Leadership - Main Concept That Defines the Nature of Interaction within the Group - Literature review Example

CHAPTER ONE 1.0. Introduction Leadership is an elusive but fascinating topic of continuing interest among students of organizations. The definitions of the word leadership can be equated to the number of researches that engage its study. Moreover, the leadership behavior of leaders designates the organizational climate inside the organization to form factors related to the performance and commitment of employee’s organization (Jreisat, 2002). Ashmawi (2000) states that leadership is one of the most fundamental concepts that designate the nature of interaction within the group, as it is a number of behaviors for affecting the employees' attitudes as well as their behaviors in relation with their efforts to achieve the goals of the organization. Therefore, it is extremely relevant to study the leadership behaviors and its effect on employees and their efforts on achieving the desired goals or plan set by an organization. In the Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and overlay, especially universities are seen as centers for education, culture and knowledge containing the best individuals who are ready and capable to serve their communities (Al tabeen, 2008). The University success depends on the existence of competent leaders who have the ability and qualifications to perform the required tasks through leadership behavior that ensures the flow of work and the complete cooperation of this administrative body (Al tarawneh, 1990). This study will concentrate on the leadership behavior of one of the universities in Saudi Arabia (Taibah University) and the effect of this behavior on its role in serving the Saudi community, as well as the humanity in general. 1.1 The Education System and Reforms in Taibah University: The University of Taibah is the national university equipped to maintain its function in the sustainable progress of the Saudi society. The university’s mission includes reinforcing the academic and research abilities of the teaching staff, and enhancing university workers, administrators, information systems, and technologies (Taibah University, 2009). The University of Taibah works to ensure continuous improvement in its performance to encourage the value of the environment of the educational community to consolidate the teaching process, academic research, and community service through advanced study and research programs to develop a productive citizen capable contributing effectively in developing the society and facing the challenges of the future. Lang ford and Cleary (1995) suggest “educational institutions must become learning organizations in every way” (p.147). The Saudi government wants to launch significant reforms at all sectors in the country (Al-Saeed, 2006). Many ideas were presented to enhance the administration in the public sector in general and in higher education, in particular, and introduce new approaches for effective leadership to help achieve the goal of establishing better performance in higher education to achieve the aims of the Saudi society. An example is that many students think the admission criteria are extremely complicated and so end up not applying. Also, the current registration system does not help those select classes according to their study plans. The absence of satisfactory academic counseling is one main reason why students spending more years in college. Basically, they do not know what courses to register for especially while switching majors. Restructuring the process of academic counseling is an indispensable step to help students overcome all the difficulties they face during their college life. A new president has been appointed, and Taibah University’s community is not only happy but also optimistic that the new president will work hard to improve various aspects of this university (Ministry of Higher Education, 2009). 1.2. Leadership in Education 1.2.0. History of Leadership in Education Culbertson (1988) identifies William Harold Payne as writing the first book on school administration in 1875 as one of the first efforts to give practical views about leadership concept. According to House & Aditya (1997), “the systematic social, scientific study of leadership did not begin until the early 1930s”. Bates (2006) Stated this by stating that formal study and teaching of educational administration began in the United States in the early years of the twentieth century.” Making good use of history as a magnifier through which to engage more deeply with leadership studies Gamage and Pang (2003, P21), among others, identify “administrative efficiency” as a “clearly defined (stream) of thought developed during the first half of the 20th century and even today.” The focal point in this study of educational leadership in the context of Taibah University remains on the individual rather than the institution level as behaviors are carried out by an individual without the existence of a forma or written plan authorized by the university administration. Greenfield and Ribbins (1993) address this imbalance by acknowledging how enquiry in this field “has leaned heavily on the belief that a general science of organizations has provided the needed theoretical underpinnings for understanding schools and for the training of the administrators who are to run them.” They go on to make a key point “organizations are mechanisms for transforming our desires into social realities. But the transforming mechanism lies within individuals” (p.17). Lagemann (1997), after reviewing the contested terrain of educational research as it developed in the 20th century in the US, comes to the following salient conclusion: “...professionalism has been a barrier to the effective linking of knowledge and action in education.”(p.5) Furthermore, she goes on to say: “...possibilities for the future will depend on understanding and surmounting the constraints of professionalization in order to develop more truly equal, genuinely respectful, and effectively collaborative relationships among the groups most directly involved in the study and practice of education. On the same topic, Popkewitz (1997) suggests: “the debates about knowledge are not only about who tells the “truth” but about the rules on which that truth is based and conditions in which that truth is told.” This suggests that the enquiry into leadership behavior of college deans needs to keep in mind institutional value structures, in addition to the individual perspective, of a particular dean. This has been a brief overview of the varied history of the field of educational leadership. The last point to consider is regarding the consequences of a contemporary push for a standardized, politically-influenced “knowledge base”. 