Leadership Theory and Practice - Report Example

Running Header: Leadership Theory Research and Practice Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code & Name: Date of Submission: Leadership Theory Research and Practice Introduction Leadership is basically the process of having social influence whereby a person can engage help and support of other people in order to have a job accomplished; getting a group of people do something that is extra ordinary is attributed to having good leadership skills. On the other hand effective leadership is having the power to incorporate with success any available resource in any given environment for accomplishment of goals set by an organization or even a society. The main concern for leadership is bringing change; it is intentional in that the change that occurs is anticipated not that it occurs randomly. A leader must act as an agent of change. Leadership is not a matter of holding positions; in other words each individual can as well be a potential leader. Leadership is a topic that has been debate widely, with many researchers arguing that a leader is born; this leaves doubts on whether a leader is born or is as a result of creation. It is quite clear that some traits help a person to portray effective leadership. An effective or leader who is great is always perceived to be a blessing to the society. Leadership has attracted a lot of researchers; leading to development of many theories describing who a leader or what leadership is. These theories broadly define leadership according to the qualities that a leader has basically to distinguish between a leader and a follower. To begin with the first theory, the great man theory focuses on the assumption that a leader is born and cannot be created. This is a theory which shows a leader as a hero or one who possess heroic characteristics. The other theories includes the trait theories; this is an assumption that leadership traits are inherited positioning an individual in a better position of leadership (Thomas, Donald & William 2002, p. 13).The contingency theory puts its main focus on some specific conditions within an environment which may influence leadership style which an individual is likely to portray. The follower’s qualities are also a consideration that influences leadership Situational theories suggest that leaders make a decision on the most effective style of leadership depending on the current situation. The other theory is the behavioral theory; this is mainly founded on the assumption that effective and great leaders are created, it mainly relates to the actions portrayed by leaders and not on the mental ability portrayed by a leader. The participative theory makes a suggestion that the best leader must put into consideration the input from other people through participation. There is also a theory known as the management theory; its main focus is on the function of oversight, organization as well as on the performance of groups. This theory is ideal for business. Finally relationship theory puts into consideration the relationship between a leader and the followers; a leader must act as a motivator to the group which he or she is leading. The above theories broadly explains how leadership is expressed, it can be argued that these theories are not conclusive on the proper version of what constitutes leadership in respect to the manner in which a leader behaves. They also do not cocclude on whether a leader is born or created. This is the reason as to why; leadership is a hot topic, within organizations, institutions, governments, as well as personal leadership (Fulani 2003, p. 390). Leadership theories tend to focus more on the leader rather than also focusing on the followers; they play a major role in shaping a leader towards the achievement of the set goals. This theory I have developed will focus more on the good qualities that a leader must have. Some of the things that I have put into consideration in developing this theory are: the leader must prove to be trustworthy for him or her to be considered a good leader; this will enhance the leader to have a lot of followers as the leader has already demonstrated integrity and honesty. A leader’s character should never be questionable at any given time. Enthusiasm should be part of the leader, the people’s cause is the main con concern of a good leader; knowing what is good or bad for the followers. Discipline is a key to effective leadership; this calls for order in which things are done and also avoiding emotional matters when making decisions. A good leader is a person who can excellently analyze situations; looking at all the details of a situation before making any conclusion while having a positive thinking. As indicated by Allan and Fred (2000, p. 267), the main target of a great leader is to meet the goals set, and especially to the followers. We have learned that a leader is a person who acts before as well as being dedicated towards achieving excellence; having a very remarkable personal life. Being a leader demands that the team being led must be inspired towards success; he or she must also get what is best when a crisis occurs. Giving followers the right direction is a role that must be excellently be performed by leader acting in any capacity. Leadership is a hard task to accomplish especially if a leader is not patient of problems, remaining calm and well composed to achievement of goals is a sign of a person being able to lead. When the followers are faced with a difficult situation, a leader is capable of finding a long lasting solution without affecting the stability of the followers. Some of these qualities that I have discussed above may