Organizational Leadership

 

Introduction

    For an organization to be more effective and efficient, good leadership must be exercised by those in authority. This is because they are the individuals conferred with the mandate of making decisions, planning for the same and ensuring plans are implemented according to what organization expectation. Leadership is the management body of the organization. To make leadership more effective, management is categorized into three namely; top management, middle management, and first management levels. Leadership also involves strategic thinking. Leaders should be more strategic in how they articulate their duties and handle matters regarding the organization. They should be guided by the mission statement, vision, intent and goals and objectives of the organization. The leader should also ensure that there is good communication between the management and the subordinates so that a good relation is maintained. He should also ensure that organization culture, norms and values have been preserved by every individual within the organization. Good and favourable climatic environment should also be maintained at all time. This environment cannot be achieved without observing organization ethics and professional codes of conducts. They are the guidelines that dictate the how each and every individual within the organization should behave. This will bring harmony and peace coexistence. One of the functions of a manager or a leader is planning. Therefore he should ensure that planning is done strategically. All processes of planning must be followed. He should also ensure that every individual is involved in his plan. This will enable him to have easy time when their help is required. It also helps everyone feels associated to the plan. It is the role of a leader to solve and manage conflict whenever such arise. Leaders can use different styles such as negotiation and mediation. They can also consults for assistance from other leaders within the organization.

 

    A good organization leadership is led by a leader who possesses certain traits and styles. They must also ensure that some leadership fundamentals have been preserved. Some of the traits that leaders should poses are; act with honesty and integrity. These will ensure that transparency within the organization. Employees will solidify trust and confidence with the administration and management as whole. He should have good communication attributes with rest of the staff management and the whole subordinate. This will enhance his relationship with the crowd. He will be able to get more information on how he might improve his styles of leading. It is through good communication that the subordinate will feel attached to the organization. He should be a decision maker. He should be capable of scrutinizing the environment and coming up with a concrete strategy that will benefit whole organization. He should also be accountable. He should own any fault that come up due to his neglect of duties. He should not transfer his mistakes to other management. He should also be able to delegate and empower the people he is leading. This will make the workflow to go as planned. Leadership also involves styles such as democratic leadership. It is also called participative leadership style because every individual within the organization get involved in the management in one way or another. There is good interaction between the management and the subordinates (Hogan, 2017, p. 58). The flow of power is both upward and downward stream. The other style is autocratic or authoritative leadership. In this power only flows from top to bottom. Subordinate only take what their leaders dictates. They are prohibited from questioning their masters’ decision. This mode of style is somehow disadvantageous since employees feels not connected to the decisions made by their leaders. They are less motivated and work well only when there is presence supervision. The third style that a leader can acquire is charismatic leadership. On this style, the leaders have used his qualities of charisma to influence his employees. Employees act with a lot of motivation; they are more inspired by their charismatic leader. The leadership is exercised through several level of management. The highest level of management is top level of management which comprises of C.E.O’s, Managing directors and Company presidents. They are responsible of overall performance of the organizational. They formulate strategies and policies of the organization. Below it is the middle level management. These are divisional managers, head of department, branch managers and unit managers. They direct their activities to the lower managers. They are responsible for implementing policies within the organization. The last are first level management. They are the foremen, supervisors, office assistant et al. They direct activities to the lowest level of individuals (Kotter, 2012, p. 82).

    One of the functions of management within an organization is planning. Planning should be done strategically. All due process and stages should be observed. Managers should ensure that organization objectives do such. Planning is a process where managers decides in advance where, when and what to be done. It should follow the following steps: first, the manager should establish objectives to be achieved. Goals and objectives of the plan should be well and stated. Each should be well informed of the target of the plan. The managers should also establish planning premises. This is the assumption about the lively shape of events. The third step is formulating choice of alternative course of action. Managers should use analytical method to evaluate the stability choices of objective and test evaluating the best alternative is chosen. After that manager formulate a derivative plan which is sub-plan which will help in the achievement of the primary plan. This sub-plan indicates time to scheme and sequence of accomplishing various plans. The fifth step is to secure cooperation so that it can give the implementers’ of this plan confidence. The final step is making follow-ups on all appraisal plans. These will ensure that the program it authenticated and implemented accordingly. All these steps will make the project to work toward achievement of the goals (Lewis, 2003, p. 34). For the following characteristics to have a smooth run away, a manager should have the following in his back of his mind about what his plan. A plan should be goal oriented. It should focus on achievement of the targeted objective. It is a mental activity which involves creativity, right judgment and illusion but in rational thinking. It also involves choices and decision making from the vast pool of choices. It is a continuous process caused by the dynamic business environment. It should allow flexibility such as accommodating any vital change that would make it more effective. It is a pervasive process since it requires all level of management and department. Planning involves three levels which are strategic or corporate planning. These are carried out by the top level of control and covers considerable time. The managerial plan carried by middle-level managers covers activities of various department and sections. The last level is operational or tactical planning that is carried out by first level management on a daily basis (Lewis, 2003, p. 95).

