Leaders Are Born and Not Made, the Success of Leadership - Coursework Example

The way in which Leadership has changed within the Context of a Globalized Environment Name Institution Name Introduction Leadership involves the creation of strategy and vision while keeping an eye on the horizon. It also involves the creation of a shared culture and vision, helping other people to grow and minimizing boundaries. Leadership also involves placing focus and emphasizing people through motivating and inspiring them. Leadership is based on personal power and therefore one has to act as a facilitator, a coach and a servant (Barker & Coy, 2005). At most times throughout the world history, people who have been seen as leaders have actually created change through numerous ways. At most times as well, leaders have made their actions to lead to the creation of groups and eventually deciding where they should go and ensuring they are energized to overcome any challenges that may come their way. Various theories and models have been used in defining various types of leadership. While a theory refers to a structure which is created in order to explain a specific set of observations and explaining why some things happen, a model on the other hand is termed as being a representation which is designed with an aim of depicting the major workings of a particular concept while trying to be predictive (Cox, 1991). Leaders are Born and Not made Leadership theories include the Greatman Theory, the Trait theories, the Behavioural Theories, the Contingency Theories, the Relational Theories and the influence theories. According to early studies, leadership was known to adopt the belief that male leaders were born and not made and therefore they were known to have been born with some specific natural abilities of influence and power and other heroic leadership qualities or traits. In the past, leadership in social movements, the military, government, religions and in organizations was regarded as being just one “Great Man” who was responsible for putting each and everything together and also for influencing other people basing on the strength of the inherited qualities, traits and abilities. It was therefore ascertained that there was a big difference between leaders and followers since it was assumed that leaders were just born to become leaders! The Trait Theory The trait theory, identified by early researchers, is based on an individual’s personal characteristics. It explains the aims of effective leadership and it states that some of the individuals are born with traits which are most suitable to leadership like for instance assertiveness and self confidence unlike opposed to others. In order to identify such traits, about 100 researchers were involved in the examination of the leaders’ characteristics that were excellent in their work unlike those who were not. They also examined the characteristics or features of those people who developed to become leaders by trying to ascertain things which differentiated them from those people who remained as followers. In addition to that, early research also lacked the ability of effectively isolating the traits which separated the leaders from the followers. As a result, effective forms of leadership seemed to become a marriage between the needs of the leadership situation and the traits of the leaders (Edwards, 2004). The Big-Five Model This was a system of categorization which brought together all the traits of personality which seemed to be consistently linked to the success of leadership and they included extraversion and dominance, warm and sociability, self control, self acceptance, and organizational ability and achievement orientation. Behavioural Theories Early research on behavioural theories sought to look out for behaviours which separated or distinguished the followers from their leaders. It was indeed realized that some of the behaviours which worked well in one particular situation might not actually be relevant in other situations. This theory also sought to ascertain how a given leader behaved or reacted towards his or her followers and how such behaviour related with the effectiveness of the leadership style. The Contingency or Situational Theories (1960’s-1970’s) These theories focused on the idea that indeed, leaders were capable of adapting their leadership style towards the environment and the context which they are leading in. It was furthered based from the comprehension that leadership was not an affair of “one size fits all”. It therefore asserted that leaders were capable of analysing their own situations and tailoring or designing their behaviour in order to enhance their effectiveness. According to the contingency theory, it was ascertained that leadership cannot be comprehended in a vacuum which was separate or different from the current situation like for example the work environment, the followers and the external environment. However, debate has still continued to rage as to whether or not it can be possible to effectively change or alter the leadership style. Influence theories The influence theories were known to influence numerous processes between the leaders and their followers through the studying of a major topic known as “Charismatic leadership” that implied leadership which was based on the personality and qualities of a specific leader. The charismatic leadership theories identified the behaviour of the leaders, how they were different and the conditions which gave rise to such a kind of leadership. It also dealt with the leadership vision in which individuals are influenced to alter an inspiring vision of their future. One good example of a charismatic leader is Gough Whitlam of the Labor Party (Larkin, 2008). Authentic Leadership Authentic leadership was based on the personal credibility and integrity based on trusting relationships and a commitment to both moral and ethical values. It therefore states that leaders are able to earn their allegiance from their own followers through not only nurturing and building but also through empowering and inspiring other people. It further asserts that leaders normally see their role as being one of service and stewardship and they therefore get their credibility from walking their values and from personal integrity. Relational Theories These theories are normally concerned with how the leaders and their followers not only interact but also influence each other. Leadership is therefore depicted as being a relational procedure which engages all stakeholders and further makes it possible for all of them to contribute towards the achievement of the set vision. Examples of this include transactional and transformational leadership. Importance of Servant Leadership and ethics In all decision making processes, ethics is normally given