Business And Management : Organisational Behavior And Leadership

Leadership is a term that cannot be defined or simplified with a standard definition (Bethel, 2011). The term’s complexity is a phenomenon, as it carries a different meaning for each person. During the

What is leadership? Leadership by definition is the ability of an individual or organization to guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. Without leadership many would just follow one another's actions like blind sheep. Many of the powerful shifts in American history were started by men and women who made the decision to guide and instruct one another rather than being a follower.

Since the beginning of recorded history, leadership has been one of, if not the most important elements in the success or failure of an endeavor. This is whether it involved a prehistoric hunting party or ruling the Roman Empire. Today, leadership is recognized as a vital factor in an organization’s quest to be productive and profitable. For an organization to be competitive and achieve optimum success in the 21st century, it is vital that they employ effective leaders that will be able to communicate their vision and goals, motivate their employees and develop trusting and loyal relationships with its stakeholders. There is no one or best way to accomplish this mission. There have been numerous leadership theories and styles which have been developed over time which can enable leaders to choose which method would be most effective for them in establishing collaborative working relationships and a respectful team environment in a group setting (Landis, Eric A; Hill, Deborah; Harvey, Maurice R, 2014).

One definition of leadership states that it is a process by which a group is influenced and directed by a particular member of the group to reach a common goal (Northouse 2010). Many other definitions exist, suggesting that it is a concept as fluid and individual as leaders themselves (Curtis et al. 2011).

According to Business Dictionary.com, leadership is defined as the individuals who are the leaders in an organization, regarded collectively. It also can be define as the activity of leading a group of people or an organization or the ability to do this. Leadership involves the establishing of a clear vision, sharing the vision with other so that they will follow willingly, providing the needed information, knowledge, and methods to realize the vision and coordinating and balancing the conflicts interests of all members and stakeholders.

Leadership is defined in many different ways by many different academics and professionals. A few words that resonate with the meaning include management, control, guidance, headship, direction and governance. My basic definition for the word describes it as a technique used to manage and guide individuals or groups of individuals in a specific direction to achieve a common goal. However this is a bit too basic for my liking. While conducting the research for this manifesto I found two definitions that I thought were more interesting and quite charming. Tom Landry defines leadership as “getting someone to do what they don’t want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve” (Murphy, 2010). Alternatively Otto Scharmer stated, “at its core, leadership is about shaping and shifting how individuals and groups attend and subsequently respond to a situation” (Scharmer, 2007).

According to organisational behaviour by McShane, leadership is defined as influencing, motivating and enabling others to contribute towards the effectiveness and success of the organisation of which they are members (page 382, McShane).Becoming an effective leader depends on the leader’s leadership style. Successful leaders have vision and charisma, also the leader should have an ongoing personality, talkative, careful and self-disciplined. The leader must also have self-concept

Defining leadership is a challenging assignment due to the many elements that leadership encompasses. Leadership is inspiring others to be better. It is recognizing the strengths and weaknesses in not only one’s self but that of others. Understanding that leadership is not perfect and is always evolving.

The topic of leadership is historically one of the most widely researched when it comes to explorations of organizational behavior. The success of any institution or organization is pegged on the quality of its leadership because it is the determining factor on the pattern and speed at which it achieves its growth goals. Leaders are responsible for steering an organization toward its goal by mobilizing resources (both human and material) and maximizing their efficiency. The key deliverables for many leaders include employee well-being, teamwork, adherence to organizational processes and procedures, innovation, crisis management, and effective and clear communication of the vision to stakeholders. In

For a quick review, the definition of leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group or individuals, to achieve a common goal.

During the past ten weeks, I have strengthened my concept of what constitutes effective leadership. Importantly, it is a leadership style that maximises the contributions of followers to achieve the desired outcomes for the organisation they represent. As Nanjundeswaraswamy & Swamy (2014, p.57) explains, effective leaders need to balance the drive to achieve a task with managing relationships. Therefore, it is essential for good leadership to not only focus on the task but develop, motivate and empower team members to strive for the achievement of task goals.

There are certain essential elements that constitute the definition of leadership. It may refer to the totality of an organization’s top direction-giving functionaries, or the actions applied in providing direction that enables the organization or team to move forward towards a goal. In reality, there are very diverse definitions of leadership depending on

“Leadership can be defined as a process by which one individual influences others toward the attainment of group or organizational goals. Three point about the definition of leadership should be emphasized. First, leadership is a social influence process. Leadership cannot exist without a leader and one or more followers. Second, leadership elicits voluntary action on the part of followers. The voluntary nature of compliance separates leadership from other types of influence based on formal authority. Finally, leadership results in followers’ behavior that is purposeful and goal-directed in some sort of organized setting. Many, although not all, studies of leadership focus on the nature of leadership in the workplace.” (referenceforbusiness) When looking at the theory behind leadership this is the true sense of leadership. In this paper we will examine further into the leadership model that deals with team performance outcomes. We will also, look a couple of examples of contemporary leadership theories and further explain how a leader who follows the leadership theory how that leader would interact with members of their team to maxim the full strength of each team member.

Before taking this class, I would define leadership as influencing a person or group of people in a positive manor. There is more to defining leadership than just influencing people. Leadership is also the ability to step outside your comfort zone and set a good example for those who surround you. It is taking the initiative, and finding what you are passionate about to help change something.

Leadership has a direct cause and effect relationship upon organizations and their success “Leading involves working with other systems, weather individuals, families, groups, organizations or communities.” (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2009, p.73) Employees like to feel wanted and valued within the organization that they work for. Being viewed as a leader or as a go to person within an organization provides a sense of belonging and most employees tend to take pride in that recognition. Leaders hold the responsibility to train, develop and provide direction for an organization. Organizational leadership is the person or people established to oversee and have authority over a particular department within an organization. Good leadership can set the tone of the working environment, the company’s vision and expectations. Various leadership issues can arise in organizations that can cripple an organization’s effectiveness and productivity. Identifying and addressing the organizational issues is just the first step in resolving the issues and providing positive change. In this research paper I will point out three major issues that can hinder organizational leadership, one lack of communication, two inabilities to provide feedback and three ineffective leadership styles.