OUTSTANDING LEADER

 

 

In the course of writing my four blogs, I came across so many literature reviews that have different views on different types of leadership and how management differs from leadership. This gave me a clearer understanding on the type of leadership skill I possess. My kind of leadership can be seen to be that of a Transformational Leader. A transformational leader is a charismatic role model who does not just influence his/her followers through convincing communication but also walk the talk (Schuh, Zhang and Tian 2013). However leaders like this can bring about a total change in every aspect of an organisation as they have the skills listed in the diagram below which are needed to make a difference in the business world.

One personality that has inspired my understanding of effective leadership is Mrs. Ann Amene. She heads a not for profit organisation in Nigeria and has touched so many lives through it. She listens attentively to her employees, very patient with them and puts them through any task they have to do. She believes in teamwork and does not give credit to herself but to her team for every achievement. One of her philosophy is to see people grow into maturity and function efficiently and effectively. This has encouraged her team so much that they work smart even in her absence.

Furthermore, John Adair in his leadership model argues that the style of a leader depends on team, individual and task. This model states that leadership is achieved through team effort and not individual (Van Maurik 2001, Arsovski and Nikezić 2012). He went on to state that leaders need to achieve their desired output, by bringing together a team of different individuals to accomplish a task. This model gives me the understanding that learning to be a leader is an everyday process. This is because in all we do, we need people to be able to complete the task. However, I will continue to improve my management and leadership style to fit into the changing trend in the business world.

Having gone through the knowledge cast and seminar of leading in a changing world all through this term, I am now, fully informed and equipped to interact in the business world; having in mind that there are diverse personalities in the business world.

In the last ten weeks, I have worked with different groups of people in different seminar classes. During my interaction with them, I realised they believed in me to get some of the task done for the group even when I was not prepared. Hence, I challenged myself and ensured the task was properly executed. I see my colleagues and team members believing in my capability as a leader more as a privilege because it gives me the opportunity to exercise the various leadership skills I have acquired. My style of leadership can be termed as transformational as I seek to involve all members of my team during a project. As a manager, I plan to put into use the feedback model of 360 degree to improve my performance with respect to the feedback I get from colleagues, subordinates and people around me. The feedback received from 360 degree feedback process, is used to create an action plan to change behaviour that might be affecting me as an individual or the organisation I work for (Corbin 2012 and Liviu et al 2009).

In conclusion, Mullins (2013) states that “leadership is not about command and control but teamwork, relating with people and creating an easily identified vision”. In addition I will build a good relationship with my colleagues and team starting from school to the business world.

REFERENCES

Arsovski, S., & Nikezić, S. (2012). ‘Leadership communications and quality’. 5th International Conference Science and Higher Education in Function of Sustainable Development [online] available from < http://www.vpts.edu.rs/sed13/dokumenta/Professor%20Slavko%20Arsovski,%20PhD%3B%20Professor%20Srdjan%20Nikezic,%20PhD.pdf> [Accessed 2 July 2014]

Corbin, A. K. (2012) ‘360-Degree Feedback’.  SSRN 2288194.[online] available from<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2288194> [Accessed 5 July 2014]

Liviu, I, Emil, C, Irina, S. & Delia, B. (2009) ‘The Use of 360-Degree Feedback Method’. Annals Of The University Of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 18(4), 300-306.

Mullins, L.J (2013) Management & Organisational behaviour. Edinburgh Gate United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited

Schuh S.C., Zhang, X. & Tian, P. (2013). ‘For the Good or the Bad? Interactive Effects of Transformational Leadership with Moral and Authoritarian Leadership Behaviors’. Journal Of Business Ethics, 116(3), 629-640

Van Maurik, J. (2001) Writers on Leadership. London United Kingdom; Penguin Group

 

WHY ETHICAL LEADERSHIP IN AN ORGANISATION?