    Every successful organization must have ethics and professional code of conducts. Ethics are the way of behaviors while a professional code of conducts is set guidelines that must be observed by profession during his work. There are two types of organization ethics: Business ethics and Management ethics. Business ethics is concerned with a rule, task and a variety of aspects such as the expectation of society, fair competitions, advertising, social responsibilities et al. they involve all members of the organization. There are Management ethics which are the moral code of conduct that guides the behavior of a manager during his work. Managers should act in a manner that is acceptable not only to the members of the organization but by the members of the public. He is the outlook of an organization. He has the mandate of creating an environment that promotes ethics that promote institutional ethics (Lussier & Achua, 2015, p. 103). These will be achieved by establishing appropriate company’s code of conducts, teaching ethics and introducing management development program as such, finally by appointing ethics committee to enforce ethical behavior. Every ethics and code of conduct should be documented in the company’s document. It should be well written, precise and toward the objective of the company. There should be an ethics committee who are mandated with preserving and protecting the organization ethics and codes of conducts. The committee also should hold a regular meeting to discuss any ethical issues that arise. They also communicate codes of conducts to all members of the organization, rewards compliance and punishing violators. The committee also gives a comprehensive report to the board of directors, update and review codes of conducts to fit international standard and check for possible violation of the ethics and codes of the organization. However, the committee should acquire some qualities to make ethical behaviors more acceptable to all the employees including the management at free will. The committee should ensure that remuneration of employees had been done reasonably. It will make easier to avoid an unnecessary rebellion from the workers. They should also encourage ethical training and development programmes to foster the know-how of the employees toward the ethical issues. They should come up with ways of developing codes of ethics so as they match international requirements. Violators of the laws of ethics should be punished openly to deter others. They should conduct frequent and unpredictable ethics audits. These will enhance any part that might be weak and requires rectification. They should encourage whistleblower so that people can pro-speak about any incidence that is about to happen. Finally, the committee should recognize and award ethical behaviors (Lussier & Achua, 2015, p. 115).

    Organizational culture is vital for an organization to be successful. Organization cultures are the beliefs norms values and principles that an organization must follow to attain its objective. It’s through a good culture that organization ethics are preserved. It also improves company’s image into the outside world. Organization culture also influences organizational behavior. Organization culture has the following functions: reduction of conflict because there is a common and consistency perception toward handling a problem. A problem is identified, evaluated and a solving solution is attained. Organization culture also aids in coordination and control of processes within the organization. It also helps in reducing uncertainty by lowering anxiety within the organization. Well behaved employees’ leads to motivation. It is through loyalty, beliefs, and values that encourage employees. Solid culture upgrades chances of being successful in the market, i.e., competitive advantage. The managers should follow following procedures to ensure that they have created and sustained organization culture. First, they should create organization culture.  Good leadership will deliver the organization will to good culture. He ensures that good morals and values have been maintained all way through. After creation of intended culture, the next step is how it should be maintained all way through. The manager should pre-select potential recruits who will be the soldiers of the culture. They will be required to preserve culture all the way. The next stage will be socialization where selected recruits are allocated to groups so as they can influence the newcomers. The final stage is incorporating or rejecting stage where culture is refused or accepted by the system. If rejected the manager should plan on how to change it. He should first establish a norm gap in the existing culture to know where he will apply the change and where he won’t modify change. Next is to apply the desired culture’s system and introduction. The third step is installing the system and modifies the existing one. Finally is to evaluate and renewing the on-going culture (Lewis, 2003, p. 59).

