Leadership and Management - Coursework Example

Content page 1.0 Introduction----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.0. Leadership and Management-------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.0 Essential Management Skills--------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.0 Key Aspects of Leadership----------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.1 Followers:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.2 Creating and sustaining healthy organisations:------------------------------------- 5.0 Theoretical Perspectives on Leadership and Management------------------------------------- 5.1 Great man theory:------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.2 Path-goal theory of leadership and behaviour:----------------------------------------- 5.3 How it relates to leadership and management:----------------------------------------- 5.4 Contingency theory:---------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.5 How it relates to leadership and management:--------------------------------------- 5.6 Transformational theory:--------------------------------------------------------------- 5.7 How it relates to management and leadership:------------------------------------- 5.8 Leader affiliate exchange hypothesis:----------------------------------------------- 5.9 How it relates to leadership and management:----------------------------------- 6.0 Impact of Power on Leadership and Management--------------------------------------------- 7.0 Emotional Intelligence----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.0 Societal Perceptions of Leaders and Managers------------------------------------------------- 9.0 A facet of management:--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10.0 Leadership Not Always Essential-------------------------------------------------------------- 11.0 Emergent Leadership----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12.0 Conclusion------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13.0 References------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Leadership and Management 1.0 Introduction In any health care unit, effective leadership and management are critical for the delivery of good services. Although the two concepts appear similar in some respects, they really entail different skills, outlooks, and behaviours. Both terms are often perceived very differently. Some people view them as synonymous, and, therefore, use them interchangeably. Others interpret them as completely different, while others often remain in the middle (Normore, 2010). On the other hand, according to Carlopio and Andrewartha (2012), both leadership and management involve working with people, influencing others and working effectively with management. Still, both fields are inextricably intertwined; when a manager is involved in directing a team of employees to meet set goals, he or she is operating under the terms of leadership. Additionally, when a leader is involved in elements such as planning, organising and controlling, he or she is operating within the definition of management. Henry (2012) argued that today’s organisations require both effective leaders and effective managers. While some obvious similarities may exist between the two concepts, they often exhibit some striking differences. Henry (2012) further pointed out that one feature that is common to both leadership and management is that each of them entails control of the workforce; as well as authority are key components for both functions. They also exhibit some differences; for example, many managers are usually task-oriented while leaders are expected to be more inspirational and visionary. This paper will address the fundamental definitions of leadership and management, skills of leadership and management, the differences between the two concepts, and the impact of power on each of them. Theoretical perspectives related to the societal views on both leadership and management and finally draw a conclusion based on analysis of the key points. 2.0 Leadership and Management Leadership is a critical part of human life. It forms the basis of almost every aspect of our lives, ranging from education systems, politics, business, and sports to health systems, among others. The ability to lead and inspire others tends to be both instinctual and acquired throughout life based on understanding individual encounters. Furthermore, the natural tendency toward leadership, as well as the values associated with it, springs from the inherent nature and personality of some individuals. As discussed by Achua, and Lussier (2013), leadership refers to one’s ability to inspire other persons to work together, following a common direction in order to achieve a common objective. On the other hand, for most, the definition of management is perceived quite differently. This does not imply that a person cannot hold both leadership and management roles simultaneously, but management is dissimilar to leadership. Management entails the executive, administrative, decision-making roles and tasks in a team. Henry (2012) argues that leadership represents a very old notion, which has existed for decades, whereas management is a notion generated during the twentieth century, as part of the industrial revolution. Many scholars have shared these views. For instance, “Caldwell (2012) defined management as a process of accomplishing tasks and mastering