Leadership

Leadership has been described as the “process

of social influence in which one person can
enlist the aid and support of others in the
accomplishment of a common task”.
 
Leadership can be defined as the ability to
inspire other people to accomplish things.
Leadership Types:
1. Autocratic
2. Paternalistic
3. Democratic
4. Laissez-faire
Other than these
Pacesetting Style (This leader sets very high standards and constantly
pushes their employees to improve on performance and production time.
The pacesetting style tends to make employees feel overwhelmed with
the demands. This style works best when workers are very competent
and highly motivated and do not need much direction )
The Nature of Leadership
Leadership
A social (interpersonal) influence between two or
more persons who depend on each other to attain
certain mutual goals in a group situation.

Leader versus manager

Leadership and management are not interchangeable.
Leadership is the accepted use of organizationally-
derived and/or personal power to influence and
motivate subordinates.
Management is process-oriented (planning,
organizing, directing, and controlling) supervisory
behavior.
 Formal and Informal Leaders
• Formal leader
– An individual who is recognized by those outside
the group as the official leader of the group.
– One who is appointed or sanctioned by an
organization to the role of leadership.
• Informal leader
– An individual whom members of
the group acknowledge as their leader.
– One who may or may not be sanctioned
as a leader by those outside the
organization.
Trait Theory of leadership
Trait Leadership Theory is actually a range of theories which share
the belief that all leaders are born with, or at least display, certain
key personality traits. Since certain traits are associated with
proficient leadership, if one could identify people with the correct
traits, one would be able to identify good leaders.
Assumptions of Trait Theory:
•People are born with inherited traits.
•Some traits are particularly suited to leadership.
•People who make good leaders have the right (so sufficient)
combination of traits.
However the idea that leadership traits are inborn and
unchangeable appears to be incorrect, although many our
dispositions and tendencies are influenced by our personalities and
the way we are born.
Problems with trait theory:
Unfortunately, the traits reported by all these researchers are often
contradictory and no single trait was consistently identified with good
leadership. Some other issues with Trait Theory include:
•Relativity- Not possible to clarify the relative importance of the
various traits.
•Interaction- Most trait type models are disregarding interaction
effects.
•Universalism- Situational studies have found that traits are not
universal;
They depend on the situation.
•Change Traits transform overtime
•Cause & Effect- Cause and effect are unclear. For example: Are
leaders ambitious or does being a leader lead to ambition?
•Cultural Factors. What is effective leadership in the USA may be
not as effective in Japan.
•Theatrics. If we take a theatrics view of leadership, then the leader
performs those traits that move the audience.
Likert’s 4-M management styles
In the 1960s Likert developed four systems of management which
described the relationship, involvement, and roles between
management and subordinates in industrial settings.
The four systems is a result of the study that he has done with the
highly productive supervisors and their team members of an
American Insurance Company.
Exploitive authoritative system (I)
In this type of management system the job of
employees/subordinates is to abide by the decisions made by
managers and those with a higher status than them in the
organisation. The subordinates do not participate in the decision
making. The organisation is concerned simply about completing the
work. The organisation will use fear and threats to make sure
employees complete the work set. There is no teamwork involved.
'Benevolent authoritative system (II)'
Just as in an exploitive authoritative system, decisions are made by
those at the top of the organisation and management. However
employees are motivated through rewards (for their contribution)
rather than fear and threats. Information may flow from subordinates
to managers but it is restricted to “what management want to hear”.
Consultative system (III)
In this type of management system, subordinates are motivated by
rewards and a degree of involvement in the decision making process.
Management will constructively use their subordinates ideas and
opinions. However involvement is incomplete and major decisions
are still made by senior management. There is a greater flow of
information (than in a benevolent authoritative system) from
subordinates to management.
Participative (group) system (IV)
Management have complete confidence in their
subordinates/employees. There is lots of communication and
subordinates are fully involved in the decision making process.
Subordinates comfortably express opinions and there is lots of
teamwork. Teams are linked together by people, who are members of
more than one team. Likert calls people in more than one group
“linking pins”. Employees throughout the organisation feel
responsible for achieving the organisation’s objectives. This
responsibility is motivational especially as subordinates are offered
economic rewards for achieving organisational goals which they
have participated in setting.
Need to think:
When your boss puts you in charge of organizing the company
Christmas party, what do you do first? Do you develop a time line
and start assigning tasks or do you think about who would prefer to
do what and try to schedule around their needs? When the planning
starts to fall behind schedule, what is your first reaction? Do you
chase everyone to get back on track, or do you ease off a bit
recognizing that everyone is busy just doing his/her job, let alone the
extra tasks you've assigned?
Your answers to these types of questions can reveal a great deal
about your personal leadership style.
Some leaders are very task-oriented; they simply want to get things
done. Others are very people-oriented; they want people to be
happy. And others are a combination of the two. If you prefer to lead
by setting and enforcing tight schedules, you tend to be more
production-oriented (or task-oriented). If you make people your
priority and try to accommodate employee needs, then you're more
people-oriented.
Neither preference is right or wrong, just as no one type of
leadership style is best for all situations. However, it's useful to
understand what your natural leadership tendencies are, so that you
can then working on developing skills that you may be missing.
Situational leadership
The original situational theory argues that the best type of
leadership is totally determined by the situational variables.
The situational leadership theory argues that no one style of
leadership pertains to all given workplace situations.
The situational leadership theory argues that no one style of
leadership pertains to all given workplace situations.
The theory suggests that not only can leaders alter their leadership
styles but that they should depending on the situation at hand.
According to a recent study, successful use of situation leadership
“relies on effectiveness in four communication components;
communicating expectations, listening, delegating, and providing
feedback
Managerial grid
A popular framework for thinking about a leader's 'task versus
person' orientation was developed by Robert Blake and Jane
Mouton in the early 1960s. Called the Managerial Grid, or
Leadership Grid, it plots the degree of task-centeredness versus
person-centeredness and identifies five combinations as distinct
leadership styles.
The Managerial Grid is based on two behavioral dimensions:
Concern for People - This is the degree to which a leader
considers the needs of team members, their interests, and areas of
personal development when deciding how best to accomplish a
task
Concern for Production - This is the degree to which a leader
emphasizes concrete objectives, organizational efficiency and high
productivity when deciding how best to accomplish a task.
Country Club Leadership - High People/Low Production
This style of leader is most concerned about the needs and
feelings of members of his/her team. These people operate under
the assumption that as long as team members are happy and
secure then they will work hard. What tends to result is a work
environment that is very relaxed and fun but where production
suffers due to lack of direction and control.
Produce or Perish Leadership - High Production/Low People
Also known as Authoritarian or Compliance Leaders, people in
this category believe that employees are simply a means to an
end. Employee needs are always secondary to the need for
efficient and productive workplaces. This type of leader is very
autocratic, has strict work rules, policies, and procedures, and
views punishment as the most effective means to motivate
employees
Impovrised
Impoverished Leadership - Low Production/ Low People
This leader is mostly ineffective. He/she has neither a high regard for
creating systems for getting the job done, nor for creating a work
environment that is satisfying and motivating. The result is a place of
disorganization, dissatisfaction and disharmony.
Middle-of-the-Road Leadership - Medium Production/Medium
People
This style seems to be a balance of the two competing concerns. It
may at first appear to be an ideal compromise. Therein lies the
problem, though: When you compromise, you necessarily give away a
bit of each concern so that neither production nor people needs are
fully met. Leaders who use this style settle for average performance
and often believe that this is the most anyone can expect.
Team Leadership - High Production/High People
According to the Blake Mouton model, this is the pinnacle of
managerial style.
These leaders stress production needs and the needs of the people
equally high. The premise here is that employees are involved in
understanding organizational purpose and determining production
needs.
When employees are committed to, and have a stake in the
organization's success, their needs and production needs coincide.
This creates a team environment based on trust and respect, which
leads to high satisfaction and motivation and, as a result, high
production.
Applying the Blake Mouton Managerial Grid
Being aware of the various approaches is the first step in
understanding and improving how well you perform as a manager. It
is important to understand how you currently operate, so that you can
then identify ways of becoming competent in both realms.

