Leadership, Teambuilding, and Communication, Essay Example

Introduction

Leadership as a whole is a process. It involves a person’s capability to assist others and manage them according to their competence, allowing them to become more accustomed to the kind of function that they are supposed to embrace especially in connection to how they are supposed to become an asset to the group they belong to (Miner, 2005). It assumes that capacity of a person to bring out the best in others. Notably, in relation to leadership, organizations [both for-profit and nonprofit] exist extensively through the guidance of capable leaders who are ready to give their best for the sake of establishing a good source of organizational development.

In the face of globalization, it could be assumed that leadership is an important aspect of organizational continuance. When an organization is established, the path it shall take as it faces global pressure and competition could be regarded by the type of leadership that is embraced by its appointed leaders. What constitutes good leadership is the ability of an appointed person to make definite moves to motivate the people to assume development as the primary culture of the organization they are working for. Relative conditioning of the people through providing them a good sense of distinguishing what elements could boost up development and what other elements could hinder the organization from obtaining progress should be a core knowledge that a leader posses. Nevertheless, aside from this aspect, there are still others that remain as a strong foundation of the many concepts of good leadership, which indicates a possible path for development that organizations could take into consideration.

In the discussion that follows, understanding the concept of leadership through seeing its actual application shall be presented. Basing from the examples of how Call Center International or CCI manages its people and defines its path for progress, the different types and application approaches of leadership shall be further indicated in the research that is presented herein. First to note though is the elaboration of the meaning of leadership and how such meaning makes a condition of developmental progress for the entire organization to take.

What is Leadership?

Leadership is directive; it is the factor of guidance that a person or persons imply to create a unified form of direction for others who ought to follow the leadership of another. When one is assigned as the leader, it is often expected that he would make a distinctive indication of his role in the organization through defining his function with the aim of affecting others to follow a culture that he has primarily established for the group. Managers are assigned leaders who do not only oversee the work procedures going on in an organization but also consider seeing through the condition of working culture that the employees embrace in relation to their assigned responsibilities.

This is the reason why in leadership, the capacity of one to lead others is assumed to be an important aspect of development. Defining the condition of progress that one ought to embrace, it is evident that how a leader intends to make impact on the organization directly affects the performance of the people relying under his guidance. Making comprehensive changes into his leadership according to the changing situations that the organization faces at one time is noted as the situational leadership approach [which would be better defined later]. Making a distinction on how one works for the betterment of the whole organization however involves constant adjustment on the type of leadership approach that one takes into account. In the following sections, such an approach to procedural leadership shall be given attention to through defining the process of leadership that is used in managing the assets, the people and the operations that makeup the Call Center International or CCI.

Introducing the Call Center International

Primarily dependent on providing service to both clients and organizations as they aim to embrace modern procedures of marketing to provide and get what they want from the market, CCI or the Call Center International is a US-based call agent organization that provides manpower to organizations needing client-call options (CCI, www). The function of the organization involves calling clients to offer particular products and services that their allied organizations ought to offer in the market. Another function of the organization involves receiving calls from clients who might have inquiries and/or issues regarding the services or products they have received from allied companies.

International as this Call Center organization is, it is assumed that the reach of the employee management approaches applied in the organization affects not only the base employees but also the ones who are working offshore. Operating in some other areas of the world, CCI employs up to 5,000 individuals and more all over the globe (CCI, www). Although the organization functions internationally, it strives to keep a unified culture that shall allow its people to work as one amidst cultural biases and distance issues. Managers are set as leaders who are to work in hierarchical functions including both international and local functions all at the same time. To make the workload easier for the managers to embrace, it is the organization’s concept of developmental operation that assists in allowing leaders function at their best.

Division of responsibilities among assigned leaders based on their working capacities is a specific factor that contributes to the operation’s success. For instance, employees are divided in teams; each team is expected to focus on several workloads provided by a certain company ally. Relatively, such work operations include market research, product assistance and client-directed marketing. Agents ought to be alert and assertive enough to be able to embrace the functions that they are supposed to complete for their clients.

To make sure that each individual is able to deliver the service that he is expected to complete, each team is directed by a team leader. To allow the teams to come together, another individual is assigned responsible for the function and performance of three to six teams under his care [depending on the type of workload that each team is expected to complete]. What is assumed to be a great source of competence especially when it comes to dealing with organizational function in an international scope is the need to keep the process intact amidst diversity (Spencer, 2000). Hence, from the teams-head leaders, Call Center International has established a system that does not only account for local branch operations but also towards international oneness of the business. Each branch within a country is directed by a general director who is assigned with the task to oversee the overall condition of work and performance of the people depending on the report of each branch manager (CCI, www). At this point, the said directors are expected to provide quarterly report to the head office therefore giving visual presentation on how each branch under their care functions accordingly. With this hierarchical arrangement of directive leadership, the organization remains intact amidst relative diversity.

