Key Theories of the Nature and Exercise of Leadership in Organizations
The concept of leadership has been attracting the attention of many scholars who are keen on explaining different approaches of governing organizations at different times. Leadership theories have been developed to explain some of the strategies that one can use to govern a given organization. According to Bass and Riggio (2006), different circumstances that an organization faces may define the leadership model that is appropriate to achieve a specific goal. When a firm is facing a crisis such as a cyber-attack, the leadership approach that is needed will be different from an organization that is enjoying a relatively calm business environment (Alimo-Metcalfe & Alban-Metcalfe, 2006). Sustainability of an organization depends on the ability of those in the management to understand the appropriate governance approach necessary when dealing with different situations in the market.
One of the common theories of leadership is coaching theory of leadership. This form of leadership is characterized by collaboration and partnership (Perruci, 2018). The leader is expected to transform from one that issues orders to one that is keen on assisting junior officers to understand what they need to do in an effective way (Porter-O’Grady et al., 2019). Instead of blaming subordinates when they make mistakes, such a leader will assess the source of the problem or areas of weaknesses and determine ways of addressing them effectively (Higgs, 2003). The concept emphasizes continued growth among employees in a given organization.
It prioritizes feedback both from the top managers and junior officers to ensure that challenges that arise are addressed effectively. In coaching, there is the belief that employees can register improved performance if they are given the assistance that they need (Abreu, 2019). It will allow them to be creative and innovative when handling their assignments. It eliminates fear among workers about a possible reprisals from those in leadership. Covey (2004) explains that despite the support and guidance that is offered to the employees, this form of governance emphasizes the commitment of the subordinates. As they are supported to achieve their goals, they are also expected to register improved performance.
Company X is one of the institutions that have embraced coaching theory as a means of governance. This international accounting firm has been hiring both host country nationals (HCNs) and third-country nations (TCNs) to enable it audit books of accounts of local and international organizations within the country. Its management has embraced a more relaxed approach to government in an environment that is highly demanding. Most of these employees are often expected to deliver on their duties within tight deadline. Instead of using commands and threats, the management has been using a coaching strategy. Employees are encouraged to engage their superiors and seek for assistance whenever they need it. On the other hand, supervisors and managers have been trained to assess the strengths and weaknesses of employees and the challenges that they face at the workplace with the goal of finding a lasting solution to the issues identified (Bush et al., 2019). I have interacted with employees of this organization at different levels of management and understands how effective the strategy has been in enhancing effective governance.
Autocratic theory of leadership, sometimes referred to as authoritarian leadership, is one of the oldest forms of governance. Torfing and Sørensen (2019 define autocratic leadership as “a governance style that is characterized by individual control over all decisions and little input from group members.” Such a leader rarely accepts advice or guidance from subordinates. They expect their juniors to follow their orders without questioning the rationale. Although this governance strategy has been common in different parts of the world for centuries, it is becoming less popular in the modern society as democracy continue to gain popularity. However, Xu (2017) explains that there are cases where this approach to leadership cannot be avoided. When dealing with a crisis and it is necessary to make quick and emphatic decisions, this theory of leadership is often considered the most effective.
I have worked for Government Institution Y and has experienced this form of governance firsthand. The head of the department was a strict manager who issued orders and expected everyone to obey his instructions. When I joined the organization, there were high expectations that there will be a room for growth through support and guidance from the top leaders. After working at this government institution for three years, all the hope for a change of leadership has been lost. It is true that sometimes authoritarian approach of governing may be necessary, especially when dealing with crisis (Lv & Zhang, 2017). However, it should not be the standard practice and approach to governance in an organization at all times. I noticed that although this leadership strategy keeps employees keen on completing their assignments at a given time, it eradicates creativity, innovation, and employee motivation. Most of the junior workers only focus on completing their assignments based on standard practice, ignoring the need to be innovative in their work (Sullivan, 2019). It is necessary for the top leadership unit of this institution to rethink its leadership strategy.
Critical Evaluation of the Behavior of Selected Leaders
When an individual is trusted with a position of leadership, they are expected to guide subordinates towards achieving specific goals and realization of the vision of the organization. Some leaders perform better than others, which explains why a firm may prosper under leadership of one individual and underperform under the guidance of another. Muff et al. (2020) believe that the behavior of a specific leader defines how successful the organization can be depending on the environment in which a firm operates. Changes that an organization faces in the external environment define the governance approach that is appropriate for a leader at a specific time. However, their traits may compromise their ability to understand the governance strategy that is needed at different times, especially when one is keen on proving a point and asserting authority instead of doing the right thing (Ward, 2019). Others have learned the art of leadership and understands the need to assist their subordinates to achieve continuous growth.
