Leadership Styles Organizational Commitment -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Leadership Styles Organizational Commitment? Answer: Introduction Leadership may be defined as an art of inspiring an individual or a group of people to act towards attaining common organizational objectives. This definition highlights two essential attributes of leadership, firstly, the ability to motivate others and secondly, being self-prepared to inspire other people. An effective leadership is entirely dependent upon ideas and implementation of such ideas through effective communication with others. Such communication should be conducted in a manner that ensures their involvement in the act as per the direction of the leader (DuBrin, 2015). Essential attributes of an effective leader Several theories have been developed to define the factors that influence the effectiveness of a leader. Confidence and Knowledge- these are characteristic traits that differs from one leader to another leader and is based on the trait theory (Northouse, 2018). Global leaders like Barack Obama, Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, and Adolf Hitler were great leaders but had distinct characteristics that were different from each other. For instance, Hitler was a charismatic leader who although was unable to develop intimate relationship with people, but with his charismatic nature drew attention of people inspiring their devotion to him. On the contrary, Mahatma Gandhi was not only a charismatic leader but also a social person who was capable of developing friendships with people and inspiring them to support non-violence under any circumstances. These two different traits of the two different great leaders had the capability of motivating people to attain their respective objectives. Task-oriented- Leaders should be task-oriented, as it would enable them to undertake authoritarian, democratic decisions. This characteristic is based on behavioral theory that states that an effective leader should have a liberal approach and are supportive, democratic in their decisions (Sethuraman Suresh, 2014). A leader possessing such trait always focuses on the goal and the systematic plan to accomplish the goal. For instance- his supporters have viewed Lennin, the Russian political leader as an effective leader who was not only a social person who always aspired for setting higher standards with ultimate efficiency. They require their subordinates to be efficient that provide clear instructions regarding the schedule or systematic plan to be followed to accomplish their objectives. Charismatic- this characteristic is based on the charismatic theory that includes empowerment, envisioning and empathy as its essential elements. The leaders use their charisma to inspire people to become their followers as they express their concern for the needs and desires of the people of their respective countries (DuBois et al., 2015). For instance- Bill Clinton and Winston Churchill are perceived as leaders that possessed the capability of developing friendly atmosphere for their followers by making them feel that they are participants in the decision-making process. They always gave significant importance to the needs of the people and ensured that their needs are fulfilled leading to their welfare. Outcome-oriented- this characteristic is based on the transactional leadership theory that is clearly outcome-oriented. The leader possessing this characteristic trait inspires their subordinates through rewards and punishments. The requirements to be fulfilled are to be encouraged with awards and failure to fulfill any such requirements will entitle the subordinates with punishments. This type of leadership quality is effective to deal with risky situations (Antonakis Day, 2017). For instance- Joseph McCarthy, the former state senator of Wisconsin is a glaring example of a leader that was known for his transactional form of leadership. He was popular for introducing a system of rewarding his followers who would succeed in capturing accused communist infiltrators and punishing the followers who failed to abide by his rule. This system if reward and punishment resulted in motivated outcomes amongst his followers. Inspiring- this trait is the most crucial characteristics that a leader should possess as inspiring the followers is a pre-requisite to accomplish the stated goals. This trait is based on the transformational leadership theory where the leader requests their followers to follow their morals and ideals in an inspiring manner to accomplish the common stated objectives (Daft, 2014). For example- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the great leaders who followed the transformational leadership theory to challenge the status quo of his followers and encouraging them to explore new ways using their morals and ideals to accomplish the goals. He is, undoubtedly, a glaring example of a transformational leader who was capable of articulating an unambiguous vision to his followers making them believe that they can freed themselves from any constraints that restrain them from leading a life to which they are equally entitled. Facilitator- a facilitator is a leader who ensures that the needs and desires of his followers are fulfilled before they fulfill their own needs. This trait is associated with the servant leadership concept where the leaders are more concerned about their followers than they are about themselves. These leaders serve their followers instead of behaving like a king. They believe in the concept of serving the needs of the followers instead of merely thrusting their ideas and ways or needs upon them. For example- Mahatma Gandhi who is known for his nature serve the needs of the people instead of identifying himself with the symbol of power that I usually used by other leaders to signify that they are above their followers. He had the leadership skills of voluntary subordination where he identified himself as a servant of the people who must serve them to fulfill their needs. My Strength Charismatic- this characteristic enables leaders to develop friendly relations with the followers to inspire them. Since I can become friends with any person very easily and have the knack for gaining knowledge from persons of different age, I believe I can use this trait of mine to inspire my co-workers and maintain a friendly work atmosphere at my workplace. A healthy and friendly workplace is a key to a successful organization. Task-oriented- I always aim at accomplishing my goals and in order to attain the objectives it is essential to develop a systematic plan. A systematic plan shall enable me to explain the roles and responsibilities that should be performed by the subordinates. Further, my ability to motivate my subordinates and other fellow workers would be an additional means to encourage the subordinates focus and accomplish the stated goals. Inspiring- I believe unity