routines”. He further argued that to lead means to influence others and create a vision for change. Carlopio and Andrewartha (2012) affirmed that leadership is a multidirectional influence relationship. In contrast, they stress that management depicts a unidirectional authority relationship. On the other hand, Amann and Stachowicz-Stanusch (2012) argued individuals might not be good at both management and leadership, as the two require different skills and knowledge. From the definitions above, some overlap between the two concepts are still evident. For example, once managers become involved in empowering a team of workers to attain its aim, the team tends to function under their leadership. Additionally, while leaders engage in activities such as planning, organising, staffing, and controlling, they are viewed as carrying out management functions. Though they are somewhat different, the two concepts are never completely different (Carlopio & Andrewartha, 2012). 3.0 Essential Management Skills Since management roles basically involve a task orientation, compared to leadership, which has a different orientation, one imperative to achieve successful management is to identify the essential techniques. Both leadership and management have different essential techniques to each other. Success requires having the aptitude to utilise competencies and knowledge to accomplish the organisation’s goals and objectives. Effective management, therefore, is grounded on three personal skill sets, it contain technological as well as theoretical skills (Collarbone, 2012). The technical abilities refer to knowledge about type of task being carried out. They show that one is proficient in performing a given task. They also include the competencies within a given field such as the ability to analyse or use special tools and equipment. For example, one may have knowledge of various drugs and their prescription for treating various diseases. (Chen et al., 2012). Human skills, on the other hand, involve knowledge of people and the ability to work with different individuals. These techniques enable a manager to provide assistance to a group of associates operating collaboratively to accomplish task assignment. Examples of these skills include identifying one’s perspective as well as those of one’s subordinates, understanding the drives and demands of workers and taking into account other people’s demands during decision making (Normore, 2010). Conceptual skills reflect the ability to carry out tasks by using various ideas and concepts. These skills do not embrace working in a group, but, rather, they emphasise ideas. Managers who possess good conceptual skills will discuss their ideas in detail to influence their organisation. Managers with these skills understand the bigger picture and can, therefore, interpret and translate this into simpler concepts that everybody can appreciate (Collins et al., 2012). 4.0 Key Aspects of Leadership 4.1 Followers: The important thing to note is that leadership implies that one has followers. In fact, Miller (2012) delineates leadership through followership. The concepts of leadership and followership are reciprocal, and contemporary concepts of leadership suggest that leadership cannot be clearly understood without appreciating both followers and followership. (Normore (2010) stated that the actions of leaders are reflected in their followers unlike in the case of managers who are not involved in leadership but they direct people. If the leader’s vision is not clear, managers will be unable to plan and effectively manage the staff under their control. Similarly, managers need to derive value from scarce resources whilst leaders try to get more value out of the existing resources. Therefore, both leaders (visionaries) and managers (stabilisers) are necessary for the success of any business. 4.2 Creating and sustaining healthy organisations: Since they have followers rather than subordinates, leaders have a role in motivating followers. Managers, on the contrary, can use their coercive power to get employees to achieve goals. As a matter of fact, leading is always a two-way street, because followers must truly trust and believe the goal set or the vision articulated is worthy of their time and effort. According to Leonard (2013), followers always want an opportunity to be tested, participate in a social experiment, do something and modify the ways things are. Leaders have to understand the needs of their followers. They cannot simply influence people solely for their personal gain. Followers grant leaders the power to lead and, on the other hand, leaders grant followers the authority to achieve results beyond their perceived abilities. It is, therefore, important for leaders to foster an organisational culture in which followers are allowed to learn from their mistakes. Having a team in which one feels fully engaged leads to sustainable solutions since one has a feeling of ownership. Organisational leaders should train followers to become their own leaders. They should also generate an added benefit by fully involving them in all aspects of the process. In addition, through situational leadership, one should allow some freedom to take risks. Leadership behaviours should be modified to suit different situations. Situational leadership is suitable in high-risk environments. For example, a nurse in a health care unit usually lets workers participate, except in situations that demand otherwise, such as when responding to a code, which may require the nurse to become autocratic (Miller, 2012). 