Kim Woods Only
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501OrganizationalResearchLeadership.docRunning Head: LITERATURE REVIEW ON LEADERSHIP 1
LITERATURE REVIEW ON LEADERSHIP 4
Leadership
Brandman University
Chad Hurt
OCLU 501: Organizational Research
10 December 2017
Abstract
Knowledge does not exist in a vacuum; it has to be obtained from somewhere. Therefore, a given work becomes only useful in comparison with other people’s work. This calls for the establishment of what the research study published in connection with the works of other researchers to analyze the development of the subject matter. This paper will present a critical review of the literature that was done in regard to the research questions about leadership. The objective of this literature review is to define leadership and to explain the roles and qualities of good leaders as backed up by scholarly documentation.
Table of Contents
5 Research Question One: Defining who a leader is
6 Research Question Two: Stating what the Functions of Leaders are
7 Research Question Three: Stating what the qualities of good leaders are
Introduction
The notion of leadership relates to one of the most emphasized and profoundly dissected issues in the society. In a few words, leaders exist in various capacities in the society, for instance, in political positions and in the realm of business. Given the fact that leaders are typically tasked with a vast array of vital responsibilities, it is of the utmost imperative that the phenomenon is comprehensively studied so that the effectiveness of individuals holding such positions can be augmented. In any given capacity, individuals usually look up to their leaders to provide them with a model of behavior that can aid them in realizing their goals. As such, it is of the essence that leaders conduct themselves in the most appropriate manner given the fact that whatever they do more often than not has an influence on other people. Leaders who demonstrate positive attributes have the potential to impart vital forms of behavior in others.
In contrast, it goes without saying that those whose conduct falls short of the expectations of the wider masses cannot have the desired influence on the wider masses. Since leaders are constantly learning ways of improving their performance, various approaches can be proposed with the intention of aiding these individuals to enhance their performance. For an individual to be regarded as an effectual leader, they have to demonstrate a vast spectrum of qualities that can be gauged to determine whether or not they are delivering on the expectations that have been placed on them. Thus, the primary objective of this literature review is to define leadership and to explain the roles and qualities of good leaders as backed up by scholarly documentation.
CRITICAL REVIEW
The study will apply the deductive approach in critically reviewing the literature. The approach helps to identify theories and ideas to be used in testing and to develop a conceptual framework for testing the data.
According to James Macgregor (2003), leadership contributes quite a lot to civilization due to their transformative capabilities. Leaders are not just solvers of problems, but they are the people who can help the society move from one level to another through motivation and morality. Some documents on leadership have suggested that leaders are the people who not only ensure that they do things right but also they are seen doing the right thing. In this regard, which type of leaders would be perceived as doing what is right? This question could bring in some answers with a lot of variations in them, but one thing for sure that will be common is that leaders have one personality trait in them, a passion for leading, though different leaders use different styles to lead. There is not a dearth of experts in the field of leadership or even sophistication of approaches, but still, there is no consensus on which leadership style is the most effective. As much as individual leadership styles do matter, leadership effectiveness is increasingly believed to be dependent on context and situational factors in which those particular leaders work. Research conducted on 160 CEOs justified that leadership is dependent not so much on what a person is like on the inside but by what the demands of the outside are. Considering temporal changes is essential in dynamics and patterns of leadership behaviors of the task they undertake when conceptualizing their styles effectiveness.
Effectual leadership has been rightfully perceived as one of the most critical aspects of the society throughout history. Without a doubt, in situations in which effective leadership is absent, so many things can go awry in virtually every facet of the society. Just to cite an instance, the collapse of numerous companies throughout history has been blamed on a diverse array of factors, one of the most prominent of which relates to ineffective leadership. The ill-fated instances of a vast sum of failed corporations are an exemplification of the issues that time and again come out in corporations that frequently deal with all-encompassing bottlenecks that primarily arise from administrative issues (Kouzes & Posner, 2012). Hence, in a bid to offer workable counsel on the most feasible way on how to go about issues in leadership, wide-ranging strategies have been developed to advise leaders on how best they can inspire individuals and consequentially get the most out of them.