is strength and to achieve unity it is essential to understand the strength and weakness of the subordinates as well as the co-workers. This is because only, it would be possible to encourage the fellow workers and subordinates to follow their strengths which may include their ideals and morals and fortify their weaknesses so that they are able to overcome all the impediments that hinders their means to attain the stated goals. Inspiration and motivation are two fundamental characteristics that measure the effectiveness of a leader at any given point. My Deficiencies Lack of confidence- At times, I do not feel confident enough about the fact whether I would be able to exhibit my leadership skills into the right direction and at the right time. Despite my work experience as a team leader, I lack confidence about the fact whether I would be able to bring out the best outcome through proper directions. This is partly because while working as a team leader I often failed to explain to my team members the ways and manner in which we could achieve the desired outcome. The absence of this trait often overweighs my ability to explore new ideas and develop ways to execute such new ideas to achieve the desired outcome. Lack of Outcome-orientation- Although I am very focused about developing a systematic plan to make people accomplish the common objectives but I often fail to execute the means and ways through which such objectives could be achieved. In other words, as mentioned that outcome-oriented is a trait enables the leader to reward or punish the subordinates for achieving or failing to achieve the desired outcome respectively. However, I lack this ability as being a friendly person that I am; it would be difficult for me to punish any of my teammates or subordinates for failing to achieve the desired objective. This trait is useful to deal with any risky situation where it becomes essential to be more stringent to prevent the situation from getting worse or restore to the normal situation. Non-facilitator- Being a team leader formerly, I have grasped the attitude of accomplishing the stated objectives and to make a plan that states the manners and ways to achieve such objectives. My ultimate objective had been to meet the needs and target of the organization. Although I have a friendly attitude and believe in motivating my colleagues and subordinates, but I was more concerned about individual and organization needs than of the needs and desires of the teammates or subordinates who assisted in accomplishing the common organizational goals. I lack the ability to serve my subordinates and meet their needs as I have always recognized myself with the power symbol that places me in higher position from my subordinates. Influence of my Indian culture on my leadership skills The term culture refers to the customs, ideas and social behavior that is associated with any specific group of persons or community (Goleman, 2017). Being an Indian, referring to the Indian culture it can be said that India is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse nations in the world and amongst the diverse culture, I belong to the Sikh culture that has its origin in the Punjab region of the country. As per the teachings of my culture, serving others selflessly and believing in equality of human beings are means to feel the presence of God. My culture has taught me to respect the dignity of every individual and lend had to the weak or your subordinates. My religion has taught me to follow the path of truth and be determined to overcome any hindrances with perseverance. These cultural attributes have not only influenced my attitude but has also fortified my leadership skills, showing direction to become a good and effective leader. Moreover, as I have grown up in a joint family, it taught me the significance of cooperation and unity from which has helped me acquire the task-oriented capability. Apart from the cultural teachings, my parents have always encouraged me to be honest and respectful to others in all my endeavors, which has made me acquire the ability to encourage my subordinates and build good relationship with them. Ideal leader: Barack Obama Barack Obama has been a true leader and was the 44th US President who achieved highest reputation globally. His most effective leadership abilities include perseverance, conviction, taking risks, art of communication, confidence, respect and fairness and lastly, his We-not-I Attitude. His campaign slogan for the presidential campaign in 2008 was change we can believe in as he believed that if the direction is right, one can influence other person and spread the message across. Comparative analysis of my potentials Amongst all my potentials, I have learnt to show respect my subordinates, my seniors and my co-workers which is a common trait possessed by Barack Obama. This is evident from the event when Obama supported the re-initiation of diplomatic actions with Iran by opposing the passing of the Bill, which would otherwise have recognized Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group. This signifies that the former US President was respectful towards every organization irrespective of their relationships or history. Another significant strength that is in common between Obama and me is the We-not-I-Attitude according to which he addressed the people in his speeches as we instead of I as this attitude was a smart way to involve the people. The attitude to use we is comprehended as an unique way to signify that people are involved in the conversation and then making them believe that they have actually contributed affirmatively to a cause. When the leader says we accomplished the objective together, every person listening to such a statement feels to be a part of the proceedings even if they have not been engaged in the proceedings. This ability is essential for a leader to be an effective leader as it makes him capable of involving people, giving them the ownership of particular objective. Further, Obama has another leadership quality that is common with me which is perseverance. This is evident from a recent event where he supported several issues during the UN resolution on the Israel-Palestinian conflict where he stated that when we are sure about the path we are following we could influence others. In order to follow the right path, hindrances may appear but we have to be patient and move forward by overcoming such constraints with perseverance. He stood for the right issues which signifies that he was sure about his job and hence, was capable of conveying the people about his view and received their acceptance. Comparative analysis of my Deficiencies Some of the leadership skills possessed by Barack Obama are the areas where I lack potential. One such quality is confidence that is in abundance within the former US President. Though there are several instances, where he had exhibited his confidence but one such