ENG112 Lesson 8 - Leading Technical Activities

ENGG112 – Lesson 8
Functions of Management:
Leading Technical
Activities
Prepared by:
Ricardo S. Balog
RME. MEng’g
Engineering and Architecture
Leading Technical Activities
8.1 Bases of power
• The use of power is integral to leadership success, but what power actually
is? Is power a synonym to influence, coercion, control, and authority? Power is
the ability to exercise influence or control over others. Leadership involves
authority and it is very important for leaders to understand what type of power
they're using.
• Noted social psychologists John R. P. French and Bertram Raven conducted a
study in 1959 and concluded that power can be divided into five different
forms. The 5 Types of Power in Leadership are Coercive power, expert power,
legitimate power, referent power, and reward power. Later on, they added one
more power called informational power to the list.

8.1 Bases of power
• Authority is the right to command and extract obedience from
others. It comes from the organization and it allows the leader to
use power.
• In the functioning of a leader, the ability to guide the action of others
is achieved through his or her authority. Carrying out of these
decisions is accomplished because of the power of the leader.
• Leaders combine five sources of power in appropriate ways to
achieve both short- and long-term goals. You will see the
relationship between the authority and power of a leader as we go
further to understand various types of power.

8.1 Bases of power
• One of the most important tasks of the manager is to get work done
to meet organizational goals by motivating employees. Reward
power gives leaders the power to exert influence on subordinates by
having the power to reward excellence or good work. Leaders must
be able to influence their followers to achieve greater performance
and drive important decisions across organization bureaucracy.
Leaders use various types of powers to influence up, down, and
across the organization, impacting business results by driving
behavior change.

8.1 Bases of power
8.1.1. Legitimate Power
• This power comes to the leader when the organization’s authority is accepted. It comes
from the rules of the organization. For e.g. parents, teachers, managers, police, etc. have
legitimate power only when their authority is accepted in the positions they hold.
8.1.2. Expert Power
• This source of power stems from one’s expertise, skill, and knowledge. This is the power of
knowledge and skill of special kinds that is important in getting the job done. A person’s
professional competence or knowledge gives him or her expert power. Leaders of
professional workgroups—engineering, finance, techno-functional, domain knowledge
experts, human resources, and so on rely heavily on this type of power for their success. The
credibility increases with expertise and one can lead other persons to trust the judgments
and decisions taken by the leader. A leader may not be an expert in all fields, but one can
certainly take the help of experts in particular fields as and when required.

8.1 Bases of power
8.1.3. Charismatic Power

• This is the power of attraction or devotion, the desire of one person to admire
another. A leader high in this source of power is liked or admired by others
based on personal traits. A subordinate feels a positive attraction towards a
leader by identifying oneself, with the leader, or gets influenced by the
leader’s attractive power. This power is based on a belief in, admiration for, or
identification with the leader. This power helps the subordinate to understand
and value the leader so much that one understands and acts according to the
expectations of the boss or the leader. It helps one to act as one’s own boss,
and behave in ways one thinks the boss will want.

8.1 Bases of power
8.1.4. Reward Power
• This power is the present or potential ability to reward for worthy behavior. This
power is based on the leader’s ability to provide rewards, real or intrinsic. The
superior or the leader has the power to give tangible rewards such as
promotion, office space, time off from work, attractive work assignments, and
help to the subordinate. Also, psychological rewards like praise, appreciation,
approval, and recognition can be given by the leader or the superior to the
subordinate. The subordinate has to believe that the leader has access to
higher authorities; therefore, the leader can give rewards. This reward power of
the leader can also increase the leader’s charismatic and legitimate power. In
organizations, rewards are often positive incentives such as pay, promotion, or
recognition.

8.1 Bases of power
8.1.5. Coercive Power or Punishment Power
• This is the ability to threaten or punish. This power is based on fear of the
leader. The leader has the authority to control potential punishments like
undesirable work assignments, reprimands, or dismissal. There will always be
circumstances in an organization when a leader needs to exercise some form
of coercive power in difficult situations. The leader can give tangible
punishment like dismissal, demotion, low rating, less satisfying work
assignments, etc. He may also give psychological punishments like criticism,
avoidance, disapproval or satirical remarks, etc. on the subordinate. The reward
power helps to avoid something undesirable. The self-esteem of the
subordinate will increase because of reward power. It also decreases because
of punishment or coercive power.

