Research Assignment - Leadership

Leadership

Name: Comment by Jacqui Simmons: Please include your name when you submit a draft

Institutional Affiliation:

Leadership is the art of inspiring people to work towards the achievement of a common goal. Effective leadership entails motivating one’s followers by engaging and involving them in moving towards the desired direction. Leadership and management are often used interchangeably although they do not necessarily mean the same thing. Leadership entails more than management. Leadership can also be leant (Northouse, 2013). Although there are people that may naturally exude leadership abilities, people can become leaders by improving on particular skills that have been identified as critical in leadership. These skills include problem solving, decision making and communication. Problem solving is the ability to solve organizational challenges and take advantage of opportunities in the marketplace. Decision making involves the ability to guide the organization into the future by making strategic steps. Communication involves listening carefully and speaking positively and with clarity. Comment by Jacqui Simmons: A bit wordy—work on concision throughout the paper. See this link for a guide: http://guide.writelab.com/concision/ Comment by Jacqui Simmons: Do you mean learned? Comment by Jacqui Simmons: Consider developing a thesis statement that introduces your paper’s main idea.

Cultural beliefs and values play a role in a leader’s techniques. Leadership traits result partially from the cultural norms and partly from the leadership situation. Whereas the ingredients of leadership are universal, different countries may require the application of different leadership techniques. This is because successful leadership requires the culture specific condiments because different cultures differ in their imbedded concepts of leadership. The qualities that an individual need to demonstrate in order to be deemed a leader are hugely dependent on the cultural context (Chamorro-Premuzic & Sanger, 2016). As a result, great leadership is mainly personality in the right place. Effective leaders appreciate the fact that choosing the right leadership technique in different situation can improve their chances of success. Comment by Jacqui Simmons: Rethink word choice Comment by Jacqui Simmons: Rethink wording Comment by Jacqui Simmons: Subject/verb agreement—needs Comment by Jacqui Simmons: Rephrase for clarity Work on clarity and word choice throughout the paper. Try to be as specific as possible and be sure that the words you choose are appropriate in context. See these links for guides: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/word-choice/ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/600/01/

An appreciation of how leadership techniques may vary from one country to another is vital for the company has it has several offices and operation across the world. Taking note of different leadership techniques that are appropriate in different countries can have a profound effect on the motivation of the company’s workers as well as its performance. Ignoring the differences can be costly to the company. This is because leadership styles vary across cultures (Northouse, 2013). In some countries for instance, leaders must demonstrate technical competence, prioritize facts over sentiment and seek consensus from their followers in order to achieve results. Some other countries are much more extrovert and rely on the ability of the leader to use their authority to inspire employees. Comment by Jacqui Simmons: Rephrase for concision and clarity Comment by Jacqui Simmons: it seems like you’re referring to a specific company, but you haven’t introduced one yet. You may need to provide some additional context. It might help to introduce this focus on a single company in the introduction. Comment by Jacqui Simmons: Work on active voice throughout the paper. See this link for a guide: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/539/ Comment by Jacqui Simmons: Rethink phrasing

Studies indicate that a leader’s decision making style is hugely influenced by the geographical location in which they lead. Some countries may for instance have a preference for synchronized leaders that seek consensus from the followers when making decisions. Asian countries such as China, South Korea and Japan as well as the Hispanic countries of South America have a preference for this type of leadership. In such countries, leaders must seek consensus from the others before they can ascend the leadership ranks. Comment by Jacqui Simmons: This is a bit vague. It would help to cite a specific study Comment by Jacqui Simmons: I’d move this to the beginning of the sentence Comment by Jacqui Simmons: I recommend substantiating your claims with citation. Consider this throughout the paper.

In such countries, an individual can achieve success in leadership by adopting a democratic style. This will entail involving one’s subordinates in the decision making process. Encouraging collaboration is critical in motivating and inspiring employees in such countries. This is because engaging followers increases their satisfaction and commitment to the job. It will also be important for the leader to make the team members feel like they have control over their work. Comment by Jacqui Simmons: hyphenate Comment by Jacqui Simmons: Again, try to substantiate your claims with citation.