Step One: Identify your leadership style.

Think of some recent situations where you were the leader.
For each of these situations, place yourself in the grid according to
where you believe you fit. 
Step Two: Identify areas of improvement and develop your
leadership skills
Look at your current leadership method and critically analyze its
effectiveness.
Look at ways you can improve. Are you settling for 'middle of
the road' because it is easier than reaching for more?
Identify ways to get the skills you need to reach the Team
Leadership position. These may include involving others in
problem solving or improving how you communicate with them,
if you feel you are too task-oriented. Or it may mean becoming
clearer about scheduling or monitoring project progress if you
tend to focus too much on people.
Continually monitor your performance and watch for situations
when you slip back into bad old habits.
Step Three: Put the Grid in Context
It is important to recognize that the Team Leadership style isn't
always the most effective approach in every situation. While the
benefits of democratic and participative management are
universally accepted, there are times that call for more attention in
one area than another. If your company is in the midst of a merger
or some other significant change, it is often acceptable to place a
higher emphasis on people than on production. Likewise, when
faced with an economic hardship or physical risk, people concerns
may be placed on the back burner, for the short-term at least, to
achieve high productivity and efficiency.
 Transformational, Visionary, and Charismatic
Leadership
Transformational leader
A leader who moves and changes things “in a big way”
by inspiring others to perform the extraordinary.
Charisma, individualized consideration, intellectual
stimulation, inspirational motivation
Visionary leader
An individual who is capable
of
influencing others through an
emotional and/or intellectual
attraction to the leader’s
dream.
Charismatic leadership
Charisma—a special personal magnetic charm or
appeal that arouses loyalty and enthusiasm in a leader-
follower relationship.
Charismatic leader—a person who
possess legitimate power that arises
from “exceptional sanctity, heroism,
or exemplary character.”
 Leadership Needs in the 21st Century

The magnitude of change will demand:

More leadership
Newer forms of leadership
Tomorrow’s leaders
Strategic opportunists
Global/cultural/diversity
awareness
Decentralized managers
Interpersonally competent
Builders of organizational
communities
conflicts
Conflict is actual or perceived opposition of needs, values and
interests.

