Leader’s personal, background, expectations and experiences determine how they choose to lead others. Gill (2006) writes that leaders commonly use the three main leadership styles over different situations but there is always a dominant one. One of the most appealing styles is the participatory style of leadership also known as democratic leadership style. Under this style, leaders will generally seek to establish a trusting open relationship with subordinates. They will have a belief system which places a high value on the capacity of the subordinates to improve decision making when they are involved (Gill, 2006). In, this paper, the particular style of leadership under the Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory is matched to the Schermerhorn’s five principles of leadership. The leadership style should thus apply in all of the five pillars of leadership. It is also important to acknowledge that, a leadership style cannot be dismissed just because it fails to work in one organization. Somech and Wenderow (2006, p. 747) inform that “leadership style depends on the characteristics of both the leader and the subordinate, their interaction, and the situation in which their interaction develops.” It is thus proper to say that there is not one fit for all in terms of leadership styles. The paper will address one principle at a time and relate it to the participatory style of leadership. The paper will also highlight any possible hindrance to the adoption of the leadership style and the contribution of the aforementioned principles. Challenging the process Challenging the process as a key principle in leadership echos change management or continuous improvement. Many organizations are faced with the problems of change. The desire to change must be possessed by effective leaders. The desire to change should be driven by the need to change to meet current and future expectations (situation). There are countless forces that hinder change and propose a status quo. Such a status is what Cohen & Kotler (2009) calls need to unfrozen in the unfreezing phase. Anderson (67) says that employees must be symbolically released from previous practices which, although they might have proved successful in the past, must be done away with; they have then to be prepared before the actual change is introduced. As such, change has an additional cost in the transition period. Change involves the transition from the status quo to a desired state. The transition period might be characterized by decreased performance and intensive training on the part of employees before they fully adapt to change (Huber and Glick 151). Leaders come in handy in managing change. However, the desire to achieve a better state should not be allowed to clod the judgement of the leaders. They have to remain realistic as to how much, in terms of resources and capabilities, that they have to enable them enact change effectively. Participatory leadership style calls for the involvement of subordinates in making decisions. This means that a leader who is challenging a process in an organization must first consult with the subordinates on their willingness and ability to challenge the status quo (Somech and Wenderow (2006). This means that subordinates will not be caught unawares by new processes distanced from their routine processes. However, leaders must always ensure that by challenging the process, the improvement process will have a strong chance of success by developing a logical plan with the input of the subordinates. This therefore means that decision making under this leadership style takes longer given the time taken to make consultations with the subordinate. The process of consultations must also be challenged. Leaders must seek ways that will shorten the time taken to make consultations and decisions. Nonetheless, the idea of challenging the process means that leaders will be experimenting with new processes. Leaders must thus be ready to learn from their mistakes and blunders as well making sure that all subordinates do the same. On the downside, challenging the process is hindered by human to retain the status quo. Human beings naturally prefer routine and keeping to within known business processes whose challenges and outcomes were well practised and risk is minimal. Challenging the process is not a choice for risk averse leaders. Help others to act Leaders foster collaboration by employing their interpersonal skills. This principle is the most relevant to the participatory leadership style which requires immense communication. Under uneasy circumstances, subordinates are not able to openly give out their opinions or even voice concerns without fear of repercussions. As such, developing a cooperative relationship with the subordinates, by treating them with dignity and respect that they deserve will help them open up to the leadership where ideas can be sourced from them and knowledge and motivation planted in them. Furthermore, open and trusting relationships are critical in helping subordinates build their self confidence and also empowering them (Schermerhorn et al. 2011). This is further in creating a sense of community in organization or team. Subordinates thus feel accountable and responsible for the decision and performance of the team or organization. Leaders