be naturally present in many people while others are acquired. When these characteristics are well developed one becomes a great leader. To become a leader, one has a role that, he or she is playing either within an institution, orb ganization, or even in personal life. This is the reason why everyone is considered to be a leader. Leadership that is inherent must also be boosted with training to make it more efficient, as some positions of leadership are too technical and without the appropriate skills, playing the role of a leader will become a challenging task. The context of leadership is very wide as it relates to so many factors; this leads to generalizing of things, especially when it comes to development of theories that do explain what leadership is all about. Many theories have been developed by various scholars to explain the concept of a great leader; none of them have tried to combine many of these factors to help come up with a conclusive theory. This therefore, has led to my formation of the combined leadership theory, a theory which focuses on a combination these factors. This theory assumes that a good leader does not only depend on one factor, for example just because leadership is inborn a leader is perfects. This is not the case as some factors like the environment, the situation, the follower’s motivation, among others influence a leader. It is therefore imperative t have this theory of combination as it focuses broadly on a number of issues shaping a good leader, whether born or created. Take an example of a school principal, a number of factors ranging from the students motivation, the teachers, and the overall environment, play major role in the success of the leader. Without cooperation from the teachers and the students regardless of the qualities possessed by the principal as a leader, little or no success may be achieved. Leaders are very vital as they are the pillars; they also provide direction when change is much needed within an organization. Leadership is a major concern in the entire life of organization. The main reason why theories do not conclusively describe a leader is due to the complexity of the many variables that influence leadership skills. Leadership is basically the process of shaping people to comprehend and concur on what is to be done and how effectively it is going to be done. Evers & Katyal (2007, p. 378), describes a good leader as that person who is able to motivate the followers towards the achievement of specific common goals. The combined relationship theory explains well how a leader is able to get motivated and to motivate his or her followers towards a particular goal within an institution. The main focus is on the schools principals, they have to get a clear goal for their institution, from this particular point they get their followers motivated towards achievement of success. In any institution of learning, leaders are perceived as designers, custodians and teachers. Their main responsibility is to build institutions in which people are able to have their capabilities expanded, have clarity in vision, and have improved genial models. In other words these leaders have a general role of ensuring that learning is going on well. This leads to a general question, what are the qualities that make these leaders effective? Is it from training or it is from nature that they are able to effectively play the role of leading? The answers to this questions lies with the theory o f combination; this theory relates many factors with the success of a leader. Among them, the inborn traits, environment, the situation m and the followers shape the manner in which a leader succeeds (Carolyn 2005, p.13). Combining these traits may prove to be valid in drawing a conclusion on whether a leader has been able to deliver the goals of institutions, but this must be in relation to the various factors surrounding a leader and the organization. A leader solves problems and does not in most cases develop new things. Problem solving is what makes a leader to be considered effective. A leader in all circumstances must deliver results if indeed he or she is to be perceived effective or successful. This theory is applicable in running of institutions such as schools, as there are very many variables within the setting of a school which calls for a great leader and a designer as well as a motivator. Great educational leaders are known to build their schools effectively to give support and to nurture the performance of the students as well as the teachers. A school must have a the right atmosphere for learning, this is the role of the leadership of the institution to try the best in ensuring that a conducive environment is provided for the learning process to effectively go on. It is due to this reason that the combination theory is directed towards combining various factors surrounding a leader and which helps in strengthening the leader’s ability to get work done and to get the students motivated towards realization of success. A leader must relate well with the followers, in this case for a principal to succeed in his or her efforts of ensuring that the school succeeds academically as well as socially, he or she must interact with the teachers and the students. The leadership combination theory enhances a leader to get and to effectively give information, a great leader under the combination theory is one who is eager to understand and what are the needs for his group as well as the characteristics possessed by the group that he or she is leading. This leads to a better relation between the leader and the followers. Without this the leader is likely to get a negative influence in the manner in