Process and Organizations of Leadership - Assignment Example

Leadership: Process and Organizations Question What are your thoughts concerning leaders? Do we need leaders? How would you recognize a leader? What makes a leader? How do you pick a leader? Leaders seek to bring people and groups from where they are to where they have not been. Leaders transform potentials into reality. Every organization or endeavor needs leaders to influence people towards the achievement of defined goals. Leaders are therefore recognized by their personality traits, by their behavior, by the skills that they gained through time and experience, and by the style they manifest. Leadership has three key elements: leader, followers, and the situation. Together, these elements provide the context where leadership operates and determine leadership effectiveness. A leader, is therefore picked, or selected by an organization, or by a group depending on the crucial elements abovementioned. The situation calls for a particular type of leader exuding personality traits called for by the situation, by the personalities of the group (or the team in the organization), and by the objectives, or goals to be accomplished. As indicated by Martires & Fule (2000, p. 181), “setting goals as well as finding and clearing pats towards goals constitute the two major functions of a leader”. Question 2: Discuss and answer - If it is so complex a topic that most of us find it very difficult to define and explain in everyday terms. If after at least a century of serious study, theorizing and writing there is still more to say. Why is it important that we continue to strive to understand the concept of leadership? The concept of leadership is a continually evolving process that adapts and adjusts to the changing needs and demands of the times. We should continue to strive to understand the concept of leadership to keep us abreast on the current developments on various perspectives, approaches, and models that emerge and which are seen to be applicable to contemporary setting. Aside from the traditional theories on leadership style and models, contemporary theories deemed to be applicable to global organizations such as the transformational style, servant leadership, and other models that incorporate social responsibility and community awareness, among others, need to be understood to enhance one’s awareness and to likewise apply the needed theories to contemporary organizational settings. Question 3: Identify and discuss the strengths and weaknesses associated with using the trait approach to understanding and defining leadership and leaders. In the trait approach, theorists sought to identify certain personality traits like intelligence, ambition, charisma that are associated with effective leaders. The strengths of this approach are enumerated by Northouse, to wit: “(1) it supports the general image in the society that leaders are a special kind of people who can do extraordinary things. People have a need to see their leaders as gifted people, and the trait approach fulfills this need; (2) it has a long research tradition and a significant body of research data that support this approach; (3) it focuses only on the leader and analysis very thoroughly this component in the leadership process; and (4) it has given us some benchmarks for what we need to look for if we want to be leaders” (Northouse, 2007, p. 24). On the other hand, the weaknesses associated with using the trait approach are as follows: “(1) the approach has not fixed a definitive list of leadership traits and the list that has emerged seems endless; (2) it has failed to take situations into account; (3) there has much subjective interpretation of the meaning of the data and data is not always based on reliable research; (4) it is weak in describing how leaders traits affect the outcomes of groups and teams in organizations; and (5) traits are largely fixed psychological structures and this limits the value of teaching and leadership training” (Northouse, 2007, p. 25). Question 4: Discuss the criticisms of the skills approach in that it claims to oppose the traits approach but it does itself include individual attributes that are very trait-like. The skills approach take into account the knowledge, skills, and abilities that the leader possesses or eventually learns; therefore, there are indeed individual attributes that are analogous to the trait approach. The differentiating element between the two approaches is: the traits approach emphasize that leaders are born with innate traits that make them leaders; the skills approach focus on proffering that skills can be taught, learned, acquired, developed and practiced (Martires & Fule, 2000, p. 156). Question 5: Discuss criticism of the style approach that states it is flawed because of its focus on the leader-task-follower relationships. It does not take account of external influences or take a view on the impact on task outcomes of potential non-followers in organizations. The style approach “implies that a high task, high relationship style will yield the best results, but this implication has yet to be supported by research” (Burkus, 2002, 13). Likewise, in the book written by Northouse (2009) entitled Leadership: Theory and Practice, he averred that there are actually three criticism to the style approach, to wit: (1) failure to validate the direct relationship between leadership styles and performance outcomes; (2) failure to present a universal leadership style applicable and effective in majority of situations; and (3) failure to validate and support that the most effective style is the high-high style” (Northouse, 2009, 79). It therefore fails to credibly incorporate and assess outcomes of non-followers, as indicated, in organizations. Question 6: Discuss criticism of the situational approach in that despite it being extensively used in development programmes there is little research to support its validity and the leadership styles and subordinate development stages are simplistic and ill-defined. If this is true; why is it so popular? The popularity of the situational approach is accorded by its strengths: (1) “it has stood the test of time in the marketplace; (2) it is easy to understand, intuitively sensible, and easily applied in a variety of settings; (3) its prescriptive value; (4) it emphasizes leadership flexibility; and (5) its focus on understanding the unique needs of subordinates and the responsibility for their personal and professional development” (Norhouse, 2009, 94 – 95). Therefore, despite the criticisms, the situational approach remains to be favored because of the ability of leaders to change his leadership style depending on the person he is working with and on the situation. Question 7: Discuss the statement that the contingency approach is novel and very useful because it does not expect that every leader should be successful in all situations. Also the majority of Fiedlers research was carried out in military situations. Is the approach still valid in less formally structured organisations? The contingency approach emphasizes the need for flexibility. The central issue for managers is to analyze and evaluate the situation and then to find and adopt a leadership style which fits that situation. As validated by Northouse (2009, 114), “contingency theory stresses that leaders are not effective in all situations”. The approach focuses on “using a measure called the Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) scale. This scale divides leaders into task motivated (low LPC), socioindependent (middle LPC) and relationship-motivated styles” (Burkus, 2002, 