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Question
Instructions
Here's the instructions
You have just been hired as the chief executive officer (CEO) in a medium-sized organization. The organization is not suffering financially, but neither is it doing as well as it could do. This is largely because the organization is stagnated in old ideas having not kept pace with the changing standards of the sector it serves. It does, however, have a handful of new employees who are eager to see the organization modernize. The organization also has several long-time employees who have remained with the company through the good times and the bad. The Board of Directors feels a sense of loyalty and obligation to these steadfast individuals, but the Board also knows that moving some parts of the operation "off-shore" would be better for the organization. In this assignment, you will discuss how you as a leader would direct this organization through the changes that are necessary for its survival.
General Requirements:
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Directions:
Write a paper of 1,250-1,500 words that describes how you would lead the organization described above. Include the following in your paper:
A discussion of the foundational theories upon which you would draw to lead this organization.
A discussion of the application of foundational theories to diverse populations and settings. How would you apply the appropriate theory to the above scenario?
A discussion of how you would assess the effectiveness of those foundational theories and adapt them to the diverse populations and settings represented in the above scenario.+
A statement of how your leadership skills and style would be an asset or drawback to your effectiveness as a leader in this environment.
| Subject | Administration | Pages | 6 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Foundational Theories in Leading an Organization
The world has become extremely competitive, especially in the business sector with the invention of new techniques and products on an almost daily basis. The cut-throat competition calls for exemplary leadership skills to ensure that companies not only survive, but also make decent revenues. The success or failure of any organization is largely determined by the type of leadership it is under. The decisions made by leaders are greatly influenced by the model and type of leadership style being used by those placed in leadership positions. These decisions determine how a company responds to change as a result of both internal and external forces and consequently determine its ability to survive different seasons. Therefore, it is crucial that the type of leadership model employed is effective and suitable in relation to the state of the company and the goals it is aiming for. This paper discusses the importance of foundational leadership theories in leading an organization which as presented in the given scenario, has stagnated in old ideas.
Foundational Theories upon which to Lead this Organization
Behavioral Theory – Democratic and Autocratic Leadership
The behavioral theory of leadership states that a leader gets a following from people based on his behavior in leadership roles (Schafer, 2013). It encompasses 3 main sub-tenets. These are the autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire leadership styles. I would use the democratic leadership style in leading the organization to make decisions which require the contribution of employees for them to take effect. This is because of the commitment that it draws from the employees by reason of their inclusion in decision making processes.
However, I would use autocratic leadership style in making decisions on matters that require quick decisions to be made. The reason behind this decision is because as much as democratic leadership accrues support from various entities, it is also time-consuming as each party involved might have a different opinion on how to handle the situation at hand. Contingency Theory
The contingency theory encapsulates various models. These are the Fiedler’s contingency theory, the path-goal theory, situational leadership, and the decision-making theory (Schafer, 2013). The path-goal theory was developed out of a combination of the goal-setting and the expectancy theories. It is majorly founded on the idea that effective leaders assist those who are in line with their goals. The situational leadership theory is based on the maturity of those who are being led. This theory points out that the maturity levels range from unwillingness to perform a task to the willingness to complete the task (Schafer, 2013).
My approach of leadership would require the use of Fielder’s contingency model. Fielder’s contingency model was developed by Fred Fiedler and states that there is no best form of leadership but rather the effectiveness of a form of leadership is subject to the situation at hand (Schafer, 2013). Rather, the form of leadership is determined by the situation that should be tackled at the moment. The approach is pegged on the belief that the best way of leading an organization is entirely dependent on the effectiveness of a form of leadership in the situation at hand.
Application of Foundational Theories to Diverse Populations and Settings
Inclusivity of Employees
Employees are likely to implement changes in the work place whenever they feel that their opinion concerning the particular matter was taken into consideration when the decision was being made. Involving employees in the decision-making processes establishes an element of commitment from them. As the CEO, I would advocate for more inclusion of the employees in making decisions. I would require that at least two regular employees other than those in managerial positions are included in my meetings whenever the company is about to make crucial decisions. The two employees would act as representatives of the rest. They would give insight to the challenges they are likely to face as a result of the changes being effected.
Effective Delegation
In order to embrace change, I would advocate for delegation of duties from the old employees to the relatively new employees who are yearning for a change aimed at improvement and greater performance by the company. Though the board feels a sense of loyalty towards the long-standing members, I would effect changes in the roles and responsibilities assigned to the old employees. I would ensure that the roles and responsibilities of the old employees are re-assigned to the new employees. This would initiate a spurge of freshness among the employees and combat poor performance that might have cropped up as a result of monotony in the nature of work. In return, the old employees would take up new roles which have been assigned to relatively new employees in accordance to their skillset. That way, the board would not have to deal with the feelings of letting go of their employees while at the same time the company would experience better performance.
Effectiveness of the Foundational Theories and their Adaptation to the Diverse Populations and Settings
I would assess the effectiveness of the foundational theories of leadership based on the arrival time of employees at the place of work. The time an employee arrives at work can be used to determine how devoted they are to the goals of the organization (Daft & Lane, 2011). Many employees come late for work, especially when they feel that the work they have been assigned to do does not correspond to their long-term goals. Thus, an analysis of the arrival times of employees over a period of time can be used to indicate the level of devotion that the employees have towards a particular project.
Another measurement I would put in place would be in the duration the employees take to complete assigned tasks as compared to previous times. According to a research carried out by Daft & Lane, (2011), motivated employees tend to complete tasks and close projects over a shorter period than demoralized employees. Consequently, a comparison of the time taken by employees to complete tasks after employing the leadership theories will indicate the effectiveness of the methods.
I will also collect feedback from customers concerning the quality of services offered to them by the employees to determine the effectiveness of my leadership theories (Daft & Lane, 2011). Effective leadership would be felt even at the lowest levels of service delivery. Feedback indicating satisfaction of customers is evidence that the leadership styles are working to improve the quality of services rendered by the company and its overall positon as compared to its competitors.
How My Leadership Skills and Style Would be an Asset or Drawback to My Effectiveness as a Leader in this Environment
My leadership style would be an impediment to rapid growth of the organization, especially because of the slow decision-making process as a result of democratic leadership. Some situations call for quick decisions to battle the challenges presented by the volatile business environments. The company would suffer major drawbacks in such situations if I employ the democratic style of leadership under the behavioral leadership theory.
My leadership style of using the contingency theory would benefit me greatly as it would enhance my ability to handle various situations. One of the major challenges facing the organization is as a result of inflexibility and inability to adjust accordingly to match the competition. As such, the contingency style of leadership would enable me to tackle such challenges and steer the company in the right direction irrespective of the board’s perspective and opinion of the same.
Conclusion
As seen above, various leadership theories can be put in place to effect change and improve performance of the organization. These changes are majorly subject to the leadership approach used by the leader. As indicated in the previous sections of the paper, leadership traits of a leader can act as strengths or drawbacks depending on how they are used in leadership position. This paper has described behavioral theory of leadership in which it has focused majorly on the democratic model of leadership and how it can be used to steer the organization to greater heights by enhancing employee participation in the decision-making processes. The paper has also described how the contingency theory can be used to tackle random situations and address potentially volatile situations which would otherwise steer the organization out of its competitive advantage.(2017) study employed, there are very little room for generalizing the study’s findings.
References
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Daft, R. L., & Lane, P. G. (2011). Leadership. Australia: South-Western, Cengage Learning. Schafer, J. A. (2013). Effective leadership in policing: Successful traits and habits. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.
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