which the group is willing work towards achievement of the set goals and objective of an institution. The other main reason why the great combination theory is perfect is due to the enhancement it gives the leader in having control of the group. This particular theory is as a resultant of many variables derived from the environment within which a person is working in, it is therefore, worth noting that, the combination of the inborn traits and the traits derived form interaction, environment, training among others is the strong basis of developing a great leader. Novak (2002, p. 341) argues that a leader begins by setting good example to the followers, without being an example a leader may not influence change as people may not be willing to follow him or her. A leader for example a principal of a school may be having perfect inborn characteristics portraying him or her as a potential great leader, in the contrary this leader interacts with the environment and the followers to get experience and to learn more on leadership roles, this is the reason why leaders are also trained on effective leadership skills to ensure that everything balances. This is what triggered the development of combination theory to change the focus of leadership from one perspective for example situational focus or even the great man focus, a leader possesses characteristics which are shaped by many other factors. Therefore it was right for leadership to be viewed in this perspective. Though leaders are sometimes born leaders, they get more leadership skills in their course of duty , thus we find that a leader cannot be born with skills to plan, evaluate or even to manage; these are qualities that can be taught. To discuss this in a broader sense, leadership covers firstly the creation of a favorable environment where people can develop, prosper and co-exist in peace with each other. Good leadership boost harmony with the universe thus promotion of sustainability for the generations to come. As indicated by Alexander and Hellen (2000, p. 3), leadership brings up a community where each and every person matters, while respect is the main driving force. Regardless of which theory on believes in leadership must fulfill the desires of the followers and of the leader him/herself. Goals and objectives must be met as this is what makes a leader and to be considers effective. Leadership does not only occur in individuals it also occurs in groups whereby collaboration has to exist as it is the pillar to effective group leadership. Collaboration is enhanced by understanding; this endows individuals, promotes trust and enhances development of each individual’s talents. It is important for group to have a common purpose; it is vital in addressing the goals of the group. Leadership for example in the management of a school, every stake holder must act in collaboration if the school has to reach its target. A principal may have a potential to encourage achievement of education, by prioritizing instructions; a leader must focus on working with teachers to have a defined objectives for the school. He or she must have the capability if ensuring that resources are available for effective learning. With this, a leader has a possibility of raising the relation among the stakeholders and providing desirable environment of learning. A great principal pays great attention to the entire change process must be a good listener and a good communicator. These skills will enhance the spirit of collaboration while also given the leader a chance of interacting and knowing his or her followers well; building on the theory of great combination which assumes that a greater leader is as a result of combination of many factors, including the situation in which a leader is facing. This is a stronger view on what leadership is considered that a lot of theories just focus on one perspective of being a great leader rather than considering that a leader is molded by so many factors. The validity of this theory is open to criticism as it is also based on assumptions. As Collin and Kokilak (2007, p. 379) suggests, a great leader is one who offers moral support to the followers, while also articulating and committing their functions by becoming agents of change who also base their leadership in democracy; this ensures that the intellectual as well as social capacities of learners is developed. A good leader must possess interpersonal skills; should give direction and purpose to his or her followers, thinks strategically and also has some attributes of improvement; acquiring the best from people and improving any situation. A relationship between the follower and the task done must be maintained, incase it changes a leader must change their actions, so as to conform to the new need; this will also make the leader to make good arrangement on the manner in which the targets and goals set by the institution achievable. As described by Bilden et.al (2003, p. 21), A leader acting any capacity must possess skills such as awareness: this is developed from keen attentiveness on what other people say about him or her as this will help in personal motivation. A leader should not coerce the followers to do something but instead he or she should persuade them; this will give a follower the much needed motivation and at the end it is the work of the leader that is made simpler as he or she does not have to keep on following up what the subordinates are doing . This freedom is necessary in maintaining the relationship among the various parties. For example it is the role of the principal of a school to give instructions to the juniors and the students as well; some leadership roles may be delegated to the