Running Head: DISCUSSION BOARD 1 1
Leadership and Management
Kristin Reese
Liberty University
DISCUSSION BOARD 1 2
Introduction to Leadership and Management
In Chapter 1 of the required textbook, Saterlee (2013, p. 4) describes management as
including “the functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling human and other
resources to achieve goals efficiently and effectively.” While managers are in a position to be
leaders, their position does not indicate that they will be effective in both roles. Leadership is
merely a function of management that allows managers to influence their followers. Two types of
leadership are also discusses: transactional and transformational. Transactional leaders
understand the principles of management and guide their followers toward goal achievement,
while transformational leaders make their followers aware of organizational issues and inspire
their followers through expression of feelings.
Chapter 2 of the textbook provides us with in in-depth review of the history of
management, discussing many of the historical theories of management that affect our current
management practices.
Three Concepts
Concept 1: Followership
Saterlee (2013, p. 6) states that “organizational success depends on both followers and
leaders.” Ultimately, titles and positions within the organization are not demonstrative of
individuals’ abilities to either lead or follow. An individual in a management position does not
automatically know how to lead, and individuals who are considered subordinates may not be
good followers. These roles reinforce the association of power with position, which do not
always indicate one’s ability to effectively perform in their designated role. Finding the right
people to fill these roles will ultimately lead to the overall success of the organization. Manning
DISCUSSION BOARD 1 3
and Roberson (2016) go on to state that the skills of an effective leader are developed and built
upon the skills of an effective follower.
Saterlee also discusses the five different styles of followers: isolates, bystanders,
participants, activists, and diehards. Participants at typically the most sought-after of all
followers, because they are actively engaged within their organization and want to make an
impact (Saterlee, 2013, p. 6). In contrast, isolates are considered to be detached from the
organization, and are considered unresponsive to their leaders. I feel it is important for
organizations to recognize an individual’s follower style in order to ensure the role is being filled
properly. This can be monitored through various self-assessments taken by employees, including
gauging their openness to change, as well as their likelihood to experience conflict within the
organization.
Concept 2: Five Dimensions of Trust
Trust in management is important for organizations to consider, because it can determine
who subordinates are willing to follow. Saterlee (2013, p. 8) lists five dimensions of trust, as
defined by Kouzes and Posner. These dimensions include integrity, competence, consistency,
loyalty, and openness. The most important of these is integrity, which requires a leader to be
honest and trustworthy. Based on my recent employment experience, openness as it relates to
communication is a dimension that most affected my organization. When employees felt that
upper management was not effectively communicating organizational changes, it hindered
employees’ willingness to follow, and has ultimately created a negative organizational climate.
As one of the five C’s of good characters, Gladis (2010) describes a leader’s ability to
communicate as knowing how to speak and write clearly, and to not waver or confuse.
Concept 3: Scientific Management
DISCUSSION BOARD 1 4
Scientific management was created by Frederick W. Taylor in an effort to increase
efficiency within industrial plants, instead of managing by authority (Saterlee, 2013, p. 33). The
four principles of Taylor’s scientific management include creating standard operating procedures
for performing tasks, training and developing employees to function within the standard
operating procedures and use their skills to complement the tasks, for managers to ensure that all
work is being performed according to scientific principles, and that work should be divided
equally between management and workers (Saterlee, 2013, p. 34). In their analysis of Taylor’s
scientific method in modern and post-modern management, Linzi (2013) reinforces the idea that
Taylor sought the “best ways” of performing tasks, instead of a singular way. This is in contrast
to many managers who reject Taylor’s approach due to their singular interpretation of his
principles. While one size does not fit all in managing organizations, I feel that Taylor’s scientific
management approach can be beneficial to many organizations by creating standards and
expectations for performance by all employees and managers.
DISCUSSION BOARD 1 5
References
Gladis, S. (2010). The trusted leader. T + D, 64(11), 14. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/804213951?accountid=12085
Linzi J. Kemp, (2013) "Modern to postmodern management: developments in scientific
management", Journal of Management History, Vol. 19 Issue: 3, pp.345-
361, https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1108/JMH-02-2011-0005
Manning, T., & Robertson, B. (2016). A three factor model of followership: part 3 – research on
followership, a three factor followership framework and practical implications. Industrial
and Commercial Training, 48(8), 400-408. doi:10.1108/ict-01-2016-0005
Saterlee, A. (2013). Organizational management and leadership: A Christian perspective (2nd
ed.). Raleigh, NC: Synergistics International Inc.
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
