Effectiveness of Leadership in Organizations, Essay Example

A successful leader requires a qualified and experienced individual with the tools that are necessary to improve an organization and its people in many different ways. Therefore, leaders must possess creativity, enthusiasm, and a commitment to success in this role, and this is accomplished through the appropriate behavioral strategies and alternatives that will support these objectives. The concepts of power and influence are particularly relevant to leaders, and these must be effectively balanced with other characteristics in order to achieve success in the desired roles. These efforts are critical in demonstrating that the appropriate and ethically responsible behaviors are essential in shaping a successful leader.  In observing this concept, it is important to consider the various aspects of behavior that enable leaders to assume power and influence, without it limiting their progress in the leadership role. There are different types of power and influence in the leadership role, and it is important to identify the appropriate method in determining a person’s capabilities as a leader (Green, 1999). The proposed research project will explore these different methods and how they enable a leader to establish a specific style in this role.

Research Methodology

The proposed research project will examine power and influence in a leadership capacity, and will be based upon individual attributes and characteristics that contribute to the leadership role. Prior research indicates that survey instruments are effective tools in identifying leadership characteristics in different ways (Bal et.al, 2008). For the purposes of this study, an Internet-based survey is the most feasible option, due in large part to the nature of a leader’s typical busy schedule. The proposed research study must explore how leaders perceive power in their own roles, and how they might conduct themselves in order to achieve success in a leadership position. The Internet-based survey will address the roles and responsibilities of a leader and will ask each participant a series of questions that focus on such subject areas as influence on subordinates, relationships with other leaders, and types of power and influence in the workplace. The questions will be developed to consider the ways in which leaders embrace power and influence, and how they adapt their leadership styles in the process. The proposed survey will explore what areas of power and influence from a leadership perspective are most relevant to the development of successful outcomes in workplace settings (Drew, 2010). These criteria are relevant in order to consider the key motivators that are common in establishing a leadership presence in the workplace, and how leaders use the tools of power and influence in order to work with employees, establish new projects, and develop a variety of other outcomes that support long-term growth and sustainability in the workplace environment. These efforts are critical as a means of promoting change and progress within an organization, and to make sense of some of the key factors that lead to positive or negative leadership outcomes in different organizations with respect to power and influence and their role in shaping outcomes. Once the surveys have been collected, data analyses will measure the impact of these different criteria on leadership behavior and organizational growth in workplace settings in order to provide leaders with the tools that are necessary to achieve success in the areas of power and influence.

References

Bal, V., Campbell, M., Steed, J., and Meddings, K. (2008). The role of power in effective leadership. Retrieved from http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/research/roleOfPower.pdf

Drew, G.M. (2010). Enabling or “real” power and influence in leadership. Journal of Leadership Studies, 4(1): 47-58.

Green, R.D. (1999). Leadership as a function of power. APMP, 54-56.