Leading, Communication, and Management of Change in Organizations

Leading

Leading involves inspiring and motivating workers to achieve organizational goals. It closely relates to human resources, applying different leadership styles to diverse employee personalities.

Leadership Styles and Theories

Early Leadership Theories (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013)
Trait Theory

Based on leader traits or personal characteristics that differentiate leaders from followers. Researchers from the 1940s to the present have proposed traits such as:

  • Intelligence

  • Self-confidence

  • Assertiveness

  • High energy and activity level

  • Task-relevant knowledge

  • Honesty and integrity

  • Charisma

  • Visionary

Behavioral Theory

Focuses on a leader's behavior, actions, conduct, demeanor, or deportment instead of personality traits. Studies began during World War II (early 1940s) with the belief that a leader's behavior affects workgroup effectiveness. It emphasizes that since behavior is learned, leadership behaviors can also be learned.

Contemporary Theories of Leadership
Fiedler Model

A situational leadership theory proposed by Fred Fiedler. The leader’s effectiveness depends on the extent to which a leader’s style is fitted to actual situations. For a leader to be effective, their leadership style must fit the situation. This model requires identifying your leadership style, assessing the situation, and determining if you are the right leader for it.

Hersey-Blanchard Model

Proposed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. The theory focuses on subordinates’ readiness or extent to which subordinates have the ability and willingness to accomplish a specific work assignment. A leader must adapt their leadership methods depending on the ability and willingness of their followers.

Path-Goal Theory

Developed by Robert House. The leader's task is to lead followers in achieving their goals by providing the direction needed to ensure compatibility with organizational goals. An example is a sales leader setting a high sales goal and building the team's confidence, encouraging and supporting them to reach it.

Four leadership behaviors:

  1. Directive leadership: The leader gives specific guidelines to followers for easier task accomplishment.

  2. Supportive leadership: The leader shows concern and friendliness to subordinates.

  3. Participative leadership: The leader asks for suggestions from followers before decision-making.

  4. Achievement-oriented leadership: The leader sets goals that subordinates must try to achieve.

Modern Leadership Views
Transactional Leadership Model

Leaders guide subordinates toward achieving organizational goals by using social exchange or transactions and offering rewards in exchange for productivity. Managers give employees something they want in exchange for getting something they want.

  • Bill Gates: Exercised significant control over his team, with a focus on timely task completion and quality standards.

  • McDonald’s: Uses a structured system of rewards and punishments to motivate employees.

  • Sales Teams: Sales managers use incentives like bonuses or promotions to reward top performers.

Transformational Leadership Model

Leaders inspire or transform followers to achieve extraordinary outcomes. They excite and inspire followers to exert extra effort to achieve group goals. Transformational leaders encourage, inspire, and motivate employees to create meaningful change, resulting in an engaged workforce empowered to innovate.

  • Oprah Winfrey: Known for her charismatic, visionary, and inspirational leadership style.

Charismatic Leadership Theory

Defined by a leader who uses communication skills, persuasiveness, and charm to influence others. Valuable in organizations facing a crisis or struggling to move forward. A leader's primary purpose is to establish links between organizational goals and the personal ambitions of employees. Helps raise workplace morale, encourage hard work, and foster pride in the team's work. Well-suited for overcoming obstacles and forming a strong, cohesive team focused on a common goal.

  • Barack Obama: Brought together a diverse coalition of supporters and voters. His charisma during live events, debates and press interactions helped mobilize his followers.

Visionary Leadership Theory

A visionary leader understands the big picture and sets a long-term path for their team or company. Many leaders fail due to a lack of vision.

  • Steve Jobs: Introduced innovative products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad that changed communication.

  • Elon Musk: Cofounded companies like Tesla, SpaceX, and the Boring Company.

Team Leadership Theory

A recent theory that does not discriminate between the leader and other team members.

Behavioral Indicators:

  1. Values the contribution of all team members.

  2. Focuses on working with the team to achieve desired results.

  3. Participates in activities that lead to a sense of identity on projects.

  4. Motivates and inspires others to self-empowerment and self-respect.

  5. Evaluates team performance to ensure the achievement of objectives.

Servant Leadership Theory

Leaders prioritize serving the greater good, serving their team and organization first. Employees feel their voices are heard and are more likely to learn and grow while bringing their expertise and vision to the table. This hinges on building influence and authority rather than using control and toxic leadership tactics.

