Chapter 1 Notes- Definition and Significance of Leadership PDF

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Leadership definitions- complex process with many definitions, despite the differences, various definitions of leadership share 4 common elements:" 1. Leadership is a group and social phenomenon, there can't be leaders without followers. Leadership is about others" 2. involves interpersonal influence or persuasion, leaders move others towards goals and actions" 3. Leadership is goal directed and action orientated. Leaders play an active role in groups and organizations, they use influence to guide others through a certain course of action or towards the achievement of certain goals" 4. Presence of leaders assumes some form of hierarchy within a group. Can be formal and well defined, or informal and flexible " By combining these 4 elements, we can define a leader as any person who influences individuals and groups within an organization, helps them establish goals, and guides them toward achievement of those goals, thereby allowing them to be affective." **formal titles and certain traits or personal characterizes are not necessary in defining leadership Leadership Effectiveness Definition- same as leadership, complex. Depends on the point of view of person trying to determine effectiveness and on the constitutes who are being considered. " Examples- determine leadership effectiveness in how the group performs, or if followers are satisfied, or by finding a story that is worth living." 3 elements in leadership effectiveness:" 1. Goal achievement " 2. Smooth internal processes" 3. External adaptability" Overall, leaders are effective when their followers achieve their goals, can function well together, and adapt to changing demands from external elements " [Effectiveness vs success]- Fred Luthans suggests effective managers are those with satisfies and productive employees, where successful managers are those who are promoted quickly. Why do we need leaders: • To keep groups orderly and focused" • To accomplish tasks" • To make sense of the world" • It be romantic ideals " Many different studies on whether we need leadership or not, some found leadership to only account for 7-14% of changes. Others say leadership accounts for 44% and found large disruptions that come from changes in leadership. " Significance of leadership: it's one of the many factors that affect performance of organizations, can indirectly impact other performance factors, essential in providing vision and direction, identify situations in which leadership matters are essential, the combinations of leaders with followers and other organizational factors makes an impact" Major Obstacles to Effective Leadership Keys to becoming an effective leader are knowledge, experience, practice, and learning from ones mistakes. Unfortunately, many organizations do not provide an environment in which leaders can practice new skills, try out new behaviours, and observe their impact. " Aside from different levels of skills and attitudes that might prevent a leader from being effective, several other obstacles exist:" • Organizations face considerable uncertainty that create pressure for quick responses and solutions. External forces (voters/investors) demand immediate attention. In an atmosphere of crisis, no time or patience for learning " • Organizations are rigid and unforgiving, no room for mistakes or experimentation"

• Organizations fall back on old ideas about what effective leadership is and rely on simplistic solutions that do not fit new and complex problems" • Over time, organizations develop particular culture that strongly influence how things are done and what is considered acceptable behaviour. Leaders implementing new ideas may face resistance generated by existing culture" • Difficulty involved in understanding and applying the findings of academic research Compare and Contrast Leadership and Management Leaders- long term and future orientated perspectives, Managers Leaders provide vision for followers to look beyond immediate -Focus on the present -focus on future -maintain status quo and stability -creates change surroundings, charismatic and create sense of excitement/ -implement policies and -initiate goals and strategies procedures purpose in followers, producing change" -create a culture based on -maintain existing structure shared values Managers- short term perspectives and focus on routine -remain aloof to maintain -establish an emotional link with objectivity issues within own immediate departments or groups, role is followers -use personal power -use position power to bring order and consistency through planning, budgeting, and controlling" Leaders demonstrate attributes that allow them to energize their followers, whereas managers simply take care of the mundane and routine details " **effective managers can often be considered leaders, and good leaders must perform management functions " " Roles and Functions of Leaders" 1. Managerial Roles- basic (planning, organizing, staffing, directing, controlling), strategic and external roles, negotiation, coordinating decisions with other departments, etc." 2. Creation and Maintenance of an Organizational Culture- founders style has impact on culture (ex- workaholic= centralized, fast-paced decision making, or participative leader= decentralized and Leader open). Created by managing emotions of group members and implementing a reward system and controlling decision standard. Power of leader to make Leader's Functions in Shaping Organizational Culture decisions for org about structure and strategy is another effective means of shaping culture Vision and mission, role modelling, reward system, hiring decisions, strategy & structure

Organizational Culture

Explain the changes in organizations and how they affect leaders To some- leader is someone who takes charge and jumps in to make decisions whenever the situation requires " To others- leader is a facilitator who simply channels groups desires" Organizations are changing drastically due to constant need for innovation, intense global competition, economic pressures, and changing demographics. As a result, traditional leadership techniques are changing too. Effective leaders of diverse and global teams are not necessarily in control of the group. Might need facilitation and participation skills more than initiation-of-structure skills. Many managers switched from traditional control orientated to current result orientated leadership. Harnessing employees ideas and engaging them in the goals of the organization is increasingly a key role for leaders. " Factors feeling these changes:" 1. Worldwide political changes- leads to more openness and democracy" 2. Increased global and local competition- with worldwide economic downturn and complex and

fast-changing technologies, numerous organizations are struggling " 3. Demographic changes- increased diversity, must consider when making decisions (cultural, age differences, women in the workforce, etc)" " Barriers to change: -financial pressures make some organizations turn to tough autocratic leaders who solve financial issues without thinking of employee motivation and loyalty" -top management still remains a one person show (though new models of leadership have implemented teams in lower and middle levels of organizations). This hierarchical structure makes change difficult" -employees are rewarded for individual performance, AKA reward structures fail to keep up with attempts to increase cooperation among employees and management. Previous training makes employees balk at taking new roles, and previous leaders have trouble giving up control"

Summarize the debate over the role and impact of leadership in organizations: (Summary of the chapter) A leader is any person who influences individuals and groups within an organization, helps them in the establishment of goals, and guides them toward achievement of those goals, thereby allowing them to be effective. Leaders are needed because they create order and organization in groups, allowing them to achieve their goals; they help people make sense of the world and can serve as ideal and romantic symbols for their followers. To be effective, leaders must help the organization maintain internal health and external adaptability. Despite the apparent simplicity of the definitions of leadership and effectiveness, both are difficult concepts to implement. Various studies propose separate definitions for leadership and management. The activities performed by leaders, however, are similar to those typically considered the domain of effective managers. Although some view the roles of leaders and managers as being different, effective, and competent, managers are often also leaders within their groups and organizations. In addition to performing the traditional managerial roles and duties, leaders also play a special role in the creation of a culture for their organizations. They can affect culture by setting the vision and direction, making direct decisions regarding reward systems, hiring other managers and employees, and being role models for others in the organization. The role of leaders is changing with our shifting expectations and global and organizational pressures. Leaders find themselves providing more vision and direction and focusing on results rather than command and control. While new roles take hold slowly, political, economic, demographic, and social changes drive the need for change. However, leaders find use of traditional models, lack of involvement of followers, and falling back on old practices hard obstacles to overcome."...