 

Ethical leadership is “the demonstration of normatively appropriate conduct through personal actions and interpersonal relationships, and the promotion of such conduct to followers through two-way communication, reinforcement and decision-making”… [and] the evidence suggests that ethical leader behaviour can have important positive effects on both individual and organisational effectiveness (Rubin et al 2010: 216-17).

What is Ethics?

Ethics is the moral practices and activities that are seen to be importantly right or wrong alongside the codes of conduct that govern such activities together with the values to which it relates (Mullins and Chirsty 2013).

 Due to some of the unethical behaviours of some organisations and leaders that have led to some scandals, the need for ethical leadership can’t be compromised (Brown, Treviño 2006). Ethical leaders are known to be moral managers as ethics is a vital aspect of their leadership where they intentionally role model ethical behaviour. These leaders try to influence the ethical and unethical behaviour of their followers by using reward system. This is to make the followers accountable for ethical conduct (Brown, Treviño2006). Leadership should be ethical so as to be effective and successful over the long term and attain effective governance (Toor,Ofori 2009).

However, despite the need for ethical leadership, there are still some unethical leaders who capitalise on the shortfalls in some management systems to satisfy their personal desires at the expense of their organisation and its employees (Toor,Ofori 2009). Many businesses operate to meet just the needs of the shareholder without putting into consideration not just the employees but also the community and the environment in which they operate. Businesses of this kind believe that acting ethically increases costs for the organisation and reduces its profit (BBC 2014).

Examples of an Unethical Act in an Organisation

Enron was a natural gas pipeline company that had a sudden growth and became then America’s seventh largest organisation with 21,000 staff in more than 40 countries (Forbes 2013,BBC 2002). The success of the organisation was as a result of a scam as Enron, falsified its profits, concealed debts that it didn’t reflect on the organisation account and lobbied the government for an exemption from financial regulation. However in December 2001, the unethical business practices of the organisation forced them into bankruptcy down in December 2001(BBC 2002, Forbes 2013 and The Economist 2002). This also affected the auditors, Arthur Andersen, as they were found guilty of falsifying Enron’s accounts. 16 of Enron former executives including the CEO Skilling and the former CEO Ken Lay were sentenced to prison. The shareholder and pensioner lost their money as well as the employees that lost their jobs (BBC 2002, Forbes 2013 and The Economist 2002). Enron lacked integrity, moral principle and ethical culture in its organisation. As a result didn’t treat its shareholder and stakeholder fairly. This scandal is as a result of the organisation looking at the short-term gain without looking at the long-term stability of the organisation (Forbes 2013).

Ethics is not only about the financial aspect of an organisation but also its corporate social responsibility which over sees its staff, customers and environment at large (Mullins and Chirsty 2013). In today’s business, so many organisations have these rules to govern them but do not keep to them as the pressures of the day-to-day activities unfold. An example is the Bangladesh factory collapse where cloths are produced for some of the western world retail shops in an unconducive environment killing over 1000 people (Gribben 2013, Banjo & Al-Mahmood 2013, BBC 2013).

However I argue if “ethical leader behaviour can have important positive effects on both individual and organisational effectiveness”. It can be a two way thing where it is perceived to have both positive and negative effect. Due to the rising competition in some industries, some leaders adopt the culture of attaining success and profit by all means thereby rewarding unethical behaviours from staff. Also, a leader can have integrity but the employee do not see it as such (Sims,Brinkmann 2002).Secondly, the attitudes of leaders can also be the driver for the employees. Leaders are to hold their integrity at high esteem and communicate it in their day-to-day business activities to get a positive ethical outcome from their employees as they look up to the leaders (Kannan-Narasimhan, Lawrence 2012 & Brown, Mitchell 2010).

