Leadership

o Managerial Hierarchy/ levels

o Interview at least 2-3 managers and 2-3 of their employees

o Note down their traits and behaviours on the job/ or the traits

and behaviours they associate themselves.

o Different styles of leadership used by them

o Evaluate their strategies

o Powers that they have in the organization

o Leadership effectiveness on the team (interview with their

employees)

o Relate different leadership theories with the interviewee’s

responses

Acknowledgment

This is a mangement research for leadership and has been prepared as a part of the course requirement for mangement. The material compiled and presented in this report is a result of exhaustive work. This report has proved to be an extremely instructive and creative experience. For this I would like to thank my course instructor Mam Hina Ali for providing us the opportunite as well as her guidance in the light of her vast experience.

We interviewed two managers of Technovision (Pvt) Ltd, MrNaeemBhatii, the sales manager and Mr Talzeem Mahboob, who is working as a manger in the Solar Department of the company. We also interviewed two employees of the company, MianAdeel and Usman Khan.

Traits and Behavior

The managers, being the leaders of the company possess different traits and behaviors according to the requirements of their respective jobs. Both the managers are always striving for the improvement. Their aim is to get the company to achieve more. They believe that the company or organization will only have a high growth rate if they are motivated and determined to accomplish more. In other words, their positive attitude towards higher achievement plays a significant role in the success of the business. According to them, if their focus is only on their personal betterment, the company is bound to suffer.

Both the managers also mentioned about the importance of leadership motivation. They are interested in building a safe and trusting environment, as well as ensuring that the company is positioned to be successful in the marketplace. Whenever a project is assigned to them, they provide proper directions for the group in order to get a task completed in the most efficient manner. The mangers of this company always collaborate with the group in order to get everyone’s opinion because it is vital for everyone to give their input on any given decision. This promotes the feeling of usefulness in the employees which is extremely beneficial for their productivity in the workplace.

Most importantly honesty and integrity play an important part in any organization. They said that by showing integrity in the workplace, the employees as well as the employers can distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. This also benefits the business environment where trustworthy actions set the foundation for successful business relationships.

As a manager self-confidence is really important. It helps to overcome many problems easily in the company. The mangers especially MrNazeemBhati said that sometimes they have to make some quick decisions for the company and here self-confidence really matters. Obviously, as a leader they have all the knowledge about their department. The job of the manger is to look after their designated department. They are not working as an employee but have all the knowledge about the employees’ tasks. They always have a check and balance on them.

Now comes the behavior of the managers in the company.

They both have the task performance behavior as their target is to ensure that the company achieves its goal. So for that they always focus on their employees’ work speed and quantity of input. Group maintenance is also very important for the mangers. They try to build a behavior that occurs between members of groups in order to maintain reciprocal trust and cooperation. They take care of their employees’ feelings and comfort. They always appreciate people to play a big role in their work.

One of the employee, when we interviewed, mentioned that the mangers are very strict about observing regulation. They are also very strict about the amount of work they do. After every week they check every employee’s progress. But on the other hand the employees are given full supports from the mangers. Award is given to them if their work is up to the mark. Yearly bonus is also given to every employee. So this all helps the employee to work happily in the company.

Different leadership styles used by the managers.

All the decisions are made by the managers that is; they follow Autocratic or Authoritarian leadership. Managers give orders as well as assign tasks and duties without consulting the employees. The leader takes full authority and assumes full responsibility. They think that it facilitates quick decisions, prompt action and unity of direction. It depends on a lesser degree of delegation. But too much use of authority might result in strikes and industrial disputes. It is likely to produce frustration and retard the growth of the company.

The employees said that they work as hard as is necessary to avoid punishment. They will thus produce the minimum which will escape punishment.

Sometimes the managers of the company also follow Participative leadership.  Managers encourage participation in decision-making.

Managers lead the subordinates mainly through persuasion and example rather than fear and force. Sometimes the leader serves as a moderator of the ideas and suggestions from his group. 

The Laissez-faire or Free-rein leadership is also adopted here. The mangers, in some situations, give no direction and allow the group to establish its own goals and work out its own problems.

