3.1 DISCUSS THE IMPACT THAT DIFFERENT LEADERSHIP STYLES MAY HAVE

ON MOTIVATION IN ORGANIZATIONS IN PERIODS OF CHANGE

Different types of leadership styles are discussed below:

1. Autocratic leadership

Autocratic leadership is an extreme form of transactional leadership, where leaders have absolute

power over their workers or team. Staff and team members have little opportunity to make

suggestions, even if these would be in the team's or the organization's best interest.

Most people tend to resent being treated like this. Therefore, autocratic leadership often leads to

high levels of absenteeism and staff turnover. However, for some routine and unskilled jobs, the

style can remain effective because the advantages of control may outweigh the disadvantages.

2. Bureaucratic leadership

Bureaucratic leaders work "by the book." They follow rules rigorously, and ensure that their staff

follows procedures precisely. This is a very appropriate style for work involving serious safety

risks (such as working with machinery, with toxic substances, or at dangerous heights) or where

large sums of money are involved (such as handling cash).

3. Charismatic leadership

A charismatic leadership style can seem similar to transformational leadership, because these

leaders inspire lots of enthusiasm in their teams and are very energetic in driving others forward.

However, charismatic leaders can tend to believe more in themselves than in their teams, and this

creates a risk that a project, or even an entire organization, might collapse if the leader leaves. In

the eyes of the followers, success is directly connected to the presence of the charismatic leader.

As such, charismatic leadership carries great responsibility, and it needs a long-term commitment

from the leader.

4. Democratic leadership or participative leadership

Although democratic leaders make the final decisions, they invite other members of the team to

contribute to the decision-making process. This not only increases job satisfaction by involving

team members, but it also helps to develop people's skills. Team members feel in control of their

own destiny, so they're motivated to work hard by more than just a financial reward.

Because participation takes time, this approach can take longer, but often the end result is better.

The approach can be most suitable when working as a team is essential, and when quality is

more important than speed to market, or productivity.

5. Laissez-faire leadership

This French phrase means "leave it be," and it's used to describe leaders who leave their team

members to work on their own. It can be effective if the leader monitors what's being achieved

and communicates this back to the team regularly. Most often, laissez-faire leadership is

effective when individual team members are very experienced and skilled self-starters.

Unfortunately, this type of leadership can also occur when managers don't apply sufficient

control.

6. People-oriented leadership or relations-oriented leadership

This is the opposite of task-oriented leadership. With people-oriented leadership, leaders are

totally focused on organizing, supporting, and developing the people in their teams. It's a

participative style, and it tends to encourage good teamwork and creative collaboration.

In practice, most leaders use both task-oriented and people-oriented styles of leadership.

7. Servant leadership

This term, created by Robert Greenleaf in the 1970s, describes a leader who is often not formally

recognized as such. When someone, at any level within an organization, leads simply by meeting

the needs of the team, he or she is described as a "servant leader."

In many ways, servant leadership is a form of democratic leadership, because the whole team

tends to be involved in decision making.

Supporters of the servant leadership model suggest that it's an important way to move ahead in a

world where values are increasingly important, and where servant leaders achieve power on the

basis of their values and ideals. Others believe that in competitive leadership situations, people

who practice servant leadership can find themselves left behind by leaders using other leadership

styles.

8. Task-Oriented leadership

Highly task-oriented leaders focus only on getting the job done, and they can be quite autocratic.

They actively define the work and the roles required, put structures in place, plan, organize, and

monitor. However, because task-oriented leaders don't tend to think much about the well-being

of their teams, this approach can suffer many of the flaws of autocratic leadership, with

difficulties in motivating and retaining staff.

9. Transactional leadership

This style of leadership starts with the idea that team members agree to obey their leader totally

when they accept a job. The "transaction" is usually the organization paying the team members

in return for their effort and compliance. The leader has a right to "punish" team members if their

work doesn't meet the pre-determined standard.

Team members can do little to improve their job satisfaction under transactional leadership. The

leader could give team members some control of their income/reward by using incentives that

encourage even higher standards or greater productivity. Alternatively, a transactional leader

could practice "management by exception" – rather than rewarding better work, the leader could

take corrective action if the required standards are not met.

