yzz5222

Are you In or Out?

July 5, 2013 by yzz5222

Leader Member Exchange Theory is an interesting approach to leadership in the workplace. According to LMX, there is a relationship that is formed between the leader and the followers in each setting. “LMX says that leadership is a process that is centered on the interactions between leaders and followers.” (Penn State, 2013) Which would imply that the relationship itself is key to the success or failure of the leader-follower situation. When considering LMX Theory we know that there are two types of groups which have a respective relationship with the leader. “Those that were based on expanded and negotiated role responsibilities… and those that were based on the formal employment contract.” (Northouse, 2012). We are of course talking about In Groups and Out Groups. These terms should be familiar to most as we have dealt with them our whole lives. From childhood to adulthood there are always in groups and out groups. If an group is large enough there can be levels of In and Out Groups within in group.

I would like to consider the effect of in/out groups on leaders themselves. Say you work in a field that has three different shifts. Morning/Afternoon/Midnight: each shift has a group of employees and a supervisor or leader. Each shift will tend to have an in group and an out group. What happens when an entire shift becomes the out group. Let’s say the Midnight shift, due to working during odd hours, less supervision due to working after “closing hours”, becomes an out group as an entire shift. This will affect their relationship within the entire organization. As the leader of that group you can attempt to implement LMX theory and limit the size of the out group and maintain as large in group as possible. However as the leader of the “out group” how will that affect your ability when working with the other leaders.

(http://people-solutions.us/images/Consulting3.jpg)

If we apply LMX theory to this example it would seem that issues will arise. If a manager also has in and out groups with his supervisors, then the supervisors will be at a disadvantage. Which in turn would cause their respective shift to either suffer or prosper depending on their status within a group. This why it is important to apply LMX theory throughout all levels of management within an organization from top to bottom. If this is done correctly then in and out group differences will be minimized throughout, and the relationship will be strengthened across the board.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise as I am sure many people have experienced this before in their careers. Perhaps it is not a shift but a department that is looked at as the “black sheep” or the “problem child” and due to this as a whole is placed in the out-group, along with an supervisor that is assigned to it.

References

Penn State World Campus (2013). PSYCH 485 Lesson 8: Leader-Member Exchange

Theory (LMX) Retrieved on July 5, 2013, from

https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su13/psych485/002/content/08_lesson.html

Northouse, P. (2012). Leadership: Theory and practice. (6 ed.). Thousand Oaks,

California: Sage Publishing.

I have the power!

July 5, 2013 by yzz5222

As children, if we play a game of pretend most people would rather be Batman over Robin. Even from an early age we want to lead, even if we don’t know it yet. Some children want that position because it is the main character or the center of attention. As we transition to adulthood we figure out in a more realistic sense if this is something that we want to do. Some people want to be “in charge” or be at the forefront of whatever is going on in their respective field. On the other hand some people just want to “do their own thing”. Those that want to be in a leadership position or have power and influence may look at the other and think that they are just lazy or incapable. While the ones that do not want the leadership position may look at them as power hungry individuals. In my opinion these two groups are more similar than they may perceive.

(http://www.leadership-blog.co.uk/wp-content/themes/Polished/timthumb.php?src=http://leadership-blog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/thumbnail17.jpg&h=185&w=185&zc=1)

Power and Influence comes into play here “Power is the capacity to cause change and influence is the degree of actual change in attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors” (Penn State, 2013). Power and influence is important in the leader-follower relationship. There are many different types of power: Expert, Referent, Legitimate, Reward, and Coercive, each ranging from knowledge to positional authority, to provide something positive in exchange for work completed, strength of the relationship and the ability to punish when necessary (Penn State, 2013). Influence comes in many different forms as well: Rational, Inspirational, Consultation, Ingratiation, Personal, Exchange, Coalition, Pressure and Legitimizing. Influence ranges from using logic, to enacting emotions, cooperation, flattery, personal favors, barter systems, social support, reprimands and positional influence. (Penn State, 2013).