A conflict can be internal (within oneself) or external (between

two or more individuals).
Conflict as a concept can help explain many aspects of social life
such as social disagreement, conflicts of interests, and fights
between individuals, groups, or organizations.
Intra personal conflict:
Personal conflict or Intra Personal conflict refers to an individual's
inner workings and personality problems.

Interpersonal conflict:
Conflict has been defined as "an expressed struggle between at
least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals,
scarce resources, and interference from the other party in achieving
their goals"21. Important concepts in this definition include
"expressed struggle," which means the two sides must
communicate about the problem for there to be conflict. Another
important idea is that conflict often involves perceptions. The two
sides may only perceive that their goals, resources, and interference
is incompatible with each other's.
Organizational conflicts and its management.
Intra Organizational : Conflict within the organization
Inter Organizational: Conflict between two or more organization

Causes of conflict :
Differing values (eg conservative v/s progressive minded)
Differing perspectives (eg limited v/s broad, domestic v/s
international)
Differing ideas (creative v/s mundane)
Different styles of solving organisational problems.
Differing agendas (sometimes hidden ones)
Differing attitudes (rigid v/s flexible)
Differing objectives and goals.
Differing circumstances.
How to manage conflicts in an organisation :
Let us simulate the situations under which the conflicts occur in an
organisation. Basically there could be three situations in an
organisational context.

1. Conflict with the boss.

2. Conflict with colleagues/peers.
3. Conflict with subordinates
Managing conflict with the boss :
All of us have read the famous rule,
Rule no. 1 Boss is always right.
Rule no. 2 In case the boss is wrong see rule no. 1.
Rule no. 3. Don’t forget the above rules.

This is not to say that one has to be yes man all the time. When
ever you face a conflict situation with your boss consider the
following approaches.

(i) Appreciate wider perspective : The boss has wider perspective

than you, therefore please consider whether there is
something you are not able to visualise that your boss has
visualised?
(ii) Do not offend his authority : Every boss is sensitive to
maintaining his authority. If you have a better idea, put it in a
manner of suggestion, avoid offending his authority.
(iii) Evaluate the impact : Very carefully evaluate the impact of
the wrong decision of the boss on your position in particular
and on organisation in general. Do not challenge his decision
unless you have to.
(iv) Avoid bitterness : If you have to differ with your boss, just
register your point of view without making it bitter.
2. Managing conflict with peers/colleagues :

Most of the times the conflict between peers occurs because of the
tendency of " One up manship". When ever you face a conflict
situation with your colleagues, try some of the following
approaches.
(i) Communicate: Most of the time your colleagues may be
differing with you, either because they have not understood your
point of view properly or you have not communicated clearly
enough. Since you do not have any authority over them, enter into a
dialogue and discuss the issue with an open mind.
(ii) Conflict to Co-operation : Work towards skillfully converting
conflict in to a co-operation. Strive to appreciate their point of view.
Find out the ways and means to create a 'win-win' situation. If need
be ammend your approach and meet your colleagues midway.
3. Managing conflicts with the subordinates :
(i) Allow freedom to express : Give adequate freedom to your
subordinates to express their views freely, be patient listen to them
carefully.
(ii) Allow dissent : Dissent is natural, manage disagreement
constructively
(iii) Build consensus : Identify the +ve minded persons in your team
and convert them into the 'champions of causes' and let them reason
it out with the ynical fellows. Provide right kind of support,
intervene skillfully to build consensus.
(iv) Develop a common vision : Appreciate the fact that all your
subordinates may not have the broad vision and perspective like
yours. Its your responsibility to share your dreams and aspirations
for the organisation with them and make them appreciate these.
Through discussion, training and counseling develop a common
vision.
TEN (GENERIC) APPROACHES TO MANAGE CONFLICTS

1. Patient listening.
2. Empathy, understand other's point of view.
3. Avoid reacting strongly / avoid anger under all circumstances.
4. Evaluate your responses properly before responding.
5. Communicate, enter into a dialogue, convince or get convinced.
6. Choose the right time for dialogue, when the other person is in a
receiving mood.
7. Avoid throwing your weight, even if you have the authority.
8. Allow dissent, manage disagreement constructively,
9. Build consensus, take people along.
10. Create a common vision if others do not have as broad a
perspective as your, explain it to them with patience, train them &
counsel them.