Transactional leadership is really a type of management, not a true leadership style, because the

focus is on short-term tasks. It has serious limitations for knowledge-based or creative work;

however it can be effective in other situations.

10. Transformational leadership

As we discussed earlier, people with this leadership style are true leaders who inspire their teams

constantly with a shared vision of the future. While this leader's enthusiasm is often passed onto

the team, he or she can need to be supported by "detail people." That's why, in many

organizations, both transactional and transformational leadership are needed. The transactional

leaders (or managers) ensure that routine work is done reliably, while the transformational

leaders look after initiatives that add new value.

3.2 Compare the application of different motivational theories within the workplace

Employee Motivation in the Workplace: Different Types of Motivation Theories

Of the many different types of motivation theories, I would like to highlight three that are of

particular use:

David Merrill and Roger Reid’s work on the four personal styles

David McClelland’s theory of motivation involving three basic needs: achievement, power, and

affiliation

Fredrick Herzberg’s work on money as a de-motivator at work

There are many more good motivation theories – Maslow, Myers-Briggs, etc. – but I’ve found

these three to be most useful in managing groups.

The Power of Intrinsic Motivation

The starting point for all three different types of motivation theories is that they are built on the

concept that intrinsic motivation is much stronger than extrinsic. This bedrock fundamental is

perhaps the most powerful concept to apply in your work; see my post on top employee

motivators for a more thorough review of incentive plans.

Briefly, it means that to get great results, you need people to be intrinsically interested in their

work. Your efforts to control, set expectations, and reward people are all methods of extrinsic

motivation, which helps explain why managers are often disappointed with employee results

when relying on those motivation tools.

So, to help you get better results, here are three methods of intrinsic motivation that all build on

that intrinsic bedrock.

Employee Motivation Theory 1: Personal Styles

In their theory on motivating different types of people, Merrill and Reid identify four personal

styles:

Style Major Drivers Prefers

to

Driver Action Oriented: Focus is on present time frame,

direct action. Minimum concern for caution in

relationships. Tends to reject inaction.

Control,

Tell

Expressive Intuition Oriented: Focus is on involving others,

future time frame. Minimum concern for routine.

Tends to reject isolation.

Emote,

Tell

Amiable Relationship Oriented: Focus is on relating,

supporting; present time frame. Minimum concern

for affecting change. Tends to reject conflict.

Emote,

Ask

Analytical Thinking Oriented: Focus is on cautious action,

“getting it right”, historical time frame, cautious

Control,

Ask

action. Minimum concern for relationships. Tends

to reject being wrong.

* Information adapted from their book, Personal Styles & Effective Performance.

Application: To help people feel connected intrinsically with their work, structure their work so

these personal style needs are met.

Examples:

Style More Effective Less Effective

Driver • When you want to make a point,

ask, as in, “What do you think of

this idea?”

• Get things done quickly that are

going to be effective, even if they

aren’t perfected.

• When you want to make

a point, lecturing them, as

in, “Here’s how it is."

• Spending time in

reflection and

consideration, in an

attempt to perfect.

Expressive • Make work a party while you’re

getting stuff done; breathe life into

work.

• Make use of their good gut

instincts.

• Spend 3 hours in a room

sequentially creating a

step-by-step checklist.

• Don’t trust them until

they can “prove it.”

Amiable • Include effectively when a group

tackles a project, and not just the

“amiable” coworker; they’ll feels

others’ “pain” if their input is

excluded.

• Act trustworthy, and trust them.

• Try to get results

through intimidation and

application of stress.

• Divide and conquer; use

conflict – of ideas, of

emotions – to try to get

best results

Analytical • Give them space to get grounded

– to get it “right” – before they

proceed to action.

• Assign complex problems where

you need absolute confidence in

the details.

• Use conflict to try to get

best results.

• Push, push, push,

especially if towards an

outcome that favors your

self-interest.

• Ask them to “wing it”,

to bet the company on

their “hunch.”

Employee Motivation Theory 2: McClelland’s Theory of Motivation

Style More Effective Less Effective

Achievement

nAch

Seek: To excel; may avoid both low-

and high-risks as a result, in order to

pursue meaningful success.

