Leadership and Management in a Changing Environment - Literature review Example

Leadership and Management in a Changing Environment Name Institution Lecturer Course Date Leadership and Management in a Changing Environment Introduction This paper analyses the leadership and management styles prominent within my organisation. It also discusses the impact of political, economic, social and regulatory factors on the leadership and management styles and behaviours. Effective leaders and manager use more than one leadership and management style. According to Adeniyi (2007), different situations require the use of different leadership and management styles wherein a leader or manager switches to the most effective style for a given situation. A similar argument was given by Koontz and Weihrich (2007), who suggested that effective leadership style depends on two distinct factors: organisation and personal attributes. Organisational factors comprise of all factors associated with the task or situation under consideration. Therefore, effective leaders and managers are those who understand situations quickly and engage the most appropriate style. Leadership and Management Styles Different people exhibit different leadership and management styles, which depend on the personality of the individual and the organisation under consideration. According to Miner (2005), leadership and management styles exhibited by different individuals are about their behaviors, and they are a result of the individual’s personality, philosophy and experience. There are four distinct leadership and management styles, which include autocratic, participative, Laissez-faire and missionary leadership and management styles (Miner, 2005 & Adeniyi, 2007). In autocratic leadership and management style, the leader or manager is the sole decision maker. Such a leader or manager does not expect workers, subordinates or team members to assist in the decision-making process (Miner, 2005). This facilitates speedy decision-making as the leader or manager does not have to consider several opinions before arriving at the final decision. Further, there is no time wastage as the leader or manager calls for brainstorming meetings in which different people contribute their opinions. However, autocratic leadership and management style may be harmful to an organisation or team especially when the leader or manager makes the wrong decision, which leads to wastage of resources pursuing. Participative leadership and management style is the opposite of autocratic style, wherein the leader or manager encourages and accepts opinions from workers, subordinates and team members during the decision-making process. Involving team members, workers and subordinates creates a consultative type of decision-making environment in which the leader or manager consults before arriving at the final decision. In doing so, leaders and managers are not likely to make a wrong decision and pursue wrong goals, which add extra costs to the organisation or a project. Further, it leads to motivated team members and workers, who are encouraged to work on ideas they contributed. However, it takes long before autocratic leaders and managers make the final decision considering that they have to analyse the various opinions raised, which may take a long time depending on the number of opinions and the complexity of the situation at hand. Laissez-faire leadership and management style is a free style leadership and management style wherein a leader or a manager lets the workers or team members to make any decision without the intervention of the leader or the manager (Miner, 2005). Accordingly, team members, workers or subordinates, under the Laissez-faire style, do not have to consult or request permission from their leader or manager before making a decision. In many organisations, however, this freedom is usually given some limits, such as being allowed to spend up to a given amount of money on research trips without seeking approval from the team leader or manager. Finally, missionary leadership and management style is where leaders and managers are driven by beliefs. According to Vigoda-Gadot and Drory (2006), missionary leaders must have workers or team members behind them and who also share the leaders’ beliefs (p. 4). Such beliefs include, for example, improvement in the nursing care of a given health care facility through the use of innovative nursing care systems. Missionary leaders set a mission that they know is attainable (Roussel, 2011). They then lead their team or manage people and resources towards attaining the mission, thus missionary leadership and management. Essentially, according to Caldwell et al (2012), a missionary leader is transformative because such a leader encourages his followers to achieve some set and achievable goals. Another set of leadership and management styles that has been established, and which has gained considerable attention comprises of transactional and transformational leadership and management styles. In transactional leadership and management style, the leader or manager exercises a legitimate power and bureaucratic authority in the organisation (Obiwuru et al., 2011). Transactional leader and managers emphasise on work standards, task assignments and employee compliance to rules and directions (Ahmadi, Ahmadi and Zohrabi, 2012). Such leaders use punishment and reward as a strategy of influencing the behavior of employees or team members (Ahmadi, Ahmadi and Zohrabi, 2012). On the contrary, transformational leaders and managers motivate employees and team members by appealing to high standards of moral values and ideals (Swansburg, 1996, p. 433 & Bass and Riggio, 2006, p. 4). Background of my Organisation The organisation, which is part of a larger organisation, comprises of one practice manager, one nurse practitioner and four doctors. One of the doctors is the medical director of the organisation. The organisation also has two nurses and three receptionists. Essentially, we are a team led by the medical director, one of the doctors. We all work and relate remarkably well with each other. The practice manager spends only two to three days in her office. Therefore, she does some micro management tasks of which all the team members have accepted. I report directly to the medical director in case I have any problems, which means that I am allowed to make some decisions on my own. Analysis of the Dominant Leadership and Management