Leadership and leadership styles

Тест. Выберите правильный вариант.

Вставьте артикль, где необходимо.

1. Effectiveness of … manager's activity depends on certain important skills.

2. A conceptual skill is the ability of manager to see the "general" picture of... organization.

3. Managers must understand how their duties and... duties of other managers fit together to plan their activity in a proper way.

4. A decision making skill is … ability of … manager to choose... best course of actions of two or more alternatives.

5. Managers are responsible for... most important decisions which are required to carry out any organizational activity.

6. An analytic skill is the ability to determine the most important problem before implementing... proper action plan.

7. An administrative skill is... ability of … manager to keep to the organizational rules specified for... production process.

8. Interpersonal skill is the ability to understand... needs and motives of other people.

1. How many categories are there in management skills?

a) 7

b) 5

c) 8

d) 3

2. What skill is the ability of a manager to see the "general" picture of an organization?

a) a decision making skill

b) a conceptual skill

c) an analytic skill

d) an administrative skill

3. For what level of managers is a conceptual skill very important?

a) for top managers

b) for middle managers

c) for first-line managers

4. What is a decision making skill?

a) the ability to see the "general" picture of an organization;

b) the ability to determine the most important problem before implementing a proper action plan;

c) the ability to choose the best course of actions of two or more alternatives.

5. Who is responsible for the most important decisions which are required to carry out any organizational activity?

a) an economist

b) a psychologist

c) a manager

6. Why is an analytic skill important for top managers?

a) they have to solve complex problems

b) it helps them plan "super goals"

c) to develop proper strategies for the whole organization

7. What kind of skill is the ability to understand the needs and motives of other people?

a) an administrative skill

b) a communicational skill

c) an interpersonal skill

There are managers and there are leaders in business. The differ­ence between managers and leaders is that managers produce order while leaders create change. Leadership is creating a vision for others to fol­low, establishing corporate values and ethics, and transforming the way the orgariization does business so that it is more effective and efficient.

In the book Workplace 2000 the authors say that leaders like managers plan, organize, direct, and control. But when leaders plan, they plan more globally in terms of setting the agenda for the firm. Leaders organize, but their focus is on structuring or restructuring the organization to be competitive in world markets. Leaders direct and control, but their direction involves creating a vision and their control consists of empowering people and holding them responsible for finding their own means to those ends.

Nothing has challenged researchers in the area of management more than the search for the "best" leadership traits, behaviours, or styles. Thousands of studies have been made just to find leadership traits, that is, characteristics that make leaders different from others. Intuitively, you would conclude about the same that researches found: that the research findings were neither statistically valid nor reliable. You and I know that some leaders seem to have traits such as good appearance and tact while others appear unkempt and abrasive.

Just as there is no one set of traits that can describe a leader, there is no one style of leadership that works best in all situations. Let's look briefly at a few of the most commonly recognized leadership styles and where they may be effective:

1. Autocratic leadership involves making managerial decisions without consulting others and implies power over others. Many business people who were sport leaders seem to use rather successfully an autocratic leadership style that consists of issuing orders and telling players what to do. Motivation comes from threats, punishment, and intimidation of all kinds. Such a style is effective in emergencies and when absolute followership is needed (for example, on army manoeuvres). Some football, basketball, and soccer coaches have successfully used this style.

2. Democratic or participative leadership consists of managers and employees working together to make decisions. Research has found that employees participation in decisions may not always increase effectiveness, but it usually does increase job satisfaction. Many new, progressive organizations are highly successful at using a democratic style of leadership where such traits as flexibility, good listening skills, and empathy are dominant. Some organizations that have successfully used this style include Wal-Mart. Federal Express, IBM. Xerox, and AT&T.

3. Laissez-faire or free rein leadership involves managers setting objectives and employees being relatively free to do whatever it takes to accomplish those objectives. In certain professional organizations, where managers deal with doctors, engineers, and other professionals, the most successful leadership style is often one of laissez-faire leadership. The traits needed by managers in such organizations include warmth, friendliness, and understanding. Individual leaders rarely fit neatly into just one of these categories.

Researchers Tannenbaum and Schmidt illustrate leadership as a continuum with varying amounts of employee participation ranging from purely boss-centred leadership to subordinate-centred leadership.

Which leadership style is the best? Research tells us that successful leadership depends largely on who is being led and in what situations. It also supports the notion that different leadership styles ranging from autocratic to laissez-faire may be successful depending on the people and the situation.

In fact, any one manager may use a variety of leadership styles depending on whom he or she is dealing with and the situation. A manager may be autocratic but friendly with a new trainee; democratic with an experienced employee who has many good ideas that can only be fostered by a manager who is a good listener and flexible; and laissez faire with a trusted, long-term supervisor who probably knows more about operations than the manager does.

Дата добавления: 2015-01-03