Work alone or

with other high

achievers

Power

nPow

Seek: Either personal or institutional

power. Either way they want to direct

others, but the institutional power is in

service to the institution’s success, so

those with that focus tend to make

better managers.

Direct others

Affiliation

nAff

Seek: Harmonious work relationships,

to accept, to be accepted, and to

include others. They can be more

comfortable conforming to group

norms.

Work in settings

with significant

personal

interaction

Application: To help people connect intrinsically with their work, structure their work so their

major need is met. The “Power” need correlates to the “Driver” above; “Affiliation” to the

“Amiable” above.

What’s new here is the “Achievement” need. It can cut across all the Merrill and Reid personal

motivation styles. The key here is to surround high achievers with other high achievers. To be

their best, they need to know they’re on a team capable of pulling off a worthwhile, attainable

mission.

Employee Motivation Theory 3: Money as a De-Motivator

Frederick Herzberg was a clinical psychologist and pioneer of “job enrichment.” He proposed

the Motivation-Hygiene Theory, also known as the two factor theory of job satisfaction.

According to his theory, people are influenced by two sets of factors:

Motivator Factors Hygiene Factors

• Work itself

• Responsibility

• Promotion

• Growth

• Achievement

• Recognition

• Pay and benefits

• Company policy and

administration

• Relationships with co-workers

• Physical environment

• Supervision

• Status

• Job security

• Salary

Application: To create an environment where people motivate themselves, you must adequately

take care of the hygiene factors. If you don’t, demotivated employees will likely result. The key

here is that “adequate” is enough; you don’t need an outstanding physical environment because it

won’t increase employee motivation noticeably. In sum, the “hygiene factors” have a downside

if not done well, but not much of an upside potential impact on employees, even if they’re done

very well.

Then, allow the “motivator factors” to work for you – these are the factors that have the real

upside and can make a strong contribution to your results. And note, they are almost all methods

of intrinsic motivation.

The one “extrinsic” item on the list, recognition, can be made intrinsic if it’s in the form of

encouragement, rather than as a reward. For example, in Soul of a New Machine, Tracey Kidder

writes that the “reward” for successful hi tech engineers is…the chance to tackle the next cool

project! “Congratulations on the great results. I’m not at all surprised. Now let’s figure out how

you can make that kind of an impact again,” is more powerful than “Atta boy/girl” in whatever

form, whether bonus, plaque, employee of the month award, etc.

A Summary of Employee Motivation Theories

Employee motivation is simple.

You can’t motivate people.

You can provide an environment where people motivate themselves.

Apply what you know about people’s styles to strengthen their individual work “environment.”

And along the way, focus, focus, focus on intrinsic motivation factors.

Which means: Build strong work relationships and expand those relationships so that more is

possible.

These different types of motivation theories are simple in concept. What makes it hard is that all

of the above mean building a healthy, vibrant work environment, and that work is as vulnerable

as building any other effective relationship in your life

3.3 Evaluate the usefulness of a motivation theory for Managers

Motivation is to inspire people to work, individually or in groups in the ways such as to produce

best results. It is the will to act. It is the willingness to exert high levels of effort towards

organizational goals, conditioned by the efforts and ability to satisfy some individual need.

Motivation is getting somebody to do something because they want to do it. It was once assumed

that motivation had to be injected from outside, but it is now understood that everyone is

motivated by several differing forces.

Motivation is a general term applied to the entire class of drives, desires, needs, wishes and

similar forces. To say that managers motivate their subordinates is to say that they do those

things which they hope will satisfy these drives and desires and induce the subordinates to act in

a desired manner.

To motivate others is the most important of management tasks. It comprises the abilities to

communicate, to set an example, to challenge, to encourage, obtaining feedback, to involve, to

delegate, to develop and train, to inform, to brief and to provide a just reward.

(1) Treat staff well:

Subordinates have to be treated with diligence. The manager has to stay friendly as well as

maintain a level of distance with his staff. It’s a tricky ground to tread. The staff looks up on the

manager as their leader. They expect maturity, rationality and understanding from their

superiors. Simple things like calling people by their first name, chatting about their families for a

while or even a general inquiry about their well-being, brings in a feeling of belongingness.

