“Great conductors need to be able to convince the players and the audience of his authority” (Gupta, 2016).
Having power and influence subtracts that need to convince, however, for power intrinsically as per the approach to leadership is a function that affects the followers, or in this case the players, and how they are influenced by their leader- or conductor.
Although Conducting is a highly specialized art and skilled activity therefore might be assessed from the perspective of the Skills Approach to leadership, we chose to view Conducting from the Power and Influence theory of leadership. Conductors wield two types of power, subtle and overt. In their influence over the players of an orchestra, over the musical expression of a piece and movements of the sound, Conducting is an example of leadership.
“To the sound itself the conductor adds the italics and punctuation of gesture, of strained arms, of startling tautness of the shoulders, of brisk nod, of hands flung apart in some wild appeal to the universe.” -Christopher Andreae
A study used infrared lights and cameras to capture the movements of an orchestra in order to measure whether the conductor’s movements influence the players or the other way around. The study (2012) found that it is the movement of the conductors which predict the movements of the players, which confirms that the conductor is the influencer and has control over the players.
The study discovered something more in a comparative study between a veteran conductor and an amateur over their music quality. The research found the more skilled an authoritarian conductor produced superior music to the amateur’s. The findings of the study are relevant to conducting in that the authority of the conductor is his power.
“Power,” defined by the Power and Influence Approach to leadership, “is the capacity to produce effects on others, or the potential to influence others” (as cited in PSU WC, 2016). There are numerous tactics a leader may use toward influence, as there are many ways that power can be communicated.
Influence tactics are the “actual behaviors used by an individual to change the attitudes, opinions, or behaviors of a target person” (PSU WC, 2016). In conducting, the conductor has the power to affect the mood of the players through the music, and exercises power over their behaviors by nature of his position.
Music can be measured on a metrical rhythm, and the rhythmic beat of an audio composition is quantifiable. The Conductor controls the tempo of the music played, and maintains the rhythm through various influence tactics in the practice of various movements, often waving a wand, elaborately interpretive hand directions, and “also the movement of his torso and facial muscles to express to the group his wishes in the execution of phrasing, dynamic level, nuance, individual entrances, and other aspects of a finished performance” (Britannica, 2016). Unlike most other examples of leadership, conducting is different in that communication between leader and follower is non-verbal rather than verbal, which is implied in general exercise of leadership. This means that most of the ascriptions of Power and Influence theory of leadership do not apply to the example of conducting.
The question “where do leaders get their power?” (PSU WC, 2016) or what are the sources of leadership power? is addressed by what French and Raven (1959) came up with as the “Taxonomy of Social Power” which are bases of power, a five-item list of ways in which leaders can exhibit influence. One of these ways directly applies to conducting, “legitimate power”, which is “a function of the situation [depending] on a person’s role” (PSU WC, 2016). The role of the conductor is to keep all performers in synchrony, and his role is strictly dependent upon the orchestra.
Conducting is also a reflection of referent power, which is contingent upon the strength of the relationship between leader and follower. This may take time to develop, as an orchestra might improve and the performances strengthened with practice of all players and conductor together. With practice, performers might become more attuned to their conductor’s unique movements and communications, and by a tighter connection between conductor and his players, the music quality may be increased.
The position of the conductor and his role, as well as the source of his power represent the overt type of power. Conducting is also a subtle power in the sensitivities of the conductor. Just as Bickman (1974 as cited in PSU WC, 2016) demonstrated some nonverbal (subtle) forms of power and their affects, such as the way a person is dressed and the position one occupies among a group of people in a room, or where objects are placed in relation to persons, the conductor’s facial expressions and every slight of hand affect the players’ performance and the expression of music.
“You have a signal that is originating from the conductor, because he is moving his hands and his body,” Aloimonos explained (as cited in NPR, 2012). “And then the players, they perceive that signal, and they create another signal by moving the bows of the violin appropriately. So you have some sort of sensorimotor conversation.”
There is a lesson in the microcosmic example of conducting for the macrocosm of leadership: a leader must be cognizant and attune to the consequences and affect of his every move; he must assume full responsibility for his actions and be a model for his followers. One stroke out of line can or a momentary lapse of focus could throw the entire concert off track, or in disharmony. Therefore at the crux of leadership is maintaining harmony and balance. Just as the conductor’s influence isn’t limited to his players- the audience and all listeners are also affected by his expressions, so the influence of leadership ripples beyond the followers he sees, and has the potential to reach farther consequences as followers can influence those outside their circle or the next generation.
