The Future of Leadership in Learning Organizations, Research Paper Example

According to textbook chapter twelve, a leader is formally defined as an individual “who influences others to attain goals” (Bateman & Snell, 2014). Individuals who have more people following them ultimately hold greater power. This is an important understanding in a variety of organizations because it explains why higher level managers have more power than those on the lower level; they are more directly responsible for a greater number of employees. Understanding leadership is an important concept because it allows us to comprehend the characteristics that an individual in a place of power should have. As such, there is a significant difference between the definition of leaders and managers. While an individual could be both, a manager is simply one who is given authority while a leader earns it. However, it is important to understand that while some people are born leaders, leadership could be a learned quality. It is essential for managers to learn how to enact leadership principles into their duties in order to ensure that their workers will remain productive.

As by James Kouzes and Barry Posner explain, there are five qualities that contribute to good leadership (Kouzes & Posner, n.d.). These include developing an understanding of the work that needs to be done in a manner that allows the process to be optimized, to motivate workers to encourage them to work in a more productive manner, to encourage workers to act upon their current knowledge and skills, to provide workers with new knowledge and skills as needed to complete tasks, and to show appreciation and give rewards to workers for completing work correctly. Interestingly, there are many forms of leadership styles that are described in the workplace, but not all are equally effective. Transformational and transactional leadership are best aligned to the principles stated above and are therefore the most likely to ensure that workers have the resources and desire necessary for them to contribute to organizational success (Bernard, 2000). It is important to understand the relationship between transformational leadership and employee efficacy because the quality of worker output is tied into profitability. Therefore, it is necessary to examine how transformational leadership could be reasonably implemented to improve this efficacy.

While leaders enact many different styles of leadership based on their individual personalities and the needs of their organization, it is important to emphasize that transformational leadership is the preferred method in many instances. This leadership style requires that the manager or supervisor understand the capabilities of their employees, in addition to their wants and needs (Eagly, 2013). By taking advantage of these understandings and using them to allow their employees to grow, transformational leaders are able to promote productivity in the workplace. Interestingly, the literature has shown that although people who share similar qualities are likely to exhibit the same leadership personas, people can alter aspects of their leadership in order to conform to a certain style. Therefore, individuals that are considered transactional and laissez-faire leaders styles can become transformational leaders if necessary.

The authors of “Transformational, Transactional, and Laissez-Faire Leadership Styles:

A Meta-Analysis Comparing Women and Men” argue that more female supervisors enact transformational leadership compared to males (Eagly et al. 569). Therefore, it is important to consider what contributes to this cause. In general, women are more likely to provide awards to workers for excellent work. In order to reinforce positive worker behavior, these rewards could range from simple praises to job promotions. While women are more likely to provide this type of feedback to workers, men leaders could easily adopt this principle by distributing relevant incentives to employees to encourage their improvement. This type of method improves worker motivation and therefore contributes to the development of work quality, so it is important for all leaders to take advantage of this understanding.

Transformational leadership is considered to be one of the most beneficial leadership styles because these individuals ensure that workers have the resources they need to constantly be motivated and succeed. Furthermore, these individuals ensure that their workers are provided with challenges that help to keep them interested in their work. Interestingly, transformational leaders tend to be more liked than leaders that implement other leadership styles. Even though transformational leaders demonstrate a clear balance of authority, these individuals wish for their workers to understand that they are primarily there to support their needs and to ensure that the work will be completed. Generally, these individuals foster an open environment that encourages the leader to be approached and to be questioned by the employees in a manner that is conducive to work.

