Leadership Unplugged Why do we need leadership when

Leadership Unplugged: Why do we need leadership when we have innovative toys! Part 1 Professor Don Olcott, Jr. , FRSA Co-Director, Co-Director u. Imagine Digital Learning Lab

Leadership Defined Management is a set of processes that can keep a complicated system of people and technology running smoothly. The most important aspects of management include planning, budgeting, organizing, staffing, controlling, and problem solving. Leadership is a set of processes that creates organizations in the first place or adapts them to significantly changing circumstances. Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with the vision, and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles. (Kotter, 2012, p. 28). Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press.

Leadership Defined I define leadership as leaders inducing followers to act for certain goals that represent the values and the motivations – the wants and needs, the aspirations and expectations – of both leaders and followers. (Hickman, 2010, p. 68) Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership (Excerpts). In G. R. Hickman (Ed. ), Leading organizations: Perspectives for a new era (2 nd Ed. )(pp. 66 -75). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Leadership Defined Leadership “is the ability to step outside the culture. . . to start evolutionary change processes that are more adaptive” (Schein, 1992, p. 2). Schein, E. H. (1992). Organizational culture and leadership (2 nd Ed. ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. “Leadership is the process of influencing others to understand agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives” (Yukl, 2013, p. 7). Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organization (8 th Ed. ). New York: Pearson.

Who was the best leader you ever followed? WHY? What made this person a unique leader?

Characteristics of Visionary Leaders

Transformational Leaders Yukl, 2013 § § § § § Compelling vision for the future state of affairs. Charisma and competencies to lead change. Strong communication skills and personal values. People are the organisation’s most valuable asset. Participatory decision making and management – inclusive. Surrounds him/her self with talented people. Consummate role model and leads by example. Calm under fire. Sets the bar for ethical and moral leadership.

Leadership and Technology § Leadership empowers technology to help meet the strategic, instructional, service, and research missions of the university. § Technology, it and of itself, is simply a tool. It is not a panacea for resolving all the challenges of the modern organisation. § The days of the all-knowing, all powerful single leader are gone – the world is simply to complex in 2015. § The thriving, adaptive 21 st century organisation is about distributed leadership – recognising there is leadership talent across the university and tapping this collective leadership. § Leadership talent exists at the unit level – it is not the exclusive domain of senior positions in the organisation.

Lessons from Practice § Misguided leadership decisions are considerably more detrimental for the organisation than errors in technology choices. § Whether a single or dual mode distance learning university, technology does not differentiate your organisation in a competitive market. § Visionary leadership differentiates the organisation from competitors by articulating a composite set of ‘value-added’ benefits – quality, service, diversity, regional, innovative, affordable, and employment for graduating students. § Technology is an enabler for leadership because of creative people.

References Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership (Excerpts). In G. R. Hickman (Ed. ), Leading organizations: Perspectives for a new era (2 nd Ed. )(pp. 66 -75). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Hickman, G. R. (2015). Leading Organizations: Perspectives for a New Era (3 rd Ed. ). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press. Schein, E. H. (1992). Organizational culture and leadership (2 nd Ed. ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organization (8 th Ed. ). New York: Pearson.

Thank You! dolcott@csu. edu. au http: //uimagine. edu. au