Week 4 - Assessment Point 1

Establishing and Applying a Leadership Style to an Organization

and the Actions to Take

You are to consider yourself as a NEW senior manager in an organisation operating in your
hometown, having 57 employees under your leadership. You are required to suggest the type
of leadership you should use as a new senior manager in the company in order to effectively
lead your employees and extract from them 100% of their productivity. Please critically
1explain why you would use the chosen leadership style and what are the
actions that you would take.

Benson Gilbert Odo

A2002D10328392
Strategic Leadership and Practise (MBA718)
Antonis Antoniou

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 20.07.2021
Introduction..............................................................................................................................3
Leadership................................................................................................................................3
Importance of leadership......................................................................................................4
Leadership Theories..............................................................................................................5
"Great Man" Theory..........................................................................................................5
Trait Theory.......................................................................................................................5
Contingency Theories........................................................................................................6
Situational Theory.............................................................................................................6
Behavioural Theory...........................................................................................................7
Participative Theory..........................................................................................................7
Transactional/Management Theory..................................................................................7
Relationship/Transformational Theory.............................................................................8
Skills Theory......................................................................................................................8
Leadership Styles..................................................................................................................9
Transactional Leadership Style..........................................................................................9
Transformational/ Charismatic Leadership Style..............................................................9
Other leadership styles...................................................................................................10
Selected Leadership Style...................................................................................................11
Strategic Leadership Actions...............................................................................................12
i. Determining Strategic Direction...................................................................................12
ii. Core Competencies.....................................................................................................12
iii. Human Capital............................................................................................................13
iv. organizational Culture................................................................................................13
v. Ethical Practices...........................................................................................................13
vi. organizational Controls..............................................................................................14
Conclusion..............................................................................................................................14
Appendices.............................................................................................................................15
Reference................................................................................................................................16

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Introduction
This paper highlights the leadership actions that I would take as a new senior
manager in an organisation to effectively lead 57 employees and extract 100%
productivity. First of all we must agree to the fact that there are plenty concepts about
organisation, leadership and management but they all have one thing in common
which is relationship. The relationship which can be found either in an organisation,
leadership or management is mainly a formal relationship but sometimes it can
happen to be Informal relationship. Mihelčič (2012), describes an organization as a
structure of dynamic relationships between the formal social unit and the internal
organization.
The effective management of these relationships hinges on the leadership style that
will be adopted to be able to inspire 57 employees and align them with the
organisation so that to reach organisational objectives by constantly increase their
confidence and trust as well as gain their loyalty.
For a leader to align himself and his subordinates with an organisation objectives he/
she needs to know what is an organisation, what is leadership and different styles of
leadership, what makes a good leader and which characters do employees tend to like
about their leader. I will discuss these themes and other leadership components in
detail and close with an indication of the leadership model that I will use in order to
suit my new role within the organization.

Leadership
Leadership is basically a relationship between those that lead and those that follow.
According to Daft and Lane (2008), leadership is defined as the ability to inspire and
support employees to achieve organizational goals. This definition implies that
leadership is not a one-time event but a continuous process of actions and thoughts.
Lussier and Achua (2015), defined leadership as a process of influence between
leaders and follows through which organizational objectives are achieved through
change. Therefore, a successful leader cannot exist in isolation but requires effective
followers to succeed. Leadership is responsible to direct the subordinates to perform

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the organizational tasks effectively (Mason, 2011) and most importantly it ensures
teaching and learning in the organization.
As a senior manager with 57 employees means that being just a leader is not enough,
the leadership role calls for an effective management of teams and shaping the
performance of the organization therefore strategic leadership is at the core of
organizational resilience to succeed, to be sustainable and maintain a long lasting
competitive edge.
Davies (2004) define strategy , as encompassing direction-setting, broad aggregated
agendas, a perspective to view the future and a template against which to evaluate
current activities. Boal and Hooijberg (2001) state that ‘strategic leadership focuses
on the creation of meaning and purpose for the organisation’. Strategic leadership
therefore is concerned with the ‘development of the organisation as a whole which
includes its changing aims and capabilities’ (Selznick, 1984).
Senior management can therefore adopt various supervision styles to manage
employees or define the leadership culture within an organization. Within the
strategic leadership framework supervisors can either be managers or leaders. Modern
theories of leadership have respectively categorised the two supervisors (i.e. managers
or leaders) as either transactional or transformational type of leaders.