In conclusion, I can say that most organisations face the challenge of keeping to the rules that govern their business due to  competition facing  globalisation of business. Keeping to ethics might not be 100% achievable as a result of one error in an organisation. This is because some organisations outsource some of their jobs and depend on the services of a contractor that might be carrying out its duty in an unethical manner. Another instance can be as a result of an individual in an organisation that sees things differently and decides not to keep to the codes of conduct of an organisation. Leaders can curtail unethical behaviours by communicating the deeds to align with their words (Brown, Mitchell 2010). Ethical organisations can have their brand promoted by employees and the society at large.

REFERENCES

Banjo.S. Al-Mahmood.S.Z (2013) ‘Deadly Collapse in Bangladesh’ The wall Street Journal [online] available from <http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324874204578441912031665482> [Accessed 15 June]

BBC (2013) Bangladesh factory collapse toll passes 1000 [online] available from <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22476774> [Accessed 15 June 2014]

BBC(2014) GCSE Bitesize :What is Ethical Behaviour?[online] available from<http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/business/environment/acompetitivemarketrev1.shtml> [Accessed 14 June 2014]

BBC (2002) Eron Scandal at-a-glance [online] available from <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1780075.stm> [Accessed 14 June 2014]

Brown M.E & Mitchell M.S (2010). ‘Ethical and Unethical Leadership: Exploring New Avenues for Future Research’. Business Ethics Quarterly[online] 20(4), 583-616 available from<http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=15fa414f-fbb8-4bb5-b2b2-8d23002147d2%40sessionmgr4004&vid=2&hid=4209> [Accessed 15 June 2014]

Brown, M. E., &Treviño, L. K. (2006) ‘Ethical leadership: A review and future directions’. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 595-616.

Forbes (2013) Eron, Ethics and Today’s Corporate Values[online] available from <http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2013/05/14/enron-ethics-and-todays-corporate-values/> [Accessed 14 June 2014]

Gribben .R (2013) ‘Primark and Tesco join drive to improve Bangladesh factory safety’ The telegraph [online] available from <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/10055191/Primark-and-Tesco-join-drive-to-improve-Bangladesh-factory-safety.html> [Accessed on 15 June 2014]

Kannan-Narasimhan .R & Lawrence .B (2012). ‘Behavioural Integrity: How leader Referents and trust matter to workplace outcomes’ Journal of Business Ethics[online] 111(2), 165-178 available from <http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=0790e24d-ab2e-4a24-839d-93969cb97e8c%40sessionmgr4005&vid=1&hid=4209> [Accessed 15 June 2014]

Mullins, L.J and Christy.G (2013) Management & Organisational behaviour. Edinburgh Gate United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited

Rubin, R, Dierdorff, E, & Brown, M (2010), ‘Do Ethical Leaders Get Ahead? Exploring Ethical Leadership and Promotability’, Business Ethics Quarterly [online], 20, 2, pp. 215-236

Sims R.R &Brinkmann.J (2002) ‘Leaders as Moral Models:The case of John Gutfreund at Salomon brothers’. Journal of Business Ethics [online] 35(4)327-339 available from <http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f4ea6a16-220a-4849-af37-b1b900d85838%40sessionmgr4002&vid=1&hid=4209> [Accessed 15 June 2014]

The Economist (2002) Eron The Real scandal [online] available from <http://www.economist.com/node/940091> [Accessed 14 June 2014]

Toor.S. &Ofori .G. (2009) ‘Ethical Leadership: Examining the Relationships with full Range Leadership Model and organizational culture’. Journal of business Ethics [online] 90(4), 533-547.available from <http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4d8f8e0f-62ff-4ce5-916c-24211cbee274%40sessionmgr4002&vid=2&hid=4209> [Accessed 14 June 2014]

BUSINESS AS USUAL? NO LETS TAKE A PARADIGM SHIFT!!

