Strategic Leadership Critical Essay PDF

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Essay on strategic leadership and the benefits for business....

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Introduction So, what is leadership and why is it so important? The role of a leaders is a complicated balance act of managing conflicting demands, from both employers and employees. According to Renwick in Redman and Wilkinson (2009, p.235), there are two competing pressures faced by line managers today: 

The employer asking for a high level of performance, and



Employees asking to be developed in a wider sense as resourceful humans (for both motivational and job satisfaction purposes)

Leaders are significant contributors to the success, or failure, of an organisation. Knotter (1990) describes leaders as ‘… experts at coping with change. Setting direction, aligning people to the vision and motivating people.’ However their ability to do so is subject to their own technical competence, social and human skills as well as conceptual ability (Katz, 1974). There are many different types of leader, and how they choose to engage and interact with their subordinates will play a significant role in their success. This essay will use leadership theory to critically analysis different examples of leadership styles that have been experienced within the private, social and third sector in order to establish the advantages and disadvantages of each, and how past experiences can influence future leaders. Leadership Theories Beginning with Plato’s theory of the philosopher kings, there have been many theoretical studies that have attempted to identify whether the qualities displayed by ‘great’ leaders are inherent traits or skills and behaviours that can be learned and developed. Over the past 70 years there has seen a significant shift in the focus of leadership literature (Bailey, 2020). In the 1950s Trait and Behavioural theories focussed on the abilities and behaviours of the leader. By the 1970s this focus had shifted to Situational

theory which had begun to investigate how situations and the qualities and traits of subordinates could influence effective leadership. By the 1980s the focus had shifted once again to Transformational theory which explores the notions that ‘ideal’ leaders can be developed, with the ability to incorporate numerous and potentially conflicting skills to achieve positive outcomes. This essay will use these leadership theories to explore the benefits of different leadership styles in order to consider how past experiences of leadership can influence leaders of the future. Example 1: Leader A (Public Sector) Leader A had been working with the public sector since leaving university, and had successfully been promoted to Director level at the relatively young age of forty. They were responsible for managing the ‘Strategic Leadership’ team which consisted of twenty members of staff. Manager A displayed extensive knowledge and understanding of the workings of local government and was responsible for developing key strategies for the development of affordable housing with local authority. However, a reluctance to share information from superiors and Council members, or share their own knowledge and experience, with their subordinates left their staff members feeling unfulfilled and underdeveloped. While their refusal to engage with the team on a day to day basis generated feelings of mistrust and resentment. Katz (1974) identifies three critical skills that are essential for any leadership role. Leader A demonstrated significant technical competence within their role and was able to evidence strong conceptual ability through the delivery of ground-breaking strategies in the field of social housing. However, their inability and unwillingness to socialise or engage with their subordinates in a meaningful way, indicates a serious deficiency in the social and human skills required at that level of management (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Skills needed in managerial roles. Reproduced from ‘Topic 1 - Leadership and the role of the manager’ by M. Bailey 2020 (Adapted from R.Katz, Skills of an Effective Administrator, 1974)

Indeed, this assumption is supported by the findings of Peter G. Northouse, who identified sociability as one of the key characteristics of an ideal leader. As we can see, Leader A would appear to adopt an autocratic leadership style (Lewin, 1939), refusing to consult their team or make decisions. Demonstrating Nahavandi’s belief that ‘Some traits possessed by leaders may be harmful in their extreme form’ (2015, p. 140). According to Conger and Kanungo (1988), leaders empower their subordinates by delegating authority. Leader A’s refusal to share knowledge with their team demonstrates ineffective leadership. In addition, Goleman (1995, 1998, 2002) identified four competencies that define emotional intelligence (which is an essential component of leadership), self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationships management. The lack of trust between the team and Leader A demonstrates a lack of selfawareness and emotional intelligence. Had Leader A attempted to identify to utilise any methods to identify their personal learning needs, for example a SWOT analysis or leadership skills questionnaire, they may have identified that they were lacking skills in these areas and sought to rectify the situation.

Example 2: Leader B (Private Sector) Leader B had been working with a small, private training company since being made redundant from their previous role within a similar company. They were responsible for a team of 5, and brought with them a demonstrable understanding of the direction that the company needed to move in to ensure that the organisation met its objectives. Ambitious, driven and prepared to do anything to prove their skills to their new employers, Leader B was a strict task master. Demanding perfection, unforgiving of mistakes, manipulative and unwilling to recognise the efforts of the team in achieving considerable success for the business, leaving the team demoralised, demotivated and generating a high turnover of staff. Like Leader A, Leader B demonstrated acute technical and conceptual skills within their role by setting the organisation on the correct path in order to achieve its objectives. Leader B however also displayed all three of the toxic characteristics of Nahavandi’s Dark Triad (2015), Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy. According to Likert’s management systems (1979), Leader B applied a System 1, Exploitative approach to their leadership style by permitting minimal delegation and motivating their subordinates through fear and punishment. Which ultimately resulted in an unhappy team and poor staff retention within the organisation. It would appear that both Leader A and Leader B lacked the self and social awareness skills identified by Goffee and Jones (2002) to identify areas of their own personality or knowledge that required improvement in order to develop their leadership skills and adapt to the situation or the needs of their team. While trust is identified as a key leadership skill, Leader B inspired deterrencebased trust (Robbins, 2005), which is inconducive with effective leadership. Leader B appears to display a corrective or coercive method of transactional leadership (Burns, 1978) and while it is obvious that they had a clear vision of the organisation, they were unable to disseminate this vision in a meaningful way to their subordinates.

