Theories And Models Of Leadership And Management Business Essay Example

as leader-member relationship, task structure, and position power (Fielder, 1967). In contrast, path-goal theory focuses on how subordinates respond to leader behavior and the nature of the task (Gilley, 2005). Gilley (2005) argues that leaders play a crucial role in successfully implementing organizational change by acting as visionaries and effectively communicating their vision. They challenge the "status quo" to address situations of decline and stagnation. As visionaries, leaders envision the future state of the organization.In addition, leaders have the responsibility to prioritize the interests of both the company and its members over their own interests by establishing a stewardship philosophy. According to Gilley (2005), visionary leaders align organizational change with the company's vision, mission, corporate strategy, and individual goals. The vision drives the mission which in turn drives the strategy that ultimately drives unit goals and individual goals. Therefore, a well-planned organizational restructuring initiative supports the business's vision, mission, strategy, and goals. From my perspective, a visionary leader identifies innovative ways to improve things and consults with people before making decisions.

Leader as Inspirer

One crucial characteristic of a leader is their ability to inspire followers. A leader who serves as an inspiration motivates their followers by highlighting the benefits of change while minimizing losses for employees. Their role as a leader is to involve people at all levels of management in order to sell them on the idea of change. True leaders don't just talk about change; they embody it (Gilley, 2005). From my viewpoint, inspiring leaders modify employee behavior by emphasizing how change can be beneficial.

Leader as Advocate

Implementing change requires effective communication, training rewards systems monitoring progress, and adjusting when necessary.In my opinion, a leader

as an advocate interacts with people at all levels of management and emphasizes the importance of change implementation (Williams, 2005). The text highlights the various roles a leader plays including being a job convergent thinker and a change manager. A leader plays multiple roles in an organization. They are convergent thinkers who identify and solve problems through investigation and input from team members. They also serve as change managers, striving for excellence, innovation, and leveraging company strengths for effective production.

To successfully implement change, leaders should follow steps outlined by Kotter (2002), which include analyzing the need for change, creating a shared vision, generating a sense of urgency, developing an implementation plan, communicating and engaging with people, and reinforcing the change. Leaders must have a deep understanding of why change is necessary and the current situation. This can be achieved through financial audits, SWOT analysis,
skill audits,
and marketing analysis.
Involving everyone in the process ensures success while creating urgency by explaining that their future well-being is at risk.

In addition to these steps,
leaders also need to manage opposition to change.
Communication
and motivation play
a crucial role in this process.
Leaders should communicate throughout
the entire process to keep individuals informed
and motivated.The importance of reinforcing change by establishing a new culture and promoting its significance for quicker acceptance cannot be overstated. Resistance to change often stems from fear of the unknown, fear of failure, pressure from colleagues, personality clashes, or simply lack of awareness among individuals. To overcome this resistance, leaders can employ several techniques (Kanter, 2004):
- Involving people at all levels of management
- Consulting with and seeking input from employees before making decisions
- Implementing trial programs
- Publicly appreciating employees whose ideas contribute

to the change process
- Establishing mechanisms to gather feedback about change efforts.

A case study on Kotak Mahindra, a financial management company, demonstrates how the CEO addressed concerns such as competition leading to loss in market share and the organization's inability to adapt to changes in the business environment. The CEO acted as a problem solver with a clear vision for what they wanted the company to achieve. Additionally, they motivated employees by effectively communicating the benefits.

Source: Indian Corporate History (2009), Issue 4 Sept.
Blog 3: Analysis of leaders in global business

Blog 3 focuses on applying leadership concepts within businesses. Many large corporations like Apple, Google, Virgin, and Microsoft strive to dominate their respective industries.Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Richard Branson, and Bill Gates are successful visionary leaders in their respective companies. Steve Jobs launched various products like Macintosh, MacBook Air, Pixar, iPod, iPhone, and Apple laptop. These leaders understand the importance of technological innovation and generating ideas, patents, and inventions for their company's success. However, they also recognize that relying solely on past achievements won't provide a sustainable competitive advantage in the future. Instead, they prioritize building capable teams of enthusiastic individuals who are committed to the company's vision.