8.2 Formal Leader and Formal Sources of Power
• A formal leader is selected by the organization. A formal source of power

is based on the authority of one’s position within the organization. For
example, a manager is a formal leader by virtue of the authority coming
from the organization. Managers use this power to expect their
subordinates who are working under their authority within the
organization, to act upon their commands, requests or demands. He or
she influences others to help accomplish the goals of the organization or
unit. Such leadership lasts over a long period of time because the
traditional organizational charts and job descriptions formalize this type
of power.

8.3 Informal Leader and Informal Sources of Power
• An informal leader is chosen by the group. Thus, all managers are leaders
if their authority is accepted, but not all leaders are managers. Informal
leadership is leadership without position and may shift from one person to
another. It may last for a brief time. Most people are leaders at one time
or the other and they can have an influence on others as defined by the
concept of leadership itself.
• The ideal leader is the one who can combine formal and informal
leadership simultaneously within himself or herself.

8.4 Nature of Leadership
8.4.1 Definition
• Leadership is the process of influencing others to understand and agree
about what needs to be done and how it can be done effectively, and the
process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish the
objectives.
• Leadership is the process of influencing an organized group toward
accomplishing objectives.

8.4.2 Leadership vs. Management
What is the difference between leadership and management?

• A person can be a leader without being a manager.
Ex: an informal leader
• A person can be a manager without leading.
Ex: A manager of financial accounts
• Managers are concerned about how things get done and they try to get
people to perform better
• Leaders are concerned with what things mean to people and they try to
get people to agree about the most important things to be done

8.4.2 Leadership vs. Management
What is the difference between leadership and management?

• Managers are people who do things right and managers
value stability, order and efficiency.
• Leaders are people who do the right thing and leaders value
flexibility, innovation and adaptation.

8.4.3 Leadership Processes Scope

• External event interpretation
• Choice of strategies
• Motivation of members
• Member trust
• Work activity organization
• Member skills and confidence development
• Member learning and sharing of knowledge
• Support from outsiders

8.4.3 Leadership Processes Scope

• External event interpretation
• Choice of strategies
• Motivation of members
• Member trust
• Work activity organization
• Member skills and confidence development
• Member learning and sharing of knowledge
• Support from outsiders

8.4.4 Leadership Effectiveness

8.4.4.1. Characteristics of a Leader:
 Traits (motives, personality, values);
 Confidence and optimism
 Skills and expertise
 Behavior
 Integrity and ethics
 Influence
 Attributions about followers


8.4.4.2. Characteristics of Followers:
 Traits (motives, values, self-concepts)
 Confidence and optimism
 Skills and expertise
 Attributions about the leader
 Trust in the leader
 Task commitment and effort
 Satisfaction with leader and job


8.4.4.3. Characteristics of Situations:
 Type of organization unit
 Size of unit
 Position power and authority
 Task structure and complexity
 Task independence
 Environmental uncertainty
 External dependencies

8.4.5 Leadership Styles

8.4.5.1. Autocratic Leader
• An autocratic leader makes decision and announce it to
followers;
• Work methods are dictated by leader
• Knowledge/information is not shared with followers
• This leadership style is often found in organizations
which have a high power distance and high
uncertainty avoidance

8.4.5.2. Persuasive Leader

• Manager always shares decision to subordinates
• Explain and outline situation and decision
• Try to convince subordinates to work more
effectively

8.4.5.4. Participative/Democratic Leader

• Leader sets general goals/limits
• Allow group/followers to make decision
• Work methods determined by group/followers


8.4.5.5. Laissez-Faire Leader
• Leader gives complete freedom to followers (group/individuals)
• Minimum participation by leader
• Ex: This method works well with highly motivated professionals
(research scientists, computer programmers, engineers, etc.)
• This type of leadership style is often found in organizations
which have a very low power distance & low uncertainty
avoidance

8.4.5 Factors Leadership Styles

Leadership style may be dependent on various factors:
• Risk - decision making and change initiatives based on degree
of risk involved
• Type of business - creative business or supply driven?
• How important change is - change for change’s sake
• Organizational culture - may be long embedded and difficult to
change?
• Nature of the task - needing cooperation? Direction? Structure?

8.4.5 Behavioral Leadership Approaches
• Behavioral leadership theory is a management philosophy that examines the
behaviors and actions of leaders in the workplace and evaluates how they
respond in certain situations.
• Rather than focusing on a person’s natural leadership attributes, behavioral
leadership theory approaches leadership as something that can be learned and
maintains that anyone can learn to be a leader.
• There are four main leadership styles that are based on two factors that were
identified by an Ohio State University study. These factors are:
 consideration (relationship behaviors, including trust and respect) and
 initiating structure (task behaviors, including organizing, scheduling, and
overseeing the completion of work).