Example 3: Leader C (Third Sector)

Leader C was a voluntary leader for a small charity working with disenfranchised families on the brink of serious criminal or social work interventions. Responsible for a team of five volunteers, Leader C brought a wealth of experience of working with ‘at risk’ families during their previous employment as a teacher. Leader C actively promoted the aspirations of the organisation by holding regular ‘coffee’ mornings with the team. Providing them with a ‘safe space’ to feedback on their experiences, challenges and successes during the month. Leader C practised an open-door policy, encouraged the team to seek opportunities for employment within their field of interest and empowered the team to believe in their own abilities. As a result, there was a waiting list of volunteers keen to join the team. Unlike Leaders A and B, Leader C displayed a very different leadership style. Using the Blake and Mouton (1964) Managerial Grid (Figure 2), we can see that Leader C applied a Team Management approach, placing both a high concern for production alongside a high concern for the people working within their team. Thus, creating a relationships of trust and respect by encouraging active participation within the organisation and its end goals.

Figure 2. Blake & Mouton (1964) Managerial Grid Reproduced from ‘Topic 4 – The various styles of leaders’ by M. Bailey 2020

One of the key differences between Leaders A, B and C is the much higher level of social and human skills openly demonstrated by Leader C. The effort that they put in to creating a positive psychological contract between themselves and their subordinates reflects the links identified by Guest and Conway (1997) of a higher commitment to the organisation, higher job satisfaction, better employee relations and a lower staff turnover. As staff turnover with Leader C is so low, if could be suggested that they have been able to reach Phase 3 of Graen and Uhi-Bien’s (in Northouse, 2007, p.156) phases of relationship making. Where there is reciprocal influence between the subordinates and the leader, a strong group culture and high quality of exchanges. While Leader C demonstrates excellent leadership skills and has built a strong and supportive team that are inspired and willing to follow them, they do need to be cautious of developing an overly high altruism trait score (Yukl, 2013. P.164) leaving them unable to ask their team for more or maintain discipline. Example 4: Leader D Leader D works for multinational training company and is directly responsible for seventeen subordinates in both the United Kingdom and Norway. Leader D assumed responsibility for the team following the acquisition of a rival company and subsequent restructure. Leader D is highly competent, and goes out of their way to be popular with member’s of the team, occasionally attempting to ‘buy’ favour. However, their personality is such, that it inspires and attracts followers. Due to their high number of reports, Leader D is unable to spend any one-to-one time with members of the team, and Performance and Development Reviews (PDRs), while they are carried out annually, serve no real purpose other than a ‘box ticking’ exercise. Leader D is a charismatic leader (House et al, 1991, 1997), as demonstrated by team members displaying loyalty and obedience to them and deserving of their love, gratitude and respect. Unfortunately, their inability to delegate or develop their team members is evidence of ineffective leadership.

This could be resolved by adopting a Situational approach to leadership and using the PDRs to consider where each team member sits on the Team Member

Developmental continuum. Making it easier to delegate tasks and empower personnel. Leader Development According to Nahavandi, leader development is the ‘Expansion of a person’s capacity to be effective in leadership roles and processes’ (2009, p.309). It is now commonly believed that effective leadership can be learned (Bailey, 2020), by those who are willing and have a desire to do so. Kolb’s learning cycle (1974) highlights our ability to effectively learn from our past experiences through reflection, learning and experimentation. Using experiences of leadership that we have witnessed in the past, not only helps us to identify the leadership styles that are ineffective, but also raises our self-awareness of our own personality traits and characteristics that could act as ‘blockers’ to being an effective leader in certain situations. By becoming more self-aware, we can analysis gaps in our skill sets to identify areas where improvements are required and take the necessary steps through planning, training, informal and formal mentorships and coaching, reflection and evaluation to make ourselves better leaders, and the type of leaders that other aspire to be. Strategic Leadership Participation in formal programmes like the Robert Gordon University’s Strategic Leadership short course offers leaders the ability to learn new skills and refresh their old ones through a structured process of online learning, feedback and reflection. Each week the course encourages learners to participate in short activities that enable them to put their learning into practice. For example, by analysing case studies, creating a personal development plan to highlight areas for development (which will not only to improve their own skills, but benefit the organisations that they work for) and completing questionnaires to highlight the type of leader that they currently are; so that they can adapt to any situation. These activities allow participants to receive feedback and reflect on how they can build better

relationships with their subordinates while continuing to help the organisations that they work for (or will work for) to meet their objectives. Conclusion

Leadership is “The process of influencing the activities of an organised group in its efforts towards goal setting and goal achievement” (Ralph Stogdill, 1950). In order to become an effective leader, we must appreciate that the situations that we work in, the organisation that we work for and the people that we work with are in a constant state of flux. Meaning that no one type of leadership style, or theory, can be applied to every situation. As leaders, we have a duty to continually seek self-improvement and development to ensure that we can adapt to an ever changing and challenging environment to meet the conflicting demands set upon us by our employers and employees. This can be achieved through self-awareness, knowledge of leadership theory, and learning, reflecting and acting on our past experiences....