Power Base and Leadership
British historian of late 19th century, (Acton, 1887) said that "power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely," suggesting that a person's sense of morality lessens as his or her power increases. Do you agree? Considering this idea, is it ethical for leaders to try to increase their power? Is all power the same or are there different power bases and different corresponding influence techniques? How does the use of power impact the leader-follower relationship?
Choose any organization and describe the power base(s) in that organization. What types of techniques do leaders in use to influence team behavior in that organization? How does the leaders' approach affect team relationships? As a leader, how would you use power in your relationships with team members and why?
Reference:
Acton, L. (1887). Letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton. Retrieved January 1, 2011, from
http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/27321.html
To support your work and demonstrate achievement of learning outcomes, be sure to incorporate the key relevant material from your reading as well as outside academically credible resources. All sources should be credited using APA which includes both reference and applicable in-text citations. Also, it must have APA level headings. An example of headings from a previous assignment are:
Introduction (Name of paper)
Write the introduction
Emotional Intelligence Analysis
In this area...Write about the first area in the rubric which is ... Analyzed and outlined how the leader handled his or her emotions, how did the team deal with emotions and justified how leaders enhance team EI along with specific examples.
Leader Communication Style
In this area ..Write about the first area in the rubric which is.... Analyzed and described the leaders' communication style as whether persuasive, manipulative, or coercive.
Team Communication Style
In this area...Write about the first area in the rubric which is ... Analyzed and identified the most dominant communication style within the team. Analyzed and inferred how the leaders' communication style affects the team.
Philosophy, Style, and Action Steps
In this area..Write about the first area in the rubric which is ... Analyzed and identified the type of philosophy held by leaders and other members of the team, the type of leadership style being presented and the action steps which would help enhance the leadership style in the team.
Conclusion
Wrap up your paper reviewing the key aspects of your paper
Some reading from this week and thinks to research:
Describe a leader's power bases and how these are used to influence others.
Some Research Direction:
Be sure to review your reading to understand the concept of leadership power bases. One of the more popular works in this area was conducted by social psychologists John French and Bertram Raven, in 1959. They identified five bases of power:
Enjoy Learning about Types of Leadership Powe.
Influencing policy (training slides from Fast Track Impact)
Power Base and LeadershipBritish historian of late 19th century,.docx
1. Power Base and Leadership
British historian of late 19th century, (Acton, 1887) said that
"power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely,"
suggesting that a person's sense of morality lessens as his or her
power increases. Do you agree? Considering this idea, is it
ethical for leaders to try to increase their power? Is all power
the same or are there different power bases and different
corresponding influence techniques? How does the use of power
impact the leader-follower relationship?
Choose any organization and describe the power base(s) in that
organization. What types of techniques do leaders in use to
influence team behavior in that organization? How does the
leaders' approach affect team relationships? As a leader, how
would you use power in your relationships with team members
and why?
Reference:
Acton, L. (1887). Letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton.
Retrieved January 1, 2011, from
http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/27321.html
To support your work and demonstrate achievement of learning
outcomes, be sure to incorporate the key relevant material from
your reading as well as outside academically credible resources.
All sources should be credited using APA which includes both
reference and applicable in-text citations. Also, it must have
APA level headings. An example of headings from a previous
assignment are:
Introduction (Name of paper)
Write the introduction
Emotional Intelligence Analysis
In this area...Write about the first area in the rubric which is ...
Analyzed and outlined how the leader handled his or her
emotions, how did the team deal with emotions and justified
how leaders enhance team EI along with specific examples.
2. Leader Communication Style
In this area ..Write about the first area in the rubric which is....
Analyzed and described the leaders' communication style as
whether persuasive, manipulative, or coercive.
Team Communication Style
In this area...Write about the first area in the rubric which is ...
Analyzed and identified the most dominant communication style
within the team. Analyzed and inferred how the leaders'
communication style affects the team.
Philosophy, Style, and Action Steps
In this area..Write about the first area in the rubric which is ...
Analyzed and identified the type of philosophy held by leaders
and other members of the team, the type of leadership style
being presented and the action steps which would help enhance
the leadership style in the team.
Conclusion
Wrap up your paper reviewing the key aspects of your paper
Some reading from this week and thinks to research:
Describe a leader's power bases and how these are used to
influence others.
Some Research Direction:
Be sure to review your reading to understand the concept of
leadership power bases. One of the more popular works in this
area was conducted by social psychologists John French and
Bertram Raven, in 1959. They identified five bases of power:
Enjoy Learning about Types of Leadership Power.
This week we talk about leadership power and influence.
One key concepts this week is types of power used by leaders.
There are 4 types your reading discusses. Consider learning
about these types and then test yourself with this short video
(It's fun and a bit quirkey - Try it!)
3. What Type of Power did he use?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRDjFQ2Zvrg
OR
watch this video on the Types of Leadership Power and Learn
how student earns a new car!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_6DuoiuzwA
Strategic Planning and Its Fundamentals
Strategic planning is a "methodical, step by step approach to
determine who you are (mission), what you are not willing to
compromise (values), where you are going (vision), and how
you are going to get there (planning)" (Strong, 2005).
Developing an effective strategic plan is critical to an
organization's success. It is important to note that strategic
planning differs from classic business planning, in that it
involves thinking outside the box in order to develop the
mission and vision statements.
In essence, a strategy can be defined as the game plan that the
company will use to fulfill its mission and vision (Pearce &
Robinson, 2004). It is a high-level plan that sets the framework
for executive-level decision making. According to Pearce and
Robinson (2004), a strategic plan is made up by following nine
required tasks:
1. Develop the company's mission, values, goals, and
philosophy.
