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The role of leadership in organizational culture
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between leadership and the health
of an organization. A leader’s ability to make decisions and guide an organization is based on the
health of the leader. Organizations reflect the values and character of the leaders in every
department. This paper analyzes the effect the leadership health has on the health of the
organization
Leadership characteristics and skills
The health of an organization is directly related to leadership and the decisions made by
leadership. There are many characteristics a leader may possess that affect the health of the
organization. Three characteristics that are necessary for a healthy organization are a character,
stewardship, and experience. These characteristics reflect the composition of the leader.
Character
Character can be defined by what a person values and what that person is living. Often
times we are described by the impression left on the mind of others. Leaders also are described
by the impression made on others except the one they make the strongest impression are the
people being lead, Gini and Green (2014) suggest “character is a lifetime commitment, that must
be practiced and still can be destroyed with one bad decision” (347).
Leaders of a healthy organization should have a healthy understand of themselves. In
order for a leader to be able to manage effectively, that leader must first be able to manage self.
Plato (trans 2004) implied “those who know both their strengths and weaknesses are effective
leaders. For a person to manage a company or a team, they must learn to manage their self”.
Healthy organizations are run by healthy leadership.
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Stewardship
The stewardship of the leader affects organizational health by the responsibility
leadership takes for the organization. Stewardship is about others not about self, so the
stewardship of a leader is a focus on the needs of the organization. A leaders’ stewardship is
illustrated in the achievements of those he or she leads because the needs of the follower have
been put first. Gini and Green (2015) suggested, “True leaders do not treat followers like objects,
but always strives to create positive change in the life of the organization” (439).
Healthy organizations are lead by people who take on the mindset of servant leadership.
It is important to acknowledge the fact that all servant leaders do not adhere to the servant role
initially but arrive at the point later in life. These choose to establish leadership prior to servants.
The act of stewardship by a leader serves as an illustration to those watching and
receiving the outcome of those actions. As suggested by Hernandez (2008), “The stewardship of
a leader demonstrates the acknowledgment of the responsibility to the future generations. These
actions foster a responsibility for the organization in those following” (121).
Experience
Leaders learn from their experiences both positive and negative. Their success and
failures determine the actions taken regarding similar situations. Bennis and Thomas (2002)
suggested, “The leaders develop their ability to navigate change and adversity through their
experiences. These experiences become the basis for leadership in shaping their identity and
values” (441)
Interpersonal experiences also affect a leader's ability to lead a healthy organization. Past
interpersonal experiences of a leader may affect interactions within the organization. People
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make assumptions about others based previous experience; this practice is dangerous for leaders
of any group or community.
Leaders with multiple years in leadership generally have exposed to some type of
leadership training. This training exposes the leader to managerial situations instead of theory.
Fiedler (2007) suggested, “Experience is similar to on job training for supervisors as they gain
knowledge from mentors and others in leadership” (454). In order for an organization to remain
healthy, leadership must have the experience to refer to during crisis and change.
Situational response
Leader manage organizations through change and crisis, how situations are handled
affects the health of an organization directly. Those making the decisions either make decisions
based on ethics or the profit. AS situations arise in an organization, the decision makers must
consider the amount of stress involved and how stress may affect the decisions made. Cannon
(1932) suggested, “Stress may result in decisions being make against the normal ethical position
of people. Decisions made may be based on a fight or flight position, one that is not based on
what is best for the company”.
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Works Cited
Bennis, W. G., & Thomas, R. J. (2004). Geeks and Geezers. Boston,MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Cannon, W. (1932). The wisdomof the body. New York:Norton.
Fiedler, F. E. (1972). The effect of leadership training and experience: A contingency model
interpretation. Administrative Science Quarterly,17(4),453-470.
Gini, A., & Green, R. M. (2014). Three critical characteristics of leadership: Character,stewardship,
experience. Business and society review,435-446.
Hernandez, M. (2008). Promoting stewardship behavior in organizations: A leadership model. Journal of
Business Ethics,80(1),121-128. doi:10.1007/s10551-007-9440-2
Selart, M., & Johansen, S. (2011). Ethical Decision making in organizations: the role of leadership stress.
Journal of Business Ethics, 99(2),129-143. doi:0.1007/s10551-010-0649-0
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