Supervisor A was one of the leaders in our company who understood the need to support and guide subordinates. She embraced transformational leadership theory as a means of guiding subordinates. Wang (2018) argues that in transformational leadership, “a leader works with teams to identify needed change, creating a vision to guide the change through inspiration, and executing the change in tandem with committed members of a group.” Such a leader understands the fact that the only way of achieving growth is to embrace continuous change (Brent & Gigliotti, 2017). Instead of just issuing instruction, such a leader will work closely with the subordinates to understand their weaknesses and work with them to address such challenges. A transformational leader may be concerned about the current performance but their primary focus is to ensure that the future of the organization and individual employees are protected. These are the traits that Supervisor A exhibited in her governance.
She was always concerned about the individual performance of every single worker in the team that was assigned to her. I worked alongside her for about 18 months and I admired her strategies. Although the organization generally embraced autocratic approach to governance, she chose to be different. We would receive strict instructions from our superiors, demanding that they ensure that they achieve specific goals within a given period (Mallia, 2019). Instead of issuing the same commands to the subordinates, he would engage them in a respectful debate, trying to explain to them how to achieve the desired goals. She would ensure that every employee working under her clearly understood what was expected of them before commencing their work.
She did not mind repeating a given instruction to ensure that these workers understood these goals. It is important to note that among her peers, she performed better because of these strategies. Her subordinates not only showed her respect but also love because of her concern for their growth and well-being (Mayfield & Mayfield, 2017). She demonstrated to me that even when a superior officer mistreats a supervisor, one can choose not to transfer the negative energy to the subordinates.
Manager A was an effective leader who epitomized the concept of great man theory of leadership. As Mayfield et al. (2016) observe, this theory holds that excellent leaders are born with natural traits of leadership as opposed to being born. It holds the view that effective traits of a good leader such as courage, quick decision-making capabilities, excellent communication skills, and team-building skills are natural traits. Although one can learn about these skills, they cannot implement them more effectively than one who has these traits naturally (Golensky & Hager, 2020). In an environment where firms face numerous challenge, it is necessary to have a leader who can make a bold decision, take unpopular steps and stand by their decisions as long as they believe they are making the right decision. Such traits come naturally (Roe, 2020). Manager A demonstrated these natural skills and has managed to be in the position of leadership within a short period.
We were hired at the same time with Manager A at this institution. However, he had inferior academic qualifications and most of us believed that he lacked the capacity to rise to higher ranks of management (Jenlink, 2020). However, he demonstrated that he had natural skills that did not need to be defined by his academic qualifications. Within the first month of working for this organization, we were each assigned different roles of recruiting members of the public to sign up for a given service offered by the government. He outperformed everyone in the team because of his effective communication skills.
He also started demonstrating that he is bold in his decisions and keen on achieving continuous improvement (Standing & Goodliff, 2020). As most of us focused more on furthering our academics, he focused more on registering continuous improvement in assignments given to him (Malloch, 2020). Within the first year of working for this organization, he had been promoted to the position of a supervisor in our department. Top managers were convinced that he had what it takes to become a successful leader (Hayes, 2018). By the second year when some of us were promoted to the position of supervisors, he had climbed a higher ladder to the position of a line manager.
A Summary of the Learning
The assignment has enabled me to have a better understanding of the concept of leadership in the modern society. One of the important lessons taken from activities undertaken in this assignment is that there is no single leadership theory of strategy that is perfect for all scenarios that a firm may face. Each specific challenge that a firm faces will require a given leadership strategy capable of yielding specific results (Ercetin & Potas, 2019). Although transformational and coaching theories of leadership are currently some of the most popular concepts of governance, sometimes it is necessary to apply the less popular leadership strategies such as an authoritarian rule to achieve specific goals (Blomberg, 2020). Understanding the specific leadership strategy needed to achieve a given goal defines how successful a leader will be in a given organization.
The assignment has enabled me to understand what I need to do to develop my leadership capabilities. One of the steps that I need to take is to learn more about leadership concepts and skills. Cole (2019) explains that although some people are born with leadership traits, it is possible for one to learn about leadership skills and become successful managers. I intend to improve my level of knowledge about leadership strategies (Steffen et al., 2019). I will learn more about how and when to apply specific leadership skills depending on the situation that a firm is facing. I will need to learn more about pros and cons of each of these leadership strategies and how to apply them successfully.
I will put into practice specific knowledge gained about leadership. I intend to take every opportunity I get to test these new skills so that I can perfect their application. Currently, I am in a supervisory position, which is an opportunity to practice leadership. I have a special interest in coaching and transformational leadership styles. As I continue to gain more knowledge about these approaches to governance, I intend to apply them to enable me to achieve specific goals in leadership. I also intend to know when and how to apply unpopular governance strategies, such as authoritarian rule, without causing tension among my subordinates.
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