8.4.5.1. Directive Leadership
• Directive leaders provide clarity and coordinate work, informing their team
members of what is expected of them. Directive leaders tell their team members
what to do, how to do it, and when to do it.
• This behavior leadership style is particularly effective in situations where workers
are unsure about their duties or during times of uncertainty. It is one of the more
common leadership styles, but it has become a less popular style in recent years.
Author and executive coach Louis Carter explains why.
• “With the evolution of work and job performance, people are less likely to be
patient with a leader who uses a ‘command and control’ approach to leadership.”

8.4.5.1. Directive Leadership
• While there may be certain situations where elements of this style of leadership
can be useful, it can cause problems if the directive leader lacks expertise or if
they treat their employees as little more than cogs in a machine.
• With this style of leadership, the power rests almost solely with the leader.
Directive leaders prefer giving directives because they may be unwilling to take
suggestions from their teams. This can make employees feel marginalized and
unappreciated.
• It removes the vital element of feedback from the equation, which can hurt
creativity, innovation, and collaboration. It can also make employees unhappy in
their roles because this type of control often leads to micromanaging.

8.4.5.2. Supportive Leadership
• Supportive leadership is when leaders improve the employee experience by making the lives of
their employees more pleasant. Supportive leaders are approachable, empathetic, friendly, and
maintain an open-door policy to ensure healthy communication and a culture of feedback.
• Supportive leaders care about their workers and want them to thrive. They foster supportive
cultures where workers feel valued.
• Supportive leaders demonstrate care and concern for employees, maintaining a high level of
trust and treating employees with respect. This style of leadership is employee-friendly and
good for engagement.
• Employees with supportive leaders feel valued, cared for, and heard.
• This leadership style is particularly effective in difficult times when employees look to strong
leaders to help them navigate uncertainty. It can also be the ideal form of leadership when
employees’ jobs involve work that is physically or mentally challenging.

8.4.5.2. Supportive Leadership
• While this is a great form of leadership for leaders who want to maintain a culture of
care and a welcoming work environment, some managers and employees may find
that there is too much ambiguity with this style of leadership.
• It can create a situation where there is ambiguity in processes and even
expectations, which can lead to employees not being able to meet goals or do their
best work.
• It can also be a time-consuming process to lead in this way, and it requires a
considerable amount of emotional intelligence and patience from leaders. This
would not be the ideal leadership style for anyone who isn’t on board with
normalizing setbacks and mistakes and viewing them as part of the growth process.

8.4.5.3. Participative Leadership
• Participative leadership, sometimes known as democratic leadership, involves employees in
the decision-making process.
• Participative leaders are pro-participation and foster professional growth. These leaders
delegate responsibilities, consult with and seek feedback from their teams, and use that
information to drive decision-making and implementation of new policies, procedures, and
processes.
• Transparency is important to participative leaders, and they strive to ensure all team members
are aware of how their roles fit into the organization’s bigger picture and how their work makes
an impact.
• This is a good leadership style when you have a team of engaged, experienced, and highly-
skilled workers who are invested in their work and motivated to perform well.

8.4.5.3. Participative Leadership
• The style of leadership can help employees meet their need for purposeful,
impactful work and provides a healthy system of feedback that benefits both
employee and employer.
• It can, however, slow decision-making since participative leaders try to include each
team member in the decision-making process, creating a “too many cooks in the
kitchen” scenario.
• While the intent may be to help employees feel included, some employees may not
want to be a part of the process. There is also an increased chance of conflict with
this leadership style.

8.4.5.4. Achievement-Oriented Leadership

• In achievement-oriented leadership, leaders foster growth by setting goals for
employees that are challenging and encouraging employees to cultivate an
attitude of continuous improvement.
• Achievement-oriented leaders have a bias toward results and top performance,
and they ensure their employees have the tools they need to achieve the goals
set for them. These leaders set high standards for their teams and provide
clarity about objectives, help employees figure out ways to improve, and make
goals easier to reach.

8.4.5.4. Achievement-Oriented Leadership

• This leadership style is well-suited to leaders who have highly engaged and
motivated employees who work well with a high level of autonomy and have
exceptional problem-solving abilities.
• However, this style of leadership can create a work environment
where leaders focus on tasks and what their teams achieve, rather than
focusing on team members.
• Some employees may feel that they are easily replaceable, which can cause
them to disengage. This form of leadership can also stifle innovation, cause
burnout, and lead to turnover.