Applying forms of Leadership Styles

To keep the machine of function going, leaders of CCI are trained to go with the flow and assume their position in the changing tides of the call center market. With competition getting tighter and the competitors getting smarter, CCI needs to take on the helmet of change and development. Leaders assigned in their posts are often dedicated to making specific conditions of actions that would manifest their value in the organization and its desire to assume directive development. Some of the values that are embraced by the leaders are to be presented in this section along with the kind of leadership they apply to manifest a sense of function for the course of development they hope to acquire.

Embracing Advancement

Embracing advancement involves the capacity of people to be more responsive especially in relation to the different conditions of progress that the entire industry of call center service invokes to be engaged in. To be able to take charge of the situation, leaders of CCI often utilize the participative leadership approach to make sure that the people’s response to the new procedures and developed operations would be for the best function of the entire organization. CCI, being an international organization, is expected to take on development one step at a time but each step affects the overall function of both the base companies and the other branches abroad as well. Making the people participate in these changes involve the need for the leaders to motivate the people to move further and accept the fact that developments in the industry would directly affect the function they are notably expected to present for the clients they serve.

Embracing Change

To be able to assume their position in the process of development, change should be considered as a common element for progress. To be able to consider such responsibility on the part of the leaders to impose change as a common culture, assigned leaders in CCI often depend on the theoretical and actual functions of situational leadership (Van Wormer, et al, 2007). This approach to leadership specifically indicates the capacity of a leader to change focus depending on the situation approaching the organization. Being a flexible and reasonable person then plays a great role in applying this approach to leadership in an effective direction (Vroom, et al, 1988). Most often than not, this involves the need to consider the path that the organization aims to take based on a time-related manner. Considering where the people are in parallel with where the organization is indicates the possibility of leaders to become more aware of the responsibility they have to relate to the capacity of the employees to respond to the change that is necessary to be taken account for.

Embracing Cultural Disparity as an Asset

Given that the organization functions internationally, it is essential that the leaders be positive about assuming disparity or diversity in culture more as an asset to the business than a hindrance to organizational success. In this case, behavioral theories of leadership could best be used as the foundation of direction to the employees. In a way, behavioral theories define each person as an individual rather than simply looking at him as part of the team (Montana, et al, 2008). Giving attention to what each individual could contribute through honing his behavior towards the aspect of progress and development, leaders are then assumed to take control on how to direct cultural differences among employees into a more functional condition.

Through taking charge of the different functions that the organizations hope to complete for their clients and their business partners, leaders of CCI are equipped to handling the tides of change and development in the international industry as a major part of their job. Relating their conditions of guidance to the people specifically allows them to see through the procedures by which the organization functions as a single entity that is geared towards market advancement and organizational competence.

Conclusion

Leadership, as defined in the discussion presented herein, is a functional process that a person or a group of individuals assigned into position takes into consideration. With the responsibilities placed upon the shoulders of the leaders, it is often regarded as a position of influence. What a leader hopes to take into consideration especially in directing and inspiring the people noted to be under his command affects the overall function of the organization in the industry it is enjoined with. This is the reason why for companies internationally functioning like CCI, leadership becomes a core source of organizational competence that defines the possibilities that the business ought to take in relation to its future.

True, it could be assumed that at this point, leadership of particular individuals could be regarded as the core source of success especially for people who are aiming to make a condition of change and progress in the organizations they are working for. Leadership could be learned; while it is true that not everyone is born to become a leader, every individual is given the practical chance of developing his leadership skills through constant practice. This is the reason why every person given the chance to take leadership functions should consider the process as an opportunity for them to improve themselves and develop their skills in relation to creating directive procedures that people from their organization could follow through accordingly. Like CCI leaders, advancement, change and cultural diversity among the employees should be considered as elements of stronger organizational foundation than elements of separation among the people. From covering such elements of employee direction responsibility, assigned leaders are expected to define the path of their personal development alongside their capacity to direct the entire organization towards the course of advancement that they are expected to take into consideration as a whole. Making changes then becomes a common culture that the entire organization would be ready to embrace.

References

Call Center International. http://www.ccicompany.us/AboutUs.aspx. (Retrieved on December 16, 2012).

Miner, J. B. (2005). Organizational Behavior: Behavior 1: Essential Theories of Motivation and Leadership. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe.

Spencer, Herbert (2000).The Study of Sociology. New York: D. A. Appleton. Tittemore, James A. (2003). Leadership at all Levels. Canada: Boskwa Publishing.

Vroom, Victor H.; Yetton, Phillip W. (1973). Leadership and Decision-Making. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.

Vroom, Victor H.; Jago, Arthur G. (1988). The New Leadership: Managing Participation in Organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Van Wormer, Katherine S.; Besthorn, Fred H.; Keefe, Thomas (2007). Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Macro Level: Groups, Communities, and Organizations. US: Oxford University Press.

Montana, Patrick J.; Bruce H. (2008). Management. Hauppauge, New York: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.