Steve Jobs is particularly passionate about envisioning the future and involving his employees in understanding their role in it. He treats them with dignity and values their ideas. He establishes communication channels and empowers them to make a difference. Similar to his approach with the iPhone, Steve Jobs effectively communicated the benefits of his new product - the iPad - to both his company and the public. He provided guidance, inspiration,and support to the team responsible for creating it.

Ultimately,the

success of Steve Jobs' products stems from the creativity and innovation behind them.He understands that fostering an environment where ideas can flourish is key to staying ahead in today's rapidly evolving technological landscapeThe text highlights the various personal traits possessed by Sir Richard Branson that contributed to his leadership abilities. These include inspiration, optimism, articulation appeal, passion, magnetism, and a willingness to take risks. The article discusses how Branson implemented open leadership practices and turned his vision into reality. It emphasizes that competencies such as grasping power and fostering trust among employees can enhance group performance. For example, under Branson's leadership at Virgin, 22 brand managers were able to increase their market share annually by 2%. This demonstrates that effective leaders possess qualities like vision, risk-taking willingness, optimism,and relevant knowledge. They also cultivate an innovative culture within their organizations by involving people,promoting ideas,gaining commitment,and acknowledging hard work. While the CEO serves as the organizational leader,it should not be assumed that only they drive innovation leadership. The text further explores the importance of innovation leadership in global corporations and highlights department heads who come up with innovative ideas and take responsibility for them.The Institute of Management Research (2005) emphasizes the dual role played by leaders as creators of an empowering environment for innovation and motivators to surpass ordinary thinking.This text suggests that there is a correlation between effective leadership and innovation capability. It also emphasizes the importance of ethical relationships between leaders and their teams, highlighting the proper treatment and respect towards employees. Strategic leaders are noted for leveraging their social power to influence people in an ethical manner, demonstrating integrity and prioritizing the well-being of

their team members. They also show personal interest in their employees' improvement and strive to foster emotional commitment within their squads. Ethical leaders are perceived as charismatic and transformational.

Ethics play a crucial role in leadership by prompting leaders to consider the impact of organizational changes on those involved rather than solely focusing on self-interests (Stanbury, 2009). Genuine leaders openly communicate their values and ethics to others. In my view, practicing ethics in leadership is the most effective approach to gain commitment, generate respect, trust, satisfaction, and ultimately achieve positive individual and organizational effectiveness.

To uphold ethical standards, companies often establish an ethical code that outlines what is deemed right or wrong. SSP UK Ltd., a food travel expert company, has published such a code which includes a list of "Do's" and "Don'ts". This code underscores the importance of ethics in leadership.

A prominent example illustrating unethical leadership can be seen in the case of Enron Co.The misalignment between the CEO's values and employee agreements led to the insolvency of a gas line company (Reilly, 2006). In Blog 5 titled "The benefits of analyzing leadership," a condensed personal development program for aspiring leaders is presented, using peer assessment as an example to identify strengths and weaknesses. The identified strengths include being goal-oriented, willing to take on challenges, optimistic, enthusiastic, having good communication skills, and performing efficiently under pressure. Areas needing development include trusting others, connecting emotionally with people, recognizing and appreciating individuals, and delegation skills. Previous blogs have taught me about the role leaders play in effectively implementing change and overcoming resistance. I have also studied how leadership concepts apply in business through brief case studies on Steve

Jobs and Richard Branson. This assignment has provided valuable insights into the importance of ethics in leadership. I believe that self-awareness can be improved through solid knowledge and practical experience. Despite my lack of practical experience, this task has helped me realize my potential as a leader by providing insights from academic and non-academic sources. By exploring various journals and websites on leadership, I have gained a deeper understanding of myself as a potential leader.According to Sir Bryan Nicholad, it has been accurately stated that leaders are not inherently born but possess the potential to develop into one.