Virtual Leader Model - Literature review Example

Virtual Leader Model PART VIRTUAL LEADER PRACTICE AND REFLECTION Introduction Virtual leader is leadership simulation program that is use to teach and assess the best and most effective leadership styles .The program seeks to challenge the user to think critically and logically instead of making decisions based on habit and habit. vLeader simulation program is presented in three parts: leadership fundamentals, learning the principle and applying the principle. VLeader offers students with great insights to practical work where new skills and ideas can be acquired without risks. The simulation program focuses on three fundamental leadership frameworks that facilitate completion of the right kind of work. These three frameworks are communication, business and leadership. The simulation takes the participant through five different scenarios and context where the right mix of leadership is put to test. The aim is to help the participant make the right decisions to ensure the right kind of work is done effectively. This is controlled by core objectives of the business that centers on financial performance, customer satisfaction and employee morale. The ‘Three-to-One’ principle uses three concepts of power, ideas and tension. In the work environment leaders should incorporate these three key principles in their style of leadership to achieve the vision and objectives of the company. In the simulations, I play Corey, a new manager who has joined the company from a rival competitor. Corey has the task of adjusting into the new environment quickly and ensures the right objectives are being met and facilitate the company’s turnaround. However being a new employee, Corey is faced with different challenges from both her superiors and subordinates alike. PART 1:VLEADER PRACTICE AND REFLECTION SCENARIO ONE The setting for Scenario one is the new office where Corey was posted in the capacity of her new role as manager. Corey quickly realized that the company had oversold itself in the quest to get her services. Nothing seemed to be as envisioned. The company was a pale shadow of its former hay days and staff lacked morale and initiatives. 1. Ideas Strategy and tactics The main idea strategy was to make Oli comfortable enough for him to come up with innovative ideas. The following tactics were relevant to the situation Active listening Lowering tension Supporting viable ideas 2. Work strategy The best strategy here was using the delegative form of leadership to eases tension. This facilitated a participatory role for Oli. In order to decrease tension. Tactics used included Taking moderate stand on some issues Supporting Oli when he came up with good ideas Facilitated completion of easier tasks Support the right kind of work directly Opposing competing idea Key Learning Points How to make good first impression How to get good ideas from employees Delegate style of leadership 3. Power Strategy and Tactics The main strategy was to gain due respect but at the same gain acceptance in the inner circle. Tactics employed were as follows: Be firm and assertive Complete any due work Delegate work Key Learning Points I. Knowing when to assert oneself II. Learning skills of both verbal and non verbal communication III. Recognize personal issues have an impact on business IV. Identify resistance in dialogue through verbal and non verbal communication Supporting Theories/Academic Insights Chapter one of the DAFT Textbook compares management and leadership. It does so in five dimensions; relationships, alignment, personal, qualities and outcomes. SCENARIO TWO Scenario 2 involved finding common and unifying ideas between two competing junior employees, Rosa and Oli. Having them on the same page was paramount to meeting the company’s set objectives. Objectives I. Get Oli and Rosa to agree on maintaining customer retention in the Call Centre at 65% II. Get everyone to agree on using an automated phone system 1. Power strategies and Tactics The main power strategy involved building factions to get support on critical work and pass necessary ideas. Tactics involved included: Effective communication to help reach an agreement Asserting power to end the squabbles 2. Idea Strategy and Tactics The main problem affecting the working environment was the unhealthy competition between these two employees. To resolve this, the following tactics were employed: Selective use of tension, either reducing or increasing it Actively listening to both sides Selective relaxation 3. Tension Strategies and Tactics The environment was too tense for any constructive work to be done. The following tension tactics were necessary: Introduce relaxing ideas Conferring praise where it was due 4. Work Strategies and Tactics The constant friction and jostling for positions by the two employees meant no work was done in timely manner because of lack of agreement. This meant my work was also frustrated in the process since work assigned to them was no done in timely manner. In putting an end to the squabbles these tactics proofed useful: Constant reminder of the goals of the organization Moderating tension within the work environment Focus on completing the work done Key Learning Points I. Too much tension in the work place leads to little work being accomplished