  • Mahatma Gandhi: Led India to peaceful independence through non-violent resistance.

  • Mother Teresa: Dedicated to serving the poor, putting their needs above all else.

Communication

Communication is the exchange of information and understanding. It applies to all management functions and aims to bring positive changes that influence activities leading to the firm’s welfare. Good communication ensures employees have the information needed to perform well, builds a positive work environment, and eliminates inefficiencies. Effective communication should accurately convey information while maintaining or improving human relationships.

Types of Communication

  • Verbal: Through oral and written words.

  • Non-verbal: Through body movements, gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, and touching.

  • Formal: Sharing official information dictated by the organizational hierarchy.

  • Informal: Communication not defined by the organizational structure.

Communication Networks

Varied patterns of combined horizontal and vertical flows of organizational communication.

  • Chain Network: Communication flows according to the formal chain of command.

  • Wheel Network: Communication flows between a leader and other members of their group/team.

  • All-channel Network: Communication flows freely among all members of a team.

Barriers to Communication

  1. Filtering: Shaping information to look good or advantageous to the receiver. For example, a manager hiding poor sales figures from the vice president.

  2. Emotions: Interpretation of communications influenced by extreme emotions.

  3. Information Overload: Too much information negatively impacts processing capacity.

  4. Defensiveness: Self-protection when people are threatened. It involves verbal messages, body language, tone of voice, and perceived intention. Defensiveness reduces the ability to accurately perceive the message and motives of the speaker.

  5. Language: Different meanings of words due to age, educational background, or cultural group.

  6. National Culture: Problems in communication among members of an organization, especially in a multifunctional company.

Overcoming Communication Barriers

  1. Using Feedback: Asking questions about a memo or asking for comments/suggestions to determine whether the communication was understood as intended.

  2. Using Simple Language: Avoiding uncommon terms and flowery words. Language must fit the understanding level of the recipients.

  3. Active Listening: Listening well to grasp the full meaning, avoiding misinterpretations and distortions.

  4. Controlling Emotions: Practicing emotional restraint to prevent inaccurate interpretations or transmissions of information.

  5. Observing Body Language: Watching nonverbal cues, as actions speak louder than words.

Example of Improved Communication

Before:

  • Complex language and negative tone.

  • Blaming and condescending language.

After:

  • Clear, simple language with a positive tone.

  • Focus on solutions and appreciation.

Management of Change and Diversity in Organizations

Management of change and organizational diversity are related activities because bringing change depends on the people within the organizations. Bringing about organizational innovations or changes to respond to future competitors may threaten the firm’s members, thus causing resistance. Understanding and managing diversity may be necessary to help manage change.

Types of Change

  1. Changes in People: Attitudes, values, wants, needs, expectations, perceptions, and behaviors change over time.

  2. Change in Structure: Organizational structures may change according to work specialization, departmentalization, chain of command, span of control, centralization, formalization, and job redesign.

  3. Changes in Technology: Changes in work processes, methods, new equipment, work tools, automation, or computerization.

Filipino and Foreign Cultures in Organization

Filipino-owned organizations exhibit a different organizational culture compared to foreign counterparts. Culture influences how managers perform functions and how subordinates respond to rules, regulations, and leadership styles.

Organizational culture is a critical factor in organizational endeavors. It is a set of shared values and norms/standards for behavior and expectations that influence the interaction of organization members to achieve their mission, vision, goals, and objectives.

Three Primary Filipino Values

  1. Social Acceptance: Desire to be accepted and treated well by others.

  2. Economic Security: Emphasis on financial stability and self-sufficiency without incurring debt.

  3. Social Mobility: Desire to climb the social ladder to a higher economic level or job position.

Filipino Beliefs and Practices

  1. Mañana Habit: Postponing work or finishing tasks later, opting to rest or engage in leisurely activities.

  2. Ningas Cogon: Initial enthusiasm for a project that wanes over time, leading to decreased energy and slower progress.

  3. Filipino Time: Arriving 15 to 30 minutes late to work or meetings, considered acceptable. This practice can lead to decreased productivity.