8.4.6. Contingency Leadership Approaches
• The contingency theory of leadership supposes that a leader’s

effectiveness is contingent on whether or not their leadership style suits
a particular situation. According to this theory, an individual can be an
effective leader in one circumstance and an ineffective leader in another
one. To maximize your likelihood of being a productive leader, this theory
posits that you should be able to examine each situation and decide if
your leadership style is going to be effective or not. In most cases, this
requires you to be self-aware, objective and adaptable.


• In the workplace, there are dozens of factors that can affect a leader’s
effectiveness. These include things like the size of the team, the scope of a
project and the expected delivery date for a result. Different leaders, each with
unique leadership styles, will respond to these variables in different ways.
Contingency theorists would say that no matter how successful a leader is,
there will always be a particular situation that will challenge them. Therefore,
leaders must be willing to acknowledge the fact that their success depends
partially on their circumstances in addition to their personal skills.
• To lead their team well, managers and supervisors may need to either adapt
their leadership style to the current situation or delegate some of their
leadership responsibilities to a coworker.

The contingency theory of leadership is impacted by a range of specific
factors in the average workplace, including:
 Maturity level of the employees
 Relationships between coworkers
 Work pace
 Management style
 Typical work schedule
 Goals and objectives
 Standards for behavior
 Company policies
 Employees’ work styles
 Employees’ morale

8.4.6.1. Fiedler model
• To understand this theory, we will look at three different models for
contingency leadership. The first is Fiedler’s model. This model
states that three important factors contribute to “situational
favorableness”. To be productive, leaders must consider these
factors. However, this theory also considers leadership styles to be
fixed and unchangeable. Therefore, if a leader’s style is not a good fit
for a particular situation, they will need to be replaced by a different
leader. To apply Fiedler’s theory, you have to determine your
leadership style and your situation’s favorableness using Fiedler’s
model.

 Leadership style
• The first step is to use a scale called the Preferred Coworker scale. To use this
scale, you must think of a team member you did not or do not enjoy working
with. This can be anyone from a former classmate to your current supervisor.
Then, you must rate the person on the following scale (see next slide):
• Alternatively, a high score would make you a Highly Preferred Coworker leader.
HPC leaders are relationship-oriented and focus their energy on building and
maintaining healthy and productive relationships in the workplace. They are
skilled in conflict management and take multiple variables into account when
making decisions.


 Situational favorableness
The second part of Fiedler’s model is determining situational favorableness. To do this, you
will evaluate three distinct factors:
 Leader-Member Relations - This factor involves the amount of trust and confidence that
your team members have in you. If you are trusted and well-liked by your entire team, your
influence will increase and your workplace will become a more favorable situation.
 Task Structure - This factor relates to whether the tasks your team completes are clear
and structured or vague and unstructured. Unstructured tasks do not have a well-specified
plan of action and would be considered unfavorable.
 Leader’s Position Power - This is the amount of power a leader has over their team and
involves whether or not they have the authority to give out rewards or punishment.
Typically, the more power you have, the more favorable your situation.

 Applying the model
• According to Fiedler, more favorable situations require LPC leaders, while
less favorable ones require HPC leaders. If a situation includes a good
leader/team relationship and well-structured tasks, leaders who are task-
oriented will likely be more productive. Whereas if a situation involves a
distant leader/team relationship and unstructured tasks, a relationship-
oriented leader will be more effective. While this theory is widely taught and
studied, some believe this model does not allow enough flexibility because it
does not believe that leaders are capable of changing their leadership
styles.

8.4.6.2. Situational Leadership model
• Contrary to the Fiedler model, the situational leadership model suggests that
the best option for leaders is to adapt their leadership styles to fit their team
members and their individual abilities. This model believes that leaders should
first consider the variables that affect their workplace and then decide the best
tactic for how to proceed.
• Situational leadership also called the “Hersey-Blanchard model,” is primarily
concerned with the maturity level of a team’s members. High maturity team
members are experienced and able to make decisions independently. Moderate
maturity employees are capable, but lack confidence, or have confidence but
are not willing to complete the tasks they are assigned. Low maturity
employees are enthusiastic and willing but do not have the skills or experience
to complete tasks.
The situational leadership model identifies four leadership styles, each of which
suits different levels of employee maturity. These styles include:
• Delegating style - This style allows other team members to be responsible for
certain tasks or to lead subgroups. This style best suits a team of high maturity
employees because it requires team members to be both confident and
capable.
• Participating style - This style focuses on sharing ideas and decisions. Leaders
who use the participating style might apply it to moderately mature team
members who are capable but lack confidence and need one-on-one
mentoring.

