Leadership Responsibility

Global Leadership 1

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP 7

MBA6026 The Global Leader Unit 1 Assignment 1

Global Leadership Agenda and Theory

Deidre Connor

Professor Michael McGivern

Global Leadership Agenda and Theory

Howard Gardener Five Minds of Future Book reveals the objectives that leaders globally ought to follow. These objectives are, a synthesizing mind, stating that leaders should have the ability to decode ideas from different disciplines and process the information as a whole and in a way that they can convey it to other people. Secondly, is the disciplinary mind, meaning a leader should be able to master all the schools of thought. For example, professional crafts, mathematics, history and science. On the other hand is the creative mind. A leader should be able to identify problems, solve them amicably and bring up strategies to prevent them from happening in the future.

In the model also, he included the ethical mind which stated that a leader should always be able to fulfill what is expected of them both as citizens and employees. Finally, he included the respectful mind. Meaning that one had to differentiate between human groups and human beings. It is evident that Gardener had several means through which he derived his model. However, it is not in every organization that you will find this model being emphasized. Most global leaders nowadays use their strategies to ensure that they have everything under control within the organization. However, it would be of great importance if they took the leadership role more seriously.

Leaders, however, have to forecast in the future. This will enable them to know what to change, maintain and mend in their strategies. For example, nowadays most organizations are working on ensuring that they integrate Supply chain management in the organization. However, after integration of these strategies, they have no more plans. In organizations like Coca Cola where they have already integrated the Supply chain systems, the leaders are now focusing on other means that would enable them to retain their market base, ensure that there is employee involvement and also ensure that their continuous development of their strategies.

To ensure this, the leaders are looking for other ways like the development of their managerial strategies. This has not been easy for most leaders globally to implement. That is because they have to do more than expected in these strategies. (Gardner) For example, ensuring that they have better strategies for time management, have better and specific priorities, improved decision-making strategies, strategic thinking amongst others. In short, they have to ensure that there are more effective means to work. Meaning that they get the jobs done on time, production of high-end quality products and services thus ensuring that the organization remains productive and profitable too.

On the other hand, leaders are focusing on ensuring that they inspire others. In this case, they focus on employees. Most leaders globally think that inspiring or motivating their employees is by fairly compensating them for the work done. However, there is more to employee motivation that just the wages. Employees are part of the organization and ensuring that they get that feeling is one way towards accomplishing the motivation or inspiring goals. Leaders are now focusing in lying down strategies that will ensure the employees feel integrated within the organization thus enabling them to become more and more motivated. (Gardner)

Likewise, most leaders are focused on ensuring that they are guiding change within the organization. Changes in most cases are not embraced by everyone within the organization. Therefore, the leaders are to ensure that their change strategies will be well accepted and that there is no one left behind. This will be attained by ensuring that the whole organizational environment understands what is going to change and how it will affect them either positively or negatively. By so doing, the leaders will eliminate any chances of reaction or rejection of these strategies. They will be the key participants who are supposed to ensure that everyone is mobilized, understands the strategies and is not resistant.

From the study conducted, three main emerging theories are appropriate for a global agenda. They are situational, contingency and transformational theories. Situational theory suggests that different circumstances require different means of leadership. For a leader to be effective, they should have the ability to evaluate a situation, view the possible outcomes and identify the best strategies to solve it. This theory consists of factors that will determine the commitment and competence of the followers of a leader. By so doing, they will help identify whether the leader should use the supportive or the directive styles.

This theory goes hand in hand with a creative mind from the Gardener’s five minds model. Such a leader will be able to ensure that all the employees within the organization are developed, and their problems are equitably solved. By so doing, they will ensure that the employees develop and gain tactics from their strategies and skills. Developed employees in return will ensure that all the processes that are necessary to be conducted within the organization are completed on time and that the production of goods and services is accomplished thus producing quality products and services. Employees are critical to the organization since they will ensure that the organization grows, and the customers are satisfied.

On the other hand is the contingency theory. It states that the effectiveness of a leader depends on how well his styles matches or integrates with an individual situation. This approach is different from the situational theory since situational theory requires a leader to be able to adapt to the given situation but in contingency theory, the leader’s strategies are focused on. That is, how well will the leaders tactics fit with a given situation. The leader’s styles and qualities are put to test in this theory. Therefore, a leader should ensure in any given circumstance; they have the particular strategies to help them solve it. By so doing, they will be able to ensure that they become effective leaders.

The contingency theory enables a leader gain strength. A strong leader is a necessity within the organization since they will be able to motivate their employees, guide them and also ensure that they are developed. (Wolinski) Also, the leader will be more educated in these situations, therefore, being able to solve them in no time. The leader will be able to focus on the welfare of the employees thus ensuring that nothing goes wrong. Also, to the stakeholders, such a leader will ensure that their interests are kept first and that they always get what they want for the organization. Such a leader will not only enable the organization to grow, but they will ensure that the organization has the correct standards and strategies.

The transformational theory is the last emerging leadership theory. It states that leadership is a process through which an individual interacts with others thus being able to create a bond that ensures increased or higher morality and motivation in both the leaders and the followers. This theory focuses on the ability of an individual, being a leader, to facilitate change within the organization and also ensuring that there will be no reaction since they have strong bonds. Such a leader knows everyone within the organization in detail thus enabling them to have specific tactics on how to encounter each of these individuals.

This theory will ensure that the leader transforms the organization by ensuring that all the strategies are followed and also inspiring their employees. (Wolinski) Such leaders will be able to motivate their employees to work to their highest ability thus producing quality goods. By so doing, the organization had a competitive advantage, and also it can meet the expectations of their customers. Internally, the organization will be able to acquire a larger and greater market base and also have employees who participate in the innovation of their products and services. These leaders will ensure that the employees maintain discipline within the organization thus bringing about greater values.

References Emerging Leadership Theories. (n.d.). Retrieved from Advise America: http://www.adviseamerica.com/emerging-leadership-theories/ Gardener, H. (2009). 5 Minds for the Future. Harvard Business Review Press. George, B. (2012, February 17). A New Era for Global Leadership Development. Retrieved from Havard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2012/02/a-new-era-for-global-leadershi.html Kelchner, L., & Media, D. (2016). The Advantages of Emerging Leadership Theories. Retrieved from Work Chron: http://work.chron.com/advantages-emerging-leadership-theories-6325.html Ryan, J. R. (2013, December 23). Global leadership challenges. Retrieved from Business Standard: http://www.business-standard.com/article/management/global-leadership-challenges-113122200583_1.html Wolinski, S. (2010, April 21). Leadership Theories | Leadership. Retrieved from Management Help: http://managementhelp.org/blogs/leadership/2010/04/21/leadership-theories/ Zenger, J. (2014, June 26). The 6 Competencies Global Leaders Need To Succeed. Retrieved from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jackzenger/2014/06/26/the-6-competencies-global-leaders-need-to-succeed/#3c7c15787a8a