    Organization conflict management is vital in creating harmony within the company. Conflict is solved in an orderly manner, and both sides of division get justified. Managers and the administration at large should come up with strategies that will be laid down to solve any conflicts. The board should elect a disciplinary team which will be confined to a mandate of conflict solving. Some of the strategies that they may use are accommodating approach where the conflict is solved by giving the opposite side what they want. The second strategy is avoiding plan where one ignores or delays a battle. The third is compromising strategy where they call both sides to give up and come to neutral grounds. Collaborating approach is where they involve many categories of employees to try and determine the cause and solve the dispute. Finally is competing strategy where the board rules on one side. It is a zero-sum game. One has to lose for the other to win. Despite these strategies, the management has to train the employees on how to handle conflict amongst them. Not every battle should be taken to the highest authority. It will save time and resources. They should also encourage symposiums training and development within the organization regarding conflict management from global professionals. For example of a simple process which can be followed is: start with talking to the other person about the subject matter, observe their behaviors and do not be blinded by their personalities. Be keen on what they are saying, identifying their disputes. Prioritize conflicts areas and come up with a well-structured plan. Implement the program and finally solidify your success with supportive answers (Bradberry & Greaves, 2009, p. 59).

    The organization should have a high performing team. These will enable it to attain its goals and objective. Also, it would enhance its possibility of being a going concern. For an organization to have a high performing team, managers should ensure that several things had been done accordingly. He should ensure that there is a division of labor among the employees to improve practices and familiarization on the side of the job. They should also ensure that the authority give can be linked with the responsibilities. Discipline should be preserved all the time in the working environment both by the management and the employees. There should be a unit of command where every employee is answerable to one superior. The plan should come from one direction in order avoid conflicts. There should be equity for all the workers to allow inclusivity. This way employee will feel motivated. Centralization of activities will be a kind gesture as it will be easier to solve many cases without delay. Employees should be rewarded well and justly. No one wants to work with low salaries. Employees will feel rejuvenated and motivated to work well if they are paid well. Managers should also ensure that there is order with the organization. Every employee and resources should be at right place at the right time. They should also encourage teamwork among the employees. These will create knowledge sharing, talents, and abilities which will eventually enhance the capabilities of others. Employees should be made secure of their job tenure. These will eliminate the fear of the unknown where the future can be predicted to them. These solidify level of trust that they pose toward the organization. There should also exist graduated line of authority where it flows from upward to downward. These will make the managers in different levels take orders from the above and disseminate downwards. This, in turn, will eliminate ghost workers and slow movers (Project Management Institute, 2013, p. 112).

    Whenever change is brought into organization, it is faced with resistance. Therefore it is vital for a manager to be equipped and knowledge of how to go about it without creating a negative notion among the employee. Some of the reason why employee fear change is fear of unknown fear of losing job change of activities et al. This will be achieved only if a due process is followed when lying down change. A manager should start by strategizing his plan of change. Under this, he defines his strategy, team and chart. The second part is to develop change and apply implementation. The final change is to reinforcing his plan to work effectively and efficiently. Change should also be applied in various forms. There is parallel phase where change is applied at the same time with the existing programme. The second one is direct phase where the existing programme is ceased while the new one is applied immediately. Third is pilot phase where a desired change is applied at a small section to test whether it can work through. If not, then it is aborted but it is okay then is applied to the whole organization. The manager should also evaluate the size of the organization and its structure so that he can be able to know which method is suitable to apply. For example, where the organization has many branches, the suitable method is using a pilot phase. It will be easier to evaluate the performance, efficient and effectiveness of the change applied (Hogan, 2017, p. 64).

     We can conclude that for an organization to have effective leadership and allow authority flow well, several components have to be taken care off. Each element relates to one another. Leadership should exhibit good traits and style of leadership so that they can make a strategic plan. For a strategic plan to be effective, ethical and professional codes of conducts must be observed. Also, ethics will lead to a high performing workforce who maintains integrity, good communication, honesty, and transparency. This will raise the corporate image of the whole organization. The ability of the management to solve and manage conflict within the organization ensures there is harmony, peace, and unity within leading to strong teamwork. Culture, norms, and values of the firm should be observed at all time. They should act as a guideline so that organizational goals and objectives are attained on time and as planned. These will save time and resources thus achieve cost minimization and profit maximization. Change should be applied according to how the organization is structured and area of occupied. Managers should ensure that there is a good correlation between how the workers perceive the change in question and the management intended objective of the plan. These are some but few of the leadership that a manager should use to attain organizational goals and objectives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Bradberry, T., & Greaves, J. (2009). Emotional intelligence 2.0. San Diego, CA: TalentSmart.

Hogan, J. A. (2017). The study of behavior: Organization, methods, and principles.

Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change: An action plan. Place of publication not identified: Must Read Summaries.

Lewis, J. P. (2003). Project leadership. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2015). Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development.

Project Management Institute. (2013). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® guide). Newtown Square, Pennsylvania: Project Management Institute, Inc.