Literature Review on Leadership

Literature Review on Leadership

Topic Focus

An examination of leadership is linked with many implicit and explicit aspects where researchers correlate it with the organizational performance. Numerous studies on the organization skills point organizational leadership as a component for creating harmony and maintaining the organizational culture. Similarly, the literature of leadership indicates that the capacity to comprehend and wok within a culture is a mandatory to an effective leadership.

Critical study has been conducted in many organizations, devoted to understand the relationship between the leadership and culture. This is not surprising incidence given the leaders roles in establishing, delegating and implementing leadership strategies within their organizations. This paper creates an empirical study of what it takes an organization to develop and maintain its performance by sustaining good leadership qualities among all the stakeholders (Burnes, 2000).

The early research on leadership focused on identifying the character traits, which categorizes different levels of leaderships. From these studies, leadership is highlighted as the backbone for all companies and organizations. Leaders acts as the catalyst for improving the morale of works, thus helping in strengthening the organization in moving forward. This study notes that developing leaders to their full capacity is a great challenge. Consequently, the research tries to analyze different theories and leadership approaches that provide light on the best ways of smoothening and boosting the operational strategies in an organization. These approaches are effective to cope with the demographic in substituting the baby-boomer leaders with the young and innovative strategists (Fulmer, 1999).

In summary, the study underlines communication as an effective tool for effective leadership. Moreover, effective management of people is developed through compassion and emotional intelligence. Good leadership is not about issuing instructions to the junior members but rather developing more evolving plans to incorporate every stakeholder. Building rapport is an efficient means of connecting with other people in the organizations. Still, good leadership entails building a working environment based on integrity, honesty, trust and unity. These qualities facilitate the organization to remain competent in production, hence flourishing both economically and financially.

Interviews as an assessment Tool

One of the most used methods of assessing job applicants in an organization or a company is employment interviews. Researchers are working on different studies in order to determine the validity and reliability of using interviews in an occasion of evaluating the quality, knowledge and reliability of workers in an organization. It has occurred that structured interviews are important in sense that they facilitate limiting the degree of discretion that an interviewer would add on the interviewee. The principles of evaluating a response, behavioral simulations, observation and eliciting tendencies in an individual increases the overall interviewers agreement on a given matter.

The structure and design of an interview may vary depending on the constraints of the question or the matter rose in the forum. Essentially, interviews with a low degree of design creates no limitation on the questions asked, thus allowing in-depth evaluation of the interviewee on the question at hand. In addition, interviews enable the panel to conduct a global evaluation of the applicant’s responses.

Interviews with complex structures involve asking respondents exact set of predefined questions. The suitability and competency of the respondent is determined by their benchmark proficiency. Alternatively, the qualification in an interview is also based on individual’s understanding, creativity and confidence in responding to the posed questions. Notably, interviews with high degree of structure will show high degrees of validity, sense, lowered adverse impacts and a balanced agreement and reliability rater (Slater, 1995).

Besides, interviews also vary depending on levels of competency being computed. For instance, employment interviews may center on past, present or even a future behavior, opinion, queries, attitude or beliefs of the applicants. The collected information may cover behavior portrayed during the interview, job experience, training, field of study, and career aspirations. Studies indicate interview questions on a certain job descriptions are synthesized through a job analysis. When properly carried out, the assessment procedure indicates higher degrees of rater reliability and agreement, and high levels of validity.

The widely used techniques of creating job related questions is achieved either by situational or behavioral analysis of the interview. In a situational interview session, the applicants are required to give an account of what they would achieve when given an opportunity to work in the organization. In addition, the panel expects the applicants to describe how they would behave in order to gain full achievements for the organization. For example, assume a situational question, “the organization director has delegated some responsibilities to you and other colleagues. while still at work, you realize that coworkers are goofing off , hence you are left with much of the work to do. Unfortunately, you realize that you are working behind time, and deadline will reach without having completed the task. How would you narrate that to your boss?” this type of interview requires the applicant to answer on this situation as if they were real.

Similarly, the panel may require the applicants to describe how they react to a financial, leadership or economic dilemma if either condition may affect the organization. Such types of questions are linear to the principle of behavioral consistency. Notably, different types of interviews are recommended to varying questions depending on job-incidents. Moreover, there are several factors that play part in determining the form of interview to adhere. These considerations include validity, face validity, subgroup difference, interview cost, administration values and utility.

Behavioral consistency theory suggests that the best form of leadership is revealed by situational variables and that there is no leadership style that resonates well with given workplace situations. Effective leadership style appreciates identification of the type of the task, the size of the organization, the qualification of the members and the production techniques endorsed in the working environment. For instance, the leadership skills entitled in the bank is very different from those entitled for a Motor Industry. Furthermore, there would be eminent distinction between the leadership styles that would be employed by the corporate security compared to the leadership style in the parliament. This means that appropriate evaluation is required in structuring interview questions with that meet criteria of a given job (Slater, 1995).

Good leadership pertains pluralistic qualities that involve group discussions in decision-making. Apparently, group discussions value the opinions of others, thus eliminating the feeling of dishonor and disrespect. Under this theory, the model of leadership adopted determines the sustainability of the organization and subsequent success of its leaders. One of the main reasons why many CEOs fail before finishing their term is poor leadership skills. Newly recruited leaders should understand the culture of the organization, thus making endeavors of improving different means of production. Depending on the stage of leadership, competent leaders should develop insight to the staff to implement good working conditions. Further, all the sectors of the company or the organization should possess adequate human power, skills and necessary tools to maintain the good performance of the organization.