5.0 Theoretical Perspectives on Leadership and Management The differences between managers and leaders are enormous and crucial. Chen et al., (2012) stated that, though they are not the same, they are complementary. As a matter of fact, for one to become successful in running an organisation such as a health care unit, one should be a strong leader as well as a good manager. 5.1 Great man theory: Leonard (2013) stated that ‘‘True leaders have a natural way of enrolling different people into their goals through optimism – sometimes unjustified optimism.’’ The ‘Great Man’ theory (associated with scientific management) focuses on the characteristics of effective leaders, which are somehow distinct from those of managers. It accomplishes this by examining the physical, mental and social traits of both managers and leaders. Based on the theory, Collins et al., (2014), Achua and Lussier (2013), and Jeon et al., (2010) stated that leaders are born and the surrounding environment, time and situational factors only dictate their styles of leadership. According to the theory, leaders must not only exercise their power and lead people, but they should also promote teamwork. The theory further points out that good managers tend to implement processes in the right ways, while good leaders implement the right processes 5.2 Path-goal theory of leadership and behaviour: Path-goal theory is founded on the principles of expectancy theory, which argues that subordinates will only feel motivated if they believe their hard work will result in a given outcome. It further states that employees in organisations are driven to work harder if the payoff for performing the task is worthwhile and if they believe that they have the ability to carry out their work (Amann & Stachowicz-Stanusch, 2012). 5.3 How it relates to leadership and management: This theoretical approach seems pragmatic in the sense that leaders are often charged with the responsibility of assisting their subordinates to achieve their goals, as opposed to managers, who must ensure that the goals set are achieved. The theory argues that leaders formulate long-term goals and objectives to reform system plan. They tend to come up with strategies and tactics for achieving tasks. Managers often get involved in daily caretaker activities such as maintaining and allocating resources (Achua & Lussier 2013). Furthermore, the theory depicts leaders as critical to organisations since they always add meaning to the organisation by creating a vision. They also use their transactional influence to effect change in behaviours, attitudes, values and norms by using individual examples and expertise (Jeon et al., 2010). This contrasts with managers, who tend to bring about change by using transactional influences such as rewards, formal authority and organisational sanctions. In a health care organisation, leaders are seen as innovative individuals who frequently come up with new ways of doing things. In contrast, managers are perceived as administrators who ensure that all tasks are done on time. Furthermore, managers tend to act within the established organisational culture rather than coming up with innovations or bringing new meaning to the organisation (Cook, 2014). 5.4 Contingency theory: This theory argues that organisations are part of a framework that requires careful management to satisfy employees by balancing internal needs while adapting to environmental circumstances. The theory further proposes that different types of organisations fit well in different types of environments, and therefore, management systems must be aimed at alignments that best fit the existing environments (Chen et al., 2012). Fiedler’s contingency theory is grounded upon a close analysis of hundreds of leaders found throughout military history. By identifying and studying leaders who appeared effective, Fiedler formulated an approach, which matched styles to circumstances. He noted that effective leadership usually depended on the similarity between the leader’s style and the demands of a given situation (Chen et al., 2012). The situational variables comprise three aspects. First, a good leader-member relationship creates a conducive atmosphere in which staff shows trust in their leaders. Secondly, task structure is maintained by ensuring that all the requirements are clear, completion is measurable, and there are limited alternatives with a number of correct ways to achieve it. Lastly, position power refers to a leader having the authority to employ, dismiss, punish and reward his employees (DuBrin, 2012). 5.5 How it relates to leadership and management: After analysing the contingency theory, it is evident that leaders tend to exhibit behaviours that include working to create change in people. They generally aim at bringing to the organisation change that is relatively consistent with their long-term goals and objectives. Managers, on the other hand, exhibit supervisory behaviours that ensure their subordinates maintain the required standard of on-the-job behaviours (Jeon et al., 2010). It further argues that managers will rely on exerting control over subordinates to make them perform, while leaders will optimise their empowering strategies to make their followers internalise their values. Last but not least, leaders are status quo challengers as well as change creators, while managers usually support the status quo and maintain stability. However, the theory also shows that the two aspects are inextricable (DuBrin, 2012). 