significant event where the country and its nationals witnessed confidence in their leader was in 2009 when the country faced two worst wars. Firstly, it was one of the worst economic disasters the country had faced and secondly, the multi-trillion dollar debt. He not only exhibited his confidence but said words that built confidence in the nationals as well. To quote his speech, he said Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin the work of remaking America. Another essential leadership quality that I lack, which is one of Obamas strengths, is his art of communication. Mr. Obama is an excellent speaker and that he knows exactly how to engage into an effective communication with any group, person or audience irrespective of their age, gender, race, background, etc, thus, he perfected the art of communication. He won the Marketer of the Year Award in 2008 by the Advertising Age for the campaign that was about the way to communicate with almost every person who was eligible to vote. He gained their confidence and conveyed his message across unambiguously. If I compare my weakness in the ability to undertake risks, it is yet another leadership skill possessed by Mr. Obama. In his book the Audacity of Hope, the former US President mentioned about the big risk he had undertaken by running for the Presidency when his well-wishers and friends asked him otherwise based on his failure in the primaries presidential race in 2004. Taking risk requires lot of courage and only those who have taken risk in their lives have achieved immense success in their life. Rationale for my Development Plan It is a universal nature of an individual to strengthen his inner deficiencies that restraints a person from achieving his desired goals. I am aware of my weaknesses that might act as hindrances in becoming an effective leader. Such abilities include lack of communication skills, lack of self-confidence, inability to undertake risk. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a plan that would assist me in improving my personality traits, enabling me to be an effective leader. Such a development plan would assist me to fortify my potentials and transform my deficiency into my strengths. Developmental Opportunities Several opportunities that would enable me to fortify my weaknesses and inhibit leadership traits are enumerated as below: Team building workshops- to develop team-building skills, attending team-building workshops prove to be effective as such, workshops shall enable to develop communication skills, greater cooperation and provide experiential techniques like conflict-handling sessions, inter-personal trust exercises etc. Self-regulation- this opportunity would not only assist me in strengthening my weaknesses but also build self-confidence in me to influence others. Regularity at work ensures that I communicate more, enhance my confidence level, thus improving my ability to undertake risks, and do not repeat my mistakes. Developmental strategies Keep learning- the best option to become an effective leader is to keep gaining knowledge about new things. This process not only sharpens the mind but also brushes up the existing leadership skills. It prepares the leader to facing new challenges while accomplishing the desired goals and objectives. Learn to follow- an effective leader must maintain a liberal approach and must not feel threatened when others disagree with the leader instead must appreciate the ideas and views of other if it is worth such appreciation. Inspire from successful leaders- another effective development strategy that would enable me to improve on my weaknesses is to walk in the footsteps of successful leaders and get inspired from them. Research studies and regular follow-up of successful leaders shall acts as proper guidance to improve the leadership skills. Taking risk- it is essential to undertake risks in life to achieve success. It might seem difficult initially but it does not imply that it cannot be done. As it is said failures are the pillars of success, taking risks would also strengthen my capability deal with any crisis with efficacy. Indicators of success Self assessment- this is the indicator of success for my first strategy where I can assess myself to what extent I have improved on my weaknesses and how effectively I am executing my leadership skills to accomplish the desired goals. Use of digital assessment tools- the use of video cameras within an organization for capturing my performance of the leaders and my behavioral conduct towards the subordinates or co-workers within an organization, whether I maintain a liberal approach or impose my ideas on others who do not agree with mine. This is the success indicator for my second strategy. Inclination- this is the indicator of success for my third strategy, which will measure how much I am inclined to becoming a successful leader. It shall also measure to what extent I am inhibiting the leadership traits possessed by the successful leaders. Feedback- To obtain feedbacks from superiors, subordinates as well as my co-workers regarding my performance as a leader is the success indicator for my fourth strategy. Their feedbacks would measure the effectiveness of my leadership skills within the organization. Resources for strategy implementation Technology- it is important to have access to advanced technology to obtain advanced and accurate information about improving my leadership skills; Capital- Capital is essential resource for making payments to the team-building workshops and obtaining books, journals, articles, other learning course materials. Conveyance- it is an important resource as its is mandatory to reach the workshops and attend conferences, public speeches conducted by the leaders, etc. Time- this is the most vital resource as it takes reasonable time to develop an effective plan to accomplish the desired goals. Timeframe for implementation Timeframe is essential to develop strategic plan for attaining desired goals; In order to develop such strategic plan, I would do research work to sharpen my skills for two weeks; I will take classes to improve on my weaknesses for three weeks; I will apply the theoretical knowledge to practical situations as and when required; Reference list Aktas, M., Gelfand, M. J., Hanges, P. J. (2016). Cultural tightnesslooseness and perceptions of effective leadership.Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology,47(2), 294-309. Anderson, M. H., Sun, P. Y. (2017). Reviewing leadership styles: Overlaps and the need for a new full?rangetheory.International Journal of Management Reviews,19(1), 76-96. Antonakis, J., Day, D. V. (Eds.). (2017).The nature of leadership. Sage publications. Arnold, K. A., Connelly, C. E., Walsh, M. M., Martin Ginis, K. A. (2015). Leadership styles, emotion regulation, and burnout.Journal of Occupational Health Psychology,20(4), 481. Baur, J. 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