Importance of leadership

There are many reasons why leadership is important to an organisation. It comes in

handy for the execution of work because it is a tool by which management gets work
done by others in an organisation. Leadership is needed at different levels of the
management from the top to operational levels. Leadership therefore mobilises
employees and utilises them to obtain high performance.
Leadership sets a clear vision and communicates it effectively to employees.
This ensure a proper understanding of where the organisation is going and helps
employees understand their roles and responsibilities.

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Enthusiastic, participative or charismatic leadership helps to revive commitment of
employees and their inspiration can be enabled by demonstration of daily tasks, on job
coaching, recognition of achievements and provision of prompt feedback.
Leadership allows for a positive environment for new ideas to improve the
organisation among employees by taping from diverse cultures and experiences. An
open relationship is maintained between the leader and the employee which promotes
a feeling of ownership, trust and alignment between an individual and the team.
Leadership ensures that crisis situations or bad times are not ignored but are faced and
rectified before the situation deteriorates. Teams provide solutions for getting out of
crisis situations and they provide a learning point for new ideas, innovation and
experience to deal with future crisis situations.
Further leadership helps to build time management, confidence, develop team spirit,
find new ways of doing things, achieve organisational goals and introduce new
change in the organisation.

Leadership Theories

"Great Man" Theory

Great man theories assume that the capacity for leadership is inherent, that great
leaders are born, not made. These theories often portray leaders as heroic, mythic and
destined to rise to leadership when needed. The term great man was used because, at
the time, leadership was thought of primarily as a male quality, especially military
leadership (See also, Ololube, 2013).

Trait Theory

Similar in some ways to great man theories, the trait theory assumes that people
inherit certain qualities or traits make them better suited to leadership. Trait theories
often identify particular personality or behavioural characteristics that are shared by

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leaders. Many have begun to ask of this theory, however, if particular traits are key
features of leaders and leadership, how do we explain people who possess those
qualities but are not leaders? Inconsistencies in the relationship between leadership
traits and leadership effectiveness eventually led scholars to shift paradigms in search
of new explanations for effective leadership.

Contingency Theories

Contingency theories of leadership focus on particular variables related to the

environment that might determine which style of leadership is best suited for a
particular work situation. According to this theory, no single leadership style is
appropriate in all situations. Success depends upon a
number of variables, including leadership style, qualities of followers and situational
features (Charry, 2012). A contingency factor is thus any condition in any relevant
environment to be considered when designing an organization or one of its elements
(Naylor, 1999). Contingency theory states that effective leadership depends on the
degree of fit between a leader’s qualities and leadership style and that demanded by a
specific situation (Lamb, 2013).

Situational Theory

Situational theory proposes that leaders choose the best course of action based upon
situational conditions or circumstances. Different styles of leadership may be more
appropriate for different types of decision-making. For example, in a situation where
the leader is expected to be the most knowledgeable and experienced member of a
group, an authoritarian style of leadership might be most appropriate. In other
instances where group members are skilled experts and expect to be treated as such, a
democratic style may be more effective.

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Behavioural Theory

Behavioural theories of leadership are based on the belief that great leaders are made,
not born. This leadership theory focuses on the actions of leaders not on intellectual
qualities or internal states. According to the behavioural theory, people can learn to
become leaders through training and
observation. Naylor (1999) notes that interest in the behaviour of leaders has been
stimulated by a systematic comparison of autocratic and democratic leadership styles.
It has been observed that groups under these types of leadership perform differently:
Autocratically led groups will work well so long as the leader is present. Group
members, however, tend to be unhappy with the leadership style and express hostility.
Democratically led groups do nearly as well as the autocratic group. Group members
have more positive feelings, however, and no hostility. Most importantly, the efforts
of group members continue even when the leader is absent.

Participative Theory

Participative leadership theories suggest that the ideal leadership style is one that
takes the input of others into account. Participative leaders encourage participation
and contributions from group members and help group members to feel relevant and
committed to the decision-making
process. A manager who uses participative leadership, rather than making all the
decisions, seeks to involve other people, thus improving commitment and increasing
collaboration, which leads to better quality decisions and a more successful business
(Lamb, 2013).