juniors so as to give them a hand in the management. If this goes on well, the principal will also learn something new, thus improving on the leadership style. Leadership style depends on the situation that the leaders find themselves in, therefore when a leader is faced with a challenge, it is here that the theory of combination arises, we find that a leader must focus on utilizing all skills that he or she feels that they are crucial in regard to the problem being solved. A leader in this case must involve the followers, use learnt skills, and involve the social aspect of the condition that is being faced; these great combination is the one that brings in the aspect of success as a leader cannot just depend on a particular condition or skills. It calls for creativity, empathy, sharing, respect, dedication, consultations and also communication. A good leader is able to give commands where necessary and to act as a servant if need be. The strength that this new theory has over the others is that, when a focus is directed towards a diverse set of traits and conditions. Diversification increases the chances of positive influence towards delivery of services and towards achievement of goals and objectives. In addition, diversification has a stronger influence to a person who possesses leadership traits. Many institutions have failed in their mission, this is mostly attributed to their management; the role of a leader comes in there. With an effective leader institution in the management everything must be under control, therefore, leadership is important in the success of any given institution, therefore leaders should be in a capacity to offer services as servant rather than bosses as this minimizes the level of interaction with the followers. Servant leadership has for along time been attributed to the success of institutions, a servant leader is the one who is ready and willing to deliver results. Many researches have suggested that servant leadership is as a result of feeling that occurs naturally, making an individual to have the feeling of serving. If this happens as indicated by Northhouse (2004, p.197), the leader must also be willing to make personal sacrifices for the better of the institution or a particular group. First a leader must ensure that the goals and the needs of others must be met first. There is need to emphasize here that leadership styles differ with situations, there are situations that demand for bureaucratic leadership, others demand for commanding leadership styles while others demand service more than anything else. Leaders are also shaped by their followers and vice versa. Strictness and harshness cannot be regarded as poor leadership style; some situations demand this to get work done. Without combining all the abilities that a leader has i.e. education and training, situation, the group being led, and even the natural traits of a leader, achievement of success will become a task. A combination theory focuses more on the successful leaders who have a combination of many variables influencing their leadership style. Conclusion Leadership is the ability to show people direction towards achievement of set goals and objectives. Many researches have been conducted on leadership theories and frameworks. This has triggered debates on whether there exists such concept like leadership or each individual is a leader in his or her own way. Leadership is a task that is very challenging; this calls for a leader who has the qualities and the skills to manage institutions as the leader. It is also worth noting that leadership skills may be acquired through training, observation or may as well be inherent. Every theory that has been describing the concept of leadership has its merits and demerits. Therefore no theory has conclusively described what leadership is and who a leader is. A leader may vary from situation to situation or depend to his or her followers. Development of a theory requires research and more research to come up with a strong base of argument. It is with this that the theory developed in this essay; great combination theory has been developed but it is also open to criticism as it also gives assumption on the view that leaders are also influenced by so many other variables. In conclusion leadership plays a major role in achievement of goals and objectives of institutions as well as personal goals. References Alexander, W A & Helen, S A 2000, Reconsidered: Engaging high education in social change, Kellong Foundation, Battle Creek, pp.1-3. Allan, C & Fred C L, 2000, Educational administration concepts and practices, Cengage Learning, United Kingdom. pp. 265-267. Bilden, R et.al, 2003, ‘A review of leadership theory and contemporary frameworks, Centre of leadership studies, University of Exiter, pp. 1-26. Carolyn, C 2005, ‘The democratic School: first to serve, then to lead, Canadian Journal of Education and Policy, no 3, pp. 1-14. Collin, E & Kokilak 2005, Paradoxes of leadership: Contingencies and critical learning, South African Journal of Education, vol. 27, no.3, pp. 127-159. Evers, C W and Katyal, K 2007 ‘Understanding of knowledge building in an emerging community’, South African Journal of Education, vol. 27, no.3, pp. 377-390 Fullan, M 2003, The moral imperative of school leadership, Corwin Press, California, pp. 389-390. Novak, J 2002, Inviting education leadership: leadership and management for effective schools. Pearson Education, London, pp.335-341. Northouse, P G 2004, Leadership theory: theory and practice, SAGE Publication, California. pp.196-197. Thomas, Donald & William, L 2002, ‘Sharing the glory: Leadership’, Journal of Teacher Education, vol. 31, no. 3, pp.12-15. Read More