Present problems will not be solved without successful organizations, and organizations cannot be successful without effective leadership. - Bennis & Nanus, 199 - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... Thus leadership behavior can come from an individual, a collective group of leaders, or even from the disincarnate — if not mystical — characteristics of a celebrity figurehead. Followers often endow the leader with status or prestige. Aside from the prestige-role sometimes granted to inspirational leaders, a more mundane usage of the word "leadership" can designate current front-runners that exercise influence over competitors, for example, a corporation or a product can hold a position of "market leadership" without any implication of permanence or of merited respect. Note that the ability to influence others does form an integral part of the "leadership" of some but not all front-runners. A front-runner in a sprint may "lead" the race, but does not have a position of "leadership" if he does not have the potential to influence others in some way. Thus one can make an important distinction between "being in the lead" and the process of leadership. Leadership implies a relationship of power — the power to guide others. In 1994 House and Podsakoff attempted to summarize the behaviors and approaches of "outstanding leaders" that they obtained from some more modern theories and research findings2.
Power obviously is a pervasive reality in the life process of all modern-day organizations. Leaders regularly acquire and use power to accomplish specific work goals and to strengthen their own positions vis-à-vis the reading of general or organizational goals. It is possible to see every interaction and every social relationship in an organization as involving an exercise of power3. Hence the term power, influence and Leadership are full of ambiguity for a layperson, or within political contexts. Control under organizational change can be transformed into opportunity that exercise influence over the organization of work, and thus create ...Download file to see next pagesRead More