Leadership Research Paper
Leadership Research Paper
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Please see the attached instructions for my part of the group assignment. I want this response to focus on Path Goal Theory if possible.
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Introduction
Leadership is a crucial aspect in any given organization. This is because; the undertakings of any given business are shaped by the leadership. It is therefore crucial that the leadership in any given organization is articulated well such that there are high chances of success of the business undertakings. The leadership determines the success or the failure of the business. This paper analyses the leadership of a manager in a coffee making organization. The alignment of the leader to the path goal model of leadership has been analyzed especially in view of the strengths and the weaknesses attributed. The suggestions to the improvement have been given in respect to the improvement that would arise in the organization.
Description
The manager in this organization can be said to be the ultimate authority in this organization. He heads this coffee making organization which specializes in making coffee from the coffee seeds. This organization, (Coffee top- pseudo name) has been in success in its undertakings under the leadership of this manager. This success is denoted by the expansion of the organization in terms of its market share as well as the profits. The leadership of this manager is experienced by the different stakeholders. The employees are affected by the leadership decisions made the manager. The suppliers of the raw materials such as the coffee seeds are also affected by the leadership in one way or the other. The customers are also affected by the decisions of the manager as the ultimate leader and authority in this organization. The manager leads under some challenge. A great challenge here is the stiff competition from the other businesses of similar orientation. There has been sprouting of businesses oriented to making of coffee just like the coffee top. This has come with a lot of competition which call for articulation of responsible leadership to ensure that the organization is kept afloat.
Effectiveness with model
To some extent, the leadership of the manager in this organization can be said to be oriented to the path-goal model of leadership. This model of leadership denotes the orientation of the leader’s style and behavior such that they match the employee and work environment in a bid to achieve the goals, (Landrum & Daily, 2012). The aim of his is to make the employees become more productive members of the organization, (Johnson, Garrison, Hernez et al, 2012). This idea is based on the expectancy theory. This is whereby the employees are said to perform well depending with the expected outcome of the undertaking which depends on the excellence of their performance. On this note, when the employees are aware that their excellence performance will be appreciated with something beneficial to them, they are more likely to work harder to improve their performance, (Hayyat Malik, 2012).
The leadership of the manager of coffee top can be said to align to this model of leadership. This view emanates from the efforts observed in articulating the leadership style such that it orients towards motivating the employees, empowering them and ensuring satisfaction. Under the leadership of this manager, there has been adoption of programs that are geared towards motivating the employees. There have been establishment of channels such that the employees are able to air their views without encumbrances. This has gone a long way in ensuring that the employees are satisfied. This is because; they are able to air their grievances whenever they are not satisfied. This keeps the management informed on the demands of the employees.
Some of the efforts of the manager which have been oriented to motivating the employees and ensuring their satisfaction include the motivational package at the end of the year. This is whereby the employees are washed with gifts at the end of the year such as parties, gift hampers as well as gift vouchers. This has gone a long way in ensuring motivation of the employees and has translated to improved performance due to the expected appreciation at the end of the year.
The form of leadership
The form of leadership adopted by this manager can be said to be transformational. Transformational leadership is the kind of leadership that denotes efforts of the leader to make positive transformations in the persons being led. There are deliberate efforts made to ensure that there are positive advances made not only in the performance within the organization but also in the general life of the employees, (Rowold, 2014). The transformational leadership of the manager of coffee top is first denoted by the traits portrayed in his undertakings. The manager is energetic, enthusiastic and passionate. Those are basically traits that are associated with transformational leaders, Bruce, Avolio, William et al (2005)For a leader to be transformational they must articulate the trait of being energetic. Being energetic enables the leaders to ensure that they inspire their subjects in adopting the transformative advancements with ease. If a leader does not become energetic in their leadership, it becomes difficult to convince the subjects to adopt the transformational advancements.
In transformational leadership, there are always efforts of the leader to ensure that the employees are motivated so that they become innovative and creative for the good of the organization. This aspect is opposed to the idea of having to push the employees for every deed and for innovation. When the employees are motivated, they come up with creativity and innovation, Joseph (1968). When such aspects are displayed, it is crucial that the leaders appreciate.
In any given organization, it is crucial that that the leader is armed with leadership psychological capacities. These include confidence, optimism hope as well as resilience. These aspects are personal resources of an authentic leader. It is crucial that the leader does not engage in forcing the employees into adopting changes. There could be adoption of soft power. This is whereby; the leader has the ability to shape the preferences of the others so as to like what they like.
