Authentic Leadership is defined in many ways focusing on the relationship between the leader and the follower and the leaders themselves. This relationship is either interpersonal, intrapersonal or developmental (PSU, L12, 2014). The interpersonal relationship focuses on how close the relationship is between the leader and the follower. This is primarily looking at how close the relationship is between both leader and follower and whether they can trust in each other’s views and decision(PSU, L12,2014). The intrapersonal relationship looks a lot closer at the leaders themselves and how they view themselves, how they view their ethical decisions, and whether they believe they can make the best decision under difficult situations ( Northouse, 2013). The last way to look at authentic leadership is the developmental way. This is a combination of the intrapersonal and the interpersonal. It looks more at leaders developing over time from experiences that they have encountered(PSU, L12, 2014). In today’s environment, this can be advantageous to a leader as each person encounters various issues and situations and through experience, the leader learns to handle each case better than the previous one and is able to this more ethically.
Company’s these days look to employ individuals who are have a high level of honesty and who believe in “doing the right thing” at all times. In some cases, leaders might be faced with a making a decision that may seem ethical and honest to them, but it may not be for the company. While on the other hand, the business can want to make a decision that may seem to improve operations or increase profits while it may not be in the best interest for the employees.
An example of this can be seen in most organizations where someone at some time has been forced to make a difficult decision that could be seen as unethical. George,2003 describes a good authentic leader as an individual who poses the following characteristics: values, passion, and a desire to have a relationship with the follower that is true, positive and in the best interest of both parties( George, 2003).
As a leader myself, I have seen that a good authentic leader can be developed. As the years have gone by I have come to see how I have grown from a person who believed in going with majority just to keep peace within the company to a person who thinks more the situation and hand and making the right decision whether others agree with me or not.
References
George, B. (2003). Authentic leadership: Rediscovering the secrets to creating lasting value. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Penn State WebAccess Secure Login:. (2014, September 30). Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa14/psych485/002/content/06_lesson/printlesson.html
Transformational and Transactional leadership
As with the previous theories of leadership, transformational and transactional leadership continues to focus on the importance of the relationship between a leader, follower and the situation. Transformational leadership as described by Hughes, Ginnett & Curphy, 2012 is the when a leader focuses on a person’s values, ethical views, emotions and long term goals in order to change or transform them. This type of leadership is geared toward the follower to ensure they are motivated to perform at a higher standard than what is expected ( Burns, 1978). Transactional leadership takes place when a leader and a follower have an exchange relationship in which both parties’ needs are met ( PSU, 2014). In this relationship, both parties understand that they will give or do something and will get something in return.
As we look closely at transformational leadership, which is often times referred to as charismatic leadership, it appears that it is not much different from transactional leadership. If one were to think of a goal or reward as the outcome of an interaction between a leader and a follower, the transactional leadership would come to mind first. The follower would agree to perform a task for the exchange of a reward in the form of increased pay, better benefits or a promotion (PSU, 2014). However the idea of exchange can also be applied to the transformational leadership. The reward in this case is in the form of motivation and inspiration from the leader to the follower. This reward is more personal than tangible. Although the rewards are in different forms, the process of exchange still exists.
When I think of transformational Leadership and charisma, I think of the characteristics a leader must have in order to have such power to change a person’s views. This reminds me of the power and influence theory. A leader who has charisma is much like a person who has great power and influence over another ( PSU, 2014). This can be both positive and negative. An example of a negative situation is when Adolf Hitler used his power of influence to cause German soldiers to perform horrific duties during world war one and two with the thought that they would be rewarded with a better life. An example of a positive situation is typically observed when a leader uses positive traits to influence others to bring a positive change.
As with many theories, there are pros and cons. Although transactional leadership has shown that a focus on morals, values and providing motivation can be very beneficial to an organization, this type of leadership is seen as a “personality trait” that only certain people poses ( PSU, 2014).
References
References
Burns, J.M, (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper & Row.
Hughes, R.L, Ginnett, R.C., & Curphy, G.J. (2012). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies.
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Penn State WebAccess Secure Login:. (2014, October 29). Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa14/psych485/002/content/10_lesson/printlesson.html
Relationship between Coach and Team
What is it like to be on a team?
As I look back at the days of playing sports, I remember how much work and time it took for everyone to pull together to attain our mutual goal, to win the goal and be number one. As a member of the national swim team for my country, I found myself competing against various people each with their own strengths in each stroke. I say team as we were individuals who each possessed a great skill and ability with each stroke, but we could only reach our goal by communicating with each other and working together.
As a team, we were able to influence each other, motivate each other and encourage each other to perform well.( Northouse, 2013) Although our team was fairly small compared to other countries, this group size allowed our coach to have a close relationship with each of us and be more interactive.
As Northouse, 2013 mentions, a great leader possesses two critical components: task function and maintenance function. Over the season, our coaches took the time to observe our performance and help to develop our skills so that we could not only improve our skills to accomplish our personal goal, but maintain it to achieve our group goal of winning the competition. During this process, our coach practiced what we in our course refer to as the task performance and task development. ( PSU, 2014) When it came time to select a relay team for the regional competition, Both the members of the team and our leader recognized what each individuals strengths were , what our goal was and what our team would need to get there. As a result of the close relationship she had with each member as well as the knowledge of each persons strengths, the decision of which person to choose for which position became easier.