1.2.1. Leadership in Higher Education Public universities face competition from various education institutions such as open universities and private education institutions offering similar services and programs. To remain competitive, these institutions must respond to complex factors such as the need of competent administration while making an impact on the demand for education. Education institutions in general and universities in particular seeking to achieve success must undertake a range of activities designed to attract prospective students not only within the country but from around the world. The worldwide exchange of ideas and practices is now a routine phenomenon as key stakeholders such as educator students and scholars seek an understanding of what strong leadership is and what its purposes are. Good universities require qualified staff in numbers commensurate with the task they have to undertake (Yukl, 1999). Without good staff, the university cannot hope to achieve excellence. Yukl (2004) supports this idea, but his study also reveals that the personal qualities of the director (leader) play a crucial role in the success of an institute. It would be beneficial for higher education leaders to address ideas of community as outlined by Gardner (1990) that includes wholeness incorporating diversity, sharing culture, appropriate internal communication, caring, trust and teamwork, group maintenance and government, participation and the sharing of leadership tasks, development of young people and links with the whole world. The leadership behaviours of higher education leaders, which is indicative of their predisposition to a managerial style of leadership, is an essential ingredient in the mix of factors that influence an organization’s success (Bass, 1990). While the leaders may occasionally learn to change their styles to suit the circumstances, leadership styles are likely to remain fairly stable overall. Therefore, a certain style affects the leaders/managers managerial decisions over extended periods, with a particular style being more effective under a specific set of circumstances. 1.2.2. Saudi Educational Leadership in an Islamic Context Education has taken place in all communities since ancient times as each generation has sought to pass on cultural and social values, traditions, morality, religion, knowledge and skills to the next generation. The passing on of culture is also known as enculturation, and the learning of social values and behaviors is socialization. The history of the curricula of such education reflects human history itself, the history of knowledge, beliefs, skills and cultures of humanity (Kendall, 2004). In preliterate societies, education was achieved orally and through observation and imitation. The young learned informally from their parents extended family and kin. At later stages of their lives, they received instruction of a more structured and formal nature, imparted by people not necessarily related, in the context of initiation, religion or ritual. As the customs and knowledge of ancient civilizations became more complex, many skills would have been learned from an experienced person on the job, in animal husbandry, agriculture, fishing, preparation and preservation of food, construction, stone work, metal work, boat building, the making of weapons and defenses, the military skills, and many other occupations(Hailman,1990). In order, to understand, the leadership behaviors used in Taibah University, it is necessary to consider the differences in the Islamic model of leadership which impacts on a Saudi university. Leadership in Islam is a trust (Amanah). It represents a psychological contract between a leader and his followers that will try his best to guide them, to protect them and to treat them fairly and with justice. Hence, the focus of leadership in Islam is on doing well. According to Islam, every person is the “shepherd” of a flock, and occupies a position of leadership. According to Mura (1989), Muslims have been able to defend themselves from the ‘ethnic cleansing’, this are many of the Muslims countries, which joins the Bosnians. He further asserts that the government in Muslim countries have not supported much. Muslims are beginning to invest heavily in education and knowledge management, and the results are tangible as 98% of people now in schools and universities as well as the laws of compulsory education in the early stages of education. The Pentium chip that powers millions of computers around the world had several Muslims on the development team. Professor Abdul Wahab El Messiri is one of the leading authorities in paradigm shifts. Safi Quraishi was one of the founders of AST, a globally known personal computer manufacture. The 1998 Noble Prize Winner for Medicine was Dr. FeridMurad (Murad, 1998). 1.2.3. Personal Qualities of a Leader Islamic rules define what disqualifies a person from becoming a leader. We must now examine the qualities a person must possess in order to qualify for leadership in Islam. For example, Islam states that a leader must be kind, compassionate and forgiving towards those whom he leads because if he is harsh with them, the followers will abandon him. He must also consult them but once a decision has been made, Allah then commands that no weakness be shown and the policy be pursued with single-mindedness of purpose, determination and courage. 1.2.4. Emergence of a Leader A person is thrust into a position of leadership both by circumstances as well as by his ability to motivate and lead others towards the realization of a particular goal. When a group of people accepts this vision, it creates a movement for change. The leader, however, must first articulate the vision and demonstrate the ability to turn it into action by aligning performance with a vision to create a climate of success for the realization of the stated goal. Islam takes a different approach to some western concepts of leadership in that it discourages the practice of actively seeking leadership. If person has self interest in leadership such as power and glory to themselves, the person is deemed to be unfit to lead. According to Al-asi (2000), in Islam a leader has the following tasks: 1. Articulate the goal or vision clearly and demonstrate his personal conviction for it. 2. Inspire a group of people to follow it. 3. Evaluate the prevailing situation accurately and devise appropriate strategies for dealing with it including overcoming problems and difficulties. 