Organizational Leadership
Every corporate organization needs competent organizational leadership as a key instrument for efficient operation. It is the duty of the company's management to improve overall success and direction by utilizing various management techniques. This article discusses the value of sound leadership and how it affects organizational development. This article also examines different leadership models and styles and how they can affect a company's performance. Additionally highlighted is the strategic management process as it relates to organizational structure. Notably, there are many different types of leadership, including authoritarian, participative, and laissez-faire. Moreover, there are models of leadership such as transformative leadership, collective and distributed leadership, and systems that facilitate the corporate leaders in their activities. Most importantly, the managers often face challenges that require proper planning to help avoid the adverse outcome.
As a result of the dynamic environment under which organizations operate, proper organization leadership has stood out in enhancing optimum effectiveness and giving a sense of direction (Steve, 2016). Organization leadership has been defined by the emphasis it lays on individuals' development and enhancement of abilities that are useful across the entire organization structure. Apparently, it is the leadership of an organization that has the responsibility of controlling individuals by giving them a sense of direction and assisting them in handling tasks so as to achieve organizational results. The leaders of corporate firms often face some challenges that might hinder their effectiveness. Nevertheless, such individuals are guided by the various leadership approaches that encompass various styles such as autocratic, participative, and laissez-faire. Moreover, there are models of leadership such as transformative leadership, collective and distributed leadership, and systems that facilitate the corporate leaders in their activities.
How Effective Leadership Enhances Organizational Success
The leaders in organizations have the mandate to institute leadership controls and measures in regards to the operations of the enterprise. The controls must promote transparency in the handling of financial matters, manufacturing processes and the general activities of the entity. An organization that fails to put in place measures to enhance efficiency will most likely fail in the long run (Cameron & Green, 2015). Control measures are the tools that will be used by the employees to operate within certain acceptable limits. If left to run freely, the workers are likely to have their controls, and this can probably lead to a lack of uniformity and a general failure in the organization.
Resource allocation is also a primary avenue through which the organizational leadership will use to determine success. The fact that resources are often limited in every organization prompts the need for a very keen and planned use of the resource (Machado & Davim, 2016). The organizational leadership should use tools such as budget forecasts to know ow many resources the organization needs. The judgment must also be based on how much each department will need in the organization depending on the workload that takes place within those departments. The leaders must nonetheless not provide little resources to the functions as this will affect the normal operation of the enterprise. Providing too much resource will also lead to the users being wasteful.
Organizational leaders are always involved in critical decision-making process which is vital in shaping the future of the organization. The managers are tasked with making long-term decisions while the middle-level managers are in charge of making operational decisions (Machado & Davim, 2016). Decisions are very critical as they provide direction for the organization's success. The top level managers provide a general direction regarding the future operations of the firm, the major financial decisions and even the need to change a certain aspect of the organizational processes. Since such critical decisions lie in the hands of the organization management, it is the responsibility to make accurate decisions based on known facts to influence the success of the firm.
Success in the organization can also be achieved through role modeling and coaching which is initiated by the organizational leaders (Bergh, Hinna & Leka, 2014). As a result of their experience and corporate governance skills, the leaders have a responsibility to pass those skills to the younger generation through coaching; this will enable continuity in the future when a new set of leaders take over the management of the organization. Role modeling also offers the junior employees an opportunity to allow them to have a chance to interact with the management and gain vital success skills. The initiatives to coach and role model the employees will enhance the management's overall success in managing the affair of the firm.
The leadership involvement in recruitment, selection, and promotion is also critical in giving the direction in term of the future success of the organization (Bergh, Hinna & Leka, 2014). For a firm to prosper in its operations, the workforce must be qualified to carry out the tasks that they are assigned. Moreover, the staff must also act with the highest standards of professionalism and act with due diligence. The management must for that reason be involved in selecting the best workforce to join the firm. Organization leaders must also enhance staff training to enable their workforce to remain relevant since the market is dynamic.
