Leadership

Identify the differences between management and leadership:

According to Forrest and Tolltree; managers plan, control, co-ordinate, implement policy and achieve results. Leaders on the other hand motivate, generate ideas, enthuse and inspire (Forrest and Tolltree, 1996).

Kotter (1990) believed that managers control and solve problems, plan and budget, organize things and encourage order and predictability. Leaders however tend to motivate and inspire, establish a direction, align people with a vision and encourage change.

Employee relations also differ when it comes to managers and leaders. Managers often have a more impersonal relationship with their staff, whereas leaders take a more friendly approach and build more personal relationships. This therefore means that managers show less empathy than leaders do as they have a lower level of emotional involvement.

Kotter (2004) also stated that ‘great leadership is nothing to do with charisma or personality traits. Neither is leadership a privilege for the chosen few. It is HR’s role to help develop leadership potential and to help as many people as it can. It is a common mistake for companies to focus on just the top people.’

Describe and explain the ‘managerial grid’ developed by Blake and Mouton. Think about someone you have worked for and identify the leadership style they used and where they would fir on Blake and Mouton’s grid and explain why.

One of the most effective ways of identifying different leadership styles is through the managerial grid.

The Blake and Mouton managerial grid is based on two different behavioural aspects:

· Concern for people: This measures the extent to which a manager or leader takes into consideration the requirements of individuals within the workforce. This focuses on their opinions, views and interests. Also this aspect of the managerial grid encourages the organisation to improve personal development amongst employees. This in turn increase the effectiveness of performance which assists the management when deciding how best to accomplish a task.

· Concern for production: According to MindTools (2010), “This is the degree to which a leader emphasizes concrete objectives, organizational efficiency and high productivity when deciding how best to accomplish a task.”

Using the axis to plot leadership 'concerns for production' versus 'concerns for people', Blake and Mouton defined the following five leadership styles:

Country Club Leadership: High People/Low Production

This approach to leadership is more concerned with the needs and emotions of individual workers. These types of managers believe that employees will work harder and put in more effort as long as they are happy with their jobs and satisfied with the treatment they receive. This however tends not to be the case in many situations as the environment often becomes too relaxed and workers happen to be distracted from their work as they are busy enjoying themselves. It is for this reason that the level of production is negatively impacted due to poor management and control from the leader.

Produce or Perish Leadership: High Production/Low People

This type of leader has almost identical traits to that of an Autocratic manager. Employees are often undervalued and their opinions are not taken seriously or responded to. They believe that employees are simply there to do what their job requires them to do; no more and no less. Leaders who fit this profile of leadership are usually following a strict code of conduct and believe that punishment is the most efficient method of motivation.

Impoverished Leadership: Low Production/Low People

This type of approach to leadership is the worst out of the five described in the managerial grid. It has no consideration for both production and people. Employees whose managers incorporate this style of leadership tend to be de motivated and the work environment is usually disorganized.

Middle of the road Leadership: Medium Production/Medium People

This approach encourages a weak balance of concern for both production and people. It tends to take a lazy approach to leadership, resulting in employees doing the bare minimum in order to achieve basic goals but never actually pushes against the restrictions of what could possibly be achieved if workers were more motivated and performed to a higher standard.

Team Leadership: High Production/High People

I believe that this is the optimum approach to leadership of the five described by Blake and Mouton. They display a high level of concern and focus for both production and people issues. Team Leadership encourages employee participation and involvement and adds value to workers no matter what level they are at. The more motivated and satisfied people are with their situation, the more likely they are to increase their levels of performance and productivity. Also this builds trust and respect amongst the workforce which again contributes to a higher standard of production.

Find and article/weblink that discusses a leader and briefly summarise what it has to say about them and their approach to leadership

Link:

http://www.theleadershipresource.com/RichardBranson.php

Richard Branson:

According to The Leadership Resource (2010) “Richard Branson can only go in one direction- and that’s forward!” At the age of 16 he was already on course for high achievements as he established a student publication on a national scale. The year after that he founded a peer assistance charity at the school he attended. At the age of 20, Branson launched his first business with the brand “Virgin” – it was a mail order record shop.

Today Branson is one of the most successful entrepreneurs of his time and is looked up to as a role model and inspiration to the majority of aspiring entrepreneurs who want to excel and be successful at what they do just like Branson. His business operations have expanded and his Virgin Empire now consists of over 200 companies in more than 300 countries including things such as air travel, mobile telephones, railway travel, banking and hotels.

I believe one of the main reasons why Branson is such a strong leader and has achieved so much is that he is highly determined to succeed. He is not the type of entrepreneur to become de motivated or slack when things don’t always go to plan, instead he adopts a leadership approach which believes strongly in moving forward. A phrase which he is known to often say is “Business opportunities are like busses, there’s always another one coming” (The Leadership Resource 2010)

Conclusion

My observations of this topic have led me to the conclusion that there is a significant difference between leadership and management. Prior to this week’s lecture I wasn’t aware of the differences between leadership and management; however both concepts can be used to control a team. For this reason it is vital for both leaders and managers to consult relevant theories such as Blake and Mouton, whose managerial grid model clearly defines a range of different management styles, in order for organizations to achieve efficient leadership and management structure and approach. I have also extended my knowledge of what qualities are found in excellent leaders through my research on Richard Branson.

References:

1) Mind Tools, (2010) Blake Mouton Managerial Grid [online] Available from: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_73.htm [Accessed 19 April 2010]

2) The Leadership Resource, (2010) World Leaders: Richard Branson [online] Available from:
http://www.theleadershipresource.com/RichardBranson.php [Accessed 19 April 2010]