Styles Evident within the Organisation Four leadership and management styles are evident within the organisation; autocratic, participative, laissez-faire and transformation leadership and management styles. Participative Leadership and Management Style In the organisation, we are usually encouraged to participate in crucial decision-making processes wherein the medical director asks for opinions from various people in the organisation when solving certain issues or making decisions. In most cases, the medical director calls for brainstorming meetings where team members air their different views and opinions regarding an issue at hand. These opinions are then analysed, and the most appropriate opinion or strategy is selected for implementation. We usually have frequent meetings in which we discuss various issues facing the small organisation and the possible solution to the issues. As aforementioned, it often takes a considerable amount of time before the medical director makes a decision considering that he has to consider all the strategic opinions presented. This is especially the case when complex issues are being solved. Therefore, participative style is usually used when there is enough time for the decision making process. Further, according to Wang and Poutziouris (2010) the medical director usually use this style when the issue under consideration is so complicated that he feels he cannot make the right decision. Further, this style is used when it is felt that numerous alternative opinions exist and that there is no significant difference between the various alternatives. When time limit does not allow for participative leadership and management style, the medical director uses authoritative style although in rare circumstances. Authoritative Leadership and Management Style Authoritative leadership and management style is sometimes used in the organisation wherein the medical director makes some decision without consulting other people. The medical director resorts to this strategy when he feels a crucial decision need to be made, and there is no enough time available to consult others. In that case, we have to do what he has decided should be done. However, it is not commonly used considering that it can lead to the wrong decision, which leads to wastage of time and money pursuing the wrong path. Even if the leader may not make the wrong decision, it is highly likely that he may not consider all the possible alternatives before settling to one alternative. Consequently, this may lead to the avoidance of the most appropriate option or strategy. Accordingly, the organisation fails to realise its full potential through the most appropriate option, solution to a problem or strategy. Additionally, there are high risks that workers, subordinates or team members may feel neglected, which can reduce their morale thereby risking the team or organisation. Workers and team members are unmotivated especially when they are aware that they are pursuing the wrong direction and that they shall not achieve the desired goal yet the leader or manager cannot listen to them. Therefore, this leadership and management style is most appropriate to highly competent and experienced leaders and managers, who are not likely to make the wrong decision. Additionally, it is mostly used when leaders and managers realise that there is not time to involve others. It is also used leaders are managers are making straightforward decisions such that there are no alternative opinions or alternative opinions do not weigh as much as the most probable decision (the decision they make). Laissez-faire Leadership and Management Style This seems to the most prominent leadership and management style employed in the organisation. Laissez-faire leadership and management style is usually used in organisations or situations where time is a crucial factor, such as in hospitals where a fraction of a second is enough to determine the fate of a patient-whether he will die or survive. Being a medical care organisation, time is exceedingly crucial for the organisation. It is not affordable to lose the smallest fraction of a second. Therefore, team members are allowed and encouraged to make crucial decisions on their without consulting the manager, which would otherwise lead to time wastage. Nevertheless, team members must make ethical, legal and wise decisions. For example, the doctors and nurses can make decisions on their own without consulting the medical director for intervention. Such decisions include, for example, decisions concerning patient treatment particularly when the patient is under critical condition. Laissez-faire leadership and management style is most appropriate where team members or workers are capable of making critical decisions on their own. This is because workers and team members should be highly competent and experienced to be entrusted to make wise, ethical and legal decisions (Landy and Conte, 2010). Consequently, laissez-faire leadership and management style is often used in fields comprised of highly competent and experienced team members and workers, such as highly experienced and competent nurses and doctors among other professionals. Such people are capable of making right decisions just as their leaders or managers would do. The organisation is comprised of professionals in different fields, which makes it easy to use laissez-faire leadership and management style. In fact, each person is entrusted to carry his or her own work without the direction of the medical doctor. I, for instance, report directly to the medical director if I have problems. This implies that I am entrusted to carry on with my work without while making decisions where appropriate. The other people too are entrusted to do their work without directions from the leader while making decisions in their respective works when necessary, but consult the medical director when they face problems or are unable to make decisions. In that case, the medical director may make decisions on his own without consulting others (authoritative), or he may consult the rest of us for opinions (participative). However, the laissez-faire style that is prominent in the organisation has some disadvantages, which sometimes affect the organisation. Considering that members are given the freedom to carry on their work to fail or succeed on their own, some people misuse it (Landy and Conte, 2010). Misuse of the freedom may occur, for example, when