II. Ability to stay neutral in employee frictions is paramount to be able to help them solve their problems. III. Focusing on completing work and bearing in mind the major objectives of the organization can help people work harmoniously towards a common goal. IV. Manage effective communication within the organization to facilitate dialogue between the factions V. Create a numeration system that encourages employees to cooperate and achieve set targets. VI. Engage in team building exercises. Supporting Theories/academic insights The business framework as explained in the workbook attests to these measure as being effective in ensuring their right work is done harmoniously, SCENARIO THREE The key aspect of scenario three was learning to mange up. Good leaders should not only lead those below them in the professional ladder, but also have the ability to guide their superiors when they falter. The problem was further compounded when Will put a cap on the Call center funding idea. Failure to do this would lead the company into future problems and continued dismal performance. 1. Idea Strategies and Tactics Support Herman by raising his idea of cutting expenses. This would create a faction through which the call center funding could be raised. Raise Herman’s tensions by exciting him and he would raise the call center funding idea. 2. Power Strategy and Tactics The major power play was to let Herman introduce the call center idea and support him Support Rosa on the ‘sales call’ idea. Support Oli in order to build a stronger faction 3. Work strategy Pass ‘call center funding ’, ‘call center’ and ‘cut expenses’ ideas. Prevent will from passing his ‘sales retreat’ idea. Key learning points I. Collaborating with authority is vital in the ability to against other senior employees’ ideas. II. Only ideas that meet the company’s objectives of customer satisfaction, financial performance and employee moral should be passed. III. Building factions was necessary for one’s ideas to be passed. Academic insights/supporting theories Daft chapter 12 exemplifies this model of leadership advocating for more transactional leadership instead of the transformational model which may lack stability. SCENARIO FOUR Scenario four involved merging of diverse cultures. This was a case of leading people without having formal authority to do so. 1. Power Strategy and tactics The main power strategy was to build a strong alliance and work together with authority. The following tactics achieved this goal: Major power tactic was to support Allan, the vice president by introducing his idea of ‘who is to be downsized’ Support Will and Herman Support ‘Consolidate IT’ and ‘More Client contact’ 2. Work strategy The overall strategy was to identify and complete critical work. These tactics met were in line with the objectives Pass ‘More client contact’, ‘consolidate IT’, ‘Combine sales’, ‘keep HR policies’ and ‘Keep vendors’ ideas. Do not let ‘senior either meeting ’or‘fire nortic vendors’ pass. 3. Tension Strategy Keep tensions at productive levels. Key Learning Points I. Help people pass their ideas and they are more likely to reciprocate II. Build strong factions with common agenda III. You can manage up as well as manage down IV. Positivity exhibited by all team members is vital in passing objective ideas V. Use of effective communication to persuade others Academic insights/supporting theories DAFT chapter 7 supports the model of managing up and discusses ways of influencing leaders into accepting you ideas. DAFT chapter 9 also talks about communicating verbally and non verbally to build credibility and develop good persuasive techniques. SCENARIO FIVE Scenario 5 presents a real crisis situation where adequate leadership is required to steer through it to a favorable outcome. 1. Idea Strategy The best strategy here was to relax and to facilitate sound judgment Key strategies included; Supporting either Will or Allan to talk to the press Discuss ideas that lower tension 2. Work Strategy Identify critical work and complete it. Key strategy I. Pass ideas that will facilitate rebuilding and future productivity of the company Key Learning Points I. Blending power and politics to help achieve organizational goals II. Communicate effectively in times of crisis. III. Use communication to persuade and influence others. Academic insights/supporting theories Chapter 9 in the DAFT Textbook talks of effective communication in time of crisis. Chapter 10 shares the same sentiments of balancing assertiveness and cooperativeness especially in times of crises. PART2: AWARENESS AND ASSESSMENT The three to one leadership principle is a tried and tested model that centers on the right kind of work to be done. These three core principles have an impact on work being done and overall results. The score on the vLeader scorecard can be used to assess the form of leadership applied and the strategy being used. Every scenario requires different set of principles in varying amounts. This means that leadership can be varied from scenario to scenario depending on the context. In scenario one, the best style of leadership was the participatory style. The objective of financial performance and customer satisfaction were reached with scores up to a hundred percent and ninety percent respectively. When the following strategies and