Tannenbaum and Schmidt PDF

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Tannenbaum & Schmidt – How to choose a leadership pattern Answering the need OLD PROBLEM: How to lead followers? NEW PROBLEM: When should a decision be made by the leader? When should employees be consulted? To which extent? Purpose of their article -

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Focuses on the question of how a manager should lead the organization Teaches a manager how to choose a leadership pattern (i.e. Being democratic in his/her relations with employees and at the same time maintaining authority and control. Looks at relationships between the level of freedom that a manager chooses to give to a team and the level of authority that is kept by him/her Tries to get away from the idea of how to lead followers Instead it helps managers deal with the dilemma of determining when decision making is done by the leader and when the employees should be consulted o Strong leader versus permissive Discusses the idea of: o Group dynamics o places focus on members of the group o Looks at the importance of employee involvement o Participation in decision making

Leadership Continuum – How to choose a leadership pattern -

Shows the relationship between the level of freedom that a manager chooses to give to a team and the level of authority used by the manager Team’s freedom Manager’s authority Each type of action is related to: 1) the degree of authority used by the manager 2) the amount of freedom available to the subordinates

How to Lead – Impact of 3 Forces

Forces in the Manager  

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Value system How much does a manager value shared decision making Confidence in subordinates/employees  If manager believes that the subordinates have the necessary competence, knowledge, and qualifications to deal with a problem, more likely to relinquish authority and delegate Their leadership inclinations  Some managers prefer resolving problems themselves, others are more comfortable in a team role (don’t feel comfortable making decisions for others) Feeling of security in an uncertain situation  By releasing control over decision-making, this makes the outcome more ambiguous (less predictable, more uncertain) o Can a manager handle this?

Forces in the Subordinate  Subordinates have certain expectations about how the boss should treat them       

High need for independence (taking on more responsibility) Readiness to assume responsibility in decision making High tolerance for ambiguity (prefers receiving orders vs. having more freedom) Identify with the organization’s problems and goals (places importance in company problems) Is interested in the problem (feels that it is important) Do they have necessary knowledge and experience to deal with problem? Learned to be part of decision making

Forces in the Situation -

Types of organization Group effectiveness Nature of the problem Time pressures Long-run strategy Objectives to be attained

Tannenbaum and Schmidt – A New Concept

New Revisions:

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Subordinate and boss are now referred as  non-manager and manager Managers and non-managers are governing forces in group’s environment o Both have equal amount of power Now must consider other factors such as unions, individual workers’ expression of resistance, social movements, etc. Must look at the organizational environment AS WELL AS the societal environment o i.e. work-life balance

Overall conclusions: A successful manager…   

Is aware of these forces Understands the group, the company, themselves Asses the forces and behaves appropriately depending on the circumstance o Neither strong nor permissive  Flexible...