5.6 Transformational theory: In the early 1970s, a theory of leadership surfaced that emphasised the significance of charisma in effective leadership. House’s hypothesis, Bass’s transformational leadership hypothesis as well as Conger and Kanungo’s leadership hypothesis, are examples of transformational leadership theories. These theories are very similar in many ways. For instance, they all tend to focus on explaining how leaders can achieve outstanding outcomes against all obstacles, including turning around deteriorating firms, starting successful businesses or accomplishing military objectives. These theories further stress the significance of leaders stimulating the appreciation, commitment and unquestioned faithfulness of followers by articulating a comprehensible and captivating dream (Leonard, 2013). 5.7 How it relates to management and leadership: Transformational leadership theory emphasises the limitations of transactional approaches. Basically, transactional leadership emphasises position power, required activities and performance for reward (Leonard, 2013). In contrast, transformational leadership stresses creating shared faith, releasing the leadership capability of others and identifying objectives that go further than the short-term demands of the work group. Similarly, it involves the ability to be responsive and to continually monitor and redirect processes as required, drawing from the lessons learnt in the past, but not becoming imprisoned by past methods. Bass’s transformational leadership model outlines four key elements of effective leadership, including charisma, inspiration, consideration, and intellectual stimulation. He also states that when a company transforms its managers into authentic and accountable leaders, the entire company is transformed as well. Finally, he suggests that leaders who adopt the transformational approach will motivate staff to become hard workers and place the long-term importance of the company before their short-term interests (Evans, 2011). 5.8 Leader affiliate exchange hypothesis: Leader switch hypothesis was first proposed by George Grasen along with his various colleagues in the early 1970s. This theory has been refined over many years. The Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory looks at the dyadic links that exist between leaders or managers and their respective subordinates instead of focusing on the traits of leaders or on situational characteristics (Normore, 2010). 5.9 How it relates to leadership and management: This is based on determining the type of relationship that exists between leaders or managers and their subordinates. It demonstrates how the two aspects exhibit some similarities. This theory posits that high-quality relationships existing within dyads involving managers and their subordinates are more likely to result in positive outcomes including high performance, lower turnover, increased organisational commitment and greater job satisfaction. It, therefore, argues that both the leader and the manager will establish a close relationship with some of the subordinates while being more distant from others. Those who stay close to the leader tend to enjoy a good relationship with their leader, which is often characterised by mutual respect and trust. As a result, the subordinates get an opportunity to participate in making important decisions and become more involved in various activities. Conversely, those who are not close to the leader or manager are often excluded from critical decisions and important activities (Jeon et al., 2010). 6.0 Impact of Power on Leadership and Management There are various forces that can motivate leaders and managers, including the desire for power (Leonard, 2013). An individual who is driven by power holds a strong urge to control resources. In addition, individuals who are driven by power are characterised by determination to exercise their power, a focus on changing the behaviours of others, and caution about how they are perceived by others. Such leaders and managers tend to seek power to further their personal interests. Furthermore, these types of leaders or managers are less likely to use their positions to help others in time of need. The socialised motive arises when leaders and managers use their power to attain organisational goals and objectives. They basically use power to assist others (Normore, 2010). These leaders and managers respond to a number of motivating forces. They are driven by power and achievement. They invest in attaining goals and, hence, find satisfaction in accomplishment. These leaders/managers have the desire to accomplish success through their hard work and by taking full responsibility for their decisions. They are tenacious and, hence, are good at overcoming obstacles. They believe in upholding a strong work ethic that promotes the dignity and worth of hard work (Miller, 2012). They also have strong intellectual ability, varied skills, and knowledge of specific tasks or businesses (Lovett, 2012). Every leader or manager should possess the professional expertise in the field in order to achieve competitive advantage. Good leaders are creative in identifying solutions to emerging problems; they have insight into both situations and people, which is another characteristic of outstanding leadership. Effective leadership includes a willingness to learn and the readiness to explore new experiences. Related to these, good leaders should have conceptual abilities that enable them to think about the future and articulate the long-term view. Managers, on the other hand, should display their supervisory behaviours by ensuring that their workers maintain the required standard of behaviour at work (Samson & Daft, 2009). 