Small gestures of this type help in building up of a cordial relationship.

(2) Think like a winner:

A manager has to handle two situations, “The Winning” and “The loosing”. The crux is to think

like a winner even when all the odds seem against you. It is necessary to equip yourself with all

the tools of a winner. Always remember that winning and losing rotate in a cycle. If you have

been losing from a long time you are very near the winning edge.

(3) Recognize the differences:

All the employees in the organization vibrate to a different pace. A treatment that motivates one

may demonization the other. Understanding the difference in temperament in between the

individuals is important.

4) Set realistic goals:

Set moderate goals. Setting too high a task creates a feeling of non-achievement, right from the

beginning itself. The goals set should be such which seem feasible to the employees to be

achieved. A slightly higher target than expected provides a challenge.

4.1 Explain the nature of groups and group behavior within organizations

Introduction

The term group can be defined as two or more persons interacting and working together for a

common purpose. When people work in groups rather than as individuals, the goals of the

organization can be easily achieved. However, working in a group is a complex task. Group

dynamics refers to the interactions between the members of a group. A work group of an

organization is the main foundation for the social identity of employees in that organization.

Hence, performance at work and relationships outside the organization are influenced by the

nature of groups in the organization. In this unit, we will discuss the nature and types of groups

and the stages in development of groups along with the structure, tasks, and processes of groups.

Nature of Groups

Different types of groups are formed to achieve specific results in organizations. The definition

of a group as given by Harold H. Kelley and J.W. Thibaut is “A collection of individuals. The

members accept a common task, become interdependent in their performance, and interact with

one another to promote its accomplishment.” Kurt Lewin popularized the term ‘group dynamics’

in the 1930s. There are three views on the nature of interaction between members of a group or

group dynamics. The first view is the normative view, which describes how to carry out

activities and organize a group. According to the second view, group dynamics consists of a set

of techniques which include brainstorming, role play, team building, sensitivity training, self-

managed teams, and transactional analysis. The third view explains group dynamics from the

viewpoint of the internal nature of the groups. The formation of groups, structure, processes, and

functioning are discussed in this view along with the effect of groups on individuals, other

groups, and the complete organization.

Dynamics of Group Formation

People form groups for various reasons. Different classical theories of groups try to explain why

people form groups. The theory of propinquity proposes geographical closeness as the reason.

The propinquity theory provides a very basic explanation that people living or working at places

located close to one another tend to form groups. But the theory doesn’t explain the complexity

of group formation. The balance theory says group formation results from the similarity of

attitudes and values between people. Individuals with common interests maintain their

relationship by a symmetrical balance between their attitudes and common interests. Another

theory of group formation is the exchange theory. It proposes reward-cost outcomes of

interaction as the reason. There may be several other economic, social, and security reasons for

the formation of groups. By becoming members of a group, individuals fulfill their need for

affiliation.

There are formal and informal groups in organizations. Various groups exist within the

organization and they are of varying degrees of formalization. Groups in organizations are of

various types based on the number of members they have and the interactions between them.

Formal Groups

A group formed by the organization to accomplish a specific task is termed as a formal group.

The organization sets up a formal group and allocates tasks and responsibilities to different

members with the intention of achieving organizational goals. Command groups and task groups

are examples of formal groups. A command group is relatively permanent in nature and finds

representation in the organization chart. Functional departments of organizations are considered

as command groups. Task groups, on the other hand, are formed for a specific task and are

temporary in nature. They are dissolved after the task is accomplished. After dissolution of the

task group, the members of the task group continue as members of their respective functional

departments or command groups with reduced duties.

Informal Groups

Unlike formal groups that are established by the organization, informal groups are formed by the

employees themselves. The reasons for the formation of informal groups could be the need for

companionship, common interests, growth, recreation, or support. There are two types of

informal groups – friendship groups and interest groups. Members of friendship groups have a

cordial relationship with each other, common interests and are similar in age, ethnic heritage,

views, etc. They like each other’s company and want to spend time together. Interest groups are

formed to organize an activity and are temporary in nature. Informal groups mainly satisfy the

social needs of members.

Stages of Group Development

Before the 1960s, it was believed that groups were formed in a specific sequence but it was later

realized that they do not follow a standard pattern of development. Established models of group

development are the five-stage model and the punctuated equilibrium model.