References:
“conductor” (2016). Retrieved November, 2016, from https://www.britannica.com/art/conductor-music
Do Orchestras Really Need Conductors? (2012, November). Retrieved November, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2012/11/27/165677915/do-orchestras-really-need-conductors
Gupta, H. (2016). What Is The Purpose Of A Conductor In An Orchestra? Retrieved November, 2016, from https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/use-conductor-orchestra-baton-music-baton-podium-opera.html
Penn State World Campus (2016). PSYCH 485: Leadership in Work Settings. Lesson 7: Power and Influence. Retrieved from: <https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1803831/modules/items/21139931>
jwc226 says
I thoroughly enjoyed reading you post. As you mentioned, a skills approach to leadership would have also made for a good foundation for analysis of this leader/follower relationship. Not only does a successful conductor need the necessary power to lead he also needs to have the necessary skills required to lead. “The great conductor must have not only manual skills and superb taste but the essential gifts of acute hearing” all of which are skill based (Plotkin, 2013). The skills model by Mumford, Zaccaro, Harding, et. al., suggest that leadership outcomes are the results of the leader’s ability to problem solve, their social judgment skill and their knowledge (as cited by Northouse, 2016). This approach and the skills model, housed within it, can explain how the conductor can be effective as a leader with competency in those three areas. This approach suggests that the skills the leader holds are the most vital components needed to address problems that the leader may face. As we have learned throughout each lesson so far, effective leaders and their ability to problem solve go hand. Good leaders are in essence good problem solvers. In your example of the conductor, being about to figure out why a piece of music does not sound they way in which he wants it to and having the skill sets to make it better is solving a problem. The conductor identifies the problem, clarifies what needs to be addressed, then attempts to fix the problem at hand.
The knowledge the conductor has in his world of music also plays into his skills. Does he know what he is doing? Does he have the experience to support his leadership role as a conductor of this orchestra? Has he conducted a performance on this particular stage before? Does he know the acoustics of this theater inside and out? All of these questions that need to be answered relate directly to his ability to problem solve when problems arise in his leadership role. The knowledge that he has gives him the foundation to diagnose and then implement useful maneuvers to bring his orchestra closer to the goal. Interesting to note, the most successful conductors are in the later stages of life. In the life of a successful conductor, it is a leadership role where experience and knowledge are requirements for success.
This model also calls upon the leader’s social judgment skills that allow him to work with his musicians to solve problems (Northouse, 2016). This social perspective reminds me of the very funny movie from the eighties, The Money Pit. The conductor in this film was commanding and harsh on his orchestra. He demanded the very best and with his social perceptiveness he knew what motivated them, being part of a production at a very distinguished venue, and used this to inspire them to perform at their highest level of ability. While I looked to a more legitimate source of what social skills a conductor would need to be considered a great one I found that, “the ability to communicate with musicians in verbal and non-verbal ways” was noted to be of high importance (Plotkin, 2013). A conductor must have some level of social judgment skills that enable them to work with the musicians.
“Conducting is also a reflection of referent power, which is contingent upon the strength of the relationship between leader and follower. This may take time to develop, as an orchestra might improve and the performances strengthened with practice of all players and conductor together. With practice, performers might become more attuned to their conductor’s unique movements and communications, and by a tighter connection between conductor and his players, the music quality may be increased”.
This particular connection that you make with the strength of the relationship between the conductor and the member of the orchestra also reminded me of team leadership. Teams are composed of members who are “interdependent, who share common goals, and who must coordinate their activities to accomplish these goals” (Northhouse, 2016, p. 363). In this context, each musician is interdependent and all, musicians as well as the conductor, share a common goal of a flawless performance. Plotkin suggests that “the transformative event — the magic — happens in performance as conductor and fellow musicians connect to the music and to one another” (2013). They must coordinate their playing and work collectively to accomplish their goals. If using the team leadership model, it enables team leaders to be able to make decisions about the current state of the team and stipulate the actions they need to take to improve the output of the team. In this case, the conductor has to make judgments about his musicians and decide what changes he is going to impose to reach their shared goal. This process is a very similar process to the skills approach in creating a framework for how leaders can effectively problem solve. However, team leadership focuses more distinctly on the importance of monitoring the team and then implementing corrective measures where appropriate. Leadership in this context is centered around the decisions and their actions that a leader makes and does not rely on individual skill sets alone.
While the power that a leader holds and the influence tactics they use are important factors in leadership, they are not enough to explain how a conductor can be truly superb in his or her leadership role. Taking what you have articulated so well related to power and combining a bit from the skills approach and a touch from a team-based approach to leadership we are getting closer to uncovering all of the nuances that result in stellar leadership. If a conductor held power to influence but lacks the skills necessary for the role the power would ultimately be of little use. Similarly, had the conductor held the skills but not the power his ability to lead an orchestra may never be discovered.
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice e7. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Penn State World Campus (2016). PSYCH 485: Leadership in Work Settings. Lesson 7: Power and Influence. Retrieved from: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu
/canvas/fa16/21681–13148/content/07_lesson/printlesson.html
Plotkin, F. (2013, June 18). What makes for a winning conductor. Opravore. Retrieved from: http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/300085-what-makes-successful-conductor/