Leadership 1

BUS 691: Strategies in Organizational Leadership

Ashford University

Leadership 2

Introduction

 The situation that I chose to discuss in this assignment is the time when I was transferred to a

new sister company to the one that I was working for, because of the poor performance that was

being recorded at this company. My main role was to try and bring things in order so that the

company would perform like the others. This being a new experience I was aware of the

challenge that lay in front of me and I was ready to take up to the task. Some of the things that I

was expected to address were the constant complaints from the workforce about several issues

include the remuneration and compensation plan, working conditions among other many issues

that affected the performance of the organization. I was also expected to address the issue of

collaboration and working together to make the implementation of the strategic plan a success.

The first step that I took was to make sure that I identified the people that were to help me

establish the change process, and this involved incorporating the top level management and the

middle level management. I also included members of the workforce through representation

where they were represented by their chosen leaders.

I decided to use situational leadership in this case, basing on the argument on the

situation that was at hand. I noticed that the low levels of management at our organization had

been the main factor as to why we had the low levels of production. Ineffective leadership has

been and remains the cornerstone of failure in production, competitiveness and general

performance in any given organization. It is easy to pinpoint an organization on the verge of

failing or one that is performing poorly without any significant improvement over time. All

problems in the organization stem from the leadership. As a new top-level executive having

noticed deficits in the leadership culture in the corporation, I needed to identify the causes

especially those affecting the employee’s morale before setting to address them.

Leadership 3

From the basic knowledge that I had learned, I knew that employees’ morale was key as

far as the corporation’s performance in the market was concerned (Hein, 1998). When the morale

is swayed to the negative side due to bad leadership, it remains a core job of the management to

assess the loopholes leading to such psyche among the workers. There are a number of ways that

define ineffective leadership that include lack of courage to shun the old, compete or even face

the employees on certain fundamental issues. These were the pillars that I would use in

addressing the issue.

I decided to conduct a study so as to identify the contributing factors to the low levels of

morale among the employees, and from the responses that I received I established that inefficient

accountability on the side of the core executives made the employees to lose trust in the

management thereby affecting their morale in the strict sense of the words. Leaders were not

accountable to the stakeholders and this did not appeal to the people. Many ineffective leaders in

the organization had failed to invest in those they led, and thus failed to have a team behind

them. Failure to pull the future forward also contributes to low morale, since employees’ lack the

vision upon which self-drive is built. According to Gupta (2009) best leaders are tough on the

pursuit of focus and no matter what they rarely get derailed. Lack of focus models low esteem

among the employees directly affecting their morale. Lack of performance also keeps the morale

far down since it is a key motivator when your corporation is listed among the best. Another

main thing is communication in the corporation be it vertical or horizontal, it needs to be

efficient and effective.

I knew the situation at hand and basing on the skills that I had learn on the situational

leadership style, I knew that this was the best approach that would suit the organization.

Situational leadership theory recognizes that there is no single leadership style that can be termed

Leadership 4

as effective. Thus it advocates for application of a leadership style depending on the level of

development in the organization. For instance, at one point in time the manager shall require

dictatorial style to push things through whereas at some time the same leader would need to be

democratic if what is to be done is to succeed. The theory advocates against rigid leadership that

can either be too lenient or too punitive. Thus the theory seeks to address the common problems

encountered in different leadership styles, it calls for wide application of leadership and change

of character by leaders in order to solve the many problems facing organizations and in particular

that which goes ahead to reduce the employees’ morale.

It is important to indicate that situational leadership theory is useful in developing an

effective leadership culture more so in reviving the lost workers’ morale. The best managers are

those that adapt their leadership styles to the capacity to set attainable goals inspire their staff, the

rule of accountability, direct and communicate effectively. The theory sets in to solve hitches

developed by different leadership styles and as the new top-level executive who is seeking to

address the low worker morale in the corporation through development of “how to” guide on

effective leadership, I applied the elements of this theory. There are a number of models that

describe situational leadership: contingency theory of leadership, contingency theory of decision

making and contingency rules theory. Under contingency theory of leadership fall two models

that describe the kind of leadership in contingent theory. They are Fielders’ contingency theory

and Hersey & Blanchard’s situational theory.