priority on the agenda because it emphasizes on the propriety and integrity as being a major function of organizational governance. For instance, the ethical standards which an organization takes regarding its products, production and their contents greatly influence the decisions that such an organization makes. It should therefore be known by all and sundry that leaders are not in such positions to become served but rather to serve other people by helping them to grow. A Change in Leadership styles There has been spectacular and tremendous growth and changes in technology which have lead to instant communication, outsourcing and general globalization. New concepts of leadership styles have therefore continued to evolve because the world is ever changing, challenging and risky. More focus has now been placed on the establishment of learning organizations which focus on the company or organization as being a community of both shared direction and purpose (Herzog & Leker, 2011). The Success of Leadership For any kind of leadership process to become effective or successful, then it must incorporate three elements namely the leader, the followers and the context which must all work together. These further implies that a leader’s behaviour and characteristics, the characteristics and culture of the follower and the context in either stable or unstable times, in politics and in industry all determine the leadership process. The effectiveness of any given leadership in the contemporary society is normally higher in circumstances where the synergy between the followers, the leader and the context are greater. It is therefore easier for organizations fully adhering to these standards to achieve their stated or set objectives. Leadership, defined as having the ability of influencing other people towards the realization of the set goals in order to significantly contribute to a worthwhile mission or purpose involves the use of personality traits and live study examples as well (Aguirre,2004). According to the experiences of Julie Hammer, an Air Vice-marshal leader, leaders ought to know or recognize their abilities in order to have confidence in themselves and become self aware. She further asserted that leaders need to do what they are good at and do them to the best that they can. In addition to that, leaders need to work harder in everything that they do, discover what they enjoy and put emphasis on that. Interpersonal communication is an important aspect in leadership and it should be known that it is actually a two-way street in that apart from ensuring that the message is delivered, it also involves knowing that one’s message has been both absorbed and understood the way it was initially intended to be. It is therefore about how people interact and share information regarding selves. Interpersonal communication can therefore be termed to be both covert as well as being overt. Interpersonal communication also involves the issue of coding and encoding to ensure that the message has been well received and feedback given where necessary (Eagly & Johnson, 1990). For leaders to have good communication skills, communication, just like leadership should happen in context and should be relevant to the culture that one is working within. This includes the physical and temporal dimension. It should be known by all that people’s personal capabilities coupled with the coping strategies are normally brought into the leadership realm. Leadership involves resolving of numerous conflicts in the organization as they arise. There are five major steps that should be used by leaders in resolving conflicts namely defining of the conflict, examination of relevant or possible solutions, testing of the possible solutions, evaluation of the solutions and finally accepting or even rejecting the solution. Characteristics of Effective Leadership Effective leadership comprises of the establishment of vision or direction, aligning of an organization’s staff based on the organization’s strategic direction and goals, effective communication, inspiration and motivation of colleagues, producing change, management of trust, comprehension or organizational culture and successfully giving and receiving of feedback. In the contemporary world, leadership is a major driver of both effectiveness and organizational performance (Northouse, 2013). Importance of Culture in Leadership Culture refer to people’s way of life through the values, beliefs symbols and the behaviour which they accept which are handed along through imitation and communication from one particular generation to another. It should be noted in the contemporary leadership that cultural differences are known to manifest themselves through various ways and levels of depth. Culture therefore has a great impact on an organization’s leadership. Culture is an important aspect in leadership because it presents a framework or system of meaning which guides the leaders in any given place the creation of reality in a social community. In addition, culture actually is responsible for the definition of a space through which some specific characteristics or behaviours are taken for granted. Culture is important in the contemporary society because it helps people in leadership positions to make a sense of their personal lives, their surroundings and be able to become both informed and shaped simultaneously. Culture does not theretofore imply to not only what is held by the human population in common but it also differentiates the groups or societies of people or individuals from each other (Ravasi & Schultz, 2006). For any leadership style to become successful, comprehension of both organizational and ethnic culture is quite helpful. This is due to the fact that cultural diversity in any given organization has a great impact on both the application and style of leadership. As a result, what may be regarded as being appropriate or relevant in one particular context might actually be regarded as being inappropriate in other circumstances. Globalization is responsible for the convergence and homogenisation of cultures in the contemporary world and therefore the workplace has been forced to adjust to the current cultural differences. As a result, what presently works in one particular culture is capable of working somewhere else. In the modern world, organizational culture has been incorporated and strengthened in the leaders. Good leaders in the modern world thus not only shape but also shape the cultures of their organization through embedding their assumptions in the goals, work procedures, structures and missions. It is worth noting that all organizations in the world have their own cultures which ascertain how they respond towards internal performances, external challenges and cohesion (Stanford, 2011). Leaders should