leadershipfor organizational effectiveness
TRANSCRIPT
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Leadership for Organizational EffectivenessJayadeva de Silva. M.Sc,FIPM ,FITD
Instructions to students
1 Please listen to your teacher carefully2 View the Power point presentation (ppt) which is prepared to reinforce the learning through visuals3 You may make your own short notes in your own note book
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4 Please note that ppt is not a reproduction of this note
Leadership -Theoretical background
Early leadership researchers actually analyzed numerous famous leaders in the history of America and worldwide, hoping to find certain special personality traits (e.g., intelligence and dominance) these leaders had in common. Nowadays, however, the field has pretty much given up on this approach, because (1) it is nearly impossible to develop an inclusive list of leader traits, and (2) no conclusion can be made regarding the connection between a particular trait and leadership effectiveness.
Who is a leader? Industrial/Organizational psychologists do not seem to be able to agree on a definition. One way to understand leadership, however, is through the differences between a leader and an authority.Authorities are those who hold formal positions that give them the power to direct the behavior of their subordinates. Managers, supervisors, and bosses are authorities. They may or may not also be leaders, depending on whether they rely solely on their official positions when applying influence on others.A true leader does not use force and coercion to direct his or her followers toward a common goal.
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There are many leadership theories. Arthur G. Jago (1982) proposed a framework that organizes leadership theories based on each theory's focus and approach.
"Focus" refers to whether leadership is viewed as a set of traits or as a set of actions.
Focus on Traits: Theories with such a focus see leaders as having certain innate or inherent personality traits that distinguish them from non-leaders. These personality traits are supposed to be relatively stable and enduring.
Focus on Behavior: Theories with this type of focus see leadership as observable actions of the leader instead of personality traits.
"Approach" is concerned with whether a particular theory or model of leadership takes a universal or a contingent perspective.
Universal Approach: This approach believes that there is a universal formula of the traits or behavior for an effective leader. In other words, the universal approach assumes that there is "one best way" to lead in all situations.
Contingent Approach: Contrary to the universal approach, the contingent approach does not believe the "one best way" formula. It believes that effective leadership depends on the specific situation.
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The Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid uses two axis. "Concern for people" is plotted using the vertical axis and "Concern for task" is along the horizontal axis. They both have a range of 1 to 9. The notion that just two dimensions can describe a managerial behavior has the attraction of simplicity. These two dimensions can be drawn as a graph or grid:
High 9P 8E 7O 6P 5L 4E 3 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Low High TASK
Most people would fall somewhere near the middle of the two axis. But, by going to the extremes, that is, people who score on the far end of the scales, we come up with four types of leaders:
Authoritarian (9 on task, 1 on people), Team Leader (9 on task, 9 on people),Country Club (1 on task, 9 on people), andImpoverished (1 on task, 1 on people).
Authoritarian Leader - high task, low relationship - 9,1: People who get this rating are very much task oriented and are hard on their workers (autocratic). There is little or no allowance for cooperation or collaboration. Heavily task oriented people display
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these characteristics: they are very strong on schedules; they expect people to do what they are told without question or debate; when something goes wrong they tend to focus on who is to blame rather than concentrate on exactly what is wrong and how to prevent it; they are intolerant of what they see as dissent (it may just be someone's creativity) so it is difficult for their subordinates to contribute or develop.
Team Leader - high task, high relationship - 9,9: This type of leader leads by positive example. She endeavors to foster a team environment in which all team members can reach their highest potential, both as team members and as people. She encourages the team to reach team goals as effectively as possible, while also working tirelessly to strengthen the bonds among the various members. They form and lead the most productive teams.
Country Club Leader - low task, high relationship - 1,9: This leader uses predominantly reward power to maintain discipline and to encourage the team to accomplish its goals. Conversely, she is almost incapable of employing the more punitive coercive and legitimate powers. This inability results from the leaders' fear that using such powers could jeopardize her relationships with the team members.
Impoverished Leader - low task, low relationship-1,1. This person uses a "delegate and disappear" management style. Since he is not committed to
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either task accomplishment or maintenance; he essentially allows the team to do what ever it wishes and prefers to detach himself from the team process by allowing the team to suffer from a series of power struggles.
The most desirable place for a leader to be along the two axis at most times would be a 9 on task and a 9 on people, the Team Leader. However, do not entirely dismiss the other three.