Considering the assessment test for leadership traits, that have I have taken during this

class, it seems like I am highly self-aware. I also have a high internalized moral perspective.

However I need to work on my balanced processing as well as relational transparency so as to be

viewed as an authentic leader. There are several things that I have to ask myself, like how can my

Leadership 5

leadership work well with people? And how I personally affect the way I work with people and

how do people think of my leadership. Charismatic leadership and Democratic leadership or

participative leadership are my styles of leadership. According to me a leader is not the one who

heads a team rather he is the one who holds the team together. Whenever working in a team I try

to hold and help my team members and see that they are comfortable working with each other,

ignoring the difference between them (North Ouse, 2013).As I became older I noticed that

everything I wanted to be as a person, was those characteristics of a leader. Some of the best

examples of great leadership can be in sports. In most team sports an individual has to be able to

lead a group of individuals and get them to believe that there is always a chance to maximize the

moment no matter what obstacles may exist. I believe that any person who has played team

sports has used many of the lessons learned from sports to translate that into personal and

professional success. Leadership has to be earned rather than assigned. Once your team

members recognize that the team is incomplete without you.

One does not automatically become a leader. I whole hardheartedly believe what Harry

Truman said “What makes leadership is the ability to get people to do what they don't want to do

and like it.” I inspire lots of enthusiasm in my team and am very energetic in driving others

forward. According to me if you want to get the best out of someone, you must look for the best

that is in them. I try to analyse my employees completely and know their strengths and

capabilities, which helped me to get the best results. However, I tend to believe more in myself

than in my team. This has a tendency to work for me and work against me. Any mistakes or

negligence may risk the project as a whole. And I don’t want my project to be unsuccessful at

any cost. It is easier for me to accept complete responsibility than to empower someone else to

make decisions that may be costly. Finally what I understood was Leadership was not a one-day

Leadership 6

thing. It is a constant commitment to excellence, a habit . . . a daily practice. “Your own big five

profile” exercise helped me in recognizing my strength in four of the traits namely Extroversion,

Conscientiousness, emotions and willingness to engage.. I strangely observed that my score of

agreeableness is low. After recognizing the strengths I tried to relate them to the qualities in me

and found that I believe I have to work on improving this particular trait of mine. My decision

making style analysis relieves that I am an Analytical style decision maker. I make decisions

based on what I feel right and I make them quickly. I see new possibilities and change goals

easily. I rarely establish specific plans and get bored easily. I will take risks which I have to

avoid.

When working as a market analyst for Heritage Foods I was given a team of 5 members to

conduct my survey. I used to listen to their thoughts patiently, even if I knew they were unfruitful

(Rowe, 2011).I would not point out that they wrong, rather I used to suggest that their way was

good, but my way was better so the way which yielded maximum result was to be opted. In this

way I never hurt their feelings or thoughts in any way. I invite other members of my team to

contribute to the decision-making process. By joining the other team members in the work

allotted job satisfaction increases. Desire for performance feedback reveals that I have high

desire for feedback. I like to be in a work environment where my ideas are heard and leadership

is willing to provide criticism on the job performance and accepts responsibility for the morale of

an employee that may not be satisfied. I have to provide myself with moments to step back and

analyse the decision making process and determine how to ask questions and learn from the

things that have been created in the workplace.

My work efficiency must also improve and I have to think proactively instead of reacting too

often to other people’s decision. Build rapport with people and I cannot continue to stress about

Leadership 7

things that are not in my control. Too often I try to do too many things at once, to the point where

I become overwhelmed and not able to function correctly. I have to understand that people do not

thing as I do all the time and I cannot be mad at them for not being organized or paying attention

to detail. Ask the person to clarify what you are saying by asking them to repeat your statements

from the conversation. Next, identify the need to lead and express professional leadership ability

for all environments; learn from other leaders how they find important information; concentrate

on answers that will benefit both immediate concerns and future issues.