A proper leadership enhances rewards initiatives on good performing employees. The leader should also have an initiative of status recognition of the people who are directly or indirectly help in the organizational success. By having a rewarding initiative, the employees, suppliers or customers will be motivated and hence will continue contributing towards the success of the organization (Naoum, 2013). Through status recognition initiatives, the people involved will feel appreciated in the efforts that they put in enhancing the improvement of organizational success. Notably, effective corporate leadership often enhance the use of reward schemes as this improves the overall performance.
Importance of Proper Leadership
Organizational leadership is a gives a sense of direction and guidance as to where the organization needs to go. The leaders in organizations do not only act as supervisors but also show the staff how to carry out their work (Brocke & Rosemann, 2014). The guidance measures are geared towards the actual work which is a role played by the subordinate but with the direction of the executive management team. The direction is important in determining organizational success since it will instill a sense of uniformity in the work process. The administration will offer motivation to the workforce by working together with them.
The leadership of an organization also creates confidence in the organizational process. In order to have high-level s of success, the organization has to enjoy the trust of all the stakeholders within the organization (Cameron & Green, 2015). The organizational stakeholders include the suppliers, customers, the workforce, financial institutions, and the government. By having a high level of confidence, the firm will be in a better position to relate well to the industry and hence increase its level of growth. The management, therefore, is at the center of creating this kind of relationship.
The administration of a firm is also responsible for building the work environment and making it conducive to carry out the activities of the enterprise. By having an efficient environment, the growth of a firm will be achieved (Machado & Davim, 2016). The human capital of the organization should be at the center of building a healthy work environment. The staff needs to work in an environment that they feel is healthy and does not interfere with their social, political or economic life. The staff must also be appreciated by other means such as promotions or salary increment. In order to achieve these, the management must have a close relationship with the workforce and treat them with high standards of dignity.
The organizational management team is also concerned with coordinating the activities of the firm. Having a centralized system of command within a firm is important. The management must achieve this by trying to bring together the personal interest of the employees with the goals of the organization. According to Machado & Davim (2016), the primary role of a leader should then be to bring together all the ideologies and personalities within the firm to have a common agenda of organizational growth. The channels of giving direction are critical enhancers of the same within an organization and should also be clear as having uncoordinated centers can cause a general failure in the firm's management.
The leadership of an organization must also create confidence for all the organization's stakeholders. The workers within the company need to operate through motivation by the management team. The workforce needs to be told what is expected of them and the direction they should take concerning achieving organizational success (Steve, 2016). By having a strong management team, the investors, creditors, suppliers, and financial institutions which have a relationship with the firm also gain a high level of confidence and trust. The management must, for this reason, act in a way that will enhance the company's growth and lead to a well-deserved bullpup of trust levels.
Leadership Styles
Autocratic Leadership Autocratic leadership style involves the absolute command that an organizational leader has over the employees. The views and opinions of the workforce cannot be implemented even if they are important in enhancing organizational success (Cameron & Green, 2015). The workforce cannot also correct the leadership style since the leaders have the power to make those decisions. However, it is notable that though unpopular among the workforce, this leadership style leads to quicker decision making process. But the employees are mostly demotivated and do not offer their best at work.
Participative Leadership Participative leadership or democratic leadership style offers all the players an equal opportunity to have a say in the decision-making process of the firm (Cameron & Green, 2015). The staff and all the stakeholders in the business have a say in the matters affecting the company, and they can put forward their ideas and suggestions. The absolute decision making wholly relies on the management, but they take into consideration all the proposals and recommendations from all the stakeholders.
Laissez-Faire Leadership Laissez-faire is a style that offers so much freedom to the workforce as they can be able to make operational decisions. The management highly supports the workforce and provides them with all the tools that they need to enhance the ease of carrying out their duties. This leadership style offers very high motivation to the workforce, and there is a high level of success when adopted by the management. The style can, however, be detrimental to organizational success if the workforce is not self-disciplined and fails to manage their time well.
