Suitability of leadership styles to implementing changes

Suitability of leadership styles to implementing changes Leadership styles are the main subject of this chapter. First will be looked at what leadership is, thereafter the differences between managers and leaders are mentioned in short. Then, different leadership styles are described and the characteristics of an effective leader are given. Finally, the relation between leadership and changes in the organization as a result of organic growth are discussed and the most suitable type of leadership to implement these changes are given. What is leadership Leadership is a widely studied phenomena in the scientific literature but it is hard to give a consistent and comprehensive definition of it. This is, according to Grint (2004), due to lack of agreement on four problems which are related to leadership; (1) the process problem is leadership derived from the personal qualities, or is it social process? (2) the position problem has the leader formally allocated authority, or leads he with informal influence? (3) the philosophy problem are actions determined by context and situation, or by intentional influence? (4) the purity problem is leadership an individuals, or a group phenomenon? In the same year of Grints research publication, Northouse also reviewed his theory about leadership. He stated that leadership is a process and involves influence, occurs in a group and involves goal attainment. However, an universal definition of what is meant by organizational leadership is commonly stated as the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members. In short, leadership is a combination of the leaders traits, the behaviour of the leader, and the situation in which the leader exist. This means that leadership could be different in every situation. Differences manager and leader In many management books and scientific articles the terms manager and leader are used interchangeably which imply that these words have the same meaning. Because this is not correct and can lead to misconception, the main differences and comparisons between a manager and a leader, based on an article of Abraham Zaleznik (1977), are given in short in table 3.1Managers and leaders. Table 3.1 Managers and leaders Managers Leaders Attitudes toward goals Take an impersonal, passive outlook Goals arise out of necessities, not desires. Take a personal, active outlook. Shape rather than respond to ideas. Alter moods; evoke images, expectations. Change how people think about whats desirable and possible. Set company direction. Conceptions of work Negotiate and coerce. Balance opposing views. Design compromises. Limit choices. Avoid risk. Develop fresh approaches to problems. Increase options. Turn ideas into exciting images. Seek risk when opportunities appear promising. Relation with others Prefer working with people, but maintain minimal emotional involvement. Lack empathy. Focus on process, e.g., how decisions are made rather than what decisions to make. Communicate by sending ambiguous signals. Subordinates perceive them as inscrutable, detached, manipulative. Organization accumulates bureaucracy and political intrigue. Attracted to ideas. Relate to others directly, intuitively, empathetically. Focus on substance of events and decisions, including their meaning for participants. Subordinates describe them with emotionally rich adjectives; e.g., love, hate. Relations appear turbulent, intense, disorganized. Yet motivation intensifies, and unanticipated outcomes proliferate. Sense of self Comes from perpetuating and strengthening existing institutions. Feel part of the organization. Comes from struggles to profoundly alter human and economic relationships. Feel separate from the organization. Different leadership styles and effectiveness To achieve success, a leader needs an appropriate leadership style which fits within the whole organization. Therefore it is crucial to know which different leadership styles there are and which of them are most effective in certain circumstances. Although there are several studies about these topics, just some theories and styles will be explained in this section. The two most fundamentally different and common used leadership styles are transactional leadership and transformational leadership. Transactional leaders adjust their style to the existing organizational culture and operates within that framework. The structure is given in which their goals and needs have to be reached. This leaders implement only incremental changes. In contrast of that, transformational leaders have a clear vision of what have to be done, and the organization has to alter to reach this vision. So, the groups wants and needs and the organizations culture need to change. They lead trough implementing radical changes (Bass, 1990). Rooke and Torbert (2005) looked at another way to the topic of leadership. They argues that there are seven transformations of leadership, although seven ways of leading, which they called action logics. Each of the seven transformations is a leaders dominant way of thinking and leaders have the possibility to move through these categories. Out of their research of thousand leaders, they observed the next action logics showed in table 3.2 Seven ways of leading, with their characteristics, their strengths and the percentage of the sample that belongs to it. Table 3.2 Seven ways of leadingthis action logic Action logic Characteristics Strenghts % of research sample profiling at this action logic Opportunist Wins any way possible. Self-oriented; manipulative; might makes right. Good in emergencies and in sales opportunities. 5% Diplomat Avoids overt conflict. Wants to belong; obeys group norms; rarely rocks the boat. Good as supportive glue within an office; helps bring people together. 12% Expert Rules by logic and expertise. Seeks rational efficiency. Good as an individual contributor. 38% Achiever Meets strategic goals. Effectively achieves goals through teams; juggles managerial duties and market demands. Well suited to managerial roles; action and goal oriented. 30% Individualist Interweaves competing personal and company action logics. Creates unique structures to resolve gaps between strategy and performance. Effective in venture and consulting roles. 10% Strategist Generates organizational and personal transformations. Exercises the power of mutual inquiry, vigilance, and vulnerability for both the short and long term. Effective as a transformational leader. 4% Alchemist Generates social transformations. Integrates material, spiritual, and societal transformation. Good at leading society-wide transformations. 1% The managerial implications of these findings is that the Opportunist, Diplomats, and Experts are associated with below average corporate performance. The Achievers are associated with effective implementing of organizational strategies, but only the Individualist, Strategists, and Alchemist (which accounted for 15% of the sample) have the capacity to innovate and to transform organizations in a successfully way. Because there is no single style that is effective in all situations, Flamholtz created his Leadership Effectiveness framework whereby the situation determines which style of leadership will be most effective. According to Flamholtz, leadership effectiveness is dependent on leadership tasks, situational factors, leadership styles and the combination of the style-situation fit. An overview of Flamholtz Leadership Effectiveness framework can be seen in figure 3.1 The Flamholtz leadership effectiveness framework. Figure 3.1 The Flamholtz leadership effectiveness framework Leadership Effectiveness Leadership tasks Work Orientation People Orientation Situational factors Organization Work to be done People doing the work Leadership styles Directive Interactive Nondirective Style-Situation Fit The leadership tasks consist of work orientation and people orientation. Work orientation, which means that the work has to be done, is related to goal emphasis and task facilitation. People orientation gives care to the needs of the people doing the work, and is related to personnel development, interaction facilitation and supportive behaviour. The situational factors can be divided into the degree of task programmability, which is the extent to a work task can be specified prior its execution, and the potential for job autonomy, which is the extent to someone can work without supervision. Each leadership category in Flamholtz framework pertains two leadership styles. Autocratic and benevolent autocratic belong to the directive category. This styles declares what is to be done respectively without, and with an explanation. Consultative and participative belong to the interactive style. A leader with such a style respectively gets opinions before deciding on the plan presented, or first formulates alternatives with a group and then decides. The last two styles, consensus and laissez-fair, belongs to the nondirective category. By the consensus style has every member of the group an equal voice in making decisions, the laissez-faire style leaves it up to the group to decide what to do. Overall, to achieve a high level of effectiveness a leader has to find a balance in emphasizing the work and people orientations of leadership tasks