When you determine a course of action, allows you to make a decision that shows confidence

and the ability to understand when change may be necessary, and not be stubborn or afraid of

reaction. I developed others as leaders and found people that express leadership skills and the

ability to be carry out all assigned task in place of an absent leader, these type of people should

be a representation of the leader they are a subordinate employee for. Next I was able to build

commitment and make sure everyone is a part of the team concept and plays their role

effectively, as this will further create a positive team atmosphere Leadership is important because

it is a critical part of our group dynamics. Even in the most democratic groups, someone must

ultimately take the role of organizing or facilitating for the group. The role of the leader is

present in every area of our life in some manner. Consider the leadership roles of teachers

Personal leadership styles

When working as a market analyst for Heritage Foods I was given a team of 5 members

to conduct my survey. I used to listen to their thoughts patiently, even if I knew they were

unfruitful (Rowe, 2011). I would not point out that they wrong, rather I used to suggest that their

Leadership 8

way was good, but my way was better so the way which yielded maximum result was to be

opted. In this way I never hurt their feelings or thoughts in any way. According to me if you want

to get the best out of someone - you must look for the best that is in them. I try to analyse my

teammates completely and know their strengths and capabilities, which helped me to get the best

results. However, I tend to believe more in myself than in my team. Any mistakes or negligence

may risk the project as a whole. And I don’t want my project to be unsuccessful at any cost. I

have been forced to take a step back several times due to the fact that I have tried to be too hands

on and not allow for employees to make mistakes. One of the best attributes a leader can have is

self-awareness. This allows for an individual to notice any particular changes they are occurring

amongst employees and have an improved ability to strategize and determine what the best

course of action is. Leadership is not something you can demand, claim, or have bestowed upon

you. While we do not choose our genes or the parents they come from.

Organizational Development

Organizational development is organized requires a structured determination of the entire

foundation and every organization must determine that the centre of the structure is on board

with the transformation. The organization has to focus on increasing the way it is changing and

make sure it is in line with the vision of the organization, and give it some time before noticing

changes. Kelly and I became friends. When she arrived at our workplace, Kelly didn’t come to

campus with the mind-set of creating issues. She just wanted to determine how she could

contribute to company in a positive way. Predetermined changes can be different based upon

what degree and organization is put together. In organization's that are ultra- structured policies

and rules of conduct can be so overwhelming that it can affect the employee morale and cause a

difficult barrier where an employee/ employer relationship can become strained. Techniques of

Leadership 9

“inclusion” appropriate to large-scale or large-group intervention techniques have led to them

being labelled as part of a new “engagement paradigm,” a “new type of social innovation,” a

“paradigm shift,” 56 and “an evolution in human thought, vision and values uniquely suited to

our awesome 21st Century technical, economic, and social dilemmas.” They are created from a

change on the importance of resolution, mediation and how previous communication methods

can be combined to create a foundation for potential situations.

Many have determined that most problem-solving techniques have originated from

stereo-types or conclusions where the identification of an issue is just as important as the issue

itself. The thought of change first occurs with the identification, followed by knowledge on how

to correct a problem. There was an email sent to the staff and I started an assignment on how the

work environment could be improved. Sense Making is the point in the organization where it

wants to utilize certain tools and strategies that are effective, and functioning. The organization

doesn’t want to make radical changes, but they want to expand upon their organizational goals.

