Management and Leadership Skills - Essay Example

Leadership and management Name Subject Tutor Date Differences between management and leadership Often used interchangeable, leadership and management are two distinctive and also complementary processes. The two aspects have an important aspect of discussion that surrounds the differences between management and leadership as raised by Zaleznik. In his remarks, he pointed out that leadership is an influence that exists between leaders and the followers with an intension of real changes that are a reflection of their shared purpose (Rost, 1993, p 102). Management on the other hand is the attainment of organizational goals in an effective as well as an efficient manner through process such as organization, directing, staffing, planning and controlling the organizational resource(Daft, 1999). In most occasion, leadership is talked about as being about people while management on the other hand is talked about in terms of control and the creation of predictable results. The table below shows the existing differences between leadership and management as regards to different roles and aspects in an organizational perspective; Management Leadership Direction - Involved in planning and budgeting - and also keeping an eye on the bottom line - it is involved in creative vision and strategy - while keeping an eye on the horizon Alignment - organizing and staffing is its responsibility - directing and controlling comes from their line - while at the same time creating boundaries - leadership creates vision and strategy - it helps/oversees others grow - while reducing the boundaries Relationships - the focus of management is on objects e.g. producing and selling goods and services - based on the position of power - and acting a boss - leadership has its focus on people i.e. inspiring and motivating the members of the group - it is based on personal power -acts a facilitator, servant and coach Personal qualities A manager has; - Emotional distance - an expert mind - he does the talking - has conformity - and insight into organization A leader has; - Emotional connection - Mindfulness(open mind) - he listens - non-conformity for being courageous - Has integrity or insight for self Outcomes - Maintaining stability - Creating change within the organization, this is often radical change Theories of leadership Among one of the monumental task under this area is the definition of and explaining leadership, the theories that are associated with its well as it's controversies. Where approaching this topic, there are areas that need to be considered when approaching this topic such as sociology, history, Psychology, religion, and business. As the search for answers on the topic continues, the question on the other hand changes too. However, the description of controversies in any given area creates the basis for discovery and examination. Universal theories the universal theories of leadership are the theories that hold the belief that there are certain traits that play the greatest contributing role to leadership effectiveness and in all situations. There are certain elements that are particularly found in these theories and they include personal characteristics, behaviors, and skills. It is from the elements of the universal leadership theories that we can draw the conclusion that the leader ought to have several traits to be able to become an effective leader. For instance, an effective leader ought to have a vision about how the organization he/she is a leader at should be in the future while that is the case he/she also should have the self-confidence to be able to be an effective leader for without the confidence as a leader there may never be an accomplishment that is associated with him. Among the theories that fall under the arm of Universal theories is Transformational leadership, Transactional leadership, and charismatic leadership. It will be of importance to discuss the proponents of these theories. Transactional leadership This is a theory that is highly associated with the role of reward which includes things like promotion or the aspects of pay and they are used as a motive for achieving results and punishment. Punishment would involves salary loss, demotion, or loss of position which are used as a motive to ensure that there is adherence to the goals that are set to be achieved. According to this theory, a transactional leader has his actions taking place within the existing systems of their organization or its culture and one who makes no efforts in changing that system (Waldman et al, 2001). The transactional leader is a leader who recognizes the actions that their subordinates must take so as to achieved the desired outcomes they develop agreements with their subordinates making it clear what they will receive after they have completed a given task right while on the other hand stating what will happen when they do that activity wrong (Bass, 1985). The transactional style or approach is basically an approach that acts in strengthening the existing structures as well as the culture within the organization. The role of the leader under the transactional leadership is to make clear goals as well as to select the appropriate rewards to ensure that there is enough motivation within the group towards the set goals(Sadler, 2003). Transformational leadership A leader under this approach of leadership is one who inspires his/her followers to do more than they would have expected to and to accomplish. (Bass, 1985). The theory of transformational leadership was put forward by Burns in the 1970's and was further elaborated by Bass in the 1980's. overtime, the theory has gained popularity both in the practitioners circles as well as in the academic ones(Brown, Keeping, 2005). Transformational leadership according to Sadler (2003) can be defined as the process whereby commitment is engaged in a context of shared values and vision, or the interests of an organization is aligned with its members. There are four components of Transformational leadership these being intellectual stimulation, idealized influence, inspiration , and individual consideration (Bass, Avolio, 1990; Avolio, et al, 1991). This is a leadership