Choose an actor’s performance that was outstandig

â€Å"Choose a production you have seen during your course in which there was one actor's performance that you consider to be outstanding. Discuss in detail the performance of one actor, you will need to give details of at least on particular scene or section and include reference to voice, movement, characterisation and relationships between characters on stage.† The actor I have to chosen to write about is Sam McCarthie, who played the character ‘Ebenezer Scrooge' in the production ‘A Christmas Carol.' The character is a cold-hearted, tight fisted, selfish man who despises Christmas and all things which engender happiness. The play is about Ebenezer, and how he undergoes a profound experience of redemption over the course of Christmas Eve night. If the experience doesn't change Scrooge's ways, he will end up walking the Earth forever being nothing but an invisible and lonely ghost, like his deceased friend Jacob Marley. Mr. Scrooge is a financier who has devoted his life to the accumulation of wealth. Since the death of his sister, Fan, he holds anything other than money in contempt, including friendship, love and the Christmas Season. The first scene of the play showed Scrooge (McCarthie) leaning over a desk performing a task to do with his work, and before he spoke you could tell he was not going to turn out to be the nicest character in the play, because his body language reflected his character. As he was writing he was hunched over and frowning, and was impatient with his actions. When his colleague Bob Cratchit leaves at a late hour to go home on Christmas Eve, he snapped back his answers making himself sound superior and as though Bob was in the wrong, he sounded aggressive. Throughout the first part of the play, up until when his opinions changed and he stopped being so miserly, Sam acted this way. Each answer or command was short and snappy, and he'd square his shoulders making himself not also sound angry and short tempered, but he looked it too. He used the stage well also, he didn't stand in one spot the whole time as people can sometimes forget they're doing, but he moved around, and gesticulated widely, just emphasising how over the top his character was. When he walked, he wouldn't just walk, he would stamp his feet too. The use of the stage reflected his thoughts on himself. He showed himself as arrogant doing this because it gave the sense he thought he was important and big. His responses to people were harsh as well, he seemed disinterested and superior, as though no one he spoke to matched up to his standards and they were all below him. His character changed dramatically though towards the second half of the play. He began to see the what he was doing wrong and as he did, he softened. Sam played the second side of the character just as well as the first, it was almost as though it came naturally to him – convincing. When the ghosts of Christmas showed him the error of his ways and what he had missed out on, and what was to happen to him – the transformation was amazing. He acted differently entirely. He made his hands clasp together although somewhat nervous and humbled, and when he now spoke to others he did so in an enthusiastic tone. He also used vigorous arm movements and gestures, but this time it didn't make it him look angry, it just added to how much nicer he was, and out to please. He ran around the stage with great enthusiasm, and again used the space well. Overall, I thought Sam's performance was outstanding because he made the character so convincing. Some of the actions he used may have been cheesy, but his weren't, they were just really believable, almost as the character was himself.