Transactional/Management Theory

Transactional theories, also known as management theories, focus on the role of

supervision, organization and group performance and the exchanges that take place

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between leaders and followers. These theories base leadership on a system of rewards
and punishments (Charry, 2012). In other words, on the notion that a leader’s job is to
create structures that make it abundantly clear what is expected of followers and the
consequences (rewards and punishments) associated with meeting or not meeting
expectations (Lamb, 2013). When employees are successful, they are rewarded and
when they fail,they are reprimanded or punished (Charry, 2012). Managerial or
transactional theories often likened to the concept and practice of management and
continues to be an extremely common component of many leadership models and
organizational structures (Lamb, 2013).

Relationship/Transformational Theory

Relationship theories, also known as transformational theories, focus on the

connections formed between leaders and followers. In these theories, leadership is the
process by which a person engages with others and is able to “create a connection”
that results in increased motivationand morality
in both followers and leaders. Relationship theories are often compared to charismatic
leadership theories in which leaders with certain qualities, such as confidence,
extroversion, and clearly stated values, are seen as best able to motivate followers
(Lamb, 2013). Relationship or transformational
leaders motivate and inspire people by helping group members see the importance and
higher good of the task. These leaders are focused on the performance of group
members, but also on each person to fulfilling his or her potential. Leaders of this
style often have high ethical and moral standards (Charry, 2012).

Skills Theory

This theory states that learned knowledge and acquired skills/abilities are significant
factors in the practice of effective leadership. Skills theory by no means refuses to
acknowledge the connection between inherited traits and the capacity to lead

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effectively, but argues that learned skills, a developed style, and acquired knowledge,
are the real keys to leadership performance. A strong belief in skills theory often
demands that considerable effort and resources be devoted to leadership training and
development (Wolinski, 2010).

Leadership Styles

There is a number of different leadership styles but there are two main ones namely
transactional leadership style and transformational leadership style.

Transactional Leadership Style

This leadership style starts with the idea that team members agree to obey their leader
when they accept a job. The transaction usually involves the organization paying team
members in return for their effort and compliance. The leader has a right to punish
team members if their work doesn't meet an appropriate standard. The minimalistic
working relationships that result (between staff and
managers or leaders) are based on this transaction (effort for pay)

Transformational/ Charismatic Leadership Style

Charismatic leadership theory describes what to expect from both leaders and
followers. Charismatic leadership is a leadership style that is identifiable but may be
perceived with less tangibility than other leadership styles (Bell, 2013). Often called a
transformational leadership style, charismatic
leaders inspire eagerness in their teams and are energetic in motivating employees to
move forward. The ensuing excitement and commitment from teams is an enormous
asset to productivity and goal achievement. The negative side of charismatic
leadership is the amount of confidence placed in the leader rather than in employees.
This can create the risk of a project or even in an entire organization

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collapsing if the leader leaves. Additionally, a charismatic leader may come to believe
that s/he can do no wrong, even when others are warning him or her about the path
s/he is on; feelings of invincibility can ruin a team or an organization.

Other leadership styles

Autocratic

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

have complete power over staff. Staff and team members have little opportunity to
make suggestions, even if these are in the best interest of the team or organization.
The benefit of autocratic leadership is that it is incredibly efficient. Decisions are
made quickly.

Democratic

Democratic leaders make the final decisions, but include team members in the
decision-making process. They encourage creativity, and team members are often
highly engaged in projects and decisions. There are many benefits of democratic
leadership. Team members tend to have high job satisfaction and are productive
because they are more involved.

Bureaucratic

Bureaucratic leaders follow rules rigorously, and ensure that their staff also follow
procedures precisely. This is an appropriate leadership 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. Bureaucratic
leadership is also useful in organizations where employees do routine tasks (Shaefer,

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2005).

Laissez-faire

Laissez-faire leadership may be the best or the worst of leadership styles (Goodnight,
2011). Laissez-faire, this French phrase for “let it be,” when applied to leadership
describes leaders who allow people to work on their own. Laissez-faire leaders
abdicate responsibilities and avoid making decisions, they may give teams complete
freedom to do their work and set their own deadlines. Laissez-faire
leaders usually allow their subordinate the power to make decisions about their work
(Chaudhry & Javed, 2012). They provide teams with resources and advice, if needed,
but otherwise do not get involved.

