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Influencing policy (training slides from Fast Track Impact)
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Sample essay on organizational leadership
1. Sample Essay on Organizational Leadership
There is no universal definition of leadership because of different perceptions of
leadership aspects by diverse individuals, organizations, and societies across the
world. Despite the differences in perception, majority of the people share a
common ground in the sense that they view leadership as a process through
which a particular person or a group of people influences and directs the activities
of a larger organized team, in order to achieve a particular mutual objective. In
order to achieve such mutual goals, leaders in different organizations implement
different styles and techniques to achieve these goals and these may be based on
managerial structure and organizational culture, the individual traits of the
leaders, as well as the nature of the challenges that the organization
faces.Leadership style can therefore be defined as the a[[roach and techniques
used by different leaders to guide, direct and motivate their employees or
subordinates in order to achieve set organizational objectives (Hamilton, 2013, p.
300). This paper seeks to analyze the leadership style undertaken by my Director,
and how this has impacted on me. It also explores the effect of the organizational
structure and culture in determining the approaches taken in team development.
Ultimately, the paper evaluates the ethical conduct of the leader in question and
the effectiveness of these techniques in motivating and empowering
employees,as well as the gains and challenges of diversity within the organization.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of my current organization uses diverse
organizational styles to deal with different issues and situations that the company
faces. He has mainly been practicing a leadership style that can be described as
transformational and which is characterized by exchange in feedback regarding
behavior between leaders and followers, resulting in high motivation of followers
by their leaders (Pless & Maak, 2011, p. 39).Transformational leaders in
organizations usually explain to their employees beforehand the important issues
that need high prioritization and commitment. They are highly committed to
achieving the set organizational goals and they do this by building capacity of
their subordinates and also facilitating their self actualization process.As a
transformational leader, our CEOhas played a major role in enhancing interaction
and cooperation amongst different employees of all cadres within the
organization.
The examples that he draws from his personal life also enlighten us on the
potentials that we have. He rapidly rose through the ranks to the top
2. management position because of his work ethics, personal efforts and career
development strategies that involved advancing skills and education along his
career path. The CEO has been organizing employee training and development
programs as a strategy for improving performance for all the employees
regardless of their position in the organization. Such capacity-building programs,
have not only helped me improve my performance at work, but also enhanced my
job satisfaction. In addition to training programs, the CEO has also been
facilitating frequent meetings between management and other employees and
this provides a platform through which the employees share their work
challenges and everyone generates ideas on how to improve this situation.
The success of this transformational leadership is evident in the turnaround and
improvement of our organization’s finances which were in a sorry state
before.When he was appointed to the position of CEO, he immediately embarked
on reducing the inefficiencies that escalated operational costs and improved
performance through capacity building and motivating the employees.
Furthermore, he combined these strategies with technology integration and this
improved the general performance of the organization.
He played a critical role in rebranding the company by changing its mission and
vision statements which essentially guide the firm’s daily operations and motivate
employees to achieve the organizational goals. The CEO also improved the ethical
standards of the organization and its public image by incorporating Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) programs into its core activities. My involvement in the
CSR programs and activities has broadened my comprehension and appreciation
of enhancing the overall well-being of society through conservation and
philanthropic acts.
The CEO has also also applied thetransitional style of leadership where self-
interest is pursued through a cost-benefit exchange program and outcomes are
realized by conditional reinforcement initiatives (Anderson, Ones, Sinangil, &
Viswesvaran, 2001, p. 176).Through such initiatives, the CEO has directed for
employees to receive handsome rewards in terms of wages and awards for
performing well. The CEO has also exercised negative reinforcement whereby he
enforces a versive strengthening. This is done through suspension and
termination of work contracts for employees who are unproductive within the
workplace. There are instances when I have deemed this type of leadership as
3. unfair and inconsiderate. This is because it focuses on enhancing organizational
productivity without taking into consideration the personal needs of the
employees including improved remuneration that matches employee efforts and
working environment. Despite the fact that this leadership approach may seem
insensitive, employees are compensated commensurate with their efforts and
productivity levels and this has motivated many workers to exert themselves so as
to get higher incomes, rewards and awards.
Depending on their goals and their management or leadership styles, different
organizations usually have different structures and culture. The organizational
structure basically refers to the more formal systems of work roles and authority
relationshipsthat are adopted by an organization to guide interactions and
cooperation between different levels of organizational personnel. On the other
hand, the organizational culture is more related to the norms and values shared
by the employees of an organization, which ultimately influences their individual
and group behaviors.
The company has a functional type of structure that categorizes employees
according to their particular jobs within the company and workers who are
charged with performing similar tasks are grouped under the same department
that pursue similar specialized functions. Every department has a group of
workers who are charged with the task of handling a common goal, task or
project and each worker has a role to play in achieving the department’s goals.
Workers in each department are involved in handling a common project that
requires different input from the employees for it to be accomplished
successfully.This approach has enhanced team work within the organization
because every member of a department must perform well for the success of the
department. It has also enhanced relational skills because each employee
appreciates the critical contribution of their colleagues. Personally, I have learnt
to rely on and appreciate teamwork and information from my colleagues in
performing my work.
The main demerit of this type of organizational structure is that it creates high
sense of amongst employees such that the absence of one employee can have
significant impacts on the productivity of the entire department. However, it
forms a s strong managerial culture through experience and learning and this
equips the organization with sufficient ammunition to handle both current and
4. future internal and external challenges. This mainly focuses on establishing
mutual comprehension of organizational operations. Currently, the culture in our
firm draws heavily from our strategic framework which integrates the core values
into its mission, vision, and other intended goals.