Another important leadership technique that will enable a leader achieve success in such countries is delegation of decision making. This will involve motivating the personnel to solve the problems themselves Comment by Jacqui Simmons: Think about how you’re organizing your paragraphs. Some of the paragraph divisions seem arbitrary. Stick to one main idea per paragraph. Fully explore that idea before you move on to a new paragraph. You may be able to combine this paragraph with the previous two.

Nordic and Western countries on the other hand have a preference for opportunistic leaders. In such countries, a leader needs to adopt different technique in order to be successful. For instance, leaders in such countries should have the capacity to self-initiate. They should also display flexibility in how they achieve their goals. Such leadership techniques are applicable in countries including the U.S, UK Austria and New Zealand. The leaders in these countries also tend to be individualistic and ambitious risk takers (Dugan, 2017). Although they drive in ambiguity, they also check frequently with others to ensure that they motivate and inspire them towards the achievement of such goals. Comment by Jacqui Simmons: Rethink wording

The communication techniques of leaders may differ from country to country. In some countries, employees expect their leaders to be straight-shooting. In countries like Japan, China and Netherlands, people prefer leaders to confront issues in a straight forward manner and get to the point as quickly as possible. In this countries, a task-oriented technique can enable the leader to be successful Comment by Jacqui Simmons: these Comment by Jacqui Simmons: period needed

In other countries, leaders are expected to adopt a diplomatic approach in their communication. In countries like Canada, Sweden, and New Zealand, effective communication is important in getting along with others as well as ascending the leadership hierarchy. In these countries, employees prefer to work for leaders that are agreeable and friendly. Consequently, leaders are expected to show empathy when confronting employees (Chamorro-Premuzic & Sanger, 2016). In instances of negotiations, the leaders are expected to constantly gauge the reactions of the audience so as to keep the engagement pleasant.

The differences in leadership techniques required from country to country has a number of implications to the company especially in regard to leadership development. For instance, it is clear that developing leaders from within the company can have profound effect on its performance. The company must invest in building local leadership programs that groom potential leaders in the various countries where it has operations. This will ensure that the culture in this locations is reinforced and shared as opposed to introducing leaders from other countries that may not have an understanding of the culture (Chamorro-Premuzic & Sanger, 2016). Alternatively, the company can implement an exchange program that grooms potential leaders by sending them to the various countries it has operations before they take up major leadership roles. This can ensure that they have an appreciation of the culture of the people that they will lead so that they can adopt the right techniques when they assume positions of leadership. Comment by Jacqui Simmons: have (“differences” is plural) Comment by Jacqui Simmons: comma Comment by Jacqui Simmons: try to make this sentence more parallel. See this link for a guide to parallel structure: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/623/1/ Comment by Jacqui Simmons: cultures in these locations are Comment by Jacqui Simmons: choose one

This approach is based on the recognition of the company’s global operations as a community. The company employs people in different countries. These people have different values and beliefs that may be difficult to change. Instead of trying to introduce them to a different culture, it will be better to build a strong set of global capabilities and values but let the individual countries manage their operations. The company can apply various tools in predicting the leadership abilities of individuals to be nurtured in the program. This can be achieved through aptitude and personality tests that can evaluate the leadership potential of job applicants. It is important that the company considers what can change and what should stay the same in order to achieve global growth. Comment by Jacqui Simmons: rephrase for clarity Comment by Jacqui Simmons: rephrase for clarity/concision Comment by Jacqui Simmons: Good start. As you edit, work on clarity and concision. Try to back up your claims with cited support whenever possible.

References Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Sanger, M. (2016). What Leadership Looks Like in Different Cultures. Boston: Havard Business Review. Daft, R. (2014). The Leadership Experience. South-Western College Publishers. Dugan, J. P. (2017). Leadership Theory: Cultivating Critical Perspectives. Wiley. Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.