Selected Leadership Style

From the above discussion, various leadership theories/ styles have been discussed.
As a senior manager my actions and decisions must be strategic so that to achieve
good results from the well designed and performed tasks. Due to the size of an
organization as well as the diversity since the employees always come from different
backgrounds and have different behaviour, then I will use a mixture of various
leadership styles depending on the nature of the matter at hand.
Mainly I will concentrate on Hill’s model of teamwork leadership, where I will direct
myself into inspiring learning, knowledge sharing, creativity and extension of
boundaries. The model at large fits the diversity of scenarios where different styles
and theories of leadership can be applicable either together or separately depending on
the situation.(See figure 1 in the appendices)
Hill’s team leadership model fits today’s world where we face abruptly changes in
industrial environments because a leader and his subordinates will have the chance
and capacity to change the plans accordingly so that to attain the very same goals
which were settled at the beginning.

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Hill’s model also recognize different nature of tasks/ functions and hence favour the
use of different leadership styles depending on the means of actions or behaviour of
employees.
This model will surely help me on attaining my target as a senior manager of making
a learning organization and hence creative employees which will guarantee the
organization competitive advantage as well as future organization leaders. Because
the model supports the implementation of strategic actions which any successful
leader must concentrate on such as defining the strategic direction, effective
management of organization resources, promoting ethical practices, establishing
stable organizational controls as well as exploiting core competences.

Strategic Leadership Actions

As mentioned above, the strategic leadership actions which can be implemented by

any strategic leader who is self driven, self confident, emotional matured, has
integrity and motivated to lead are briefly explained below;

i. Determining Strategic Direction

For any particular organization to successfully attain their goals there has to be a clear
vision, mission and values of the firm where employees/ subordinates must follow so
that to make sure there is a common target/ goal which by the totality of all actions
within an organization it will be attained.

ii. Core Competencies

In order for a competitive advantage to last in the long run due to the constantly
changing competitive business environment then the management must make sure

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that it continually improve it’s competencies by promoting it’s culture, set attainable
goals and expectations as well as improving performance.

iii. Human Capital

Through training which can be either internal or external and knowledge sharing an
organization can become more successful because it’s employees can become very
creative and confident in solving the emerged problems and performing day to day
activities.

iv. organizational Culture

Any organization must have it’s culture which will identify it in a uniqueway and
differentiate it from it’s identical industries within a sector. In other words, it is
organizational culture which out an organizational competitive advantage because it
involves ways in which an organization operates, that is all formulations and
implementations of strategies.

v. Ethical Practices

Always people looks up to the ones on top, so as a leader I must show an example so
that my 57 subordinates can behave in the very same way. Ethical practices ensures
integrity and secure organization reputation within the market. This is one of the most
important action since lack of ethics can lead to personal benefits instead of
organizational benefits.

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vi. organizational Controls

The top management puts processes to access and evaluate organization resources
where regulation and adjustment of various aspects within an organization can take
place via such processes. Hoskisson et al (2004) suggests that “Organizational
controls are used to either retain or change patterns in organizational activities”

Conclusion
The only constant thing in the universe is change and therefore just like anything else
leadership as well face some changes over some period of time. Theories of
leadership are being formed and reformed over and over again in order to improve
them to fit in the current business world.
Since there are different theories and styles of leadership available then leaders have
to choose one or multiple of them to that to use, the selection of which will depend on
nature of the situation at hand.
Strategic leadership actions, characteristics and behaviour of a leader are important
factors for achievement of a successful organizational performance. According to
Kirkpatrick and Locke (1991), the traits of leadership includes self drive, leadership
motivation, integrity, emotional maturity and self confidence. These traits will help a
leader to perform his/ her actions in a rightful way for the betterment of an
organization.
As organizations are more of a social community kind of relation nowadays then it is
more likely to succeed as an organization if transformational style is practiced
perfectly. In transformational model a leader does not only look at the the
organizational success/ improvement but he/ she thoroughly make sure his/ her
employees situations are better in all possible ways such as health, skills and
knowledge as well as personal economy. A leader of such kind believes the
relationship between employer and employee is mutual and hence they depend on
each other. The fall or betterment of one part can result to the same outcome to the
other part.

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Appendices

Figure 1. Hill’s model of team leadership

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