tactics were employed; Tension was kept at extremes to excite people into coming up with creative ideas while under pressure. For others relaxing the pressure was what was needed to boost their morale. Business results were also high at 96.6 percent due to combination of employee morale and a leadership strategy that focused on goal objectives rather than personal advancements. Ideas were equally shared due to the fact that leadership was accommodative and encouraged brainstorming to create more programmatic approaches to problem solving. Another key strategy was supporting opposing ideas instead of personally endorsing or disapproving other employees directly. This showed a level of professionalism as opposed to office politics and personal vendettas. The overall score of 85.5% was an exemplarily score taking into account that this was a company on a transformation journey and the realities of the tasks it faced. In Scenario 2, the best possible score under the circumstances of 93% was reached at when the following strategies and leadership style were employed, Directive leadership was necessary since the constant bickering between the two employees threatened to stall progressive work from being carried out. Therefore having a firm and authoritarian control of the situation for progressive to be carried out unaffected by office politics. Tension was also kept high to motivate employees to gear towards performance related objectives and recognize authority in their midst. Ideas that were divisive in nature were opposed and management reserved to come up with ideas that centered on the interest of the company and subsequently used positional influence to pass them. Asserting positional influence in this kind of environment worked to boost employee moral and confidence in authority due to the level of professionalism and impartiality achieved. It was necessary to show autocracy in power since the two subordinate employees were always had extremely different point of views in all matters. The main objectives of employee motivation, financial performance and customer satisfaction were attained with scores of 81, 94 and 100 respectively. Scenario 3 called for managing up and constant interplay of office politics. Thus to make key decisions in the best interests of the company, the following strategy was necessary; Hierarchy of power had moved up and therefore soliciting support of one’s ideas was necessary in return for the same. Keeping tension high for some ideas to be raised in that tense environment was a key strategy that yielded good ideas. A high overall score of 84.47 was impressive under the circumstance with customer satisfaction, financial performance an employee morale scoring 85,85 and 70 respectively. Scenario 4 metrics had 88.45 as the highest total score. These were the interpretation of the metrics; Participatory leadership was employed with a total dialogue of 40 and a threshold total score of more than 70. Varying tension and leadership style enabled the company to attain relative success in its objectives. High financial performance, customer satisfaction and employee morale were attained. Scenario five metrics were as follows; Participatory leadership to incorporate as many ideas as possible Varying tensions to create a conducive working environment Focusing on the right the right work to be done Conclusion Leadership is assumes the four different leadership styles of delegative, participatory and directive depending on the context and scenario. In this regard it is necessary to consider Daft’s three principles of ideas, power and tension and their perceived roles in effecting leadership. Delicate balance has to be done when applying each of these principles depending on the context and expected outcome. The simulation assessment metrics gives valuable insights into different results when different combinations of these principles are applied depending on the context. The best combination under any given scenario is the one that gives results on three main objectives of financial performance, customer satisfaction and increased employee morale. PART 3: INTERGRATION AND EXTENSION My chosen form of leadership is the contextual form that is a rather new model, though it encompasses many other models. This leadership type tends to disapprove the common intangible notion that leaders are born. Mumford, Zacarro, Jacob, Harding and Fleishman (2000) argued that leadership involves a complex form of social problem solving in which a leader’s performance is associated with his or her ability to sense the need for change, identify goals, construct viable solution paths, and do so by understanding the complexity of the internal and external environment. Contextual leadership defines leadership in terms of tangible skills and ability based on the context. For instance a good leader in sector may be a very poor leader in another sector. The contextual growth theory was adapted by Hujala (1999) forms the framework of contextual leadership today. Contextual leaders are defined by the following qualities: Recognize and acknowledge the different culture of the new working environment and its people. Apply experience and competences coupled with their attributes in the betterment of the company and its key stakeholders. Measure their work in both