2. Analyze the company's internal capabilities and conditions.
3. Assess the competition and the external environment.
4. Align resources with the company's external environment.
5. Identify and evaluate available options.
6. Develop long-term objectives and overall strategies.
7. Based upon the long-term objectives and strategies, create
annual and short-term objectives.
8. Implement the selected strategies.
9. Evaluate company's success.
This is an iterative process that will adjust over time, which is
why it is so important for leaders to be flexible when
developing the plan.
4. Reference:
South University Online. (2014). MGT3102: leadership: Week
4: strategic planning and its
fundamentals. Retrieved from http://myeclassonline.com
Vision Statement vs. Mission Statement
To face the challenges of globalization and other changes in the
organization, leaders need to have a clear vision to move
forward and achieve their goals. A vision statement paints a
picture of what is possible or of what could be. It inspires hope
for a better tomorrow and helps people look ahead and visualize
goals. A vision statement is generally a short and memorable
phrase or sentence that captures the essence of a
leader's/organization's vision for the future.
The impact and influence a leader's vision has on the
organization's eventual success and future is highly significant.
For example, Bill Gates maintains the vision of Microsoft,
which he founded in 1975, to be "A computer on every desk and
in every home." Microsoft remains committed to the vision of
Bill Gates—this singular focus revolutionized the computer
industry.
A mission statement defines the purpose of an organization. For
example, Starbucks' mission statement is, "To inspire and
nurture the human spirit–one person, one cup, and one
neighborhood at a time." Mission statements can sometimes be
quite long, and they often address such areas as expected
markets, customers, technology, and leadership philosophy.
A great example of leadership vision and mission is Steve Jobs,
co-founder of Apple, Inc. Under Jobs' visionary leadership,
Apple revolutionized the computing and telecommunications
industries with the development of the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and
iPad. The development of these products in addition to the
Apples iTune Store, an online marketplace helped bring Apple
from the brink of demise (Isaacson, 2011).
5. Alignment
As vision and mission statements (along with goals and values)
are developed in an organization, one of the most critical tasks
accomplished by leaders is to align followers to the vision,
mission, goals, and values. Alignment often relates to followers'
motivation to embrace the organizational vision. If followers
have a vision, goals, or values that are contrary to or compete
with the leader's vision and goals or the organization's vision
and goals, it will be difficult for the leader/organization to
achieve its vision or to achieve it with excellence. Ivancevich,
Konopaske, and Matteson (2011) states, the "real challenge is
not so much increasing motivation per se but of creating an
environment wherein employee motivation is channeled in the
right direction at an appropriate level of intensity and continues
over time." (p. 121)
How do leaders align followers? Many of the topics that are
covered in this class are part of the answer, including such ideas
as leaders use emotional intelligence to build resonance in their
followers, teams, and organizations. Leaders also use the art of
persuasion as we have defined it in this course to align
followers, helping them to understand the vision (or mission or
goals or values) and why it should be embraced. Consider the
viewpoints of these leadership experts:
· Ivancevich, Konopaske, and Matteson (2011) stated that
"Through communication ability, the visionary . . . leader links
followers' needs and goals to the job or organizational goals."
(p. 459)
· Bennis (1999) stated that "Effective leaders put words to the
formless longing and deeply felt needs of others. They create
communities out of words." (p. 24)
· Burns (1978) stated that:
Transforming leadership occurs when one or more persons
engage with others in such a way that leaders and followers
raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality.
Their purposes, which might have started out as separate but
related . . . become fused. Power bases are linked not as
6. counterweights but as mutual support for common purpose.
Various names are used for such leadership . . . elevating,
mobilizing, inspiring, exalting, uplifting, preaching, exhorting,
evangelizing. (p. 20)
· Kouzes and Posner (2007) stated that:
Leaders breathe life into the hopes and dreams of others and
enable them to see the exciting possibilities that the future
holds. Leaders forge a unity of purpose by showing constituents
how the dream is for the common good. Leaders stir the fire of
passion in others by expressing enthusiasm for the compelling
vision of the group. Leaders communicate their passion through
vivid language and an expressive style. (p. 18)
Reference:
South University Online. (2014). MGT3102: leadership: Week
4: vision statement vs. mission
statement. Retrieved from http://myeclassonline.com
Shifting Paradigms
A paradigm is a set of values, beliefs, assumptions, and
practices that one holds about the nature of different aspects of
our lives. Paradigms are made up of what we assume we know
about the world that we live in. However, because we are
fallible beings, there are times when our paradigms or beliefs
are wrong.
What leaders believe to be true influences are what they believe
about their employees (such as theory X or theory Y) and the
level of confidence they have in their employees. If a leader has
doubts or preconceived notions, they will likely fail to stimulate
their employees, expect less of them, and treat them with less
confidence, consequently affecting employees' potential and
abilities.
Paradigms also influence the way leaders treat their employees.
For example, if you consider a person as being lazy you may be
overly critical or dismiss their requests for help. If you perceive
a person as driven and accomplished, you may provide him or
her with more advanced projects and dismiss errors as just
honest mistakes.
7. Effective leadership starts with breaking away from old ways of
thinking or outdated paradigms that limit you from greater
potential. We need to ask ourselves, "What are my expectations
of others? Do my expectations, viewpoints, and paradigms
affect the outcomes of people? Are these outcomes positive or
negative? What can I do about it?" Perhaps you have studied
some information in this course that is beginning to shift your
paradigm about leadership.
Reference:
South University Online. (2014). MGT3102: leadership: Week
4: shifting paradigms.
Retrieved from http://myeclassonline.com
Chapter 6: Creating a Vision from
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