Typically, the ability to instill motivation in individuals is not as challenging as if often purported to be. In essence, motivation tends to be tied to a particular external factor. However, of greater significance, top leaders have the ability to inspire individuals to act in the desired manner (Müller & Turner, 2010). People who have the ability to infuse inspiration afford individuals a feeling of purpose or, of equal importance, a sense of belonging that is not significantly connected with a given external incentive or benefits (Battilana et al., 2010). Thus, for a person to be categorized in the bracket of true leaders, they must have the ability to come up with a following of individuals who act not just owing to their being won over but because they have attained much-needed inspiration. For persons who have achieved inspiration, the motivation to act in the most appropriate manner tends to be deeply personal. Consequently, such persons have a lower likelihood of being influenced by incentives. Individuals who get to experience the power inspiration show greater willingness to tolerate problems (for instance personal suffering) or to pay a premium.
Thus, people who boast the ability to implant inspiration are bound to develop a following of individuals, which includes customers, supporters, workers, and voters, all of whom will be acting for the overall good of the organization out of their willingness and not out of compulsion (Kouzes & Posner, 2012). Individuals who are devoted to going to work are increasingly creative and productive. They return home feeling contented and usually have happy families. What is more, such persons treat their fellow employees and clients better. In a few words, inspired workers have the potential to create stronger corporations, as well as stronger economies. Through a vast repertoire of effective leadership strategies, indispensable practical counsel on how leaders can amplify their potential to realize broad-ranging benefits for the organization through the inspiration of workers continues to be offered (Dalton, 2012).
What is more, one of the most noteworthy leadership questions that people usually ask themselves, in particular, in fast changing environments, when making critical decisions in the workplace relates to whether or not employees will welcome such decisions (Müller & Turner, 2010). Regardless, leaders need to be firm and decisive. On occasions, a leader may be forced to make decisions that may not be welcomed by the rest of the staff. In such circumstances, apprehensions as to whether the decision will or will not be positively received set in (Chesbrough, 2010). Nevertheless, if the decision is aimed at furthering the overall prosperity of the organization, the critical decision has to prevail even if a faction of the employees will not be pleased in fast changing environments.
Irrespective of the leadership style an organization opts for, effective communication should be at the top of a leader’s most frequently employed tools. In essence, the manner in which a matter is communicated must be believed in and comprehensively clarified. On top of these, effective communication has to see to it that persons must accept the issue due to their faith in it. Further, leaders need to emphasize certain leadership principles that are related to the communication of a range of organizational issues so as to stimulate cooperation, trust, and change. Most importantly, there is the principle that leadership needs to be viewed as a behavior as opposed to a position. Usually, the leadership phenomenon has been incorrectly perceived as a crucial position of power that allows the leaders of an organization to use their influence as they like. Nonetheless, for an organization to witness change, leaders are required to act as responsibly as possible with a view to empowering persons to find out and make use of their utmost potential.
A range of leadership models is currently available for use in different professional settings. Regardless of a person’s sphere of operation, pinpointing the most fitting leadership model for use often tends to be a noteworthy challenge. However, as long as a leader demonstrates certain characteristics that are of the essence for instilling inspiration in an organization’s pool of workers, the employment of any leadership style can assuage or completely get rid of the challenges that a company is bound to experience. Even though all leadership styles associated with particular drawbacks, all of them can be harnessed by a capable leader to bring the best out of an organization’s employees and to ensure overall organizational success. Succinctly, leadership is of the utmost imperative for the success of a broad range of societal process, hence the need for leaders to exemplify the qualities that can aid them in fulfilling their vast goals.
Research questions
The research will seek to answer the questions; who is a leader? What are the striking qualities of a good leader? What are their roles? The exploration of these questions will avail information that can be used to shape the general context of leadership and the roles that leadership has in making a difference in the society. This literature review will provide an extensive content that will provide the knowledge regarding the three fundamental research questions:
1.) Who is a leader?