context, environment and context, not just what may have worked for them in the past There are various key differences between contextual and born leaders: Born leaders Rely on inborn abilities that may not depict clearly special skills; Empathy Charisma Tough on issues Charming Contextual leaders Rely on skills such as; Organizing skills Motivational skill Financial skills Good communicational skills Analytical skill Concepts of Contextual leadership 1. Changes the way leadership is defined and looked at. 2. Separates leadership from age old myths and believes 3. Provides a credible framework for selecting leaders in a given scenario 4. Confers effective leadership by combining skills, attributes and competencies Dimensions of Leaders attributes The main dimensions in contextual leadership include: Experiences Competencies context Attributes 1. Experience Hughes, Ginnett and Curphy (1999) define experience is the ability to respond adequately and efficiently to events occurring in the environment. This usually based on previous encounters, knowledge or having the right skill to deal with the event. Experience is gained by observation, study or involvement in particular issue. This usually gives more insights to the leader’s ability to make the right judgment based on patterns of event occurrence. Examples of experience Proven track record Multiple leadership positions in different contexts Sound business background Effective communicator Good network built over the years Strategic planning Minor setback in the course of leadership 2. Competency Competency refers to a measure and balance of skill and knowledge and their ability to produce tangible results. Skills can be taught or acquired through observation and practice whereas knowledge is mostly formally taught in institution and training programs like internships and mentorships at the workplace. Examples of competencies include; Team development Risk management Emotional intelligence Negotiation skills Financial planner Motivation Delegation Business ability 3. Attributes Attributes refers a person’s mannerisms or character. They are qualities that make on who he/she is. An attribute is an important dimension of leadership for its ability to distinguish discerns certain leadership qualities. Examples include; Integrity Hardworking Loyalty Risk taker People’s manager 4. Context Context can be defined as to the particular and specific condition of the current working environment. Context can change from one leadership role to another hence it requires a dynamic and well rounded contextual leadership. These requirements have often being overlooked when selecting leadership. For instance we have worked on assumptions, for example, a renowned successful scientist can lead a drug manufacturing company or a successful coach can lead a financial institution. Therefore various contexts require certain specific qualifications. Example of contextual leadership includes: Business Political Non-profit Military Institutions Religious Context has two main concepts which differ for each case; I. Cultural aspect II. Level of influence 1. Cultural Aspects According to Triandis (1994) Culture is a mindset that emerges through social interaction and is transmitted and diffused through the interaction among individuals. Cultural aspect of contextual leadership has four key dimensions; Power distance Avoidance Gender perception Uncertainty avoidance Dorfman (1996) states that these four cultural dimensions have been used to identify potential boundary conditions for leadership theories that have been applied across cultures Contextual leadership takes into account aspects of diversity of culture in positions of leadership. Knowing the impact of certain decisions on different culture could fundamental in performance of an organization. For instance knowing that Islamic banking model outlaws payment of interest, will enable a conceptual leader in a bank to make necessary arrangements to facilitate their Islamic clientele. Day (2000) states that most leadership training fails to recognize that leadership constitutes a complex interaction between leaders, followers, and the context. Cultural aspect is also dependent on the time spent in a certain situation without being challenged by any agencies of outside experience. 2. Level of influence Klimoski and Koles (2001) argues that strategic leadership researchers have argued that organizations become a reflection of their top managers. In conceptual leadership model the level of influence is inversely proportional to leadership. This in essence means that the top most leadership positions require the lowest level of skills. The reverse is also true in that when the influence level is low higher levels of skill are needed. Contextual leadership is therefore necessary to help transition from a high level of influence to a position of low influence. Positions with high influential power The military hierarchy is the best casing point for this scenario. The chain of command is followed to the letter without question. Indeed assigned tasks are referred to as ‘orders’ or ‘command’. There is no democracy or deliberations. With such leadership style change is usually immediate. Positions of low power of influence This mainly involves large businesses and corporate. Change in this kind of