Certain situations might call for one of the other three to be used at times. For example, by playing the Impoverished Leader, you allow your team to gain self-reliance. Be an Authoritarian Leader to instill a sense of discipline in an unmotivated worker. By carefully studying the situation and the forces affecting it, you will know at what points along the axis you need to be in order to achieve the desired result.
Mini case study on Leadership
A leader should know how to manage failure .Today, our so called ‘leaders’ pass the buck when the chips are down but struggle for the head table when the going is tickety-boo!
(Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam at Wharton India Economic forum, Philadelphia, March 22, 2008)
Question: Could you give an example, from your own experience, of how leaders should manage failure?
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Kalam: Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973 I became the project director of India’s satellite launch vehicle program, commonly called the SLV-3. Our goal was to put India’s ‘Rohini’ satellite into orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources — but was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite into space. Thousands of people worked together in scientific and technical teams towards that goal.
By 1979 — I think the month was August — we thought we were ready. As the project director, I went to the control centre for the launch. At four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer began to go through the checklist of items that needed to be checked. One minute later, the computer program put the launch on hold; the display showed that some control components were not in order. My experts — I had four or five of them with me — told me not to worry; they had done their calculations and there was enough reserve fuel. So I bypassed the computer, switched to manual mode, and launched the rocket. In the first stage, everything worked fine. In the second stage, a problem developed. Instead of the satellite going into orbit, the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of Bengal. It was a big failure.
That day, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, Prof. Satish Dhawan, had called a press conference. The launch was at 7:00 a.m., and the press conference — where journalists from around the world were present — was at 7:45 am at ISRO’s satellite launch range in Sriharikota [in Andhra Pradesh in southern India]. Prof.
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Dhawan, the leader of the organization, conducted the press conference himself. He took responsibility for the failure — he said that the team had worked very hard, but that it needed more technological support. He assured the media that in another year, the team would definitely succeed. Now, I was the project director, and it was my failure, but instead, he took responsibility for the failure as chairman of the organization.
The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to launch the satellite — and this time we succeeded. The whole nation was jubilant. Again, there was a press conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and told me, ‘You conduct the press conference today.’
I learned a very important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the leader of the organization owned that failure. When success came, he gave it to his team. The best management lesson I have learned did not come to me from reading a book; it came from that experience.
You can learn leadership by several methods
1 Studying theory and putting into practice
2 Emulate the good leaders
3 Acquire the qualities of good leaders
Organizational effectiveness, Leadership & Change
Change management skills include leadership development (to get people to believe in you),
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marketing and sales abilities (to promote your case for change), and communication skills (to help build support for the decision to change).
It will also help if you know a little about the stages people go through psychologically when they are dealing with change so that you are able to tell if your change management approach is being successful, or if there are additional problems that you need to address.
The first thing you will want to focus on is your leadership ability. Companies continue to make the mistake of focusing too much on business processes and not enough on good, strong examples of leadership.
To be an effective leader in the change management process, it helps if you:
Set An Example - As the top person in your business, others look to you for direction, not only in terms of business needs, but also related to behavior, ethics, and standards.
If you want others in your business to change, you must set a stellar example for them to follow.
Eliminate Perks - It's important to understand that change management is more successful when the barriers between management and frontline worker are minimized. Perks show favoritism and suggest division between ranks. By eliminating or reducing your own perks, you show your desire to level the playing field. You
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can more easily "connect" with your employees and more quickly earn their trust one perks are eliminated.
Walk Around and Talk To People - The old school of business management promoted the idea that the top person was off limits, enclosed in his or her own glass tower.
Leaders of today interact more with their employees. They manage by walking around and getting to know their employees and learning about the problems they are facing on a day-to-day basis.
Be Genuine - As a leader of change management, it is important to be as real and honest as possible in your interactions with others.
Let others get to know you. Being a leader doesn't mean hiding your emotions. By interacting with employees on a one-to-one basis, you will build rapport and trust.
Have Passion
- To be a strong leader, you must have passion around your vision. Without it, you will soon find yourself facing burnout. Leadership is tiring and saps energy at a very high rate so make sure you are passionate about what you do.
Building your leadership skills is the first step in the change management process. Once employees believe in you and trust in what you're doing, you can then begin your campaign for change.
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Your strategy for change should target the different groups within your business and outline for each the reasons why a change is necessary.
For instance, the board of directors will want to know what the long-term effects of the change will be.