Moreover, interviews are all about assessing applicants’ motives, nourishing their needs, and valuing their recommendations. This is system of evaluation is useful in developing a workable transformational leadership in an organization. Transformational leaders makes their organizational successful by valuing its members. Their mode of leadership is founded on idealized influence, rousing motivation, rational stimulation and personal considerations. Idealized influence refers to managers who possess special traits to their associates. Managers with exemplary leadership skills are can be trusted and respected by other staff in decision-making for the company. Inspirational leaders motivate their employees to remain committed to the vision of the company. In additional, these leaders have ability to encourage and promote teamwork in increasing organizational revenues and market grounds. Rational stimulation refers to leaders who promote innovation and creativity through counteracting the norms and cultures of the organization (Fulmer, 1999).

Kotter (1990) identifies four I’s which are essential in realizing the effectiveness of the transformation leadership. They are illustrated in the flow chart below:

Idealized influence

Individualized consideration

Inspirational motivation

Intellectual stimulation

In transformation theory, the leaders should possess the following qualities:

Empowering members to give the organization the best results

Create the insight in their manner of handling responsibilities

Develop the spirit of unity within the organization

Aggressiveness in meeting the organizational goals

Help the organization to remain at par in the production line

Analysis interviews features for a realistic leadership

Leadership traits focused in this theory are:

Vision

People consider this aspect in defining great leaders in both business and non-business organization. An interview for visionary leaders should be based on quality and in-depth knowledge of the organization goals within a given duration. Such interview will determines where the company is heading and provides big picture pertaining developing the industry before anyone else do it. Besides, vision should be conveyed to all members of an organization, including the junior staff, so that they feel recognized and acceptable in the organization. This is not attained through formalizing the organizational goals, conducts and behaviors, but through passing inspirational information to the members. The ability to translate and cascade vision into people’s every day job is viewed as a critical skill.

However, this theory faces the challenge of categorizing these leadership qualities in the evolving and collective manner..

Trust and communication

People develop trust in their leaders when they realize that they conforms themselves in an honesty and empathetic manner. This forms the ground for good relationship between the leaders and the followers. Incase such cordial grounds were missing; it would be difficult for carry the task of leadership. Indeed, it is hard to accommodate people for a given task when they do not trust you. In their studies, scholars argue that person’s overall achievement in any leadership capacity is based on people’s trust upon the individual. Therefore, trust should remain as continuous nourishment without forcing it.

Communication is the most critical leadership skill. The potential to listen, read the body language, conduct a study, and provide reports and continuous exchange of information between the leaders and the followers helps to build trust in the organization. Moreover, the ability to apply different communication techniques in order to pass the intended message paves way for healthy relationship across all the classes of workers. Providing the employees with the relevant information enables them to participate actively towards realizing the companies’ goals (Burnes, 2000).

Emotional intelligence and sympathetic

Good leaders possess this important quality in facilitating attaining the organizational goals. Leaders with these characters put their own needs behind those of their people. The ability to listen to the needs of others, understanding them, and developing a rapport is an efficient way of connecting with the employer. Empathy, respect, and acknowledging individuals’ uniqueness provides reliable grounds for empowering the working environment.

Integrity

Inspirational leaders possess tremendous levels of honesty and integrity, thus creating confidence towards the rest employers. Subsequently, they are focused as the organizational role models. Other member in the organization strives to land into their working levels. These forms of management endeavors are essential in improving the performance of the company. Leaders with a strong sense of humor, integrity and humility have an inner drive in doing what is right because they are governed by their own principles, but not expecting any form of reward (Slater, 1995).

Apparently, bad debts, which results from poor management and corruption, are avoided. When the culture of honesty and integrity in cultivated in an organization, unnecessary sacking of the employees is minimized. Theft and employees’ harassment are also eliminated. Therefore, leaders hold the core responsibility in enhancing efficient and smooth running of an organization.

Conclusion

Successful organization requires strong leaders who have the ability to control all employees in working towards a common goal. The modern world of business requires efficient and reliable working habits coupled with appropriate responsiveness to changes. Therefore, everyone has a role in ensuring that company’s goals are attained within the threshold of unity, harmony and creativity.

Good leaders should recognize the role of modern technology in running different operations within their premises. Actually, technology is core tool in research work, communication and meeting other organizational dynamics. Building coherent communication systems ensures that the data is shared efficiently, and the feedback obtained within a short time (Kotter, 1990).

Effective leadership is stemmed on three personal skills. These are technical, human, and theoretical skills. These skills have varying significance across the leadership pillars. At the lower levels, both technical and human skills are crucial for an organization. In the middle organizations, the three skills are equally essential. Conversely, high management employs theoretical and technical aspects in effecting good governance in the organizations.

Finally, leadership skills determine the amplitude and degree of competence of different companies. Therefore, good leadership should concentrate on improving the qualities of the stakeholders in order to maintain productivity.

References

Burnes. (2000). Managing Change, Prentice Hall, 3rd edn.

Fulmer. (1999). Leadership: lessons from the best, Training and Development; Retrieved on 28,

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Kotter, J. (1990). What Leaders Really Do, Harvard Business Review; May–June, p.103.

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Mumford. (2000). Leadership skills: Conclusions and future directions. Leadership Quarterly.

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Slater, S. (1995). Issues in Conducting Marketing Strategy Research. Journal of Strategic

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