As Hackman and Walton ( 1986) mentioned, “ a team is judged on their performance and their achievements”. A great leader ensures this result will be good by setting clear direction for the team, reinforcing and supporting its success and providing coaching. ( Hackman, 1986) Ginnett, 1993; 1996 mentions that the effectiveness of a leader can be measured by performance and how effective it is. By taking what is available to a team which is referred to as a inputs, a leader can help to improve this input by using tools such as encouraging, motivating and influencing them to be more effective. (Northouse, 2013) This was seen in both the power and influence theory as well as the leader-member exchange. ( PSU, 2014)
In the end, I have come to see that when a leader can impact other peoples behavior beyond their own, it shows how much all the theories prior affect team leadership.
References
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Penn State WebAccess Secure Login:. (2014, September 30). Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa14/psych485/002/content/06_lesson/printlesson.html
Hackman, J. R., & Walton, R. E. (1986). Leading groups in organizations. In P. S. Goodman & Associates (Eds.), Designing effective work groups (pp. 72-119). San Francisco: Josssey-Bass.
Ginnett, R. C. (1996). Team effectiveness and leadership model: Identifying leverage points for change. Proceedings of the 1996 National Leadership Institute Conference. College Park, MD: National Leadership Institute.
Ginnett, R. C. (1993). Crews as groups: Their formation and their leadership. In E. Wiener, B. Banki, & R. Helmreich (Eds.), Cockpit Resource Management. Orlando, FL: Academic Press
The power of the leader follower relationship
When the topic of management comes up, the thought of a leader and what defines a good leader comes up. The first thought is for the individual to be a strong, knowledgeable, influential , encouraging and motivating person who can drive a person to go above and beyond to achieve success.(PSU,2014) The greatest importance is the relationship between the leader and the follower. (northouse, 2013)
Many of us have at some point in our lives be placed either in the position of the leader or the position of the follower. The leader for most situations is seen as the person who gives direction, and lead a follower to grow and develop. When the relationship is close between the two, success has been achieved, the follower feels a sense of satisfaction, turnover in an organization is low, productivity is high, higher productivity, attitudes and positive and followers are more likely to work harder resulting in increased levels of promotions.( Northouse, 2013) when the relationship between the leader and follower is not close, the connection between the two can cause discomfort, tension, low productivity, and high turn over.
The two close theories that talk about the importance of this are the leader member exchange ( LMX) and the power and influence theories. Northouse, 2013 describes he power –influence theory as the power characteristic that a good leader should have and describes influence as that which a leader holds to cause an effect on another based on values, beliefs and change in behavior. In a good relationship, the influence can come from either direction.(Northouse, 2013) The leader member exchange focuses more on how close the relationship is and how focusing on the importance of the relationship can also lead to success.
As a leader myself was able to experience and grow much closer with my teammates. They feel encouraged and app
reciated everyday and an increase in productivity and satisfaction in the workplace has been seen.
referfence
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Penn State WebAccess Secure Login:. (2014, September 30). Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa14/psych485/002/content/06_lesson/printlesson.html
Cognitve theory vs Situational
The contingency theory as discussed by Fielder ( 1967) states that a leader does not change his or her leadership style, but rather discusses how ” a leader is matched with a situation that fits their style”. This means that for a leader who is “consistent with their behavior” (Fielder, 1967) should be selected for a situation they would be successful in or their situation would need to change to apply to their leadership style for the leader to do well and have a relationship with the follower, Although the contingency theory and situation theory both talk about the leader style, the relationship with the follower and the situation, Fielder discuss how the contingency theory is the opposite of the situation theory which talks about a leader being able to adapt to a situation depending on the behavior they have with the follower.
As it may be known that different people have different leadership styles, the situation can affect the success of the person. Fielder ( 1967) discussed the coworker scale of which a leader is rated on their leadership style. This ranks them on a low to high scale where a low scale shows a leader who is more satisfied focusing on the success of completing a task over their relationship with the follower ,a leader who is on the high scale means the focus is more on the importance of the relationship with the follower over the task in order for their success and person who falls in the middle tends to change styles either way. (Northouse, 2013)
While the relationship between the leader and the follower is important with the contingency theory the amount of control they have is also important. If a leader has a “friendly, cooperative “relationship with the follower, the situation will be good compared to a relationship a leader has with a follower that is “hostile and difficult”, the situation can be bad. These types of situations can be seen in an office setting. Another form of success can be seen when a leader feels a specific task is well organized, straight forward and clear operational plan is created to ensure the success of the leader. In this case, the leader will have a task structure and a better relationship with the follower. (Northouse, 2013) This situation has been seen a lot in the military. When a leader demonstrated this tyle of management, it has been observed to be easier to match the better with situations.
When deciding on what type of leader to select, it is important to know about the three components that help to select the right person for the right situation. (Northouse, 2013) has talked about a favorable situation for a leader which includes establishing a good relationship between the leader and the follower, a strong leader position power and a defined focus on the task. A unfavorable relationship is when these components are demonstrated.
As it can be understood that not every person can fit every situation, it is important that time is taken to uncover the strengths and weaknesses and how well this leader will be able to be productive and motivated to achieve success in their role.
References
Northouse, P.G.(2013. Leadership: Theory and practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Fielder, F.E (1967). Cognitive resources and leadership performance. Applied Psychology: An Interventional review 44(1), 5-28
Tiffany-Kay McCartney