theory that is involved in the maximizing of mutual interest while at the same time putting restrain in the use of power (Sadler, 2003). This leadership style is seen as one that broadens and elevates the follower's interest and this results to the generation of awareness as well as motivation towards the mission and purpose of the organization. Being a theory of leadership, it brings the purpose of the group above the needs of the individual and this is for the attainment of the common goal (Seltzer, Bass, 1990). According to Burns, the leader-follower style relationship is a two way transforming possibility where both the leader and the follower are transformed by the event of interaction. Charismatic Leadership This is a form of leadership where the leader by the force of their personalities have the capability of having profound and extraordinary effects on their followers (House, Baetz, 1979:399). As a theory of leadership it has gained much public admiration. The charismatic leaders attracts followers branding the this theory as one characterized by leadership being a role that is granted by the followers devotion rather than it being a given position. The difference a charismatic leader has from other leaders is the ability to formulate as well as articulate an inspirational vision through behaviors and actions. Those that foster impression that the charismatic leaders mission as being extraordinary (Conger et al, 1997:291). Moreover, the charismatic leader is said to have three core aspects these being empowerment envisioning and empathy. According to Howel and, Avolio (1992) Charismatic leadership is in fact value-neutral i.e. it makes no distinction between good or bad, ethical or immoral leadership. Situational theories Having begun in the 1960s, the situational theories are also called contingency theories. The situational theories are based on the principle that the individual characteristics make them the suitable leaders but only in certain circumstances. Groups on the other hand do well to match the leader with the present state of affairs. This means that there is no right or a wrong way an individual may lead all the time. It is therefore advised that the leaders and groups who meet the needs of each other be matched. The situational theorists address the need for the consideration of both the task and also the social-emotional needs of the group. With Fiedler proposing the contingency theory as a way of determine when a task oriented approach would proof t be more effective and again when a relationship-oriented style would be what would be more productive. The conclusion that came up with was that the task-oriented leaders are effective when the conditions are either very favorable for the leader or when they become very unfavorable for the leader (Fiedler, 1967, p.13). the explanation for that is when the conditions are favorable, the relations between members are very strong and there exist a positive relationship between the group and the leader making the task clear and very much structured. This makes the group members willing and ready to work with their energies being focused on the goal of the organization. This concludes that the task oriented leaders are effective for the are in support of job performance. The situational theories are made of several theories that include Cognitive theory, Emotional Intelligence and Managerial Competencies. Cognitive theory This is a theory that comes from the cognitive science approach. It's contribution to the contribution theory is basically to look at how leaders and followers think as well as process information. It is suggested that leaders achieve effectiveness this happens though the stories they relate and embody (Schultz, 2007). This style looks at how the leaders think and then extends to look at how their behavior is determined as a response as per the information they receive (Wofford, 1994). In the current world, the contribution of this theory is that it really helps leadership planners explain how leaders as well as their followers need to understand information as well as how they process information, use it to make decisions that count or make a difference in the organization (Avolio et al, 2009). Theorists argue that the potential of this theory is yet to be explored. Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage and understand one's personal emotions as well of the people that are around you. The people who have a high degree of emotional intelligence ae known to understand their inner feeling better, they understand what their emotions mean and above all they understand how these emotions impact on other people. In leadership, emotional intelligence is touted as an essential for success. There are five main elements of emotional intelligence according to Daniel Goleman and these are; Self-awareness Self-regulation. Motivation. Empathy. Social skills. When a leader has the self awareness, they always know what they feel and also has an understanding of how their emotions and how the recurring actions would affect on other people that the leader has around him. Being self aware also means that the person holding the leadership mantle has a clear picture of his/her strengths as well as weaknesses and therefore this means behaving with great humility. In an organization perspective, a leader will be able to deal with people of all kind without making them feel looked down upon or oppressed by the leadership. Moreover, self-awareness inculcates self regulation, a leader who has self awareness will rarely or never have a verbal attack with anyone. This is because they desist from making emotional or rushed decisions, avoids people stereotype, or even compromising their values. This is because the leaders who have this stay in control. Reference Hersey, P., Blanchard, K. H., & Johnson, D. E. (2001). Management of Organizational Behavior: Leading Human Resources. Eighth Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. http://www.stellarleadership.com/docs/new_articles/Leadership%20Is%20Different%20to%20Management%20%28Stellar%29.pdf http://www.ep.liu.se/ecp/026/076/ecp0726076.pdf http://vectorstudy.com/management-topics/theories-of-leadership Read More