A research study was conducted to confirm whether people would be able to participate in a program that would help them learn the skills of transformational leadership and apply them directly into practice. The experimental group in this experiment were individuals who received transformational leadership training and were asked to apply what they learned in their organizational setting. The control population did not receive this type of training. Overall, this was a beneficial study because it utilized a large sample size, indicating that the results generated in this experiment can be reasonably considered externally valid. Because this style of leadership was found to have a meaningful effect on employee performance, it is important for organizations to consider the value of transformational leaders in the workplace. Even though transformational leadership is considered to be a specific leadership style, it is important to consider that based on the information retrieved from this experiment, it is possible to train employees to implement this leadership method. Therefore, higher level managers can influence the efficacy of lower level managers by requiring them to follow this leadership method. Furthermore, the ability to learn and implement new leadership styles can be reasonably assessed by the human resources department when hiring new employees, which will allow organizations to hire only the individuals that are able to comply with these requirements. It is expected that workplace practices will become more meaningful if this type of transformative organizational culture is put in place. This understanding is also beneficial to individuals because it indicates that even if a different training program is used, it is possible to learn these skills in order to help apply transformational leadership skills in management practice (Dvir et al., 2002).

Overall, transformational leadership is an important leadership style to implement because it is important for leaders to be respected to ensure that their employees remain compliant with the rules and continue to put effort into their work. When supervisors are generally disliked, a negative organizational culture is created which damages the work ethic. Therefore, the implementation of transformational leadership could act as a preventative method to ensure that work quality is consistent throughout. Positive organizational culture is a beneficial effect that results from transformational leadership. The opposite of transformational leadership is often considered to be authoritarian leadership, in which employees are told what to do without given an explanation. In addition, the leader appears to be more concerned with ensuring that deadlines are met rather than the ability of the employees to produce quality work. While this style of leadership generally detracts from the work environment, it is important to consider that this leadership style is sometimes necessary. When hard deadlines need to be met, leaders need to be flexible with their tactics in order to ensure organizational success. Concern for the worker is often key, but leaders also need to place an emphasis on productivity and institutional goals.

Overall, it is important for supervisors to understand the different leadership styles in addition to what their implementation might mean for their businesses. While an authoritative style may work temporarily in some instances, it generally creates a sense of dissent among employees who feel that their knowledge and experience is not being respected. Transformative leadership is a close opposite to this method because it ensures that employees feel that they are able to grow within an organization, contributing to its success. In order for employees to work effectively, they must be made to feel that their work has meaning. Because transformational leaders are the best at ensuring this will be the case, it is important for supervisors to understand when elements of this method should be implemented in the workplace. Transformational leaders are more likely to implement employee training programs and other supports to help employees gain more advanced skills that they need to succeed at their jobs. Even a leader that was primarily authoritative can gain an understanding of how to adopt transformational behaviors and apply them to the workplace. However, it is likely that each individual implements these leadership styles according to his or her own preferences in addition to interpreting them in a manner that could most reasonably benefit their organization.

Transformational leaders tend to be the best motivators because they understand how to motivate employees, whether this is in terms of abstract or physical reward. Studies have shown that employees tend to be happier when they are aware that their work is directly contributing to the success of their organization. Therefore, for many, this is a reward unto itself. In others situations, the employee must be aware that he or she is able to grow within the company to be motivated. Thus, these individuals are motivated best when their work is rewarded with bonuses, promotions, or raises. The most effective leaders are aware of how to properly balance these rewards so that their employees could maintain a constant flow of motivation. Overall, the motivation that leaders provide to their employees contribute to the efficacy of their work practices, which in turn contribute to profitability of the organization. Under this leadership model, therefore, when the company benefits, the employees benefit as well. This is an important understanding because it allows employees to constantly strive to achieve greater results.

References

Bateman T, Snell S. (2014). Management. McGraw-Hill Education.

Bernard M. (2000). The Future of Leadership in Learning Organizations. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 7(3): 19-31.

Dvir T, Eden D, Avolio BJ, Shamir B. (2002). Impact of Transformational Leadership on Follower Development and Performance: A Field Experiment. Academy of Management        Journal, 45(4): 735-744.

Eagly, Alice H. (2003). Transformational, Transactional, and Laissez-Faire Leadership Styles: A Meta-Analysis Comparing Women and Men. Psychological Bulletin, 129(4): 569-591.

Kouzes J, Posner B. (n.d.). The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership Model. Retrieved from http://www.leadershipchallenge.com/about-section-our-approach.aspx