leadership takes a long time to occur. The influence of the leader also takes longer because internal democracy must take course and decision-making takes a long time. Positions of low power influence These are positions that are mostly associated with small organizations, churches, nonprofit organizations small institutions. Here high skill levels are required but the level of influence is limited. Change in this case too long to materialize. Origin of Context Context is a derivative of culture. This can in essence be interpreted in two ways: The culture and customs of the organization whereby the leader is required to adjust his culture and norms to the level of that of the organization. The culture of the leader. This needs to be assessed concerning the leadership position and the cultural requirements. Transition to Contextual leadership Transitions from the traditional models of leaderships to the Contextual model require five key aspects; Education Commitment Role models Teamwork Enlightenment 1. Education Education should be integrated in all aspects of all cultural and business dynamics and knowledge. Use of education in self-awareness and improvement should be also necessitate stressing stressed in order to achieve the right kind of contextual leadership. Education should center on the key beliefs and organization of the culture. This means that leadership values should be continuously taught to add much needed contextual insights in the old leadership model. Simmton (1984,1990) reported that contextual leaders had a rather unique set of career experiences that provided them with the experiential knowledge to solve problems confronting their followers .Strategy is also vital in education to drive the leadership interest concerning the agenda necessary. 2. Commitment Commitment is vital in ability to stick to a particular job until it is done. Commitment is the agent of change and work execution. Commitment is necessary in all levels of the organization to enable accountability of the work done. Commitment will also be the driver behind the paradigm shift to a more context style of leadership. 3. Role Models McCauley (2001) asserts that is a shift in the field of leadership development where research and practice are focusing more on how people learn within their work context to be more effective leaders. Role models act as mentors and give assurance of possibility. They also act as pacesetters to other industry players hence making the journey less uncertain. Role models are also supposed to hold leadership values and aspects such as commitment and education. These are key to effective transformation to a more content-based leadership. McCauley, Ruderman, Ohlott, and Morrow (1994) showed that challenging work assignments are correlated with on-the-job learning, but such learning has not been empirically linked to leader or leadership development. 4. Teamwork Teamwork and cohesion are important in managing the transformation from the traditional model of leadership to a more context-based form of leadership. It is essential in initiation and preparation of the organizations future leaders with more insights on contextual leadership. Teamwork and harmonious working relation is a real game changer in terms of implementing new leadership ideas. 5. Enlightenment Enlightenment is essential in contextual leadership in that it advocates willingness to learn and make necessary changes about contextual leadership. Enlightenment calls for thorough self-assessment and maximizing on positive attributes while working on the weak points. It also calls for working towards strengthening other people’s strong attributes while helping uplift their weak ones. Enlightenment also calls for appreciation of leadership positions and work colleagues. Goleman (1998) asserts that complex problem-solving skills, social judgment skills and knowledge have all been linked to enlightenment and effectiveness Conclusion Contextual leadership is the leadership of the future and it involves innovative ideas that call great thinking and growth of ideas. This method can be quantitatively or quantitatively measured. Bass (1994) developed the MLQ and included scales of transformational and transactional leadership. This method has been refined over the years to reflect the ever-changing dynamics of leadership. However qualitative analysis has a more holistic approach by using the triangulating method of leadership measurement. References Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Dorfman, P. W. (1996). International and cross-cultural leadership. In B. J. Punnett & O. Shenkar (Eds.), Handbook for international management research (pp. 267–349). Cambridge, MA: Blackwell. Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books Hughs, R. L., Ginnett, R. C., & Curphy, G. J. (1999). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Klimoski, R. J., & Koles, K. L. K. (2001). The chief executive officer and top management team interface. In J. S. Zaccaro & R. J. Klimoski (Eds.), The nature of organizational leadership: Understanding the imperatives confronting today’s leaders (pp. 219–269). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. McCauley, C. D. (2001). Leader training and development. In J. S. Zaccaro & R. J. 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