HND 9 Inspirational Approaches to Leadership Lim Sei

HND – 9. Inspirational Approaches to Leadership Lim Sei Kee @ c. K

What is an individual who is able to exert influence over other people to help achieve group or organizational goals? A. Manager B. Leader C. Chief D. Organizer

Inspirational Approaches to Leadership � The focus is leader as communicator � Framing: ◦ A way of communicating that shapes meaning ◦ Ignored in traditional leadership studies ◦ Leaders use framing (selectively including or excluding facts) to influence how others see and interpret reality.

Charismatic Leadership Theory Followers make attributions of heroic or extraordinary leadership abilities when they observe certain behaviors. Charismatic leaders: 1. Have a vision. 2. Are willing to take personal risks to achieve the vision. 3. Are sensitive to follower needs. 4. Exhibit behaviors that are out of the ordinary.

Key Characteristics of Charismatic Leaders 1. Vision and articulation. Has a vision—expressed as an idealized goal—that proposes a future better than the status quo; and is able to clarify the importance of the vision in terms that are understandable to others 2. Personal risk. Willing to take on high personal risk, incur high costs and engage in self-sacrifice to achieve the vision 3. Environmental sensitivity. Able to make realistic assessments of the environmental constraints and resources needed to bring about change 4. Sensitivity to follower needs. Perceptive of others’ abilities and responsive to their needs and feelings 5. Unconventional behavior. Engages in behaviors that are perceived as novel and counter to norms

Charismatic Leadership Issues � Importance of vision ◦ Must be inspirational, value-centered, realizable, and given with superior imagery and articulation � Charismatic effectiveness and situation ◦ Charisma works best when: � The follower’s task has an ideological component �There is a lot of stress and uncertainty in the environment �The leader is at the upper level of the organization �Followers have low self-esteem and self-worth

Being a Charismatic Leader � Charismatic Leader ◦ Being excited and clearly communicating excitement to subordinates. ◦ Openly sharing information with employees so that everyone is aware of problems and the need for change. ◦ Empowering workers to help with solutions.

Transformational Leadership Leaders who inspire followers to transcend their own self-interests and who are capable of having a profound and extraordinary effects on followers 1. Leadership that: Makes subordinates aware of the importance of their jobs are for the organization 2. Makes subordinates aware of their own needs for personal growth, development, and accomplishment 3. Motivates workers to work for the good of the organization, not just for their own personal gain or benefit

Characteristics of Transformational Leaders Idealized Influence: Provides vision and sense of mission, instills pride, gains respect and trust Inspiration: Communicates high expectations, uses symbols to focus efforts, expresses important purposes in simple ways Intellectual Stimulation: Promotes intelligence, rationality, and careful problem solving Individualized Consideration: Gives personal attention, treats each employee individually, coaches, advises

Issues with Transformational Leadership � Basis for Action: ◦ Transformational leadership works by encouraging followers to be more innovative and creative and by providing ambitious goals � Transformational vs. Charismatic Leadership: ◦ Similar concepts, but transformational leadership may be considered a broader concept than charisma. ◦ Instrument-based testing shows the measures to be roughly equivalent

Transactional Leadership � Leaders who guide or motivate their followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements. � Transactional Leaders ◦ Use their reward and coercive powers to encourage high performance—they exchange rewards for performance and punish failure. ◦ Push subordinates to change but do not seem to change themselves.

Characteristics of Transactional Leaders Contingent Reward: Contracts exchange of rewards for effort, promises rewards for good performance, recognizes accomplishments Management by Exception (active): Watches and searches for deviations from rules and standards, takes corrective action Management by Exception (passive): Intervenes only if standards are not met Laissez-Faire: Abdicates responsibilities, avoids making decisions

Transactional and Transformational Leadership Transactional Leaders • Contingent Reward Leaders who guide or motivate their followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements • Management by Exception (active) • Management by Exception (passive) • Laissez-Faire Transformational Leaders who provide the four “I’s” (individualized consideration, inspirational motivation, idealized influence, and intellectual stimulation) • Idealized Influence • Inspirational Motivation • Intellectual Stimulation • Individual Consideration

Transactional • • Contingent Reward: – Contracts exchange of rewards for effort, promises rewards for good performance, recognizes accomplishments • Idealized Influence: • Inspiration: • Intellectual Stimulation: Management by Exception: – Active: Watches and searches for deviations from rules and standards, takes corrective action – Passive: Intervenes only if standards are not met • Transformational Laissez-Faire: – Abdicates responsibilities, avoids making decisions • – Provides vision and sense of mission, instills pride, gains respect and trust – Communicates high expectations, uses symbols to focus efforts, expresses important issues simply – Promotes intelligence, rationality, and problem solving Individualized Consideration: – Gives personal attention, coaches, advises

Transactional & Transformational Leadership � Transactional Leaders ◦ Leaders who guide or motivate their followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements � Transformational Leaders ◦ Inspire followers to transcend their own self-interests for the good of the organization; they can have a profound and extraordinary effect on followers � Not opposing, but complementary, approaches to leadership ◦ Great transformational leaders must also be transactional; only one type is not enough for success

Discussion Q � 1. Define the term ‘leader’. � 2. Are managers and leaders the same? � 3. Discuss trait theories of leadership. � 4. Compare and contrast the differences between charismatic, transformational and transactional leaders.