Leadership

PSYCH 485 blog

Women and Leadership

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As we know it, even today we can safely assume that majority of leadership positions in companies across the nation and even globally are held by men rather then women. According to the lesson there are only 6 women CEOs in fortune 500 companies. Bias in sex stereotypes created problems for women in a way that any managerial positions were defined by characteristics of masculinity and therefore filled by men. According to different type of studies on women in leadership, it has been recognized that women and men have distinctive style of leadership. While women tend to have a democratic type of leadership, men usually have a more directive style of leadership (PSU, 2018)

Also, the studies revealed that females were seen negatively in a male-dominated leadership role. It has also been recognized that women who use the autocratic style of leadership are much less effective in their leadership role. According Northouse, women earn 57% of the bachelor’s degree, 60% of master’s degree and more than half of doctoral degree, but still men are the prominent group in the America’s corporations and political system. There are several reasons why only a few number of women reach top executive positions (PSU, 2018)

According to Glass Ceiling theory, women haven’t been in managerial positions long enough unlike their counterpart to reach the top of the organizations. Secondly, women lack management position. Third, women lack self confidence and are less suited for these top executive positions. To understand why women are underrepresented in high-level positions revolve around; differences in women’s and men’s backing in human capital, next category is understanding gender differences and finally the focus goes on prejudice and discrimination against female leaders (Northouse, 2016).

There are also other disadvantages such as organizational barriers. For example, higher standard of performance which means that women are expected to perform higher and achieve more to overcome the stereotype. There is also, inhospitable corporate culture where discourages balance of work and family. Also, preference in gender similarity in promotion decisions and ignorance by male CEOs and male peers along with lack of developmental opportunities. All of these are barriers against women reaching the top executive positions. There are also personal barriers as well (PSU, 2018).

In conclusion we understand that women in leadership positions are slightly at a disadvantage. We understand that women should not act like men since it is not perceived by men favorably. Also, women shouldn’t be too passive either, since it would make them look less effective. We should keep in mind in addition to personal, and interpersonal barriers, there are organizational and even cultural barriers as well. However, we all know that things are not as bad as they used to be for women. Even though women and leadership stereotype might still exist, women now have the same equal opportunities as men and I am sure soon they’ll be more positive changes for women looking for leadership opportunities and positions.

References:

 

Northouse, P.G., (2016). Psychology 485: Leadership: Theory and Practice. Lesson 13: Gender and Leadership. Los Angeles: Sage Publications

 

Penn State University, (2018). Psychology 485: Leadership: Theory and Practice. Lesson 13: Leadership and Diversity.

Leader-Member Exchange Theory In-Group and Out-Group

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I would like to discuss an important topic that I have learned this week in psychology 485: Leadership in Work. As you can imagine, and I am sure you have seen there are several types of employees at your work place or organization, and some of those employees are going the extra mile to keep their employer happy. There are also those employees who clock in and clock out and do exactly what it is required of them, nothing more, and nothing less. This brings up the in-groups and out-groups of Leader-Member Exchange Theory.

Leader-Member Exchange Theory focuses on the inter communication between the leader and the follower. Up to this point I’d thought that the influence in workplace would be from the leader on the follower, however, the LMX theory interaction suggests that followers can also have some effect on the leader as well (PSU, 2018). There were two types of LMX that exist and the first one being the in-group which as I had mentioned earlier extra role responsibilities or doing extra stuff for the employer that is not in the job description. The second type of LMX would be the out-group which again as I have mentioned earlier were based on the formal employment contract.

As I have seen these, many times before and still do, I feel like those who believe that they are part of in-group are doing great at work and performing even extra duties. Unfortunately, many times it’s just the exact opposite. I have seen employees who choose to bring in coffee for their boss or run errands that is not part of their job description get treated unfairly better to those employees who do exactly what is required of them but do not choose to have personal relationship with their employer. In my opinion this is a main problem with having an in-group at a workplace. Of course, the bosses would love if everyone went that extra mile to keep them happy, even though that mile has nothing to do with the job or task at hand.

The research into LMX theory has also found that how exchange between leaders and followers can be used to make future leaders. Leadership making is a broad view to leadership pinpoint that leaders should develop high-quality exchanges with all their employees, rather than just a few. Leadership making can benefit the organization and even the career of the leaders as well (Northouse, 2013).

In my opinion LMX can be very beneficial to the organization and even the leaders. The in-group can produce some positive outcome for those who are part of it, however it can be unfair for those who choose to be part of the out-group for whatever the reason. Some individuals belong to diverse groups, it just happens that they don’t need to fulfill being part of a group at work for example. According to the lesson some of the weaknesses of the LMX theory is that there is no perfect measure of leader-member exchange. It also runs counter to the basic human values and fairness, especially true if the out-group does not get treated fairly and finally the ideas of LMX theory is not completely developed. IT does not describe how respect and trust is built into the relationships (PSU, 2018).

