Similarities and Differences between Leading and Managing - Research Paper Example

Similarities and Differences between Leading and Managing Introduction Management research has grown tremendously in the past 50 to 60 years and has brought many new concepts to the theory of management. Apart from the new concepts, management research has also redefined certain old concepts to better fit the needs of an ever changing business environment. It is therefore important to understand the link between different management concepts in order to understand the theoretical framework of management research. Only then theory of management can be applied to the practical business world. In this paper we will discuss the concepts of managing and leading in detail and will try to identify similarities and differences between the two concepts. On the face of it these two management concepts seem very similar but essentially they are different from each other. We will be first explaining the two concepts separately so that an understanding of the two concepts can be achieved and then we will identify similarities and differences between leading and managing. What is meant by Managing? A manager’s job is to organize, plan, and coordinate (Murray, 2010). Managing involves allocation of available resources to achieve business related goals. Managers have administrative power over subordinates and this power is legitimate power that comes with the titled position in the organization. Managing involves running a business using resources at hand. Management is therefore business oriented and it involves running a company. Managers have subordinates who follow them because of his legitimate power and position in the organization. A manager is only powerful when he is assigned a position of authority from which a manager derives power. The role of manager is extremely important in the business and he is usually a person selected on the basis of his experience and education. What is meant by Leading? A leader is essentially different from a manager. Often people use these terms interchangeably which is incorrect. A manager’s job is to manage a business while a leader’s job is to manage people. A leader does not always derive power from a legitimate position in the organization but has referent power. A leader is admired due to his characteristic or traits instead of his position in the organization. Leading therefore involves managing and a lot more. A leader has to set standards that are then followed by managers and other people. Leading involves coming up with a new idea which is then followed by other people. Similarities between Leading and Managing Although there are many differences between leading and managing, there are also some similarities. In this section we will discuss in detail how these concepts are similar to each other. Firstly both leading and managing involves dealing with people. Even managers have to use their most valuable resource, man power to run the business in an efficient and effective manner. The concept of leading and managing takes into account human resource to a great extent. A leader has followers and a manger has subordinates, but both leader and manager have people and employees through which they have to operate. It will not be untrue to say that a manager cannot function without employees and a leader cannot function without people or followers. This is one of the main similarities between leading and managing that both have to deal with and use human resource in an effective manner in order to achieve goals, aims, and objectives. Another similarity between managing and leading is that both rely on motivation of employees in order to achieve their goals. A leader uses referent power and charisma to inspire and motivate workforce to work according to the direction set by the leader. On the other hand a manager too uses different techniques like rewards and compensation to drive the workforce towards a set goal. Both leaders and managers understand the importance of motivating the workforce and both use different methods to motivate them in order to make sure that the end results are similar to the desired results. Leading and managing are also similar in terms of setting a goal. The goals set by managers and leaders might be different from each other but both work towards a goal or objective. This is another similarity between leading and managing. Leaders try to look at the bigger picture while managers are more interested in making sure things run smoothly. But both managers and leaders have their eyes set on a goal which they want to realize. Both leaders and managers have considerable influence on the workforce. The extent of their influence might be different but it is safe to assume that both leaders and managers have great influence on employees. The workforce pays heed to the instructions of both managers and leaders and therefore in this regard both managing and leading are similar. Leaders and managers are also similar in a way that both utilize resource to achieve their goals. The way of utilization resources is different but both use operational capabilities and resources to realize their objectives. This is another similarity between the concept of leading and managing. Differences between Leading and Managing There are many differences between leading and managing, and in this section we will discuss them in great detail. The main difference between leading and managing is that leading involves changing things while managing involves keeping things as they are. The philosophy of a leader is mostly to bring about a change on a larger level, while a manager focuses on keeping the organization running in a set manner without changing many things. This is probably the most fundamental difference between leading and managing. A leader also has a long term vision while a manger tries to focus on the current issues and aims for the short term. Leading involves setting up lofty goals that may take many years to achieve while managing involves setting up short term goals to ensure that everything is running in the right manner. This is another fundamental difference between the two concepts. A leader has his eyes on the bigger picture while a manager tries to keep the business running by achieving short term objectives. Another difference between leading and managing is that leading is a very old concept and has been around for many centuries while on the other hand management is a relatively new concept (Kotter, 1990). The concept of management came up only after the industrial revolution and therefore it is not as old as the concept of leadership (1990). This is also a fundamental difference between managing and leading. It tells us that leading encompasses and involves a host of factors while managing relies on the day to day operations of a business. A manager’s job is to control while a leader trusts people (Murray, 2010). Managers try to use different control measures to keep the organization on the right track while leaders use trust to achieve their goals. This is another major difference between the two concepts of managing and leading. A leader also enjoys support of the people through referent power while a manager has to rely on legitimate and formal power to deal with people. This is another difference between managing and leading. Leaders use their personal charisma to make people follow them while managers have to use their authority and position to make people work in order to achieve the set goal. A manager is, as a result, not able to set long term aims and objectives as managers do not have the same charisma of leaders. Managing also involves imitating an already established standard while leading involves coming up with a brand new standard (Murray, 2012). Managers are expected to imitate the best practices but a leader will also come up with something original and will originate a new standard. This is a massive difference between the two concepts as it tells that roles of a leader and a manger are different from each other. The role of a manager is to imitate while a leader aims to innovate. Rost (1991) argues that leadership is multidirectional while management is unidirectional in nature. He also argues that leading relies on influence relationship while managing relies on authority relationship (1991). This is another difference between the two concepts as leading encompasses many things and is multidirectional while management is unidirectional and focuses on one particular direction. A manager can also be regarded as a good soldier (Murray, 2012) but a leader is quite different. A leader listens only to himself and does not take directions from others. This is another difference between the concept of leading and managing. Managing involves controlling everything accurately while leading is more about thinking out of the box. Conclusion The concepts of managing and leading are essentially different from each. They enjoy however a range of similarities like they both deal with people, both utilize resources to achieve aims, and both set goals for the future. But in true sense these concepts are different from each. Some of the differences are that managing is a new concept that came up after industrialization while leadership is a quite an old concept. Managing and leading are also different in terms of types of goals, motivating employees, and position. References Kotter, J. (1990). A force for change: How leadership differs from management. New York: Free Press Murray, A. (2010). The Wall Street Journal Guide to Management. New York: Harper Business Rost, J C. (1991). Leadership for the Twenty-First Century. New York: Praeger Read More