2.) What qualities make up a good leader?
3.) What are the functions of leaders?
Research Question One: Defining who a leader is
This question can be answered through a review of leadership theories. According to the Greta man theory, by Carlyle (2013) leaders are born, and those men who have been bestowed with heroic capabilities could only become leaders. The perspective of Carlyle was expanded further by Sydney Hook as “(as cited in Dobbins and Platz, 1986),” by highlighting the effect which could occur by the event making man and the eventful man. According to him, the eventful man remained sophisticated in a historic situation though he did not get to determine his course. The event making man, on the other hand, initiated actions which affected the course of events which could have been way different if he was not involved in the situation. However, it later turned out that this definition of a leader did not have a moral standing with the emergence of people like Hitler.
This perspective was challenged later, and leadership theory advanced from a dogma that leaders are destined by nature or born to be their role at a given time to a state of reflecting certain characteristics that envisage a capacity for leadership. The trait theory further stressed that born leaders possess certain traits both personality and physical traits which distinguished them from non-leaders. Two traits were identified, in particular, emergent traits (the ones that are dependent on heredity) including attractiveness, height, intelligence and self-confidence and traits of effectiveness those that are dependent on experience including charisma. Therefore, I would define a leader as anyone who possesses such traits and not forgetting the moral standing; a leader, however, is not just a person who possess these critical traits, a leader must use these traits to role model, set goals and articulate visions.
Research Question Two: Stating what the Functions of Leaders are
The people who advocate for transformational kind leadership have shown some confidence that the frameworks of the past should not in any way be a compass for the future. Such people believe that leaders who are successfully transformational create compelling, clear visions for the future. Leaders who are transformational concentrate their capabilities on long-term goals and vision changing and aligning systems and training and developing others. Such leaders depict transactional behavior as well (Avollino and Bass, 2004). According to Bass, great men were not made but born. But some people would argue that these roles of leadership are morally flawed. This is so because such perspectives could lead to authoritative leaders, thereby bringing in the issue of servant leadership.
The servant leader takes care of the needs of the follower and helps them to become freer, knowledgeable and autonomous. Therefore, according to Bass, I would second the fact that the critical roles of a leader are to induce followers to ensure that their needs are reordered by transcending the interest of self and strive for higher order needs.
Research Question Three: Stating what the qualities of good leaders are
According to transformational leadership, the qualities of a good leader are,
1.) Idealized influence
This is the attribute of a leader to be able to inspire the followers so that they can consider their leaders to be role models. Idealized influence can also be taken to mean charisma.
2.) The inspirational motivation which is the attribute of the leader to develop the consciousness of the followers so that they can be aligned towards the vision and mission of the organization.
3.) Intellectual stimulation
This is an attribute that enables leaders to stimulate the intellectual capacity of their followers, help them engender creativity and help them to accept challenges as part and parcel of their tasks.
Conclusion
The notion of leadership continues to intrigue many in the society, and with good reason. Without a doubt, leaders play an essential role in driving forward the society by making use of their skills. Their unique attributes are of the essence to the diverse situations that they confront on a regular basis in the society. Myriads of individuals look up to leaders for much-needed guidance and inspiration with respect to a vast array of issues that occur in the society. By borrowing a leaf or two from good leaders, individuals can end up molding appropriate behavior that can be extremely important to the accomplishment of their goals. As such, it is important for leaders to gain the understanding that the positions that they hold in the society places a great deal of responsibility in the sense that they are always expected to act as a shining example to the wider masses in many ways.
Leadership is not just about influencing the masses and making them follow one's ideology. Rather, leaders must always strive to set positive examples that are a true reflection of the most desired attributes in the society as opposed to making an attempt to force their own inappropriate ideologies on people. Leadership has some moral standing in it. It is not about influencing people to help one achieve some individual ambitions; it is about transforming the people by empowering them so that they can move from one level to another. It is about helping the followers to come up with ways of reordering their needs through striving for higher goals. Concisely, the value of good leadership to the society remains massive, with its positive outcomes being evident in more ways than one.
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