Application of Leadership Theories - Coursework Example

Application of Leadership Theories Name: Institution Application of Leadership Theories Introduction Research shows that every successful leader does not depend on the innate skills, but also relies on practical application of leadership concepts such as theories that provide reliable approaches on how to lead effectively and efficiently. Practical application of leadership theories is found in all societal and governmental levels (MacNeil, 2006). It is important to note that leadership has been in existence for as long as human history is concerned. The only difference is that nowadays, there is a lot of literature that demystifies leadership and provides theoretical concepts that tend to define the leadership ideology and provide its applicability in the modern world. Drawing from this concept, it is important to address the practical application of the leadership theories not only to enhance the leadership knowledge, but also to experience how the theoretical concepts of leadership are used in practical advice (Schyns & Schilling, 2011). For instance, basing on the military naval vessel, the leadership concepts are used in the decision making process to ensure that the naval mission is executed effectively and successfully. In other words, the theoretical concepts are important because they determine the fate of the mission. This paper essay will discuss how leadership theories provide practical advice on how to be an effective leader. It will achieve its objective by discussing how these theories are used to practically guide different military leaders aboard a given naval vessel. Contextual discussion There are several leadership theories that provide practical concepts to various military leaders on a naval ship. Both the leaders and the ship personnel rely on these theories for guidance and performance aspects among other benefits. Some of the tested and approved theories that are practical applied by various naval leaders include the situational leadership theory, team leadership theory, contingency theory, path-goal theory and leader-member exchange theory (Bass & Bass, 2009). The contextual part of this essay will discuss the practical application of the situational leadership theory and the team leadership theory concepts by the Work Center Supervisors and the Underway Replenishments respectively aboard the naval ship. WCSs and Situational leadership theory The situational leadership theory explains that the supportive and directive aspects of leadership are applicable in various situations. It was originally formulated in 1969 as the life-cycle theory, but it was later changed by scholars in 1996 to situational theory after conducting contextual research on the applicability of the theory (Marquis & Huston, 2009). On the ‘directive’ aspect, the theory provides a single communication channel between the leader and the subordinate staff. Also, it is introduces a behaviour that influences leaders to pay attention on which activity should be done, by who and how it should be done in a given situation. The ‘supportive’ aspect establishes reliable communication channels between the leader and the subordinate staff, whereby, the leader maintains an open relationship with the subordinate staff. The open relationship allows the leader to delegate various responsibilities to the subordinate staff and at the same time allow the subordinate staff members to exploit their various potentials. The applicability of the situational leadership theory requires the leader to evaluate a given situation and chose an appropriate leadership style that that will ensure that the task at hand is accomplished successful, at the same time; the leader needs to understand that the chosen leadership style or approach may not work in other situations. According to Komives, Longerbeam, Owen, Mainella & Osteen (2006), the situational theory provides practical leadership advice to many Work Centre Supervisors (WCSs) on a naval ship. The applicability of the theory by the WCSs is based on the theory’s straightforward concepts and approaches. Given the working conditions of the WCSs, it is imperative for every WCS to formulate a leadership style that works only in a given situation. Whereby, the WCS line of work requires a given supervisor to finish various tasks while at the same time working with different groups of sailors (Avolio & Gardner, 2005). The different sailor groups consist of seasoned experienced professionals to new unskilled recruits. Drawing from this diverse nature of the WCS job, it is important for a given supervisor to apply different leadership styles which are effective and efficient in governing each individual in the diverse groups of sailors in particular situations. Sometimes, the WCSs need to mix different leadership styles in different situations to guide different groups of sailors. For instance, a professionally experienced sailor with more than 15 years in the field requires a delegating or rather a supportive approach based on the aspect of experience while a new recruit requires a directive approach up to the point where the recruit acquires the desired experience and skills (Harris, 2008). In this situation, the WCSs need to recognize the diverse nature of the subordinates and adopt a leadership styles that do not only change in different situations, but also promote hard-work and gaining of skills. UNREPs and Team leadership theory The team leadership theory is another theory that offers imperative practical advice to specific naval ship leaders. Studies reveal that teamwork is important in any working environment because it promote interactive relationships, easy communication, and exchange of ideas, time consciousness, accountability and high performance among other aspects in a given organization. The success of teamwork relies on effective and reliable leadership from the team leaders (team leadership) (Lussier & Achua, 2012). Team leadership has gained imperative momentum in many organizations nowadays and it is on the verge of consuming the leadership roles held by individual leaders. This is due to the fact that team leadership fosters teamwork which consequently promotes organizational performance and success. Based on these aspects, the team members rely on the experience and skills of the team leader to identify the strengths and weaknesses of every team member and adopt a suitable leadership style that will eliminate the weaknesses and capitalize on the strengths of the team members to complete the task hand effectively and successfully (MacNeil, 2006). In other word, the team leader needs to recognize the potential of each team member and assign every member with the team responsibility that will ensure that all the members exploit their potential fully. By doing so, the team leader will discourage individual-based negative attitudes that tend to discourage hard-work among the subordinate staff members. In this case, the negative attitudes include low self-esteem, laziness, lateness and absenteeism, among others (Schyns & Schilling, 2011). The team leadership theory suggests that a team leader must be able to change and adopt different teamwork-oriented leadership styles which do not only sojourn the team to the accomplishment of a specific task, but also promotes team dynamism within the organization. In this particular context, the team leader must have an effective and audible communication language that unites the team members and influences the team members to speak the same language (Hollander, 2013). If the team members speak the same language, it is a guarantee that they will focus their efforts on achieving the team’s set goals. The team leadership theory plays an important role in many organizations including medical, business and military organizations (Schneider & Somers, 2006). Basing on the military organization, teams are paramount in the accomplishment of a given mission or task. For instance, the underway replenishments (UNREPs) on naval ships rely on team work to execute all assigned tasks. The UNREPs are charged with the responsibility of delivering fuel and other supplies from one ship to another safely. That is why they require different teams organized in a way that does not only ensure high reliability, accountability and performance, but also organized to accomplish every task successfully (Avolio, 2007). When the teams accomplish their specific tasks successfully, the team leader needs to provide the next direction for the teams. This means that the team leader needs to ensure that all tools and equipments needed for the next assignment for every team are available. In this regard, the team leader must communicate with the team members effectively to ensure that they are all familiar with their tasks. Familiarization with the assigned tasks gives the teams an upper hand in accomplishing the tasks successfully (Epitropaki & Martin, 2005). The leadership theory in this context equips the team leaders with the knowledge and appropriate technique to assess the team performance. This means that the team leader is able to apply the concepts of the leadership theory in measuring the performance of the teams in a given team environment. It is possible via the evaluation and assessment of teams’ effectiveness, processes, and protocols of successfully completing one task at time. Conclusion In conclusion, the essay achieved its objective of discussing how leadership theories provide practical advice on how to be an effective leader. It achieved the objective by discussing how the theories of situational leadership and team leadership are used to practically guide different military leaders aboard a given naval vessel. Finally, the essay established that these two particular theories are important in execution of tasks not only in a military organization, but also in all sectors of the government and the society. 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