Leadership Styles in Organizational Behavior

Leadership Styles in Organizational Behavior

“A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit”.—Arnold Glasgow

            The terms leader and manager are often used interchangeably. According to Kinucki and Kreitner, there is a difference between the two. Management is about developing the capacity of the organization and staffing, coping with the details of planning by setting goals for the future, outlining budgets and outlines (Kreitner and Kinicki, 1998, p.497). Managing people is just one aspect of leading. There are other qualities that effective leaders utilize. Leadership is about setting a path and developing a vision of the future together with the necessary strategies for producing the changes needed to achieve this vision. (Kotter,1999,p.497).

            An effective leader will incorporate all four leadership styles which are Autocratic, Bureaucratic, Laissez-faire, and Democratic and apply them according to the situation. For example, in an emergency situation, leaders would not use a Lasissez-Fair or Democratic style of leadership. A clear autocratic style would be needed to assign tasks or roles, especially if someone’s life was in danger or time was of the essence.

            In an everyday leadership role, most leaders have taken a democratic style of leadership. The democratic leadership style is an open and  collective style of running a team. Ideas are allowed to flow freely and are discussed openly. This style of leadership means facilitating not controlling the team, Democratic leadership style leads to a high sense of personal growth and job satisfaction. One of the most effective strategies is building a strong team. High levels of performance are often encouraged by peer pressure and usually when one employee is slacking, others don’t allow it and will call them out on it. It is an effective motivational tool by encouraging competition among staff to take on a high performance level.

           The ground rule for democratic leadership is to keep communication open. When the exchange of ideas is open for discussion, everyone needs to feel comfortable enough to put their ideas on the table. The democratic leadership style thrives when trust has been established and all the considerations are laid out for everyone to examine.

           As the resource development specialist for a nonprofit, I have built very strong grant writing teams by utilizing business interns from a local university. It has always proven to be very energizing to allow them the floor and let ideas bounce off each other completely uncensored. Laying out all ideas for examination often leads to creativity needed to stay current within the market we work in and to paint a vibrant picture that will stand above the other grantees.

           Another leadership strategy to promote a high sense of personal growth and job satisfaction is allowing employees to set their own expectations. When an employee enters a contract or verbal commitment regarding anticipated achievement levels, they will usually meet their own expectations of themselves. Most people see themselves as honorable and will attempt to keep their word. This strategy can be very effective as long as the leader reinforces the employee’s strengths and empowers them with positive support.

            Anyone who has children has learned rewards work much well than punishment when behavior modification is needed. The rewards approach is generally a successful strategy if the leader realizes employees have different incentives that motivate them. Some prefer a bonus’ or pay increases while others prefer a promotion or a new office. In these economic times, many are happy with monetary rewards. It can be difficult for a leader to establish incentives desirable to everyone if the leader doesn’t work from a democratic leadership style. Communication is vital when determining what employees see as incentives.

The promise of a mutual exchange of desired work performance for special privileges is an effective intervention tool. If the marketplace of ideas is going to be open, allowing an employee to leave work early after exception job performance is an appreciated special privilege.

           In summary, Democratic Leadership style is generally the most effective leadership style. Democratic leaders often participate in the group, offer guidance to group members, and allow input from other group members or teams. When leaders keep focus on the discussion, allow communication to be open, respect ideas, and are ready to commit, so will your team of employees. Team members will feel engaged in the process and will be motivated to excel when they are involved in a democratic process.

  

References

Kotter, J.P. (1999). John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really do. Boston: Harvard Business School   Press.

Kreitner, R. and Kinicki, A. (1998). Organizational Behaviour. Fourth Edition. Boston:  Irwin                         MacGraw-Hill.