Organizational structures can be mean different things for different people, and employees have

to determine how best to navigate within the confines of the mission statement. This includes a

sound, healthy environment where I was raised to be a leader and not a follower. I have

discovered through years of academic training and corporate experience that the purpose in my

life is to be a morally sound, good person that contributes to society, and to be a leader and

ethical decision-maker in the corporate environment. My core values are the foundation that I

use to further build my ideals, and to fulfil the defined purpose of my life, both personally and

professionally. I have a strong belief in motivating others, and in doing so, always encourage

others to give sufficient thought to their decisions, and to use a solid ethical framework in all

Leadership 10

decision making. Others can expect that I will always be an active listener, and will model the

sound ethical principles that have become a part of who I am, both professionally and in my

personal life. I expect others to be loyal to me, and to treat myself and others with respect. The

example I set for others is based on the above principles, and will continue to grow as I gain

more knowledge in my studies, and also in the world around us.

Transactional Leadership

Transactional leaders function more as a manager, than a leader because the transactional style is

more management focused. In other words, most managers use a transactional style. Managers

and transactional leaders are paid to get things done (they are subordinates too), often within

tight constraints of time and money. They thus naturally pass on this work focus to their

subordinates. I think that only two are compatible and that is the appreciative inquiry and the

sense-making approach. Because the appreciative inquiry is the process of gaining an

understanding of the culture of the organization and how it functions and the sense making

process helps the organization gain an understanding of change and why it is needed. Spending

time in the workplace, learning about everyday life there. This yielded a thick description of the

shared stock of knowledge that organizational members used to interpret events and generate

behaviour. There have been several times were I have had dual roles and have had to demonstrate

transactional leadership, and sometimes being a transactional manager.

What we made explicit with this process was the local, widely used, everyday, common-

sense model of work performance, unique to this scene. In a sense, this was the local

organization theory that people used for getting along at work. Under increasing pressure to do

more with less. These changes allow organizations to gain an understanding of the changes

needed and why they are needed. When there is a clear understanding of what is going on and

Leadership 11

why it is taking place organizations are more than likely to get buy in form its employee. Each

approach gives the change manager insight into the organization and how it operates. They allow

the change manager to see where change is needed and what strong points that can build on.

Continue to gather information on how the changes are going and if they is anything we need to

change to make sure the process of change is successful.

In conclusion

The benefits and negatives to each leadership style give an organization many options.

The best part of the all the leadership styles is that they can be changed, based on the direction of

the organization. Example, an organization that started utilizing the authoritarian leadership can

change to the Laissez-Faire style to meet organization needs. After careful consideration on the

several leadership styles I have read I believe I am extremely democratic. Modern managers

should be aware of the many factors that are affecting different stakeholders in an organization.

This is important in ensuring that the organization is able to move ahead as one. Some of the

common things that affect good relationship in an organization are conflict and

miscommunication, and therefore, the manager should use different strategies depending on the

different situations to make sure that everybody is able to understand and work with each as it is

reflected in the organization’s mission and vision statements.

There are leadership styles that I have discussed and when the manager is supposed to

use them. I have also discussed all the measures that a manager should take to make sure that the

have a clear understanding of what their responsibilities are as staff and co-workers. While

having the confidence to generate and lead by example individuals I have managed, while also

Leadership 12

making sure they feel a part of all the decisions. Next, I do a great job of having them involved

which keeps them motivated and excited about the growth of the business. I also feel that this is

possible for me due to the circumstances of the fields I have worked in as in most cases each task

covered is best done within a team of organizers regardless of who is leading or not.

Leadership 13

References

Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Publications. ISBN: 9781452203409.

Rowe, G. (2011). Cases in leadership (2nd ed.). Leos Angles, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN: 978-

1-4129-8019-7.

Hein, E., C., (1998). Contemporary Leadership Behavior. (5th ed). (pp. 59-92). Lippencott.

Philadelphia

Gideon H., (2007) Principles of Process Planning: A Logical Approach, Chicago: Springer

Gary Y and Richard L, (2004) Flexible leadership: Creating Value by Balancing Multiple

Challenges and Choices, New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Gilbert W, (1994) Leadership and the Culture of Trust, Leos Angles: Greenwood Publishing

Group.

 Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K. H. (1969).Management of Organizational Behavior – Utilizing

Human Resources. New Jersey/Prentice Hall.