Key core values of the organization center on respect for employee differences
and cooperation with in the organization. By achieving respect for the diverse
workforce, the organization has managed to foster cooperation and teamwork.
There are also set rules and regulations which facilitate the mutual respect of
employee diversity and harmonization of workers of the company. Diversity in
skills, ethnic and racial background, age, opinion, occupational level, or affiliation
to any associations that do not interfere with the organizational goals and
employee relationships is valued and appreciated hence every employee feels
valued.
The CEO of my organization has done a good job in terms of enhancing ethical
conduct, effective communication, and motivation, as well as empowering of
employees through training and development with the aim of improving their
performance at work. By integrating Corporate Social Responsibility into the core
activities of the organization, the CEO has displayed high ethical conduct. He has
improvedthe level of accountability, transparency,and responsibility amongst
both management and employees hence improving the organization at large. This
has been achieved by giving employees some degree of freedom in performing
their tasks, delegating duties to different employees and carrying out frequent
audits and evaluations on both individual and organizational performance.
Through introducing an open communication channel, the CEO has improved
communication across various departments and hierarchies of the organization
and this has encouraged regular updates on the progress of the firm and effective
feedback concerning the work environment. He has established motivation
mechanisms and means of empowering employees to improve their performance
within the organization and also achieve self-actualization.
One of the best motivation practices employed by our organization has been to
develop incentive programs that fuels employees with a sense of purpose and
meaning. By using the highly effective strategy of rewarding the most productive
employees in the organization, employee motivation has hit a historical
high.Provision of material rewards and incentives drives employees to work hard
5. in an attempt to gain these awards hence resulting in improved organizational
performance (Williams, 2012, p. 379-389).
The second best practice is centered on eliminating de-motivational factors in the
work environment. This can be achieved by enhancing safety within the work
environment and removing any factors that may have adverse psychological
effects for both employees and individuals outside the organization. Job designs
must take into account the skills and best interests of the employees performing
them so as to enhance job satisfaction. This will eventually lead efficiency in job
performance and high productivity because the employees will focus fully on their
particular tasks.
Thirdly, organizational leaders need to create a sense of firm ownership amongst
employees and this can be done by involving them in managerial decision-making
processes and delegating appropriate responsibilities and duties to them. This
way, they will feel valued by the organization, and hence feel a sense of loyalty to
the organization and its puruits. Ultimately, this will motivate the employees to
work harder and offer quality services to the clients of the organization, resulting
in high attraction and retention of clients and profitability.
More often than not, leaders encounter challenges when managing organizations
that have a diverse workforce. Despite its importance, workforce diversity can be
a source of both individual and interpersonal conflict within an organization,
especially when implementing important organization strategies such as equality
in employment (Griffin, 2013, p. 232). Ethnic and racial diversity may compromise
the culture of the organization because of arising differences in beliefs and ethical
issues that can stem from distinct cultures and societal norms. Stereotypes can
also act as an obstacle to teamwork and lead to sour relations between certain
employees, thereby affecting individual and organizational performances.
Workforce diversity can raise certain issues because of strong beliefs which may
make some employees decline to participate in manufacture of certain products
or delivery of particular services that contradict their values. There are also
employees that will prefer to work on specific days or even hours of the week
because of their strong religious beliefs and requirements.
Nevertheless, workforce diversity can enhance the competitiveness of a business
organization within the global markets. This is because diversity can be
instrumental in providing creative and innovative ideas and this can enhance
6. development of better quality products. An organization that takes advantage of
such characteristics of diversity can meet the needs of different types of clients
and attain a competitive edge in the global markets. Diversity can be the platform
through which a commercial enterprise gains better understanding on conducting
business internationally, without compromising the cultural values of its
employees. Additionally, it can also help to expand the clientele base of a
company because customers prefer to do business with a workforce that they
have affiliations to, or that have a strong commitment to their community
(Varma, 2006, p. 88).Challenges of organizational diversity can be combated by
creating awareness on the importance of valuing and having a sense of
appreciation for variety in the organization. Organizational leadership must set
policy mechanisms and governance frameworks that reinforce actions which
appreciate and support the workforce diversity. It should also establish strong
team development and approaches that incorporate the efforts of different kinds
of individuals and skills. This will enhance appreciation of all employees and
reduce or eliminate their stereotypes hence fostering cooperation among all
employees. Inevitably, every organization should base its recruitment process on
acquiring a diverse workforce so as to enhance its competitive edge in global
markets.
It is obvious that leadership plays an important role in the management and
overall success of organizations. Different organizational situations and challenges
call for different leadership to handle them effectively. Even though diversity can
be a source of challenges and conflicts within a company, it can also be
instrumental in enabling business organizations compete more effectively in the
global arena.
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7. References
Anderson, N., Ones, D., Sinangil, H., & Viswesvaran, C. (2001). Handbook of
industrial, work and organizational psychology: Vol. 2. London: SAGE Publications.
Griffin, R. W. (2013). Fundamentals of management. Stamford: South-Western
Cengage Learning.
Hamilton, C. (2013). Communicating for results: A guide for business and the
professions. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Pless, N. M., & Maak, T. (2011). Responsible leadership. Berlin: Springer.
Varma, R. (2006). Managing industrial research effectively. Hyderabad: ICFAI
University Press.
Williams, C. (2012). Effective management: A multimedia approach. Mason, OH:
South-Western/Cengage Learning.