Psychology Assignment: Perception Essay

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sensation and perception are mental processes that are sometimes mistaken for each other.   A fine distinction, however, can be drawn between them. Sensation is defined as, â€Å"the conscious experience that follows immediately upon the stimulation of a sense organ or a sensory nerve.† The first result of a stimulus situation is sensation and an elaboration of beyond this first result is perception (Halonen & Santrock, 1996).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A factor influencing man’s behavior and his adjustment is how he looks at places, persons, objects, things, and situations. His interpretation about affect greatly his business and everyday life. If, for example, he looks at a store lay-out and says that it is conducive to increased sales volume, then that is how he perceives the store’s lay-out. The same is true for an employer who evaluates job applicants. He interviews and gives tests to them. The final decision depends upon his awareness of the different traits or qualifications expected of the applicants. This is what is termed as perception (Halonen & Santrock, 1996). Discussion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The dictionary of education defines perception in its most limited sense as â€Å"awareness of external objects, conditions, relationship as a result of sensory stimulation† (McKenna, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Beach and Clark (1959) define it as â€Å"the process which involves the receiving and organizing or interpreting of stimuli, by the individual (McKenna, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the aforementioned definitions, one thing is common and that is the awareness of a stimulus. This awareness is achieved through our sense organs, muscles and glands, and connectors (McKenna, 2000). Characteristics of the Perception Process   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perception as the action by which the mind refers its sensations to external object has certain characteristics. Beach and Clark enumerated and discussed the characteristics of perception as follows (McKenna, 2000; Clement, 1981):   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is Selective   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When one walks down the street, he is not aware of everything in his environment. Eh pays attention to specific or particular stimuli only and not to all sounds, sight and other types of stimuli about him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through our sense organs, in other words, we select only those things we are interested in. there is but a particular thing that may attract, maintain, or distract the attention of the individual (McKenna, 2000; Clement, 1981)..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is Structuring or Patterning Process   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What a person perceives as common to him is a form or structure. This is what is called configuration or wholeness in Gestalt psychology. A person perceives a real thing when it comes in the correct pattern or structure. A complete pattern of an object means that it has all the attributes of the object: (1) it must have shape, (2) it must have a color, (3) it must have a smell; (4) it must have a taste (McKenna, 2000; Clement, 1981).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It Contains Meaning   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The particular sensations experienced by a person are interpreted in a way that will give them meaning in terms of the person’s experience. For a person it is difficult to perceive or understand a thing or stimulus if he does not know it. Before one perceives a thing, he must be familiar with it first. A person attaches meaning to a thing he has knowledge of or is familiar with (McKenna, 2000; Clement, 1981)..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is Adaptive or Subjective   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When a person perceives a thing, he sees it according to his likes, desires, ambitions or beliefs. In other words, he suits his perception according to his likes, his feelings, his desires, and his beliefs (McKenna, 2000; Clement, 1981).. Factors Affecting or Influencing Perception   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are several factors to be considered to understand perception. These are the sense organs, intelligence, the emotions and feelings, culture, training, social factors, interests, attitudes and motives (Landy, 1985; Baron, 1983; Clement, 1981). The Role of the Senses   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How a person interprets things or situations depends primarily upon his sense organs. Some senses are stronger than others. There are those who have a keen sense of smell; there are those with very poor eyesight. This may result in different perceptions of objects (Landy, 1985; Baron, 1983; Clement, 1981).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Apparel to a person’s sense makes perception effective. This is illustrated in advertizing. The more senses advertizing appeals to the more lasting the impression is (Landy, 1985; Baron, 1983; Clement, 1981). Culture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Culture influences our perception both directly and indirectly. Indirectly, because culture influences our personal needs and motives. Directly, because a person’s habits of looking at and interpreting things, objects, persons, and situations depend partly on his culture (Landy, 1985; Baron, 1983; Clement, 1981). Training   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another factor of perception is training and conditioning. Training means the education and experience the individual gains in his life. It involves observing others and/or following instructions. The point is, what will happen in any particular situation and what will done by the people involved, will depend upon the past conditioning and training of the various individuals involved (Landy, 1985; Baron, 1983; Clement, 1981). Social Factors   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A person’s social experiences exert a strong influence on how he sees or interprets a situation, specially a social situation. In his contact with his family, friend, school or business associates his responses to situations are influenced by experiences with these social groups. In other words, his perception of situation depends upon his social interactions with people and society (Landy, 1985; Baron, 1983; Clement, 1981). Emotions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Emotions influence one’s perception. A situation which appears â€Å"very bad† during a negative emotional moment often turns out to be â€Å"not bad after all† in a calmer moment. Our behavior is not only due to physiological causes but also to psychological causes. These psychological causes are partly due to an individual’s emotion (Landy, 1985; Baron, 1983; Clement, 1981). Intelligence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When a person is intelligent, he does not only see objects as they are but interprets them in terms of beauty, uniqueness, and the efforts made behind the construction, in other words, he sees things in several dimensions (Landy, 1985; Baron, 1983; Clement, 1981). Motives or Drives   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A person’s motives, needs, desires and drives condition our perception. A salesman displays wares in his counter with the bodily or psychological needs or desires of the customers in mind. The customers’ attention will be attracted because of their personal motives (Landy, 1985; Baron, 1983; Clement, 1981). Interests   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Different individuals perceive the same object in varying ways influenced by their interests. A high school graduate may perceive a city as a place where he can further his studies. A businessman on the other hand, would see it as a good place for business, while an employee from a rural place would see as the place where he can get better play or salary (Landy, 1985; Baron, 1983; Clement, 1981). Attitudes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The attitude of a person is a determining factor of perception. A favorable attitude toward an object or thing will make him see the object as a desirable thing (Landy, 1985; Baron, 1983; Clement, 1981). Reference: Baron, R. 1983. Behavior in Organizations: Understanding and Managing the Human Side of Work, Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Clement, R.W. 1981. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Management Training. Human Resources Management. Vol. 20, pp.8-13. Halonen, Jane S., and John Santrock. Psychology: Contexts of behavior. 1996. Brown & Benchmark, USA, p. 280. Landy, F.J. 1985. Psychology of Work behavior. 3rd Ed. Dorsey Press. McKenna, Eugene, 2000. Business Psychology and Organizational Behavior: A Student’s Handbook. 3rd Ed. Psychology press: Taylor and Francis Group.      