The Five-Stage Model

According to the five-stage model of group development, all groups pass through the forming,

storming, norming, performing, and adjourning stages. The duration of each stage varies from

group to group and some groups do not pass through all the stages. This model became popular

in the mid-1960s.

Forming

This is the initial stage of group formation where members try to identify acceptable behavior in

a group. The members try to mold their behavior so as be a part of the group.

Storming

In this stage, disagreements about leadership among members may give rise to other conflicts.

By the end of this stage, a relatively clear hierarchy of positions in the group emerges.

Norming

This stage of group development enhances a sense of camaraderie in members through the

development of close relationships. A common set of expectations for behavior in the group is

the outcome of this stage.

Performing

In this stage, members of the group exhibit committed performance to achieve goals defined in

the norming stage. This is the last stage for permanent work groups.

Adjourning

This is the last stage for temporary groups such as task groups or committees formed to

accomplish a certain task. After this stage, the groups cease to exist. While some of the members

may feel happy about the accomplishments, others may be depressed that they will lose friends

after the group disperses.

The effectiveness of groups is supposed to increase through the stages. But this does not always

happen and some groups may cease to exist without passing through all the stages while some

other may not follow the sequence of stages given in the five stage model. In fact, group

effectiveness depends on complex factors.

4.2 Discuss factors that may promote or inhibit the development of effective teamwork in

organizations

Following provides tools and consulting, training and facilitation services to help:

• Organizations install team-based structures, and

• Project teams, self-directed teams, executive teams and department teams be more effective.

Characteristics of Effective team work Approach

• Tailored to the organization – Each organization is different and requires an approach

customized to the culture and aligned with the business strategy and environment.

• Flexible –The off-the-shelf approach can utilize a variety of models and approaches and

integrate our approach with your existing training and organizational development efforts.

Materials are professionally produced with your logo, in your style, so that everyone in your

organization knows that this is your effort, not a training/consulting firm.

• Practical and Relevant – In working with team members, it is believed that it is best to “keep

it simple” and introduce concepts and tools that can be applied immediately to real-life

situations. Trying to dazzle members with sophisticated concepts and tools is counter-productive.

• Competency-Based – In training team leaders and team members, applied research that has

identified the key competencies that distinguish high performing teams from average performing

teams. If appropriate, a customized team competency model can be developed for your

organization

• Customer-Focused –It is encouraged that teams to collect and utilize feedback from internal

and/or external customers, and manages customers’ expectations. Most teams have found

customer feedback meetings and service quality improvement tools, such as Moments of

Truth/Cycles of Service analysis, to be extremely valuable.

• Transfer of technology – Organizations that have had the most success with teams have done

most of the work themselves and have developed the internal capability to provide on- going

day-to-day support for each team. Being dependent any consulting firm in the long term is not a

good strategy. It is preferred to identify and/or develop internal consultants or change agents.

4.3 Evaluate the impact of technology on team functioning within a given organization.

New technology has been injected into the workplace at an exponentially increasing rate over the

last few decades. Many companies see new technology as the means to increase profit margins

and to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace. This paper will discuss some of

those new technologies and their impact on the workplace. Specifically, I would like to focus on

information technology, its implementation, its pitfalls, and its future.

In 1977, knowledge and information-based activities contributed to almost half of the gross

national product and employed 47% of the American workforce (Sussan, 2006). One could

postulate that those numbers have increased over the last 30 years. As information has become

an increasingly important feature in the business world, new technologies have become available

to facilitate its use and dissemination. This has led to an ever expanding and evolving field of

information technology (IT).

New developments in IT have led to an increasingly mobile workforce. We are no longer tied to

our desk in order to stay in the information loop. We can take our office with us wherever we go.

Cellular phones allow us to be reached almost anywhere. Blackberries and Ultra-mobile PCs

permit to access e-mail and other data products at a wide range of locations. A wide range of

new technologies have given businesses access to faster communication, increased efficiencies,

and the ability to work away from the office (Mamaghani, 2006).