It should be taken into consideration that people may still demonstrate both power and influence without being in a leadership position. From the two groups I mentioned earlier; the person determined to climb the corporate ladder and the other who wants to “just do their job”, these two people may want the same out of their careers, and that is job satisfaction. A person in an entry level position may be more satisfied than a CEO of an organization, relatively speaking of course. Recent research as pointed that Autonomy is the most important factor in determining Job Satisfaction in the workplace (New York Times), and that income did not play as a significant role as previously believed. Both types of people are really looking for some power and influence in their particular position; one over other people and the other over their situation. In essence both are leaders in their own right, and if either is unhappy or unsatisfied in their situation, their coworkers or subordinates will be affected by them in a negative way.

References

Boffey, P. M. . Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/28/science/satisfaction-

on-the-job-autonomy-ranks-first.html

Penn State World Campus (2013). PSYCH 485 Lesson 7: Power and Influence

Retrieved on July 05, 2013, from

https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su13/psych485/002/content/07_lesson.html

Children: The Ever Changing Situation

June 21, 2013 by yzz5222

When we think of leaders often think of people in a position of power or authority. Kings, Queens, Presidents, Prime Ministers, CEO’s, General’s, etc. What we tend to forget is that the first leaders we were exposed to and ones that play the most vital roles in our lives. I am talking about our parents. Even for those that may not be as fortunate to be raised by their parents, there is still a parental figure in most people’s lives. Parents are tasked with a very difficult task. One that requires many qualities to be effective. One that even more so consists for many different situations where the parents has to apply different forms of leadership to be successful or at least provide their child with proper guidance.

The Situational Approach fits in nicely with the complex relationship that exists with not only being a parent but the various stages of life that children go through. Northouse talks about a continuum that employees go through regarding the development of skills and ability throughout their career. With children this happens very rapidly and in waves. When a child is born they are at the lower end of the development scale D1 from the Situational Leadership II chart (Northouse, 2012, pg. 100). Normally speaking the leader would take on a Directing Style, but the parent-child relationship is much more complex and a coaching style would be effective due to the high directive and high supportive behavior.

As the child gains control of the speech, fine motor skills and coordination they start to become more self-sufficient (as a child) and move along the continuum to where parents can take on a more Supporting Style. However as the child enters each new stage of life. Making friends outside of the family, playing in public, starting school, studying, playing sports, driving a car, romantic relationship, , college, career choices, marriage, etc., there are constant changes throughout their lives. During each of these stages, parents play a very important role that goes beyond the basic leadership level. However what doesn’t change is that their form of leadership needs to change as the situation changes.

One problem that arises is miscommunication which is important and the videos in the lesson commentary (Penn state, Lesson 5) point out. Sometimes one party may not understand why a form of leadership is applied, therefore becoming concerned or upset with the situation due to lack of or too much interaction from leaders. Child rearing is a very difficult task that most people take on without acknowledging the difficult while others don’t appreciate the work that is put in to raising our children.

References

Penn State World Campus (2013). PSYCH 485 Lesson 5:Styles and Situational Approaches. Retrieved on June 20, 2013, from

https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su13/psych485/002/content/05_lesson.html

Northouse, P. (2012). Leadership: Theory and practice. (6 ed.). Thousand Oaks,

California: Sage Publishing.

All the right Skills

June 21, 2013 by yzz5222

The Skills approach is an interesting way to look at the study of leadership. It offers a perspective that trait approach fails to recognize, and that is that leadership goes beyond what the characteristics that a person is born with and focuses on the behaviors that make a leader successful. This is key in helping to bring a different variety of leaders to the forefront. An argument may be that some people are more naturally comfortable with being in a leadership position and do have the skills necessary to do so without extensive training.

However while a person may not display or possess the skills necessary, through training they can acquire a learned behavior. This person may understand the position they are in and work to be successful at their role. This can be seen with children early on in life that will act and behave differently depending on the situation that they are in. A child may be quiet and mild tempered at home yet throw tantrums when taken out in public. (http://www.examiner.com/article/situational-behavior-your-kids-really-do-behave-better-for-other-peopler). Learned behavior is not a new concept and has been around since Classical and Operant Conditioning.

I find this to be quite interesting as it seems that people almost pick up multiple identities. I have several coworkers that I have befriended over the years. These people will act a certain way in the comfort of their own home, i.e. easy going, relaxed, personable, jovial, etc. Yet when we return to the workplace they are task oriented, focused on the company goals and take on a more serious role. This creates an interesting dilemma for Leadership selection. If a person as a subordinate does not display leadership qualities, it may be due to being in a subordinate position. If this is the case they may be overlooked when the chance for promotion arises.