7.0 Emotional Intelligence Compared to cognitive intelligence, the emotional intelligence (EQ) of an individual is a more reliable predictor of success in both managerial and leadership effectiveness (Normore, 2010). It is a measure of ability to encourage, understanding, community building expertise, awareness of others and ability to motivate others. When assessing the EQ of a potential leader or manager, it is imperative to account for both the cross-cultural and national-culture dimensions. Furthermore, a transformational leader encourages both moral virtue and charisma as key ethical elements. The effectiveness of a leader is not entirely based on achievement of objectives and the process by which the goals were attained. To avoid conflicts in the future, the moral content of the goal should also be assessed (Miller, 2012). 8.0 Societal Perceptions of Leaders and Managers Leaders are often seen as active people since they envision the future and promote their ideas rather than just reacting to their current situations. Good leadership seeks to shape ideas rather than responding to them. Effective leaders maintain individual orientation towards objectives and goals. They also provide a vision that encourages change in the way individuals think about what is essential, possible and desirable. On the other hand, managers tend to espouse impersonal attitudes towards goals. They also make decisions regarding their goals based on necessity rather than on desire and are thus deeply grounded in their organisation’s culture. Finally, organisational management is usually reactive since they concentrate on current information (Lovett, 2012). 9.0 A facet of management: Dwyer (2012) posited that leadership is but one of the numerous attributes a successful manager should possess. Therefore, care should always be taken to differentiate the two concepts. The key role of a manager is to optimise production through administrative competence. Hence, this kind of role should never be entrusted to those without the necessary attributes (Collins et al., 2012). 10.0 Leadership Not Always Essential In various situations, leadership by one individual is not always necessary. For instance, a self-directed group might not require a leader and it might also select and rotate leaders. Thus, the reality that formal leaders are not always a necessity justifies the view that leadership is simply a benefit and not a necessity (Collins et al., 2012). Leaders stand out by becoming unique. Effective leaders question theories and are often suspicious about beliefs. They usually search for certainty and make judgments based on facts and not mere prejudice. They also embrace modernisation. 11.0 Emergent Leadership In circumstances where ordinary leaders emerge from a group it becomes a challenge to the manager of the group, an administrator. This may lead to conflict within the group particularly if the two holds dissimilar opinions (Carlopio & Andrewartha, 2012). 12.0 Conclusion The delivery of good services in any health care unit is dependent on efficient leadership and management. However, these terms are often confusing but most of the time they go together. Leadership involves influencing a team of employees to meet the set goals while management involves operating under the managing roles such as planning, organizing and controlling. Situational leadership requires the leaders to be modified to suit different situations. Different theories such as the path goal theory, contingency theory and transformational theory have emphasized on the role of charisma in influencing the followers to achieve set goals. The relationship that exists between leadership and management is imperative. Managers and leaders who hunger for power tend to further their own personal interests and do not focus on helping on others. The emotional intelligence of an individual determines the success of a leader or manager. Leadership is only benefit and not a necessity. Leaders who stand out are unique and are ready to make judgment based on facts and not prejudice. Emergent leaders face the challenge of maintaining peace in the group. 13.0 References Achua, C. F., & Lussier, R. N. (2013). Effective leadership. London; United Kingdom: South-Western Cengage Learning. Amann, W., & Stachowicz-Stanusch, A. (2012). Integrity in organizations: Building the foundations for humanistic management. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Caldwell, B. J.(Vic.). (2012). School autonomy and system leadership: Aligning the effort in the journey from improvement to transformation. East Melbourne, Vic: Centre for Strategic Education. Carlopio, J. R., & Andrewartha, G. (2012).Developing management skills: A comprehensive guide for leaders. French’s Forest, N.S.W: Pearson Australia. Chen, P., Wright, S., Nelson, D. L., Jackson, S. E. 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Samson, D., & Daft, R. L. (2009). Fundamentals of management. South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia. Read More