must be willing to implement suggestions and recommendations from the subordinates where appropriate. Hybels (2009) says this powers innovation and creativity in an organization in the belief that the subordinates will feel a sense of ownership and accomplishment in owning up an invention or process embedded in the organisation. Gill (2006) argues that a participatory type of leadership calls for leaders to establish close interpersonal relationships with subordinates in order to understand their inner views and exploit their tacit knowledge. For tacit knowledge to be exploited and information to flow freely within an organisation or team, them a proper social environment must be created. This is based on Keller (2011) views that learning best takes place in a social environment. The ability of a leader to help others act is one of the greatest changes that leadership as a discipline has faced over the years. Previously, the autocratic style of leadership where the leader was supposed to give orders was popular among managers. In such organizations, the organization structure is vertical and authority and decision making possessed by the leader on top without much involvement or consultation with the subordinates. Ireland et al (2011) indicates that some modern day leaders such as Donald Trump have managed to use an autocratic leadership style and still remain successful. However, it must be noted that there are some aspects that the leader helps others to act by providing clear guidelines and specified targets with proper training where applicable. Be enthusiastic Enthusiasm is closely linked to visionary leadership. Visionary leaders are not shy to express their passion about an organisation or an idea. Kouzes and Posner (2012) say that leaders envision a desired future creating an ideal image of the organization or project and popularizing the idea with the subordinates. They must be capable of getting subordinates to rally behind them and allow them to own and share the vision by seeking their input. Where their input is not sought, the vision will be simply imposed on them far way from which is far removed from the desired participatory leadership style. Hybels (2009) goes at length to describe the visionary leader as one who “shamelessly appeal to anybody and everybody to get on board with their vision. They talk abut it, write about, and burn white-hot for t themselves ...they believe that if they cast their vision clearly enough and often enough it will become reality” (p. 23). Where they fail in time and resources to market their ideas, leaders should enlist other people to do the work. Furthermore, they must be willing to work in teams and delegate some duties. This will allot the leaders not to micromanage and even enable them to concentrate on the more complex issues of organizational leadership. Lead by example There is a common saying that says, ‘monkey see, monkey do’. When applied into management and leadership, it means that subordinates are most likely to do as they see their leaders do. Many subordinates aspire to be leaders and hence they try to imitate their leaders in the belief that such behaviour will make them successful or even improve their hierarchical status in an organisation. For this reason, leaders should be capable of leading by example and leading from the front. Leaders must be willing to remain ethical in their transactions and even how they handle their image in public. For instance, Steve Jobs, a man who was hailed for leading Apple Inc to become one of the greatest firms in the computes industry was questioned for his acceptance of reimbursement of $1.2 million dollars in fuel charges for his private jet incurred on business trips. Ireland et al (2011) indicate that while such reimbursements were totally legitimate, it would have a negative impact on the subordinates who would be encouraged to seek out opportunities that they could exploit the firm. Visionary leaders should be capable of shelving the ‘me-first’ perception and giving priority to the needs of others and the interest of the team or organization. Leading example also means that leaders must have unquestionable personal attributes. Leaders must be hardworking and set the pace for organisational commitment to be emulated by their subordinates. This entails intricate issues such as careful planning on various organizational levels. Where a leader is not committed to a goal or vision, it is hard for the subordinates to commit. For this reason, a leader should have a military mind in the sense that a mistake in his or her orders will most likely trigger a domino effect in the whole organisation or team. Somech (2006) indicates that for employees, commitment is a function of job satisfaction and attitude. Much of the attitude towards a job according to the authors emanates from how they relate with their seniors including leaders. On the contrary, Agle et al’s (2006) study found no tangible influence of perceived CEO charisma on organizational performance. Celebrate achievements Appreciation is a key component in improving performance as each person feels valued within the department and within the organization (Schermerhorn et al., 2011). As a way of appreciating group members, the departmental leader must always appreciate and reward performance