Essay about Humans How We Are Destroying the World Around Us

Dave Hennesey Mr. Gregg AP Chemistry 2 February 2005 Humans: How We Are Destroying the World Around Us This generation and also future ones will suffer because of this, and us humans are mostly to blame. What are humans responsible for? We are responsible for endangering the nature and health of our ecosystems. One way we damage our ecosystem is by polluting the environment. Everyday millions of people use automobiles, trains, and airplanes to travel. This begs the question- how is this affecting the ecosystem? Pollution affects the ecosystem in many ways. One being oxides of nitrogen causes such things as acid rain, which reduces the pH value of soil. Another way is soil can become infertile for plants. In result of this†¦show more content†¦The last good approach to take would be to place recycling bins around your home to remind and encourage you to do your part. We are damaging our ecosystem majorly by encouraging effects of global warming. The causes are the release of gasses produced by vehicles, power plants, in dustrial processes, and deforestation. An impact of this is higher temperatures. During the last ten years, the earths temperature has increased with each passing year. A major impact also is the landscapes changing. The changing patterns of precipitation are forcing plants and trees to move toward polar regions and up mountain slopes. Wildlife is also at risk. The previously mentioned impacts will force animals of all species to migrate to cooler areas in order to survive. Many experts believe that by the year 2050, one-fourth of the earths species will be headed for extinction. It will also amplify the number of natural disasters. Because of climate change intensifying water circulation, it will cause droughts and floods to be more frequent and severe. Hot temperatures and dry conditions will also lead to an increase in forest fires. The last main impact is thermal expansion. 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