Leadership Models
Transformative Leadership Transformative leadership is where the organization's leaders strictly follow the procedures and, rules and policies that are laid down by the firm. The leadership also ensures that everybody in the company follows the established procedures. In order to have staff promotions or reward incentives, the company's management has to follow procedures that lead to such promotions or awards. This style of leadership style is mostly adopted, but it does not offer any room for change in a rather dynamic society.
The same mainly focuses on leaders who are driven by high standards of motivation which helps them to articulate their vision and give the overall organizational direction (Steve, 2016). The corporate leadership can bring in an overall change and a positive culture in the firm by nurturing the staff to have an excellent performance framework. The management, through its motivational framework, will be able to have an impact on the workforce and hence give them the morale to better handle their tasks and hence improve the overall organizational performance.
Collective and Distributed Leadership Organizational success does not depend on the efforts of a single person; rather it is through the collective efforts of the various individual that an overall corporate goal is realized (Bergh, Hinna & Leka, 2014). Distributed leadership in its attempt to recognize the efforts put in by the top management also asserts that the general administration is part of a wider web that leads to organizational success. In this model, the efforts of the leadership structure are as a result of the context and the different ideologies brought in by the people. Leadership distribution can be achieved by enhancing decision making through active involvement and consultations. All the participants such as the management, the staff, and the wider public must, therefore, be involved to realize success.
Systems Leadership This leadership style is not confined to the organization's boundaries but rather to the command that takes place across multiple systems. All the members of the organization are part of a complex system that runs the organization (Cameron & Green, 2015). In this model, leadership is not centralized as this kind of monopoly ca lead to ineffective leadership. The system management has a responsibility to enable the success in system adaptively and capability. The system also offers a linear management system where work passes through a hierarchical management system. Also, there exists a complex system that requires all participants to have an adaptive behavior.
Factors Affecting Organizational Management Performance
Better administration and leadership skills are one of the most important determinants to having a successful management leadership outcome. The corporate leadership must always be based on adequate training and experience in the particular area (Steve, 2016). Specialized organizational management sectors such as engineering and medical fields also require the service of such specialized officers. Management success is mainly measured by past performance and hence the need to have a review of the management past successes. Excellent leadership skills will no doubt positively have a contribution to the management success.
Having an objective organizational goal and putting in place adequate implementation measures can increase the chances of manager's success in the organization. According to Steve (2016), the management should especially have long-term objectives which are achievable over an extended period specifically set out to be in line with the overall purpose of the firm. Success is always measured on the ability of a business to meet its set objectives adequately. Implementation of the organization objectives is also a critical responsibility of the top management. The administration must follow the progress of the implementation process and make immediate corrective measures at any stage of the application process.
Management of organizational change is also an important area in which the management has to have active involvement. The current world presents a dynamic operational environment under which the firm has to operate. The changes in technology are a significant key milestone towards the realization of a dynamic business environment (Bergh, Hinna & Leka, 2014). The management has to make decisions on which technologically viable options they need to implement to enhance success. The choice of the technology must effectively offer an advantage on the competitive edge that a firm has to offer to its competitors. The technology change and adoption must also be accompanied by a necessary upgrade of the system.
Instituting performance measures and having a management technique can be a reliable tool for enhancing organizational adaptivity or change (Bergh, Hinna & Leka, 2014). The achievement of positive performance can be achieved through means such as benchmarking and reward schemes. Measures must be in place to note the ability of the management to achieving the overall goals. Measures are imperative as they give a correct position regarding the level of performance achieved. Measures instituted to capture performance should be done by independent bodies that have no interests in the organizational management.Relationship structure within the organization must be initiated by the management to impact on the corporate growth positively. The hierarchical structure should be one that builds positive relationship all the way from the top-level management up to the junior workers in the organization. A good rapport within the workforce must provide fast communication channels that will be used in addressing key issues. By adopting a free working environment, workers will be motivated to have a high level of performance effectively.A sound information system that can efficiently enhance performance measurement can be instituted by the organizational management team to achieve high performance. Information system use is paramount in enhancing corporate growth (Cameron & Green, 2015). The method used should be one that allows for transparency and accountability by the workforce. Mistakes or errors should also be identified early enough by the system to take corrective action.
