Leadership and Management Development Interventions - Literature review Example

As it was argued somewhere in this paper, the current leadership and management knowledge varies significantly from what was known 10 years ago. In support of this, Collins (2002) argues that leadership development has changed significantly today; apart from shift in management plus leadership practices, new leadership practices as well as theories have been introduced. Considering this, some organizations have developed a framework that brings together leadership development interventions with strategic goals and human resource systems. Despite all these, leadership development interventions are based on business strategy. Focusing on this, Collins (2002) argues that management and strategic view matters a lot. It is as a result of this that organizations advocate alignment of the management goals or leadership development interventions with strategic view of the organization and education of managers in their responsibility in strategic management. Based on this assertion, short courses in management or leadership are claimed to be LMD interventions that can enable organizations improve the responsibility of managers in an organization. In support of this, Collins (2002) claim that performance outcome of an organization are often influenced by learning besides performance perspective of a person. These two factors are often initiated by taking short courses in management. The learning results are often associated with an individual’s expertise or knowledge. Expertise on the other hand refers to human behaviors that result in effective results plus optimal efficiency. The expertise is acquired through not only learning, but also experience within a given domain. According to Collins (2002), human expertise is among the complex results of learning and individuals having it are knowledgeable and carry out their roles based on that knowledge. In relation to the research topic, knowledge is very critical as much as the performance of managers and leaders is concerned. It is the one that determines the overall performance of managers as well as organizations. The presence of it in managers of a given organization, contributes to the reduction of investment in unnecessary things since managers will use the knowledge in determining the activities of an organization. Thus, development programmes are components that need to be considered by organizations in ensuring managers or leaders behave responsibly to reduce unnecessary costs in an organization.

• Appraisals and Skills Audits

Evaluation is one of the best methods for determining the productivity of leaders and managers. In fact it is one of the tools that enhance improvement of the management. Through evaluation, the effectiveness of a farm is determined in terms of its functioning, achievements plus problems from behavioral as well as social system point of view. Organizations often use evaluation to measure, compare and analyze the coherence between the outcomes and the set objectives. It often assists in identifying whether the established goals and objectives have been achieved and their impact. Similarly, evaluation enables organizations to identify areas that need improvement, modification or strengthening. Appraisals and skills audits are examples of evaluations used by organization to evaluate the performance of leaders. Auditing is associated with regular plus systematic examination of practices in an organization in addition to accomplishments based on organizational objectives legal requirements besides professional standards. Effective audits assist in pinpointing the gaps that exist in the organization. By eradicating the gaps, an organization manages to increase legal compliance as well as ensure conformance to the laid professional standards that enhance quality improvement process. In connection with this, Brown (2009) argues that stakeholders depend on the independent financial audit to evaluate the fiduciary role of managers and board of directors. Considering this, it is apparent that auditing of the financial performance of an organization can oblige managers as well as leaders to become more accountable and as a result reduce unnecessary expenditure. Similarly, skills audits is claimed to be very important to reduction of unnecessary expenditures in an organization (Voscur 2010). This is in relation to the fact that it enables the staff to determine all the knowledge as well as skills leaders and employees have. The collected information through conduction of skills audit enables the organization to set not only other budgets, but also identify the skills that managers have that it did not know about. Similarly, the process improves the performance of employees including managers. The claim is in connection to the fact that stakeholders assign roles to the managers based on their skills, leading to effective utilization of their skills. In addition to this, skills audit enables the organization to hold managers accountable on the requests they make. For instance, any training request by a manager can be followed with reasons for the request; the manager has to explain why the organization requires the training as well as provide the time scale and evaluated costs. Providing such information to the stakeholders is often critical since misinformation can lead mistrust. Thus, managers will ensure whatever they request is valid and in tandem with organizational goals and objectives.

From the above argument, it is apparent that employment of appraisals and skills audit will enable organizations reduce unwanted expenses by making managers become more responsible in their jobs. As it was argued, auditing will enable the organization to identify the disadvantaged areas in addition to financial leakages associated with the management of the organization. With this in mind, it is apparent that managers will improve their overall performance so that they cannot be recognized as ineffective in their works. Equivalently, skills auditing will make managers to be tough on their subjects, improving the overall performance of an organization.

• External Conferences, Workshops and Networks

The changing perspective of work as well as organizations is making new requirements of leadership. Different prospects on the goals of leadership training besides development are also cropping. Similarly organizations have invested significantly in leadership training as well as development. However, it is apparent that the competency of some managers in some organizations have not been realized leading to loss of significant amount of money in unnecessary expenditure. According to Gitsham (2006), many organizations in the world use competences not only to define, but also drive high performance. Proponents assert that defining competences allows responsible for development to get in touch with what is required to achieve improved levels of excellence in addition to performance through providing a specific framework which expresses the skills, knowledge plus attitudes important for effective business practice. Pointing out these competencies is a crucial starting point in formulating development interventions to boost competence levels in places where organizational competence is insufficient. Management competencies comprise three elements that are closely inter-related: knowledge and understanding, personal qualities as well as values and attitudes, and skills and abilities. According to Gitsham (2006), these three elements supplement each other and the combination of each result in behaviors expressed by people. It is crucial for one to be familiar of the relations between these elements and try to understand as well as describe management activity. What is unique about these elements is that some of the things related to them can be taught whereas others can be learned progressively over time. Considering this, it is easier to come up with development interventions not only to increase knowledge, but also develop new skills. Some of the things that contribute to responsible leadership in an organization include questioning business normally by accepting new ideas and asking others to embrace new ways of working. Understanding the responsibility of every actor in the society and how they associate with each other in addition to building internal as well as external partnerships through taking a multi-disciplinary method and forming strategic networks besides alliances is claimed to improve leadership responsibility. Similarly, recognizing stakeholders, creating relations with internal as well as external stakeholders in addition to engaging in dialogue plus balancing competing requirements make a leader more responsible. In addition to all these, Gitsham (2006) argues that a responsible leader is also defined by taking a strategic assessment of the business environment.

