Leadership and management are two concepts that seem to go hand in hand. It is common to assume that to be in a manager position it also means to be in a leader. Despite the popularity of this belief, it is untrue. Leadership and management certainly share similarities, but they are actually two different concepts. I came across an article written by John P. Kotter (2013) for the Harvard Business Review blog titled, “Management Is (Still) Not Leadership”. The article highlights a few of the common mistakes when considering leadership and management, two of which I find the most crucial mistakes. Both include the wrong idea about the two and this could lead to dire consequences. For organizations to be successful, the functions of leadership and management need to clear.
One mistake that Kotter (2013) points out is that “people use the terms ‘management’ and ‘leadership’ interchangeably,” (para. 4). This is common and I have been guilty of doing the same. It’s easily done because the two do share some similarities. They both include the involvement of influence, they both work with groups, and they both are concerned with goal accomplishment, (Northouse, 2013). A manager has to possess a certain amount of influence over the group, just as a leader does to achieve a common goal. However, despite these similarities between the two, the concepts do not carry the same meanings.
It is important to distinguish the differences between leadership and management. It is also important to know, “the vital functions that each role plays,” (Kotter, 2013, para. 4). The differences include the primary functions of each concept. A manager is meant to reduce chaos so that an organization can run efficiently, (Northouse, 2013). Structure and stability are expected from a manager. A leader is meant to “produce change and movement,” (Northouse, 2013, p.10). A leader uses creativity to guide a group into achieving a common goal. The two roles play specific parts in an organization and both are equally essential.
Another mistake that Kotter (2013) points out that I found to be crucial is that “people use the term ‘leadership’ to refer to the people at the very top of hierarchies,” (para. 5). This implies that if a manager is the highest position within a specific branch of an organization, they are a leader as well. This is obviously not true considering the two do not mean the same thing. A manager is in place to keep the branch running smoothly, taking care of scheduling and budgeting issues. This relationship is a “unidirectional authority relationship,” (Northouse, 2013, p.11). The manager is in a position of authority over the group to ensure work gets done. A leader is expected to motivate, engage, and produce change. The relationship is a “multi-directional influence relationship,” (Northouse, 2013, p.11). Rather than working in one direction with the group, a leader works in many different directions. This mistake can be very misleading. A good manager is not necessarily a good leader, although it is ideal that an individual should be both. This lack of understanding can cause confusion when it comes to what is expected of the individual within a role of leader or manager.
The roles in leadership and management are very important to the organizations. Each organization needs a manager that can keep things running smoothly. Each also needs a leader that can move the organization to change and “jump them into the future,” (Kotter, 2013, para. 9). To be effective and achieve success, these two concepts need to be defined and clearly stated. This ensures hiring of the right individual for each role.
References
Kotter, John P. (2013, January 9). Management Is (Still) Not Leadership [Web log message]. Retrieved from blogs.hbr.org/2013/01/management-is-still-not-leadership/
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership:Theory and Practice. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
eal17 says
I enjoyed reading your post and agree with many of the points you have made. However, I’m in a position that is a combination of a manager/leader. I am solely responsible for creating and managing my unit’s budget but also have to motivate my staff to stay on task. I introduce change to my employees and am in a position of authority. I create a work plan, hire new employees, and communicate goals. Just this year, I developed a recognition program where my staff are rewarded for their efforts. The majority of the functions listed in Figure 1.2 of our text book apply to my position (Northouse, 2013, p. 12). I do report to a faculty member but she is rarely on-site so it’s up to me to get the job done. One of the things I’ve struggled with for a while and especially after reading this section of the lesson and your post is what I call myself when people ask what I do. I used to say supervisor but then recently began to call myself a manager. I do both though. My official title has supervisor-manager in it. Do you have any suggestions?
References
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Matthew Benjamin Allen says
I really enjoyed your perspective on the leadership/management roles in a business. What you wrote really put a lot of the ideas and thoughts I had on management into words. In my business as a golf course superintendent, we most of the time will hire an assistant superintendent, for the purpose of separating out the management and leadership. The assistant superintendent is responsible to assign jobs to the crew and oversee the daily maintenance out of the golf course. This leaves the superintendent to not only deal with golfers complaints, but to find ways to make jobs more efficient and help employees work more effective. The superintendent’s and the assistant’s jobs often overlap, but having the separation keeps the leaders from being bogged down with too much managerial duties.