The situational leadership model identifies four leadership styles, each of

which suits different levels of employee maturity. These styles include:
• Selling style - This term refers to a style that involves the leader attempting
to sell his ideas to the group by persuasively giving task instructions. This
also suits moderate team members, but unlike the previous style, it is best
used with employees who are confident but unwilling to complete tasks.
• Telling style - This style is used by leaders who frequently give explicit
directions and who supervise all tasks closely. This style best suits low
maturity followers who are willing but unable to act independently.

8.4.6.3 Path-Goal model
The Path-Goal model is primarily concerned with identifying processes (paths) that
will allow each team member to meet their individual objectives (goals). Leaders
who implement this model adjust their behaviors and expectations to positively
affect their team’s productivity. This goal requires the leader to be extremely flexible
in their leadership style. They will have to find a way to meet each team member’s
specific needs to assist them in reaching their daily or weekly goals.
Leadership styles
The Path-Goal model focuses on improving employee motivation, autonomy and
satisfaction to increase their productivity within an organization. To accomplish this,
the model identifies four different leadership styles. These include:
(see next slide)

1. The Directive Clarifying Leader
This style is used in situations where the leader tells employees what is expected of
them and instructs them on how to perform certain tasks. The theory states that this
style is the most effective when the employees’ role and task are unstructured or
ambiguous.
2. The Achievement-Oriented Leader
This behavior occurs in situations where the leader sets lofty goals for employees,
expects them to perform at a high level and shows complete confidence in their
capabilities. This style is productive in environments that attract high-achievers,
such as hospitals, scientific laboratories and law firms.

3. The Participative Leader

Leaders who use this style consult with their employees and ask for their input
before making decisions. This behavior would be well-received in a workplace
where the employees are personally invested in the outcome and results of their
work.
4. The Supportive Leader
This style focuses on the satisfaction of employees’ needs and considers their
personal preferences. A supportive leader is as concerned with their employees’
mental health and well-being as they are with their productivity. This style is suitable
for work environments that can be stressful or mentally challenging.

8.4.6.4. Decision-Making model

• Also called “the Vroom-Yetton contingency model," this particular
theory believes decision making is a crucial element of leadership
and determines the relationship between the leader and their team
members. Building and maintaining this relationship directly affects
the leader’s success.

 Leadership styles:
This theory distinguishes five types of leadership styles. These include:
1. Autocratic (A1) - Leaders with this style believe that whatever information they
have is enough to make the decision and they require no additional input from their
team.
2. Autocratic (A2) - This style is not as extreme as A1. This type of leader consults
with their team as a group to gather information and then makes the final decision
alone.
3. Consultative (C1) - This leader consults with their team members individually to
consider everyone’s unique opinions. They will take suggestions seriously but will
make the final decision alone.

 Leadership styles:
4. Consultative (C2)
This type of leader consults at a wider level. They might organize a team-wide
meeting to discuss a situation at length. They will gather suggestions but will
eventually make a decision themselves.
5. Collaborative (G2)
This style focuses on reaching a consensus. These leaders organize a meeting to
discuss the situation and then facilitate the discussion and ask every team
member for input. The decision is then made together based on a vote.

ENG112 Lesson 8 - Leading Technical Activities

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

ENG112 Lesson 8 - Leading Technical Activities

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ENGG112 – Lesson 8

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

8.1.3. Charismatic Power

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

• A formal leader is selected by the organization. A formal source of power

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.2 Leadership vs. Management

What is the difference between leadership and management?

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.2 Leadership vs. Management

What is the difference between leadership and management?

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.3 Leadership Processes Scope

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.3 Leadership Processes Scope

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.4 Leadership Effectiveness

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.4 Leadership Effectiveness

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.4 Leadership Effectiveness

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.5 Leadership Styles

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.5 Leadership Styles

8.4.5.2. Persuasive Leader

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.5 Leadership Styles

8.4.5.4. Participative/Democratic Leader

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.5 Leadership Styles

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.5 Factors Leadership Styles

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.5 Behavioral Leadership Approaches

8.4.5.4. Achievement-Oriented Leadership

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.5 Behavioral Leadership Approaches

8.4.5.4. Achievement-Oriented Leadership

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.6. Contingency Leadership Approaches

• The contingency theory of leadership supposes that a leader’s

Engineering and Architecture

8.4.6. Contingency Leadership Approaches

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture

Engineering and Architecture