A significant number of the things that contribute to responsible leadership introduced above are learnt and gained through attending conferences and workshops. For instance, it is apparent that attending conferences is of great networking value. It is only through the coming together of leaders in a conference that individuals learn about solutions to the same issues affecting organizations. Solutions gained from such meetings often enable organizations to manage their challenges or issues effectively, reducing the unnecessary spending. Equivalently, attendance of conferences and workshops is associated with learning new special skills that can assist in the lowering the cost of production for an organization. Training of leaders in such meetings can also assist an organization to overcome current as well as future challenges that contribute to wastage of resources. Brown (2009) argues that workshop provides individuals with comprehensive understanding of the ideas and strategies associated with employee motivation as well as disengagement factor. Often workshops make participants realize different motivators as well as values and preferences that encourage people to contribute as well as value-add with the intention of coming up with a winning force. Considering all these, a person can affirm that conferences, workshops as well as networks are interventions that can enable organizations ensure managers are responsible to reduce unnecessary spending.

• Professional Body Qualifications

In the United Kingdom specifically in the health sector, majority of the managers are claimed to be ineffective leaders because of their leadership styles. According to West et al. (2010), the roles of many leaders in NHS depend on personal influence plus relationships at local levels. The behavior of such leaders results to an environment that jeopardizes the thriving of the professional activities within the accepted professional standards and guidelines. Considering this, it is evident that a lot of money is spent on some employees who do not meet the standards of their employment. Such money that is diverted to low services or no service at all is what is referred to as unnecessary expenditure. For organizations to manage such a problem, they must consider employing professional body qualifications as one of the interventions. In tandem with this, individuals given leadership roles in organization should present professional management practice in addition to being a specialist in a given area. As it was argued before, the condition in majority of the hospitals in UK is poor because of poor leadership. Majority of the managers in the NHS trust were promoted into their managerial positions to occupy the vacant posts as well as to replace the retired employees without achieving the managerial qualifications.

Managers with right managerial skills often manage to motivate employees to work towards achieving organizational goals. Similarly, such managers increase the performance of an organization through not only being innovative, but also putting his knowledge into practice in the running of an organization. On the other hand, dogmatic attitudes in managers impair their effective functioning in the changing world because of their denial to embrace the need for them to change. Considering this, employment of professional body qualification in determining the productivity of managers will improve their performance as well as responsibility in an organization, reducing unnecessary expenditure.

Barriers to Effective LMD

Major barriers to LMD interventions include a dominant logic that acts against unleaming, creativity as well as double-loop learning and innovation. Other barriers include poor-quality strategy process and deficiency of the right performance management as well as development of the employed and voluntary members in an organization. In the argument that was provided above, it was argued that poor performance is one of the contributing factors for unnecessary expenditure. Based on this, a person can deduce that management of on organization can also affect implementation of LMD interventions because the decision depends on the view of the manager. Similarly, development programmes in most occasions are politicized by reinforcing leadership plus management status quo instead of challenging them. In connection with this, it is evident that development programmes are often used to locate problems in the running of an organization for effective solutions to be found and implemented. It is also argued by many people that managers are the main barriers to improving poor performance in organizations. As it was argued before, managers use personal influence to determine the success of an organization. In some cases personal views contradict with other people views affecting the overall performance of an organization.

Conclusion

In conclusion, effective management is critical for the overall performance of an organization. Poor leadership is often one of the contributing factors for failures in organizations and suffering of people. Some of the leadership challenges organizations face arises from managers and leaders of organizations. The performance of such leaders is claimed to be improved by management leadership interventions. Management leadership interventions hold managers responsible for the things that take place within the organization. Some of the management interventions that can assist in the reduction of unnecessary expenditure in an organization include professional body qualifications, external conferences, workshops and networks, appraisals and skills audits, and development programmes. Implementation of all these LMD interventions results in improvement of a manager’s responsibility which is important for the reduction of the unwanted costs. Despite this, it is apparent that there are some barriers that affect implementation of LMD interventions. The barriers include dominant logic that acts against unleaming double-loop learning and innovation, poor-quality strategy process, and deficiency of the right performance management. Development programmes in most occasions are politicized by reinforcing leadership plus management status quo instead of challenging.

Reference List

Brown, J., 2009. Conducting an HR Audit: How HR Can Better Measure the Effectiveness of its Functions and Programs? International Public Management Association for Human

Collins, D., 2002. The Effectiveness of Managerial Leadership Development Programs: a Meta-Analysis of Studies from 1982-2001.

Gitsham, M., 2006. What Makes a Responsible Leader? The Evolving Agenda for Management Education for Corporate Responsibility. Ashridge Business School.

Gold, J., Thorpe, R. and Mumford, A., 2010. Leaders and Managers, Leadership and Management Development. People Management.

Resources.

Triggle, N., 2011. Basic Care Given to Elderly in Hospital 'Alarming.' Health correspondent, BBC News.

Voscur, 2010. Skills Audit: A Toolkit for Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector Organizations. Ladder 4 Learning.

West, M., Dawson, J., Admasaches, L. and Topakas, A., 2010. NHS Staff Management and Health Service Quality.