References:

Northouse, P.G., (2016). Psychology 485: Leadership: Theory and Practice. Lesson 8: Leader-Member Exchange Theory (LMX). Los Angeles: Sage Publications

 

Penn State University, (2018). Psychology 485: Leadership: Theory and Practice. Lesson 8: Leader-Member Exchange Theory (LMX).

Leadership Vs. Leadership

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Today I was responding to one of my classmates’ discussion that she had posted regarding leadership and mentorship “speakers”, also known as “motivational speaker. This topic aroused some unknown emotions, well I know what those emotions are but let’s not talk about emotions. Let’s talk about leadership. As we know Maxim vs Scientific theory is something called Scientific research and data. These motivational or “leadership” or so called “leaders” are a good example of a Maxim view.

Why do I say that? Well because not everyone is born in a same country, same city, same house with the same parents, given the same opportunities, and I am guessing most of us were not born with silver spoons in our mouths. So, my question to this so-called leader speakers that sometimes charge an entrance fee and sometimes don’t to their lectures, is what is that magical secret I the book that you are selling at the end of your seminar? So, I am guessing if I can’t afford $50 I am denied the magical secret.

And therefore folks, we have leaders and we have real educated leaders that dedicated their whole lives to research on bettering human and even animal’s conditions. I am speaking of those educators who don’t charge to give you what you need to advance in life. Well let us stay on topic of leadership. You don’t need to pay your boss or leader to motivate you. Explain to your leaders about Path-Goal Theory. Path-goal theory is about how leaders motivate followers to accomplish designated goals (Northouse, 2016, p.115)

In a more simpler way to explain this theory, I believe that the leaders must work around the employee’s motivational needs. That to me that just sounds awesome. I’ve heard that not only google©, but Facebook©, are using exactly that. They have break rooms for employees to play video games, take a nap, play ping pong, foosball, etc. I wonder what their cafeteria would be like, or even their restroom? I am very impressed to say the least, by this leadership method that these companies avail for their employees. The question is why? Because happy employees, equals better employee performance.

The above-mentioned path-goal theory that I believe companies like google are using is called Supportive Leadership. To be a supportive leader, you must be supportive, approachable by the employees, and always friendly and attend to their needs. These leaders make the work environment pleasant for their employees, and the main key in my opinion is being looked at as equals. That’s right! These leaders treat their followers as equals and give them what every man wants, respect.

References:

Northouse, P.G., (2016). Psychology 485: Leadership: Theory and Practice. Lesson 6: Path-Goal Theory. Los Angeles: Sage Publications

Penn State University, (2018). Psychology 485: Leadership: Theory and Practice. Lesson 6: Path-Goal Theory.

Leadership (Trait Approach Vs. Skills Approach)

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As we all think about our own leadership abilities, sometimes we can’t help but wonder if we are made up for such a serious and responsible task. For those of us who has no knowledge of leadership and how a leader is formed or in some views born, it might be a challenging task to become one, either at our work place, school, amongst our own peers or even any given small tasks that we inherit spontaneously.

Well the truth of the matter as I have mentioned in my last blog is that not all leaders are born and now as we progress into the course and diverse types of leadership approaches, we came across trait approach. According to trait approach which believes that great leaders are born with a set of traits that qualify them and make them ideal for a leadership role and believe it or not only “great” people possess them (Northouse, 2016).

 

Well that couldn’t have been far from the truth in my opinion. For example, you might have heard someone say, “I can do anything” and even that shows confidence, that statement might be a bit stretched out from the actual truth.

If one individual trait is appropriate in a specific situation, it does not necessarily make them the right candidate for the next job. For example, if you were born to a family of police officers and law enforcement, chances are that at an early very age you were acquainted with the stories that your family told you about their daily activities on the patrol and (even though not all police officers patrol out streets) on the job. They even might have taken you on some ride along. That’s a perfect example of learned abilities at an early age and an example of Skills approach. With Skills Approach unlike Trait approach it is believed that leaders are trained with a set of traits and are not born with those traits.

 

Research for a long time has been trying to figure out leadership and they’ve come up with countless terms to define and explain personalities that would determine if we can see whom leaders are and whom are not. Research had broken down majority of these personalities into five major categories, for our sake. One, Consciousness or Dependability, Agreeableness, Neuroticism/Emotional Stability and Adjustment, Openness to Experience/ Intellectance and finally Extra version/ Surgency (PSU, 2018)

 

I believe there is no other book or course than can get in depth of leadership in my opinion than psych 485. The reason why I say this is that, all the material re straight forward and really explains the types of different leaderships, and leadership approaches. I have to say one thing that I know I will not forget is that, with trait approach we need to remember one size does not fit all. However, with Skilled Approach the skills necessary for the job can be taught and it has a way higher success rate than trait approach leadership.