 

Change is nothing new and a simple fact of life. Some people actively thrive on new challenges and constant change, while others prefer the comfort of the status quo and strongly resist any change. It is all down to the personality of the individual and there is little management can do about resistance to change (Mullins 2010)

Change is something we deal with in our day-to-day life. It does not only occur in the organisations where we work but also in our individual social lives. Birchall suggest that change comes as a factor of global competition, convergence of information and communication technology (Mullins and Chirsty 2013). The actual challenge of change management is having effective leaders who can demonstrate flexibility and resilience; Those that can identify growth opportunities lead dauntlessly and strive for good result (Harvard Business Review 2014). Organisational change is unexceptional as striving for a competitive edge requires change of strategy, restructuring and implementation of new technologies (Bordia et al 2011). Changes of this sort can have an overwhelming effect on the employees as they have to deal with the uncertainty and stress related to the change in their work schedules and increased work demand (Bordia et al 2011).

Why do employee resist change?

 

Change is usually an uphill task especially for organisations, as you have to strike a balance between business issues and peoples’ issues ie employees (Bunker, Wakefield 2008). This is because employees instinctively tend to resist change as it interrupts established power structures and ways of getting things done (Battilana, Casciaro 2013). The former Prime Minister of UK Winston Churchill say that “to improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often”(Ruiz 2014). However, the human nature finds it difficult to conform with that as we incline to same habits of conformity because the outcome is fairly constant ( Ruiz 2014).

However employees believe that change should not occur. This is because they have spent time learning the job, which they are presently doing, and so it should not be interrupted (Lewis 1999). Kurt Lewin introduced the 3-stage organisational change model which he described as unfreezing, moving and refreezing change process(Burn 2004). He argued that for change to take place in an organisation, the current processes in the organisation needs to be unfrozen for change to be introduced through motivation, direction and innovation before the change can be executed in the moving process (Burn 2004). In other words, after the moving process, comes the refreeze change process where the  change is made permanent and accepted (Burn 2004).

What do I do as a Manager?

 

A typical concern of a manager is the ability of their organisation to respond to the changing environment (Kotter & Schlesinger 2008). However, anticipate resistance to change and put in place, plans from the onset to enable you handle the objections that will come your way. Change plans often rebounds because managers apply one-size-fits-all approaches. In the process of trying to counter resistance, managers involve employees in the initiative design even when the employee does not have a useful contribution to make (Kotter & Schlesinger 2008). Peter Drucker has argued that managers sometimes have the inability to change at the pace at which the organisation is changing and this brings about resistance from individual even when the change is perceived to be good (Kotter & Schlesinger 2008). Sometimes, managers resist change for fear of their subordinate will take over their present job or in some case fear of losing respect (Lewis 1999, Davies 1998). Managers should learn to communicate with their teams to enable them emerge stronger to the new phase of the organisation (Quiros 2014). This communication can be initiated through the following ways (Kotter &Schlesinger 2008,Ruiz 2014);

• Negotiation and agreement
• Facilitation and Support
• Participation and Involvement
• Education and communication
• Current assessment result

Can My Organisation Actually Go through Change?

 

British Airways is one organisation that has gone through restructuring and privatisation so as to make it more profitable. Before the restructuring in 1981, the chairman Lord King gave the organisation his reasons for it; this was to prepare them for the change. He applied his legitimate power through leadership and communication because he needed to do what will profit the organisation (Bright Hub PM 2013,British Airways n.d). Thus, through leadership and effective communication, he was able to bring about the right change for the organisation.

Change can also be managed effectively if the leaders and their team put in the right attitude to make it work. Leaders are supposed to communicate effectively just like the case of British Airways. Effective communication erodes all fear and prepares the team for whatever that will come out of the change process.

In conclusion, I can say change is difficult because as humans, we love to be in our comfort zone simply because we are scared of the unknown. However with a proper and good change management through effective communication, we can accept change. I love to embrace change as it is good for growth and I will aide it in whichever way I can. This is because the world is becoming a global village and everybody needs to move at a good pace.