members fail to turn up for work and only appear in some days of the week because nobody is following them. Therefore, laissez-faire is most effective when members and workers are dedicated to work without the need to follow and force them to work. In other words, this leadership and management style is most efficient and effective for people who are result driven such that the desire to achieve is the main driving force behind their motivation to work. Transformational Leadership and Management Style Transformational leadership and management style is particularly prominent in the organisation and it hand in hand with the laissez-faire style. Members of the organisation are encouraged to work towards achieving the objectives of the organisation. The medical director does not follow what every member is doing and how every member does his or her work (Quader 2011). Instead, he establishes and defines vision and goals for the organisation and encourage (and inspire) members to realise the vision and the goals (Lussier and Achua, 2010). All the members of the organisation are highly motivated, which makes us move along well without problems as every member knows what he or she is supposed to do, and he or she works best possible. Members are motivated to high standards of moral values, which they exhibit in their respective works. However, transformation leadership and management style has not been 100 percent effective for the organisation as it has resulted to some minor problems especially when members abuse the freedom associated with the style. When there lacks control or a tangible motivating element in an organisation, some employees may lack the motivation to work towards the vision and objectives of the organisation. This may have undesirable effects on other employees and the entire organisation especially if unmotivated employees are highly influential (Lussier and Achua 2010). Similarly, transformational style has had some negative impacts, which has resulted to the engagement of transactional style, particularly the use of sanctions to ensure adherence to rules and procedures of the organisation. However, the use of transactional leadership and management style is not prominent in the organisation. The Impact of Political, Economic, Social and Regulatory Factors on the Leadership and Management Styles and Behaviours The identified leadership and management styles and their associative behaviours are affected by various factors including political, economic, social and regulatory factors. These factors affect the leadership and management styles and behaviors in that they affect the relationship between the leaders (or managers) and employees. Political factors, however, do not have a significant impact on leadership and management styles and behaviors in the organisation considering that it is neither a political organisation nor is it politically affiliated. Economic factors comprise of all factors having a financial impact on the organisation, which have a significant impact on leadership and management styles and behaviours that are prominent in the organisation. Leaders and managers lead for organisational success, which revolve around economic success. An effective leader or manager, for instance, selects the most appropriate leadership or management style that will be most effective and efficient for the situation at hand (Zimmermann, 2002, p. 7). Similarly, in the organisation, leadership and management style used is aimed at organisation successes, which has some economic aspects. Social factors also affect leadership and management styles and behaviours. Social factors involve the relationship between a leader and his followers, as well as between followers. Of interest, however, is the relationship between a leader or manager and the followers. The good relationship between the medical director and the members of the organisation may be one of the underlying factors behind the use of transformational and laissez faire styles. According to (Eddy and Sears), a leader’s concern for the wellbeing of his followers affects his choice of leadership style between transactional and transformational styles. The strong relationship between the medical director and the members of the organisation, some of whom are his colleagues, is perhaps the reason behind his use of transformational and laissez faire leadership styles (Kozak and Uca, 2008). This relationship instills a sense of trust such that members are entrusted with their respective work. Finally, regulatory factors affect the leadership and management styles and behaviors in the organisation. Regulatory factors encompass all the factors related with work and employee regulation, which affect the choice of leadership and management style and the behavior of the leader or manager and the followers (employees, subordinates or team members). Regulative focus, in particular for enhancement and preventive purposes leads to the use of authoritative leadership and management style (Chou, 2012). Kark and Dijk (2007) explicate the self-regulatory focus theory indicating that transformational leadership is exceedingly successful and widely applied where followers exhibit self regulatory behaviors. Similarly, laissez-faire style, where the leader or manager has less regulation on the subordinates, employees or team members, is effective in organisational situations where employees exhibit self regulatory behaviours. The organisation is characterised by high level of self regulation among members wherein a leader or manager does not have to follow each member in his or her work. Consequently, according to Derue and Ashford (2010) the transformational and laissez-faire styles used by the leader have been successful. However, when regulation is required, authoritative and transactional styles are sometimes engaged to regulate or control members’ behaviors Conclusion It is apparent that an effective manager or leader uses different leadership and management styles at different occasions. An effective leader or manager is one who analyses the situation at hand and engages the most appropriate leadership or management styles that lead to efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace. References Adeniyi, M. A. (2007). Effective Leadership Management: An Integration of Styles, Skills & Character for Today’s CEOs. AuthorHouse. Ahmadi, S. A., Ahmadi, F. & Zohrabi, M. (2012). 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