Some Effects of Close and Punitive Styles of Supervision, Research Paper Example

Leaders exhibit different personalities and are therefore likely to adopt a variety of leadership styles (Joyce & Judge, 2004). Broadly, leadership styles can range from a completely controlling authoritarian style to a more liberal democratic feel. The leadership styles that individuals chose to exhibit are primarily due to their unique experiences in the workforce, and it is important to consider that different leadership styles are effective in different situations. It is also necessary to consider that an individual’s preferred leadership style can be closely tied to how they emphasize ethics and morality in their daily practices. Leaders are in a unique situation in which they are able to define what ethics is, since they are in charge of their employees. While many individuals would agree that ethics are broadly based on the concept of doing what is right, the meaning of this definition can vary widely.

One model of leadership that appears to be the most effective is transformational leadership. In short, transformational leaders are those who promote the overall learning and development of employees so that they may be able to contribute more significantly to the organization. In addition, transformational leaders motivate their workers by providing them with the awareness that the work they do will tie directly into the success of a given project. This leadership style is tied into Covey’s concept of principle-centered leadership closely, since these two types of leaders share many personality traits, including energy and true enjoyment of the field.

Effective leaders are individuals who are able to get work done, as the broad purpose of a leader is to delegate responsibilities in a manner that will allow work to be completed within a required timeframe. However, it is important to consider that there are many pathways through which this goal could be accomplished. Transformational leaders understand the value of motivation and collaboration in the workforce, as it the summation of ideas rather than a single understanding that produces the best result. Principle-centered leaders recognize this concept as well, as they are service-oriented and are therefore concerned about others (Covey, 1991). Therefore, for these types of leaders, the accomplishment of a goal is best served as a team effort that works as a learning experience and strengthens the ability of the team as a whole. In addition, both style of leaders tend to be personable, although tend to demonstrate that they are in charge. As a result, both types of leaders tend to exhibit admirable characteristics, such as energy, interest, and friendliness, while continuing to assert their leadership role by demonstrating that they are the master of their field and are able to provide the support needed by team members.

An even more striking similarity between principle-centered leadership and transformational leadership is that both leadership styles are ethics driven. Because these individuals care about their team and their organization as if these units were themselves, they aim to ensure that success will continue and that it is accomplished in the best way possible. Both types of leaders, therefore, assume an understanding of ethics that reflects the principles of utilitarianism. Ultimately, utilitarianism states that actions should be done in a manner that benefits the greatest number of individuals. To the principle-centered and transformational leader, this means that there is a constant need to ensure that both the employees of their organization, their clients, and related stakeholders, benefit. As a consequence, these types of leaders are more likely to make decisions that will advance the team rather than themselves, and they often think of themselves last while taking important actions.

These core values reflect the idea that one’s moral compass impacts leadership styles. This concept is highlighted by contrasting the principle-centered and transformational leader with the typical authoritarian leader. Authoritarian leaders exhibit a totalitarian behavior and leave little room for their workers to provide any direct contribution to the conceptualization of their work. Rather, they are specifically told what to do, how to do it, and when it should be done (Day & Hamblin, 1964). As a consequence, the leader is in direct control of every aspect of the project and the end product ultimately reflects his or her personal ability. During this process, it is therefore only the leader and possibly the organization that benefits. The well-being of the employees are completely left out of the equation. Therefore, these individuals do not apply the principles of utilitarianism, because it appears that the only one they wish to benefit is themselves, which is done by meeting deadlines and producing results quickly rather than effectively.

The comparison between principle-centered and those with similar leadership characteristics therefore provides a stark contrast with individuals that exhibit authoritarian-like leadership styles. The major difference is clearly that the prior believes that it is the workers who allow the organization to thrive, while authoritarian leaders assume this responsibility for themselves. Therefore, principle-centered leaders believe that it is important to invest in the development of workers in order to produce better results, while authoritarian leaders see workers simply as a tool that can be used to accomplish their own means. As a consequence, it is clear that personality and definition of ethics plays a clear role in the selection and enacting of a particular leadership style. For authoritarian leaders, the ethical decision is the one that benefits the company, which is an opinion that contrasts the majority of the public.

It is important to emphasize ethics in leadership styles because the ability to behave morally reinforces the trust and motivation of employees. Ultimately, workers that know that their leader is constantly working in their best interest will work harder and have more positive feelings about their job and their work. As a result, this will enhance employee retention and save the organization money. In addition, it will help increase the quality of the work produced in addition to the drive for employees to learn new things that will help their ability to perform in future projects. Ethics is therefore closely tied into the concept of success in the workforce. Employees who do not believe that their leader is behaving ethically will not be content with the organizational culture of their workplace and become more likely to resign, work slowly, and produce undesirable results.

Due to my current understanding of the importance of personality and incorporation of ethics in leadership, I envision that my own leadership style would closely follow the concepts put forth by transformational leaders and principle-centered leaders. Ultimately, in practice, I believe that the style I exhibit will be a hybrid of the two. I fall between these two categories because ultimately, I value the contributions of team members and believe that they are the individuals who are able to make a project succeed or fail. Therefore, it is necessary to develop their knowledge and respect their current understandings. In addition, I believe that it is important to have a deep enjoyment for my work outside of my work responsibilities and that I should allow this to reflect in my daily practices.

While I would like to follow Covey’s description of a principle-centered leader just as he describes it in his book, I do not believe that it would be possible for me to follow all of the advice he provides. I do believe the information he gives would allow me to be an effective leader, but I do not naturally have some of the personality traits that he states a principle-centered leader should have. I wish to make an effort to change these aspects about myself, such as allowing myself to be more energetic. However, I believe that it would be more effective to exclude these traits rather than appear authentic. As a consequence, I believe that merging the concepts of transformational and principle-centered leadership would be most effective for me personally. Implementing these leadership styles would allow me to begin my professional career with a solid foundation of leadership characteristics while providing me with the ability to continue to develop this understanding as a gain experience. It is difficult to determine precisely how I will behave as a leader without having a reasonable understanding of my team, which is why I think the most valuable trait that I could have as a leader is the ability to adapt, which I hope will serve me well in the future.

References

Covey, S. R. (1991). Principle-centered leadership. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Day, R. C., & Hamblin, R. L. (1964). Some effects of close and punitive styles of supervision. American Journal of Sociology, 69: 499-510.

Joyce E., Judge TA. (2004). Personality and transformational and transactional leadership: a meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology,89(5): 901-910.