REFERENCES

 

Battilana.J,Casciaro.T (2013)’The Network Secrets of Great change agents’ Harvard Business Review Magazine, July – August [online] available from <http://hbr.org/2013/07/the-network-secrets-of-great-change-agents/ar/1> [Accessed 10 June 2014]

Bordia P., Restubog, S. L. D., Jimmieson, N. L., & Irmer, B. E. (2011). ‘Haunted by the past: effects of poor change management history on employee attitudes and turnover’. Group & Organization Management, [online] 36, 191-222. Available from<http://gom.sagepub.com/content/36/2/191.full.pdf+html> [Accessed 10 June 2014]

Bright Hub Project management (2013) Examples of Change Management Plans that worked [online] available from < http://www.brighthubpm.com/change-management/55056-examples-of-change-management-plans-that-worked/> [Accessed 11 June 2014]

British Airways (n.d) Explore our Past [online] available from <http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/about-ba/history-and-heritage/explore-our-past> [Accessed 11 June 2014]

 

Bryson.A.,Barth.E.& Dale-Olsen.H (2013). ‘The effects of organisation change on worker well-being and the moderating role of trade unions’ Industrial and Labour Relations Review [online] 66(4) 990.Available from <http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=85334bcf-2a0d-4775-a0dd-01381dec5429%40sessionmgr112&vid=2&hid=117> [Accessed 10 June 2014]

Bunker K.A, Wakefield .M.(2008) ‘The balance needed to lead change’ Harvard Management Update [online]13(11) 3-5. Available from < http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=cccfe359-0154-4c66-a935-ad6177b70c91%40sessionmgr114&vid=2&hid=117> [Accessed 10 June 2014]

Burnes, B. (2004) ‘Kurt Lewin and the Planned Approach to Change: A Re-appraisal’ Journal Of Management Studies [online] 41(6), 977-1002.available from< http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=779182f9-2b1d-463b-b07e-15c925685db1%40sessionmgr113&vid=2&hid=128> [Accessed 24 June 2014]

Davies. L (1998) ‘Change Management’ Shortcut for smart managers,[online] 45-56.Available from < http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=1a76726b-d7a2-43fe-a495-2bbe672762e9%40sessionmgr198&vid=2&hid=117> [Accessed 10 June 2014]

Harvard Business Review (2014) The management Tip [online] available from < http://hbr.org/tip/2014/02/14/identify-your-best-change-agents> [Accessed 10 June 2014]

The Hostede Centre (2014) National Cultural Dimensions [online] available from <http://geert-hofstede.com/the-hofstede-centre.html>[Accessed 5 June 2014]

Kotter .J.P. & Schlesinger.L.A.(2008) ‘Choosing strategies for change’. Harvard Business Review.[online]86(7/8)130-139.Available from < http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8b7de572-52e2-4f66-9038-05e48da538d8%40sessionmgr198&vid=2&hid=117> [Accessed 10 June2014]

Lewis.B. (1999) ‘Change can be painful, so its natural for people all over the company to resist’.Infoworld [online] 21(24),83.Available from < http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=79df3200-0bdf-46a1-b7b2-51e99369f655%40sessionmgr114&vid=2&hid=117> [Accessed 10 June 2014]

Mullins, L.J. (2010), Management and Organisational Behaviour, 9th Edition, Harlow: Pearson Higher Education

Mullins, L.J and Christy.G (2013) Management & Organisational behaviour. Edinburgh Gate United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited

Quiros.E.(2014) ‘Leading People many people have a difficult through change’ Strategic Finance [online] 96(5),15-16.Available from < http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6475ebb2-7244-4f6e-bc54-ef33cfc472b2%40sessionmgr114&vid=2&hid=117> [Accessed 11 June 2014]

Ruiz.E.(2014) ‘Difficult Change Management’ Leadership Excellence [online] 31(4)63.Available from<http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=5f09c4a5-9e42-4907-a5ea-61d03f9582e1%40sessionmgr114&vid=2&hid=117> [Accessed 10 June 2014]