LEADERSHIPDR DOUGLAS NISBET

PGDBA101 Strategic Leadership and Management Skills

1

Leadership

4 Themes:1. Influence and power2. Motivation3. Communication4. Teams

2

Learning Objectives• To examine how people influence others by using personal

skills and/or power• To examine theories of behaviour at work and to connect

them with management practice• To describe and illustrate the main aspects of communication

in organisations and how these can help and hinder performance

• To outline the significance of teams and how they develop

Theme 1: Influence and power

• Managing and leading• ‘Interpersonal skills’ perspectives

– trait, behavioral, contingency• ‘Power’ perspectives• Does sharing power increase it?• Tactics to influence others• Cases and examples

– Apple Inc., Helmut Panke (BMW), Pret A Manger, Star TV, Eden Project

Overview of themes

Figure 14.1 A model of the influencing process (Boddy, 2011)

The directions of influencing

Figure 14.2 Influencing in four directions (Boddy, 2011 p423)

Outcomes of influence

Table 14.1 Four outcomes of influence attempts (Boddy 2011, p424)

Traits models

• The Big 5 (McCrae and John, 1992)• Openness [creative/open-minded ->

unimaginative/disinterested]• Conscientiousness [achiever -> irresponsible]• Extraversion [gregarious -> reserved]• Agreeableness [compliant -> oppositional]• Neuroticism [self-conscious -> self-assured]

• Burns (1978) transactional leader OR transformational leader

Behavioural models

• Identified two categories of leader behaviour:

[1] Ohio State: Initiating structure Consideration

[2] Michigan: Job-centred Employee-centred

Grid model (Blake and Mouton, 1979)

Figure 14.4 The managerial grid (Boddy, 2011 p429)

Situational (or Contingency)(or contingency) models

• Trait and behavioural models ignore context – no ‘universal’ prescriptions

• Situational models propose that effective influence depends on using an approach thatis suitable for the circumstances

Path–goal theory

Figure 14.6 House’s path–goal theory (Boddy, 20111 p 431)

Power perspectivesInfluence depends on person’s power

• French and Raven (1959) on five sources– Legitimate [from formal position in organisation]– Resource [access to rewards with which to persuade]– Coercive [ability to use or threaten by force]– Referent [using charisma and personal qualities]– Expertise [acknowledged as having relevant skill]

• Kanter (1979)– Managers can increase power by delegating

Conclusion on Influence and Power• Models of influencing enable you to analyse current practice

and whether it is suited for the situation• Can also question assumptions behind an influencer’s overall

approach and specific tactics• Are they right for the context, and what alternatives might

work better – such as altering the balance between interpersonal and power approaches?

• Also enables reflection on the idea of sharing power to increase it, in view of contingency (situational) perspectives

Theme 2: Motivation• Adding value depends on motivating others• Understanding range of theories enables critical

reflection and informed choice of approach• Enables you to question assumptions behind practice,

whether they suit the situation, and whether alternatives may work better

• Models also enable you to reflect on what motivates you, and to consider the career implications

Motivation Themes

• Managing and motivating• Psychological contracts• Behaviour modification• Content and process theories• Motivation and strategy• Cases and examples:

– The Eden Project, IKEA, Gamma, Child Base

Overview Model

Figure 15.1 A model of motivation (Boddy, 2011 p 452)Supps_PowerPointTemplate_S20

Social context of motivation

Figure 15.2 Human needs in context – the situational perspective (Boddy, 2011 p 454)

Psychological contract (Continued)

Figure 15.3 A framework for the psychological contract (Boddy, 2011 p455)Source: Based on Guest (2004)

Behaviour modification• Focus on the consequences of actions: by showing link

between them, aim to encourage desirable and discourage undesirable behaviour – (see Call Centre example - p.458 )

• Principles to follow:– Reward ONLY desired actions– Reward quickly (signals link)– Rewards encourage repetition (reinforcement)– Reward more effective than punishment– Repeated reinforcement brings permanent change

Maslow and Alderfer

Figure 15.4 Comparison of the Maslow and Alderfer categories of needs

Frederick Herzberg – two-factor theory

Figure 15.5 Herzberg’s comparison of job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction scoresSource: Reprinted by permission of Harvard Business Review. Figure from One more time: How do you motivate employees?, Harvard Business Review, vol. 65, no. 5, pp. 109–120 by F. Herzberg, Copyright © 1987 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation, all rights reserved

Douglas McGregor: Theory X and Theory Y

Every management action rests on theory• Contrasting assumptions of Theory X and Theory Y• Those who see workers as Theory X have different policies

(control, time recording, supervision) than those who hold Theory Y assumptions (responsibility, trust, initiative)

• Hofstede (Section 15.8) showed that assumptions about work vary between countries

Process theories – goal-setting theory

Locke (1968) – goals affect motivation

• Challenging but achievable goals motivate• Specific goals motivate more than vague ones• Participation in setting goals is motivating• Knowing results of past performance is necessary for

motivation

Job characteristics model

Figure 15.7 The job characteristics modelSource: Adapted from Hackman and Oldham (1980)

Conclusion on Motivation• Models and theories about

– Content of motivation– Process of motivation– Empowerment enable you to evaluate critically current practices

• Enable you to question the assumptions(e.g. X or Y) about people behind current management practice

• Whether they fit the situation and whether alternatives may work better

Theme 3: Communication

• Communicating essential to add value• Elements in the communication process• Selecting communication channels• Comparing communication networks• Developments in technology• Interpersonal communication skills• Communication, strategy and structure• Cases and examples

– Facebook, Cisco, Carlos Ghosn, BP, Blackcircles

Overview of the themes

Figure 16.1 An overview of communication in organisations

The communication process

Figure 16.3 The communication process

Which channel to use?

Figure 16.4 The Lengel–Daft media richness hierarchySource: Lengel and Daft (1988)

Communication Networks

Figure 16.5 Ccommunication networks in groupsSource: Shaw (1978)

Interpersonal communication skills

Ideas from chapter applied• Send clear and complete messages• Encode in symbols that the receiver understands• Select appropriate medium• Select a medium that the receiver monitors• Listen actively• Avoid noise• Supportive communication – Whetten and Cameron (2002)

Conclusion on Communication Theme

• Adding value depends on communication throughout and beyond the organisation

• Design reflects assumptions about the process

• Models enable systematic questions about accuracy of assumptions in the context, and which alternatives may work better – for example, more technology or more face-to-face?

Theme 4: Teams• Why study teams? • Types of team• Team composition (Belbin)• Stages of team development• Team processes• Outcomes – for members and the organisation• Teams in their context• Cases and examples

– Cisco, Louis Vuitton, a mental health team

Overview

Figure 17.1 A model of team performance

Formal teams

Figure 17.2 Horizontal and vertical teams in an engineering company

Belbin’s team roles

Table 17.3 Belbin’s team rolesSource: Based on Belbin (1993)

Stages of team development

Figure 17.3 Stages of team development

Stages of team development (Continued)

Figure 17.4 Modified model of the stages

Leadership Topic Conclusions

• Generating commitment to work towards objectives is central to leadership

• Leadership involves influencing others• To do this we must:

– Understand what motivates people– Communicate effectively– Form and develop performing teamwork

40