The management's ability to handle many tasks simultaneously and efficiently complete those tasks is of much importance in enhancing organizational success. It is the obligation of the corporate managers to get involved in the issuing of tasks to the various workforces (Cameron & Green, 2015). The management also has to come up with a scheme of completing the tasks in time. The manager must handle different tasks simultaneously as the methods will save on unnecessary time loss. The management must, however, be very keen not to make any management errors as a result of multitasking.
Strategic Management Process
Management scholars argue that proper leadership is always based on management effectiveness of the top executive members of the organization. The major determinant of success is the decision making strategy of the senior management body of a firm. The management has to put in structural systems which they follow when making important managerial decisions. The success of an organization always heavily lies on the long-term decisions made by the top managers. There has to be a sequential order which the management has to follow before arriving at an amicable decision.
Decision-making begins with a critical analysis of the organizational objectives and goals. The strategic decision has to be in line with the future growth of the firm and thus the need to align the company's decisions with its growth forecast (Cameron & Green, 2015). The analysis must also put into consideration the possibility of a market change concerning technology or the general operational environment. The analysis of both the internal and external environmental aspects should also feature in the decision-making process. An organization's success is always affected by both internal and external factors (Bergh, Hinna & Leka, 2014). The top management should not that the external factors influencing organizations growth are always not within the control of the organization and hence cannot be influenced. The decision-making process can, however, influence the internal organizational factors that are affecting the organization's growth. The decisions made must, however, be in conformity with the underlying legal and industrial operational framework.
The strategic management process ends by actualizing a decision based on researched findings. The decisions made should be in line with the organizational goals and should be a general representation of the views of the firm's owners. The management has to be keen enough not to make a strategic mistake in the decision-making process as that can significantly affect the future of the firm. The management must also put in place avenues of making future adjustments in the decision made due to organizational dynamism (Machado & Davim, 2016). The ever-changing factors in the face of corporate management must also be put into consideration while coming up strategic decisions.
Conclusion
In a bid to have great organizational success, the management and the general leadership structure play a vital role. The contribution of leadership is vast and ranges from structural formations that enhance corporate growth to the implementation of the firm's policies and practices. The success of a management team also heavily relies on the leadership styles and models adopted as this directly influence the success of the management and the firm as a whole. The leaders must take a catered approach towards organizational leadership to enhance growth and prosperity within the business; growth must be holistic and inclusive. In general, the management of a firm, apart from giving a general direction to organizational success, also enhances the confidence, unity, and personal growth of all the players in the enterprise. The management must initiate growth programs such as training and seminars to improve adaptivity of its workforce. In general, good leadership skills are a fundamental pillar that enhances organizational growth and success. The management being at the central role of this leadership must play its part in promoting the growth.
References
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Brocke, J., & Rosemann, M. (2014). Handbook on business process management. 2, Strategic alignment, governance, people and culture. Berlin : Springer.
Cameron, E., & Green, M. (2015). Making sense of change management: a complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers.
Machado, C. F. S. C., & Davim, J. P. (2016). Organizational management: Policies and practices in a global market. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
Naoum, S. (2013). People and organizational management in construction. London: Telford.
Steve Nardizi. (2016). Leadership through stewardship :a foundation for organizational success across cultures. Retrieved on 1st April, 2017 http://nytimesineducation.com/spotlight/leadership-through-stewardship-a-foundation-for-organizational-success-across-cultures/
