Leadership

In today's fast-paced and ever-evolving business landscape, organizations everywhere are on a mission to stay relevant and thrive. To achieve this, they actively seek out individuals capable of effective leadership. As Daft (2017) describes, leadership is more than just a role; it's a powerful relationship between leaders and their followers that drives meaningful change and achieves shared goals. Yet, the challenge lies in defining effective leadership, as it can vary greatly depending on individual perspectives. Embracing this complexity is key to unlocking the full potential of leadership within any organization.

Management or leadership? Know the difference!

Coping with Complexity

Planning and Budgeting

Setting targets or goals for the near future

Organizing and Staffing

Creating an organizational structure and set of jobs
Staffing the jobs with qualified individuals
Communicating the plan with staff

Controlling and Problem-solving

Monitoring results
Planning and organizing to solve problems

Coping with Change

Setting a Direction

Developing a vision for the distant future

Aligning People

Communicating the new direction
Creating coalitions that understand the vision and are committed to its achievement

Motivating and Inspiring

Keep people moving in the right direction
Appealing to basic but often untapped human needs, values, and emotions

Source: Kotter (2011)

Situational leadership

Hersey and Blanchard developed the concept of situational leadership, which involves analyzing a situation and adjusting one's leadership style accordingly. According to Daft (2017), the most critical element of any situation in situational leadership is the characteristics of the followers, which ultimately determine effective leader behavior. The table on the right illustrates followers' relationship behavior and task behavior, ranging from low to high. Based on these measurements, the black line indicates how a leader should respond to each follower.

Source: Daft (2017)

Organizational Culture

Organizational culture is more than just a buzzword; it's the heartbeat of any organization. According to Daft (2017), it encompasses a shared set of core values, assumptions, understandings, and norms that unite members of the organization. These elements are passed down to newcomers, helping them understand the “right” way to navigate their new environment.

But culture does more than shape internal dynamics—it also profoundly influences how the outside world perceives the organization. As Schein (2014) puts it, culture acts as the personality or character of an organization, defining its unique presence in the marketplace. Understanding and nurturing this culture can be the key to creating a thriving, cohesive environment that resonates both within and beyond the organization.

Creating and Maintaining a High Performance Culture

Ceremonies

A planned activity that makes up a special event and is generally conducted for the benefit of an audience (Awards banquet, promotions, years of service)

Stories

A narrative based on true events that is repeated frequently and shared among employees ("War" stories, performance that reflects organization's values

Specialized Language

Shapes and influences organizational values and beliefs (Slogans, mission statement, identified values)

Selection and Socialization

Hiring and learning organization's values, norms, perspectives (Develops in the training program and orientation)

Source: Daft (2017)

To learn more about my education journey, please visit my Undergraduate Work page!

References

Big Ideas Growing Minds. (2020, March 10). Leading change by John P. Kotter. 8-step change model: Animated summary [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMhfhuB2SME&t=103s

Daft, R. L. (2017). The leadership experience (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Kotter, J. (2011, December). What leaders really do. Harvard Business Review, 3-11.

Schein, E. (2014, March 3). Culture fundamentals [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fw5H7GWzog

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