In order to be transformational, there must also be enthusiasm in the leader, Gregory (2003). The manager of the Coffee top organization has been enthusiastic especially in adopting the advanced technology. This enthusiasm has made him ensure usage of the advanced technology in the undertakings of the organizations. The transformative leadership of the manager can be seen in the efforts made to ensure that the employees advance in the performance and also in their general life such as in the considerations given in permitting employees to attend to their other matters when it is necessary. It is also crucial that the leader embraces the spirit of diversity. In the wake of globalization, there is need for every leader to ensure diversity in their area of duty. Different lifestyles and orientations must be embraced due to the realization of the diversity of customers. The diversity also touches on inclusion of women in the right ratios and not to show any kind of discrimination. In responsible leadership, there must also be embrace of deliberate efforts to address the practical challenges facing organization. Relevance is sought in addressing the issues because every organization is unique in its own way and therefore, solutions to problems cannot always be generalized.
This kind of leadership can be said to be effective in ensuring that there is improved performance of the employees following the consideration of their needs and ensuring that there are avenues of achieving improvement, (Dixon & Hart, 2010). This translates to higher profits which necessitate the expansion of the business.
However, it would be crucial for the manager to consider advancing the empowerment of the employees, (Gilmore, Hu, Wei et al, 2013). This aspect is associated with the goal path theory but has not been well articulated in the leadership of the manager in this organization. This aspect can be attributed to the lack of advancement opportunities in the organization. There has been noted stagnation of the level of the workers in the job such that they do not get promoted to advanced levels even after working for longer periods of time such that they deserve to be promoted.
It could be suggested that the manager as the leader in focus in this organization should endeavor to improve in ensuring that the employees are provided with opportunities for improvement. For instance, the manager could consider ensuring that the employees are provided with opportunities to venture in furthers studies so as to ensure that they improve their knowledge and skills which n turn will improve their performance, (McCleskey, 2014). At times, the employees could be presented with so much of duties to perform throughout the time such that it becomes difficult for them to engage in studies even on part time basis. This subjects the employees to stagnation in their jobs. Adoption of these kinds of changes would ensure that the organization has higher skilled employees. This would improve the performance and the profitability of the organization.
References
Bruce J. AvolioT, William L. GardnerAuthentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership: The Leadership Quarterly 16 (2005) 315–338
Dixon, M, & Hart, L 2010, ‘The Impact of Path-Goal Leadership Styles on Work Group Effectiveness and Turnover Intention’, Journal Of Managerial Issues, 22, 1, pp. 52-69, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 May 2015.
Gilmore, P, Hu, X, Wei, F, Tetrick, L, & Zaccaro, S 2013, ‘Positive affectivity neutralizes transformational leadership’s influence on creative performance and organizational citizenship behaviors’, Journal Of Organizational Behavior, 34, 8, pp. 1061-1075, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 May 2015.
Gregory, A. S. (2003) Transformational versus servant leadership: a difference in leader focus Retrieved from: www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-7739.htm
Hayyat Malik, S 2012, ‘A Study of Relationship between Leader Behaviors and Subordinate Job Expectancies: A Path-Goal Approach’, Pakistan Journal Of Commerce & Social Sciences, 6, 2, pp. 357-371, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 May 2015.
JOHNSON, S, GARRISON, L, HERNEZ-BROOME, G, FLEENOR, J, & STEED, J 2012, ‘Go For the Goal(s): Relationship Between Goal Setting and Transfer of Training Following Leadership Development’, Academy Of Management Learning & Education, 11, 4, pp. 555-569, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 May 2015.
Joseph, s. (1968) The power to lead. Oxford: Oxford University.
Landrum, N, & Daily, C 2012, ‘Corporate Accountability: A Path-Goal Perspective’, International Journal Of Business Insights & Transformation, 4, pp. 50-62, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 May 2015.
McCleskey, JA 2014, ‘Situational, Transformational, and Transactional Leadership and Leadership Development’, Journal Of Business Studies Quarterly, 5, 4, pp. 117-130, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 May 2015.
Rowold, J 2014, ‘Instrumental leadership: Extending the transformational-transactional leadership paradigm’, Zeitschrift Für Personalforschung, 28, 3, pp. 367-390, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 May 2015.
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