Are Leaders Born Or Made How Do We Identify Leaders Do We Need Leaders In This Current Economic Climate - Essay Example

This point has been explained in the present discourse by comparing two different organisations based on personal work experience. In the process, various aspects of leader and team behaviour, organisational systems, structure and management concepts have been used to explain leadership effectiveness and use of management concepts. This discourse presents an argument on leadership effectiveness in relation with leadership theories, management concepts and organisational culture. Leadership has been defined from different perspectives.

Leadership at workplace has been the focus of many contemporary organisations. Contrary to the conventional management concepts and philosophy, the present-day organisations believe that leadership is essential for organisational sustenance. Daft defines leadership as the influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real change and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes (2007; p.4). In an organisational context, the essential elements in leadership include the leader, influence, intention, personal responsibility and integrity, change, shared purpose, followers.

These elements, although essential in any leadership concept, are specifically significant in an organisational context because this context brings together leaders by virtue of their position and people with a purpose. Such leadership is assigned leadership (Northouse, 2009). Another form of leadership is emergent leadership, which refers to leadership acquired by one’s actions, and ability to earn followers; this leadership is more commonly found in political groups, and lesser in organisational setups.

Leadership has been defined in numerous ways by different people, and from different perspectives. One of the broad definitions proposed by Yuki is that leadership is the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives (, p.26). According to Bryman, “leadership is the creation of a vision about a desired future state which seeks to enmesh all members of an organisation in its net” (1986, p.6). Jackson and Parry (2007) highlight three aspects of leadership, which provide sufficient reasons to explore leadership.

These aspects include the contemplative notion whether leaders were born or made; secondly, what are the characteristics of an effective leader; thirdly, what is the difference between leadership and management. These three aspects provide significant insight into the concept of leadership and management. Theoretical construct on the concept of leadership is vast and delves deep into aspects such as individuals’ personality, style, background etc (Contingency theories) along with situations (Situational leadership), culture, perceived values, vision (Visionary and transformational leadership) and even characteristics of followers.

Various leadership characteristics have been proposed by many researchers, which gave rise to the trait theories of leadership. Some of the traits explained in these theories include intelligence, insight, responsibility, confidence, cognition, self-motivated, emotional intelligence etc (Northouse, 2007). Fiedler’s contingency theory of leadership emphasizes that leader’s effectiveness or the group’s performance is determined by leadership style and situational need. Leadership