New technology has opened a door of opportunities for companies and employees willing to

explore non-traditional work arrangements. Standley (2006) wrote, "91 percent of organizations

allow employees to work at home occasionally." As telecommuting becomes more popular,

employers are realizing the benefits, including "productivity gains, reduced absenteeism, reduced

employee turnover costs, reduced real estate costs, and reduced relocation costs to name a few"

(Mamaghani, 2006). For Employees, "telecommuting can offer more flexibility and a relief from

workplace policies such as dress code and formal office hours" (Sussan, 2006).

This technology also allows a new kind of team to emerge. Virtual teams can be formed,

bringing together the best people regardless of location and time (Gignac, 2005). E-mail,

teleconferencing, video conferencing, and new emerging technologies are enabling people

around the world to communicate and collaborate rapidly and efficiently. Virtual teams are

contributing to a synergy like never before seen.

Pitfalls

With all the improvements in productivity and efficiency offered by new technologies, there are

areas of concern that must be considered thoroughly by any organization before implementing a

new technology. Security is a primary concern inherent in a mobile and accessible IT system.

Denying network access to unauthorized users is an ongoing battle in many firms. Physical

security of IT equipment is also an issue. Standley (2006) writes, "It was recently reported that

the average business laptop held about $1 million of commercial data."

Companies implementing new technology must also take into account the social impact.

According to Sussan (2006), "teamwork is a crucial element of workplace functioning." He goes

on to explain that studies have shown lower satisfaction levels for users of virtual meeting tools

in contrast with fact-to-face meetings. This effect may be able to be mitigated with a hybrid

virtual team, where members occasionally meet in a traditional physical location.

There are also some concerns to consider with the telecommuting arrangement. If team

cohesiveness is a primary concern with an organization, the lack of interaction between peers

could hinder this goal. Supervision of employees working off-site is also problematic. Evaluating

performance, distributing the workload, and motivating employees is more difficult when they

are not physically present. Finally, how will customer service be affected by a transition to a

mobile workforce? Customer acceptance is important (Mamaghani, 2006).

The growth of new technologies to be used in the workplace is showing no sign of slowing

down. Some examples of technology currently in development for commercial use are wearable

computing, city and region-wide WiFi, and nanotechnology (Standley, 2006). Microsoft and

IBM are working on collaboration technology that will facilitate virtual meetings where

participants will be able to teleconference on their computer screens, while creating or changing

documents and product designs using a "virtual whiteboard" (Mamaghani, 2006). These

technologies and many more, including all the unforeseen advances, will continue to contribute

to an increasingly mobile workforce.

The challenge lies in discovering how to implement new technology in the workplace as it

becomes available. Standley (2006) says that according to a Global Future Forum survey, 76

percent of respondents agreed that "organizations are unable to effectively manage and deploy

new technology due to rapid change and constant innovation." The ability to keep up with

technology changes and integrate them in to business will require a paradigm shift in the way we

view technology. Today's children are growing up in a high-technology era, and will be very

capable of realizing this new business model in regard to technology (Standley, 2006).

The only thing certain about the future of technology in the workplace is that it will continue to

change and evolve at an astounding rate. Despite any pitfalls, the implementation of this new

technology, especially IT, is necessary for a company to remain competitive in today's market

and in the future. As Standley (2006) has said, "If it is to benefit, business will need to

understand far more than the mechanics of new technologies. They will need to understand the

way that people - their employees and customers, will use and interact with them."

References

http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341bf85853ef011571d53141970b

http://www.laynetworks.com/Motivation.html

Standley, Alan. "Set Your Workers Free?" Baylor Business Review, Fall 2006, 25(1). Retrieved

April 5, 2007, from ProQuest database.

Sussan, Aysar P. "The Impact of E-Mail Utilization on Job satisfaction: The Case of Multi

Locations." The Business Review, Cambridge. Dec 2006, 6(1). Retrieved April 5, 2007, from

ProQuest database.

Mamaghani, Farrokh. "Impact of Information Technology on the Workforce of the Future: An

Analysis." International Journal of Management. Dec 2006, 23(4). Retrieved April 5, 2007, from

ProQuest database.

Gignac, Francine. Building Successful Virtual Teams. Boston: Artech House, Inc., 2005.

Retrieved April 5, 2007, from Net Library.