14). As such, although Fiedlers carried on initial research in military situations, the contingency approach can still be used to predict “which leaders will be effective in what situations but cannot be used to make leaders in unfavorable situations more effective” (Burkus, 2002, 15). Question 8: Discuss and give your views on the statement “once a leader has a proven style for a particular task and particular team of subordinates in repeat situations the same style should be applied.” The statement clearly shows three actions: (1) leader has proven a style for a particular task (which could mean that the style has been proven effective in implementing the task); (2) the leader and task applies the same style in the same group of subordinates (as evidenced by the terms repeat situations); and (3) a determination if the same style should be applied. The leadership style has been proven to be effective in a particular situation with the same set of subordinates required to do the (repeated) tasks. To ensure success and effectivity towards goal accomplishment, the same leadership style should likewise be applied. Question 9: Discuss and give your opinions on the statement - “that the situations and processes describe by LMX theory are only possible in a workplace environment. They do not apply in a voluntary leader-follower relationship.” According to Burkus (2002) “LMX focuses on the interactions between leaders and an individual follower. These relationships are referred to as vertical dyads. Leadership’s focus, then, should be on developing these dyads” (p. 20). In this regard, the situation calls for a workplace environment where relationships develop over time from “stranger to partner, mutual trust, respect and obligation toward each other develops” (Burkus, 2002, p. 20). In voluntary leader-follower relationships, the participants come and go (as volunteer concept exemplifies); therefore, accords no time for the development and evolution of relationships. Question 10: Discuss and give your opinions on the statement -“leader using the transformational approach delegate power and responsibility to the group. This can make them appear weak and behave defensively when justifying their position to outsiders.” As clearly emphasized by Burkus (2002), “transformational leaders focus on "transforming" others to support each other and the organization as a whole. Followers of a transformational leader respond by feeling trust, admiration, loyalty and respect for the leader and are more willing to work harder than originally expected” (p.22). By doing so, their intent and commitment to create a positive image for the group through the development of the subordinates would not render them weak and thereby, there is no need for them to behave defensively to justify their position to outsiders. For transformational leaders, the following characteristics stand out: (1) overt desire to transform the organization; (2) charismatic; (3) exudes passion and confidence; (4) possess large amounts of enthusiasm; (5) are people oriented and (5) tendencies to see the big picture and not the details (Straker 2009). Leadership deals with human relationships. When a leader is truly effective, the institution where he operates becomes transformed. By learning, competence is improved. Leaders lead by example and the values they hold are exemplified in their actions. This is how one ultimately learns from them. Reflections Question 11: What were the most important contribution you personally made towards the success of the seminars and sessions? How could your contributions be improved? Personally, by listening intently and by actively participating through discussions and in being genuinely interested to clarify some points and issues that were discussed, I honestly believe that I have made relevant contributions towards the success of the seminars and sessions. On the other hand, there is always room for improvement in terms of doing some personal research on the topics discussed to validate and verify the credibility of the theories and to determine the extent of their applicability to contemporary settings. By sharing my findings, I would have increased and improved my personal contribution in this regard. Question 12: How does working as a member of traditional tutorial differ from working as a member of a seminar? Reflect on this by considering what happened in both the face to face Seminar and Leadership groups project sessions. The face-to-face group sessions were instrumental in enhancing awareness of the theories discussed through sharing and group interactions and dialogues. In contrast to the traditional tutorial where no opportunities are provided for group activities, the group sessions enlivened the seminar and sessions as they highlighted members’ experiences and brought down the barriers of communication which traditionally exists in conventional tutorials. Question 13: What conclusions would you draw about creating effective Leadership in an organization from your experience of working in groups on this subject? Discuss the factors you would pay attention to in trying to create effective Leadership. Also suggest how you will develop your own Leadership and followership skills to be a more effective Organizational member. The theories and criticism discussed while working in groups were more personal in nature and thereby creates more impact in terms of lessons being retained more through remembering interactions, discussions, and group activities. As such, I learned that effective leadership requires a lot of collaborative and participative efforts between leaders and members and through the identification of clearly defined goals. To create effective leadership, the essential factors that need to be considered are the; goals that are to be achieved, the style that must be applied by the leader (after an examination and assessment of the situation and the personalities of the subordinates), and of course, the personalities of the members of the team (followers or subordinates). After assimilating the theories learned from the modules, the leadership model and skills I would manifest should assist in transforming the society through focusing on transforming others to help each other, to look out for each other, be encouraging, harmonious, and look out for the organization as a whole. In this regard, I stand as a transformational leader with the vision to make a difference in society. Leadership traits mentioned herein emphasize the value of being people oriented by recognizing the need for their growth and development and by encouraging them to practice open communication. Transformational, human resources and symbolic leadership emphasize people orientation and a desire to change the organization and the society, in general, by focusing on the four basis elements enumerated herein. By sharing these skills and developing them in others, one would help others become leaders in their own rights. Reference List Burkus, D 2002. The Portable Guide to Leadership, [Online]. Available at: http://theleaderlab.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/LLP0102.pdf [Accessed 22 November 2010]. Martires, CR & Fule, GS 2000. Management of Human Behavior in Organizations. National Bookstore, Philippines. Northouse, PG 2007. Leadership: theory and practice. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Northouse, PG 2009. Leadership: Theory and Practice. Sage Publications. Straker, D 2009. Transformational Leadership, [Online]. Available at: http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles/transformational_leadership.htm [Accessed 22 November 2010]. Read More