know that culture is never static since it is known to change upon a change in the circumstances. In order to be in a better position of responding towards the numerous influences which change a certain culture, it is prudent to know what informs or underpins it and understand the numerous areas of research which provides a framework of understanding the culture’s dimension and how they are actually reflected. In the contemporary world, there exists a great relationship between corporate or organizational culture and effective leadership and management. This is because corporate culture is known to have a great impact on an organization’s long term economic performance. Corporate culture is therefore an important aspect in ascertaining either the failure or the success of the organizations during the next decade. Culture greatly affects leadership traits because in some cultures which are known to inhibit or prevent long-term and strong financial performance, this greatly affects employees and intelligent individuals in the organization. Corporate culture, despite being hard to alter can be made to be more enhancing based on performance. It can therefore be genuinely asserted that the stronger the cultural background of an organization, the better its organizational performance (Swanwick & McKimm, 2011). The Hall Marks of Effective Leadership in the Modern World In the modern world, effective leadership is marked with the establishment of mission and direction, aligning of people, effective communication, motivation and inspiring of the colleagues, comprehension of the organizational culture, production of change, managing of self and trust and also the ability of giving and taking feedback. Over time, organizational theorists have examined both the efficiency and effectiveness of an organization through classifying them into four distinct groups namely: classical, Neo-Classical, Modern and Post-modern. Comprehending the characteristics of each particular period and the significant contributions which were made by each theorist is beneficial because it depicts how the way through which leadership has an effect on efficiency and how such efficiency has been viewed in different perspectives as various organizations respond to change (Logan &Fischer-Wright, 2009). The ever Changing Face of Leadership Some of the most significant challenges that modern leaders’ faces are an increase in knowledge based businesses and globalization. Globalization cannot be termed as a new concept since it started as soon as individuals and races began to move across land masses. However, globalization has been heightened due to an increased growth in technology, science and transportation infrastructure. It has also been further enhanced through the initiation of the fibre optic technology, affordable network communications and electronic media. Globalization has a great impact on the modern leaders due to increased communication and access to infrastructure, working across cultures and time zones and greater speed in transportation. Globalization has therefore caused various challenges like for instance technology, time zones, complexity, distance and culture on the leaders. It should be noted that the social phenomena has also been altered due to technology that is also known to drive globalization through allowing communication on a huge number of channels (Marquis &Tilcsik, 2013). The Leadership and Communication Style Styles of a National Leader in Australia Julia Gillard is definitely the most prominent female leader and politician in Australia. Julia Gillard is serving as the first Female Prime Minister in Australia and therefore also becomes Australia’s 27th Prime Minister. The Prime Minister was sworn into the highest office on the 24th of June 2010 and until June 2013; Ms Gillard was serving as the Leader of the nation. During her tenure, Ms Gillard has achieved numerous milestones like for instance in strengthening her country’s alliance with the US, upgrading the country’s ties with India, securing a stronger relationship with China, and deepening ties with South Korea, Indonesia and Japan. Julia has therefore been regarded as being a shining example towards women and young ladies across Australia (Ruddman, L.A. (1998). Through the examination of Julia Gillard’s leadership style, it can be asserted that despite the fact that she had legitimate power as Australia’s Prime Minister, she however lacked referent power and the ability of gaining the trust and support of the majority of her people. One of the popular political controversies that MS Julia Gillard caused was the leadership Coup which she led to oust the former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of the title. Gillard is known to have bravely confounded and faced her critics through engaging in hard line positions on some of the country’s like welfare systems, border controls and the Palestinian Crisis at the United Nations (UN) (Eagly, & Johnson, 1990). References Aguirre, D. (2004) Resilience Report: 10 Principles of Change Management Barker, C. & Coy, R. (Eds). (2005). Understanding Influence for Leaders at all Levels. McGraw Hill: North Ryde, NSW (Australia). Cox, T. (1991) Cultural Diversity in Organizations: Theory, Research and Practice. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. California (USA). Eagly, A.H., & Johnson, B.T. (1990). Gender and leadership style: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 108(2), 233-256 Edwards, M. (2004) Future Positive – International Co-operation in the 21st Century . Earthscan: London (UK). Gill, R. (2003). Change management – or change leadership? Journal of Change Management, May (3), 4. Herzog, P.,& Leker, J. (2011). Open and closed innovation: Different cultures for different strategies. London: Springer Science & Business Media Larkin, J. (2008) Risk Issues and Crisis Management in Public Relations: A Casebook of Best Practice 4th ed. Kogan Page: London. Logan, D., King, J., &Fischer-Wright, H.(2009). Tribal leadership: Leveraging natural groups to build a thriving organization. HarperCollins. Marquis, C., &Tilcsik, A.(2013). Imprinting: Toward a multilevel theory. Academy of Management Annals,193–243 Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Ravasi, D., Schultz, M. (2006). Responding to organizational identity threats: Exploring the role of organizational culture. Academy of Management Journal, 49(3), 433–458. Ruddman, L.A. (1998). Self-promotion as a risk factor for women: The costs and benefits of counter-stereotypical impression management. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 629-645. Stanford, N. (2011). Corporate culture: Getting it right. New York: John Wiley & Sons Swanwick, T., & McKimm, J. (2011). ABC of clinical leadership. London: John Wiley & Sons Read More