A popular example of role conformation is the Stanford Prison Experiment (http://www.prisonexp.org/). Where students played both the roles of prisoners and guards. The students acted a certain way depending on the role they held versus their normal behaviors.

This is a situation that I have been witness to on multiple occasions to a slightly less degree. The “wrong” people continue to get promoted due to their success in tasks that have no bearing on what kind of leaders they will be. People often carry the misconception that if a person excels at a particular task then they will be able to guide others in doing the same. One of the key features to the Skills approach is Katz (1955), Human factor or “people skills” (Lesson 4). Many potential leaders lack this ability otherwise known as tact.

I believe that if leadership is more accepted as a set of behaviors and not particular traits that are ingrained, appropriate assessments can be developed to select the most qualified candidates that can then continue to be trained throughout their careers to be effective and successful leaders.

References

Penn State World Campus (2013). PSYCH 485 Lesson 4:Skills Approach. Retrieved on June 20, 2013, from

https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su13/psych485/002/content/05_lesson.html

Northouse, P. (2012). Leadership: Theory and practice. (6 ed.). Thousand Oaks,

California: Sage Publishing.

These are not the traits you are looking for.

June 19, 2013 by yzz5222

The Trait Approach is an interesting and common sense approach to the question of what makes a good leader. Throughout life we come across many leaders, parents, friends, teachers, role models, and the list goes on. Our definition of what makes a good leader varies from one person to another. While we may agree on the components of leadership as mentioned in Lesson 1 commentary of this course: Leadership is a process, involves influence, occurs within a group context and involves goal attainment (Penn State, Lesson 1). Even coming up with a definition of leadership as presented by Northouse “Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (Northouse, 2013, pp. 5). Knowing the definition of Leadership and understanding the components that make up the Leadership-Followership environment is only part of the dynamic of the relationship between leaders and followers.

Having a theory that can help put together the puzzle that makes up leadership is very important. This is where trait approach steps in. Even though people have different opinions and experiences that shape the way they view the world, most people can agree on the qualities that they look for in leaders, generally speaking. The Major Leadership Traits covered by Northouse are Intelligence, Self-Confidence, Determination, Integrity and Sociability (Northouse, 2013, pp. 23). While these characteristics are important and seem like the right ingredients, they do not always provide the right product.

People will often describe characteristics that they wish they would see in a leader, supervisor, manager etc., yet be unsatisfied when their requests are fulfilled. What I am attempting to say is that a person might want a leader to have intelligence yet may not want to get corrected when they make a mistake. A person may want the leader to be self-confident and have determination but may feel that the leader is over confident and too stubborn when accomplishing goals. Even integrity may be viewed negatively when a subordinate, follower or employee does something that they should be reprimanded for, yet want to be “let off” or given a warning instead of the reprimand.

I have personally witnessed this in my life when working for a company whose leadership had little interaction with employees. People would discuss quite frequently how they hoped there would be better leadership that would be more involved and committed to the company and its employees. Well, ask and eventually you will receive. The company brought in new leadership that was more involved but in doing so raised the standards. The employees were initially happy but then some became disgruntled again due to the new leadership.

It is important to remember that understanding leadership and creating ways of studying leadership such as the Trait Approach is only half of the puzzle. Steve Jobs who is viewed by many as a great leader once said “A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them” (Mui, 2011). While people may think they want leaders to possess certain traits, it is not always the case. It is important to understand the Leader-Follower dynamic, it is through this that the best leaders may be selected for each situation.

Mui, C. (2011, October 17). Five Dangerous Lessons to Learn From Steve Jobs. Retrieved from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/chunkamui/2011/10/17/five-dangerous-lessons-to-learn-from-steve-jobs/

Penn State World Campus (2013). PSYCH 485 Lesson 1: Introduction to

Leadership. Retrieved on June 19, 2013, from

https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su13/psych485/002/content/01_lesson.html

Penn State World Campus (2013). PSYCH 485 Lesson 2: Trait Approach. Retrieved

on June 19, 2013, from

https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su13/psych485/002/content/02_lesson.html

Northouse, P. (2012). Leadership: Theory and practice. (6 ed.). Thousand Oaks,

California: Sage Publishing.