4. Initiate, guide and direct change towards the desired goal 5. Ensure continuous cooperation of the movement 6. Continually expands the movement to strengthen it 7. Inspire members of the movement to such a degree that they are prepared to fight and even die for the cause 8. Provide satisfaction so that the members feel their mission has a noble purpose. Other tasks a leader must perform in Islamic context (Kalim, 1998,) 1. Articulation of the vision 2. Clear articulation of the vision as well as firm conviction of the leader is the primary requirements for any movement to bring change. Those who are invited to join must know the ultimate objective. 2. Inspire/Motivate People Together with a clear articulation of the vision, the leader must inspire and motivate people. Translating vision into action is a fundamental task. The leader must turn people's indifference into interest, pessimism into optimism and motivate them to action for the realization of the goal. 3. Proper understanding of the existing order In order to motivate people, a correct analysis of the prevailing system is necessary. It is only when people understand that the existing system is exploitative and unjust that they will be motivated to work to change it. A leader must outline an effective strategy for dealing with the prevailing order, especially in surmounting problems and difficulties that will be encountered when it is challenged. He must also indicate what he plans to put as replacement. 4. Initiate, guide and direct change A successful leader is able to initiate, guide and lead the change process in order to achieve the stated objectives. Many movements, even those struggling for a genuine cause, are often subverted from within by the agent’s provocateurs, or when they are forced to move too quickly because they arouse expectations which cannot be fulfilled. It is the responsibility of the leader to keep the expectations of the people within realistic limits. 5. Sustaining movement over the long-term Sustainability of the movement is one of the most difficult tasks a leader faces. Initially, people may participate because their enthusiasm is aroused and they have not encountered any problems or difficulties. With regard to Leadership behavior and qualities of Muslim leaders, it can be summarized as follows: 1. Knowledge and Hikmah (wisdom, insight); In numerous ayaat of the noble Qur'an, Allah says that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, was given both knowledge and hikmah (wisdom. hikmah is also essential for a Muslim leader because he is responsible for the well-being of the Ummah (Muslim community). He has to deal and negotiate with hostile powers as well as make decisions that directly affect the community (Al-asi, 2000) 2. Taqwa Islam lays immense stress on taqwa (humility; being conscious of Allah's presence and fearing Him at all times) not only for the leader but for every believer. It is the only criterion by which people are judged in Islam. For a leader, it is even more crucial because the power and authority he acquires can easily make him arrogant. While taqwa means much more than being humble humility, is one of the key meanings of the term. Given that a leaders have been entrusted with the welfare of their community they should have humility (Beekun & Badawi, 2009). 3. Adel and Rahmah Adel (justice) and Rahmah (compassion) are two other essential characteristics a leader must possess. Justice should be compounded with compassion to avoid a state of tyranny vice visa compassion should be compounded with justice to avoid anarchy. A leader should strike a balance between self interest and the good of the society (Dolye, 1997). 4. Courage and Bravery Those who lead are expected to set an example by showing courage and taking calculated risks. A leader should be courageous and bravery as ideal attributes which are beneficial to all. Followers of a given leader should have a perception that their leader as one who can face danger without fear. Such a perception is a source of inspiration from a leader to others to perform impressive feats (Kalim, 1998). 5. Shura Shura (mutual consultation) is a Qur’an command; the Prophet himself regularly consulted his companions on all important matters. This is very vital when it comes to leaders in Muslim culture (Beekun&Badawi, 2009). 6. Decisiveness and Resolution A leader must be decisive and resolute. Such qualities ensure that a leaders makes a swift decision to size any opportunity. Lings (1983) observes that the Prophet demonstrated decisive decisions at many critical moments in life. 7. Eloquence For a leader to communicate clearly the purpose of a mission and the an inspiration to the followers he/she must be eloquent and participative. Eloquence can be depicted from the Qur'an it is a document that is clear and appealing not only to the art of the mind but the heart. The Prophet, upon who is peace, articulated the message of Islam in a way that was immediately accepted by a small group of people in Makah (Murad, 1998). 8. Spirit of sacrifice Simplicity and self-sacrifice are other qualities that Islam enjoins, especially for a leader because his behavior has a direct bearing on the conduct of others. If the leader is seen to be making personal sacrifices, then the followers will make even greater sacrifices. The leader will soon lose all support if he asks others to do so, but himself holds back. Similarly, he must have no personal or class interests (Ashmawi, 2000). 9. Saber Saber (patience) is another quality essential for a leader. Impatience will simply make him lose his followers (Murad, 1998). In Islam, it is stressed that patience emerges from perseverance through both good and bad times. Therefore, patience for an Islamic style of leader grows as he persists in the role while he is carrying out his tasks and dealing with a variety of people and situations. Therefore, he must manage all those situations with patience and thoughtful actions. 1.3. Identification of the Research Problem: Statement of Purpose In the last decade, Saudi Arabia has progressed in a number of areas such as the economy, education and social life. Therefore, scholars have suggested that there is a need to Read More