by letting the group members know when they perform well and inspire them through positive employee action (Schermerhorn et al., 2011). Other than that, the leader must exercise random acts of kindness such as saying thank you, remembering the birthdays for subordinates, awarding gifts to subordinates who show willingness to perform better and compliment their efforts as a way of showing support and care for them. These simple acts have the power to influence positive working relationships where each subordinate feels as part of a team and they easily share their concerns and issues and in so doing, helping identify work issues and dealing with them accordingly (Gill, 2006). This surely helps improve work performance. Acts of kindness are simple ways of generating a positive working environment required to cultivate work accountability needed to enhance work changes and performance. Other ways that a visionary leader can celebrate the achievements of subordinates and enhance their performance, both in the long term and short term, is creating working motivational and appraisal program and a reward program. Subordinates should be subjected to constant evaluation where their ability to meet set targets and goals are assessed. Those who are deemed to have exceptional records should be rewarded accordingly. There are different theories on the most effective reward schemes. One argument has it that among the poorly remunerated and low ranking subordinates, monetary rewards have better motivational impacts while among the high ranking subordinates, non-monetary rewards have a better impact (Agle et al 2006). Which the rewards program chosen, leaders must give recognition to exemplary performance at whatever capacity. Although the issue of participatory leadership under the Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory has been criticised for lack of stability, the leadership dynamism postulated by the theory has its various benefits. Key among them is the fact that such organisations are ready to adapt to changing market environment. For instance, increased competition in the domestic labour market will see a situational leadership regime adapt quickly to a decision that will involve relocation into another country or relocation as opposed to an organization that follows an alternative approach to leadership. For visionary leaders however, such a far reaching decision must involve the subjects with their interest and those of the organisation balanced well (Keller, 2011). Conclusion Therefore, it is highly recommended that visionary leaders must align their visions and leadership styles with the changing internal and external business environment. The changes in the business environment should however, not be the trigger to changes I business processes. It is necessary that organizations are pre-emptive or where development of new products is involved, be willing to push products into the market rather wait for the market pull (Gill 2006). Consequently, the personal attributes of a leader and his ability to match the unique set of resources and capabilities that an organization possesses means the difference between success and failure. It is thus important that organizations must consider the natural attributes of a leader before being awarded a leadership position in an organization. References Agle, B., Nagarajan, N., Sonnenfeld,, J. & Srinivasan, D. 2006, Does CEO charisma matter? An empirical analysis of the relationships among organizational performance, environmental uncertainty, and top management team perceptions of CEO charisma. Academy of Management Journal 2006, Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 161–174. Anderson, D. 2009, Organization Development: The Process of Leading Organizational Change, London: SAGE Publications Inc. Cohen, D. & Kotter, J. 2005, The heart of change field guide: tools and tactics for leading change in your organization, London: Harvard Business Press Daft, R. 2011, Management. Sydney: Cenagage Learning Gill, H. 2006, Theory and Practice of Leadership. New York: Sage Hybels, B. 2009, Courageous Leadership. London: Zondervan Ireland, R., Hoskisson, R. & Hitt, M. 2011, Understanding business strategy: concepts and cases. Sydney: Cengage Learning. Keller, A. (2011). What is effective leadership? - Managing people in organisations. Sydney: GRIN Verlag Kouzes, M., & Posner, B. 2010, The leadership challenge: how to make extraordinary things happen in organizations. London: John Wiley & Sons Schermerhorn, J. 2011, Exploring management. London: John Wiley & Sons. Schermerhorn et al, 2011, Management Foundations and Applications, John Wiley & Sons, Australia Somech, A. 2006, The effects of leadership style and team process on performance and innovation in functionally heterogeneous teams. Journal of Management, 32, pp.132-157 Somech, A. & Wenderow, M. 2006, The impact of participative and directive leadership on teachers performance: the intervening effects of job structuring, decision domain, and leader-member exchange. Educational Administration Quarterly 42, pp. 746-772. Wang, E., Chou, H. & Jiang, J. 2005, The impacts of charismatic leadership style on team cohesiveness and overall performance during ERP implementation. International Journal of Project Management 23, pp.173–180. Read More