 

As I bring this to an end I wanted to mention that Skills Approach has here subcategories; Technical, which in layman term “hand on” and this include factory workers, contractors, custodians and anything that involves hand on work. Second would be Human. This one would be a good example of social workers, therapists, and doctors. They have the skills that they have learned through school and obtaining knowledge to help their fellow mankind. The last one is Conceptual, and this is a notable example of the entrepreneurs. Those who want o to start their own business and think outside of the box. Always ready to make a move and start something new that could take them to the whole different level. I just wanted to mention some of the skills model that can be learned, rather than be born with according to trait approach.

Reference:

 

Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Seventh Edition. Los Angeles: Sage Publications

 

Pennsylvania State University, (2018). Psychology 485: Leadership in Work Setting, Lesson 2 and 4: Trait Approach and Skills Approach and

Leadership and it’s Traits

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As I am thinking about my thoughts on leadership and how it has been changed within a past week or so, I can’t help but to rethink everything that I believed that might have been right. I am sure no one likes to be wrong, but this is not about proving myself wrong or right. This is about learning and growing as a person when it comes to acquire knowledge about leadership. Now I know almost all of us come from diverse backgrounds, and with that said, we all have different view points when it comes to leadership and what it takes to be a successful leader.

I must be honest and say that what I thought that I knew about leadership was not 100 percent accurate or even true. I used to think leaders are born rather than created. Obviously, I wasn’t born with that embedded in my psyche but however it’s what I’ve been told but others, respectfully who most likely did not know exactly what they’re talking about. One thing that we all can not argue about is that scientific research and data can not be argued as much as a mere opinion of an individual, whether that individual is an accomplished leader / entrepreneur or a failed leader and anything in between.

The individualistic views of these leaders are called Maxim which is significantly less reliable than theory research on leadership which is scientifically proven and still being perfected. So, it is safe to say that theory uses scientifically data collected to explain leaderships and even to help us understand leadership while the readers can count on the information that is being presented to them. On the other hand, I would say Maxim is not reliable at all since it takes individuals perspectives to try and explain leadership which would not work for everyone. It’s kind of like one size fits all and we all know that a size 11 men’s shoes, would not fit someone who wears size 8 or 12. It can not be used by every individual looking to learn more about leadership (PSU, 2018).

Now we know that trait is part of a strong leadership. There are several different characteristically traits that are associated with good leadership. Some of these traits are: “drive for responsibility and task completion, vigor and persistence in pursuit of goals, venturesomeness and originality in problem solving, drive to exercise initiative in social situations, self-confidence and sense of personal identity, willingness to accept consequences of decision and action, readiness to absorb interpersonal stress, willingness to tolerate frustration and delay, ability to influence other persons’ behavior, capacity to structure social interaction systems to the purpose at hand” (Northouse, 2016).

 

There are many other traits that an ideal leader possesses: desire, desire to lead, honesty and integrity, self-confidence, cognitive ability, and knowledge of business. Even though some individuals might or might not dismiss the above-mentioned list, they do believe that leadership is all about the relationship between the leaders and followers. I personally believe that is 100 percent true for a couple or few several reasons; for one, there needs to be a mutual respect and understand. Also, there is a clear need of communication, because miscommunication from both sides or even one side can lead to undesirable outcome and in some instances unwanted disgruntled employee. Now this last part it’s my opinion and I am stating this based on my personal experience, even though it might be looked at as a maxim, it doesn’t hurt to mention it. There is a need for connection, not on a professional level, but I believe every successful leader needs to consider his or her employees and their feeling, issues in their personal lives and try to show those employees that the relationship between the leader and the follower is open and mutually respected (Northouse, 2016).

 

In my current work, I do have a boss that treats 99.9 percent of the employees very disrespectfully. He claims that he has been doing this for over 20 years (Contractor) work but for someone who has been interacting with employees for over two decades, he is very rude, unconcerned about any of the employees and so far, and so on. It is all negative. Now I did try to approach him once and give him and idea to why he should treat everyone with respect, but he did not want to hear it and his response was not even worth writing down. Very disappointing, but because of his behavior he lost half of his experiences sub-contractors which lead to less “jobs” and ultimately less income. I guess what I am tying to say is if an unsuspecting student asked him what can he tell her or him about leadership, his response wouldn’t worth anything because first he probably would give her some horrible responses and just like in the Maxim view, individualistic view does not and will not support or even hold us against the theory based research on leadership (PSU, 2013).

 

Another thing that I’ve learned that could’ve came in handy and could’ve even saved my boss from losing employees that he later found out that they did not have the knowledge of the work. Trait approach works suggests that those in charge of hiring would have a designated leadership profiles, or in other words know exactly what they’re looking for in the candidate. Because by selecting the right men or woman for the job, it would increase the company’s effectiveness. By using trait assessment measures, he could have determined which applicant fits or does not fit his needs (Northouse, 2016).

 

Referencec:

Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Seventh Edition. Los Angeles: Sage Publications

Pennsylvania State University, (2018). Psychology 485: Leadership in Work Setting, Lesson 2: Trait Approach.

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