What are Different Types of Leadership Styles?
Since development of the hierarchy and infrastructure associated with modern corporations, the concept of the supervisor, or boss or direct superior, has been perceived in a number of dubious and satirical ways in both social circles and the media. The frequent image of a self-aggrandizing individual satisfied with his or her ability to manipulate and control subordinates is a common staple of entertainment, conversation and complications in what is now termed “work-life.” These negative and sometimes humorous attributes, though represented in hyperbole, when described out of context, are a reflection of how those who are managed often feel about the interpersonal dynamics that occur in the workplace. Viewed from the point of view of a manager’s role, however, complaints about such behaviors on the part of subordinates are, in fact, an expression of dissatisfaction not with the job or with the manner in which a project is managed, but with a manager’s or supervisor’s predominant leadership style.
Individuals who fulfill any manner of managerial role comprising authority over others must negotiate and harmonize the dynamics that occur in two spheres. In one sphere exists the functionality for which the manager is responsible. This sphere includes understanding what is produced by correctly performing this functionality, making the most effective use of the material and human resources allocated to this performance and maintaining low costs without sacrificing quality of production. The second sphere comprises the relationship dynamics between a manager and his or her direct subordinates to the extent that these individuals not only understand the nature of their responsibilities but are motivated to participate and perform optimally for the benefit of the entire group. This latter sphere is the leadership sphere, and a wealth of research and literature exists which details and analyzes the characteristics of effective leaders in an organizational setting. This research has yielded a number of models, or styles, of leadership. Each style differs from the others, yet each bears merits giving it application in diverse organizational situations.
What is Situational Leadership
The situational leadership style can be described as fluid in the sense that the manager’s style may change with respect to changes in his or her group’s situation. A warm and positive attitude on the part of a manager shared individually with subordinates is the hallmark of the charismatic leadership style. A charismatic leader fosters motivation by creating an environment in which subordinates enjoy working. A manager’s concern for the well-being of his or her subordinates characterizes the servant leadership style. In this situation, a manager makes decisions according to what will most benefit the members of the group as a whole. Situations which require major improvements in a group’s process and interpersonal communication are conducive to the transformational leadership style. In such an instance, a manager motivates a team to align itself with and then maintain a new set of effective and productive behaviors. By contrast, under the transactional leadership style, a proven system already exists. Subordinates capitulate to the authority of their manager who rewards them or punishes them as motivation to perform in line with his or her directives. A personally proactive role on the part of the manager characterizes the quiet leadership style. The quiet leader generates motivation by recognizing the achievements of individual subordinates.
The styles described represent a leadership methodology aimed at group motivation via positive reinforcement. By contrast, there are styles which reflect a poor approach to group motivation and are frequently indicative of self-centered frustration on the part of the manager or leader. Of these styles, the most commonly recognized is micromanagement. Leaders who engage in micromanagement seek an overwhelming depth of control over a group’s functionality, individual behaviors and small details. This method frequently demotivates a group by removing any sense of capability and appreciation among subordinates. Managers following a post-hoc style ensure that they themselves are immune from all accountability for mishaps or functional flaws in the group by placing blame on subordinates. The seagull style may take the poorest approach with respect to motivation as it comprises the behavioral direction of subordinates through the exclusive, and sometimes public, demonstration of shortcomings in the wake of mistakes, offering no recognition of tasks which might have, otherwise, been performed well.
What is Systems Theory in Leadership?
A system is a group of parts that work independently but function together dependently to achieve a common goal. For instance, a car is a collection of automotive parts that function together to run the car. Systems theory is the study of the organization and the working together of independent parts of different types and substances. It studies the common characteristics of the parts and creates models to describe them.
Systems theory in connection to leadership examines a system, for instance, in the area of management science such as a business organization. Leaders or managers in the business context use systems theory to understand the systemic nature of the organization; this understanding helps them guide the organization to its optimal operation. In other leadership situations, the understanding of systems lies in contradistinction to the traditional linear model in which the world is reduced to a collection of unrelated elements operating independently of the other parts.
What are the 4 Major Features In Business Systems Theory?
1. The first is called objects, which are the parts or elements within the system. In a business model, these are inputs consisting of hard goods, labor, financing and information.
2. The second is features or qualities of the system such as work and production processes, management functions and service technology.
3. The third is the interrelationship of the objects or outputs such as employee and customer relationships, financial results and product or services output.
4. The fourth is the understanding of the environment in which the system operates or feedback such as the interaction and response, for example, to customers, creditors and government. These factors apply overall to any system or even a subsystem within the system.