Similarly, your employees will want to know how they will be personally effected by the changes you are proposing.
Once a change occurs, it is very important to communicate on a regular basis with all of those who will be affected. Let your employees know what is happening.
If your communication skills are weak or you don't have a formal way of letting your employees know what is happening, set up a weekly or monthly conference call or meeting. Establishing a consistent communication structure is key to effective change management.
By keeping everyone informed, you reduce the chances of low productivity and low morale that often accompany unaccepted change. You minimize rumors and effectively "nip" bad information from spreading like an out of control virus.
It is important to realize that although you can use change management techniques to smooth the transition process, you will never be able to completely jump from one way of doing something to another without experiencing at least some resistance.
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Why is this? Well, people adjust to change at different rates. Don't be surprised, it is just a part of human nature. To reduce your frustration with this process, it helps to know the six phase's people go through whenever they are experiencing any type of change, be it personal or professional.
1. Anticipation - People in Phase 1 are in the waiting stage. They really don't know what to expect so they wait, anticipating what the future holds.
2. Confrontation - At some point, people reach Phase 2 and begin to confront reality. At this stage, they are beginning to realize that the change is really going to happen or is happening. They start to become more open to change management.
3. Realization - Once the change has happened, people will usually reach Phase 3 - the stage where they realize that nothing is ever going to be as it once was. Often times, this realization will plunge them into Phase 4.
4. Depression - Phase 4 is a necessary step in the change management process. This is the stage where a person mourns the past. Not only have they realized the change intellectually, but also now they are beginning to comprehend it emotionally as well.
5. Acceptance - Phase 5 marks the point where the person begins to accept the change emotionally. Although they may still have reservations, they are not fighting change management at this stage. Usually, they are
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beginning to see some of the benefits even if they are not completely convinced.
6. Enlightenment - In Phase 6, people completely accept the new change. In fact, many wonder how they ever managed the "old" way. Overall, they feel good about the change and accept the necessity of change management as the status quo from here going forward.
It is important to note that people in your organization will proceed through the different phases at different rates of speed. One person may require two months to reach Phase 6 while another may require a full year.
To make things even more complex, the cycle of change management is not linear. In other words, a person does not necessarily complete Phase 1 through 6 in the same order.
One person may go from Phase 4 to Phase 5 and then back to Phase 2 again. That is why there is no easy way to determine how long a complete change will take to implement.
However, by using the skills we've outlined above, you will increase your chances of managing the change as effectively as possible.
How to be a good leader
Cultivate these Qualities of a good leader
1. Humility
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It is often found in the most effective leaders, including Pope John Paul II and Abraham Lincoln.
2. Integrity
Integrity is the bedrock characteristic of straight dealing. If you lose your integrity, you lose everything.
3. Decisiveness
A leader's ability to step up and make decisions, even if it's deciding only when consensus has been reached and it's time to act.
4. Take risk
Leaders have the courage to act in situations where results aren’t assured. They’re willing to risk failure.
5. Emotional resonance
This is the ability to grasp what motivates others and use it to inspire them into action.
6. Build Teams
Leaders create productive teams that draw the best from people. They effectively coach teams in collaboration, consensus building, and conflict resolution.
7. Self-knowledge
This valuable trait will protect you from overreaching.
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8. Passion
If you are passionate about something, that's where you will lead.
9. Conviction
All leaders everywhere believe in what they're doing.
10. Dedication
Dedication means spending whatever time and energy on a task is required to get the job done, rather than giving it whatever time you have available.
11. Magnanimity
A magnanimous person gives credit where it is due. It also means being gracious in defeat and allowing others who are defeated to retain their dignity.
12. Openness
Openness means being able to listen to ideas that are outside one's current mental models, being able to suspend judgment until after one has heard someone else's ideas.
Outstanding Leaders also demonstrate…….
Performance
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Demonstrates success in carrying out the duties of the leadership position, or the duties necessary to successfully complete the project and/or activity.
Vision
Demonstrates ability to provide direction for the organization.
Initiative
Demonstrates ability to take the lead in meeting organizational goals.
Commitment
Demonstrates reliability and dedication to accomplish the goals and objectives of the organization, or the unique service objectives related to service learning. Dedication and implementation and organization of community service events.
Character
Use of good judgment reflected in all activities. Performance, vision and initiative above the norm in service activities. Character may also be revealed by an individual’s ability to overcome physical and/or environmental handicaps.
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