Feedback is a particularly defining feature of systems theory. Nonsystems approaches to a problem identify the cause and effect of a certain problem and then solve the problem with short-term immediate improvements, which may possibly be harmful in the long term. Systems thinking looks more at the long term and interconnectedness of each solution along the way. A leader may take an action meant to solve a specific problem. Feedback leads to the recognition and understanding that each solution may require further refinements and changes in order to stay on track and reach the long-term objective.
What is the Outcome of Systems Theory?
The outcome of systems theory as it applies to leadership sees the leader taking a broader look at the organization. Whereas in a closed system there is no interaction with itself or its environment, in an open system a leader will be capable of examining the openness and responsiveness of the organization to itself and to its environment. Understanding how each element of the system reacts with the other and how it is interdependent and related to each other’s functions can ensure the survivability of the system.
“System” implies a network of interconnected relationships. Understanding systems with their common properties, characteristics and behaviors can lead to greater insight in explaining complex applications that will ultimately benefit a leader with the insight necessary to make decisions that will not only solve immediate isolated problems but at the same time and with the very same solution affect and improve other diverse but related areas in the system, whether it is a business organization or any other system.
One key to successful leadership interacting in a system is the understanding that parts of a living system are self-organizing and self-regulating. This occurs many times through feedback. Feedback causes the reorganization of the process by way of information flowing into the open system. Interaction will provoke a response or an action, and the system will adjust and realign to deal with the ever-changing conditions. Leading in an open system allows the leader to rely on his employees or members of his team so that they are capable of reorganizing themselves and therefore better able to take advantage of the swift flow of information and process it as needed. When leaders allow information to flow freely and subject it to multiple observers, the results will be a fully up-to-date operating organization acting close to its optimal ability.
What Are Today’s Hot Management Training and Leadership Topics?
Management training is considered an essential element in improving business performance. A company that is well known can attract good workers, but only a well-run company can keep them. Whether or not an employee decides to remain in a place of employment is largely dependent on the management skills of his or her immediate supervisor.
Many managers get promoted to management positions with little or no formal training. However, in order to be effective, managers must acquire, maintain and sharpen skills in areas including team building, customer service, leadership, motivation, communication, negotiation, conflict resolution and strategic planning. These skills must be applied not only to those under their supervision but also to those in higher positions. A good relationship between middle and upper management yields benefits for all employees.
According to the American Management Association, today the hottest topics in management training are communication techniques for more effective meetings, financial basics for boosting success in planning budgets and gaining approvals for projects, collaborative or “team” leadership strategies, advanced critical thinking and “emotional intelligence” skills to create a positive working environment and healthy employee interactions.
Communication Techniques
Communication techniques for more effective meetings focus on how mid-level managers, project managers, administrators and supervisors can better prepare presentations for senior executive meetings, speak confidently and persuasively at the meeting and follow up afterward to receive proper recognition and results. During the long term, the ability to be a “power communicator” allows lower managers to achieve productive relationships with upper managers, become more involved in high-level projects and gain influence with senior executives.
Financial Basics
Financial basics cover the details of corporate finance. In order to do their jobs effectively, managers need to be able to analyze their company’s projects and activities from a financial standpoint, apply metrics and data to planning and projecting costs and risks for their department’s projects, understand financial terminology to communicate more effectively with the company’s financial officers and build a reputation for accurate forecasting.
Collaborative Leadership Strategies
Collaborative leadership strategies aim to help managers nurture and encourage each member of their team to apply his or her talents most fully to the tasks at hand. Included in this category are building trust, sharing power, enhancing knowledge-sharing, personal involvement and creativity, providing optimal opportunities for each employee, making group decisions, establishing avenues for social networking, improving accountability and creating a team vision.
Advanced Critical Thinking
Using advanced critical thinking techniques allows managers to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex working environment. Management training in advanced critical thinking delves into the ways in which globalization, corporate culture, time pressures, competing priorities, technology and diverse employee cultures and communication styles can impact a manager’s ability to think critically. It gives managers strategies to deal with complex problem-solving and decision-making, as well as methods for improving how the manager evaluates situations and draws conclusions.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is about how the manager manages his or her own feelings and working relationships to create a working environment where each employee feels confident, safe and in control. The manager trained in emotional intelligence is taught to recognize how personal emotions affect his or her job performance, how to develop a flexible emotional response system to challenges that arise with workers, how to express emotions clearly and constructively, how to gain emotional control of office situations and how to define, identify and analyze behavioral responses and emotions to those situations.
Management training has moved from a “one size fits all” approach toward individualized instruction for each type of business and workplace situation. Management training professionals analyze the business, design a training program appropriate to that business, create a learning environment on-site or through a virtual setup, implement the program and then evaluate results.
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