The leader plays only a minor role. His idea is that each member of the group when left to himself will put forth his best effort and the maximum results can be achieved in this way. The

leader acts as an umpire. But as no direction or control is exercised over the people, the organization is likely to flounder.

Another leadership style is also been followed in the company and that is Paternalistic leadership. Sometimes the mangers have to treat their employees as a family member. To gain some work from them which can’t be done by forcing them.

Evaluating the strategies

The Autocratic leadership style is less likely to be effective because (i) the new generation is more independent and less submissive and not amenable to rigid control; (ii) people look for ego satisfactions from their jobs and (iii) revolution of rising expectations changed the attitude of the people.

Autocratic leadership may be divided into three classes:

(A) The hard-boiled autocrat who relies mainly on negative influences uses the force of fear and punishment in directing his subordinates towards the organizational goals. This is likely to result in employees becoming resentful.

(B) The benevolent autocrat who relies mainly on positive influences uses the reward and incentives in directing his subordinates towards the organizational goals. By using praise and pats on the back, he secures the loyalty of subordinates who accept his decisions.

(C) The manipulative autocrat who makes the employees feels that they are participating in decision-making though the manager himself has taken the decision. McGregor labels this style as Theory X.

Democratic leadership style will foster enthusiasm in them. The employees feel that management is interested in them as well as in their ideas and suggestions. They will, therefore, place their suggestions for improvement.

Advantages for democratic leadership are as follows: (i) higher motivation and improved morale; (ii) increased co-operation with the management; (iii) improved job performance; (iv) reduction of grievances and (v) reduction of absenteeism and employee turnover.

The laissez-faire groups also developed friendly approaches to the leader as in the democratic group. But suggestions from the groups were very low and they were also less productive.

Paternalistic leadership style has still been widely prevalent in small firms in India. However, this paternalistic approach is unlikely to work with mature adult employees, many of whom do not like their interests to be looked after by a “godfather.” Instead of gratitude, it might generate antagonism and resentment in the subordinates.

Power they have in the organization:

Both the managers have some powers over the employees. The employees there are obligated to comply with legitimate orders. Basically the managers have legitimate power over the employee. Whatever the managers has ordered the employees have to obey them.

Reward power is also in this company, the managers also showed us the excellence award which was given for the hard work they did for the company, that helped them to achieve the company’s goal.

After interviewing the employee, we learnt that there is also coercive power. The manager gives punishment to the employee if they are not performing well. Salaries are cut if any employee comes late or is absent. In this way they make their employees very disciplined.

The manger in the solar department and the manger in the sales department both have the expert power. They have full and clear knowledge related to their work in their specific departments. They usually give tips to their employees who respect them and follow them accordingly. It is based upon employees' perception that a manager or some other member of an organization has a high level of knowledge or a specialized set of skills that other employees or members of the organization do not possess.

What employs want?

SpecificityEmployees want leaders to provide them with specific direction and to avoid corporate speak – to get to the point and be direct in telling them what to do and what is specifically expected from them.   Don’t beat around the bush.   Be specific rather than vague to avoid unexpected surprises without the proper preparation.

Leaders that are specific have strong attention to detail and are mindful of assuring their employees are never blindsided.

EmpowermentEmployees don’t always want to have to ask for permission.  They want to be empowered to make decisions and to learn from their failures.  Employees want leaders that will provide them with the mentoring and wisdom to effectively solve problems and become more independent and productive.

Empowerment is the ticket to being more self-sufficient, entrepreneurial and purposeful at work, and employees are empowered when given the right

HonestyMany leaders tend to tell only half the truth.   While it is understandable that  they may want to hold back the whole truth to avoid the unnecessary chaos and uncertainty that may come with it – employees expect real leaders to be transparent, trustworthy, open up their hearts and lead with kindness.

Employees expect leaders to be accountable to others as much as themselves.   Too many leaders cut corners, delegate too much and push off problems to others that they should handle themselves.   Leaders that avoid adversity and the accountability that goes with it are those who are trying to protect their reputations – when they should be willing to put their reputations on the line to protect  those they lead.

There is a distinct difference between recognition and respect.  Recognition explodes and subsides.  Respect reverberates and multiplies.   The recognized leader appeals to the head where things are easily forgotten, while the respected leader captivates the heart – and the heart does not forget.

Employees want leaders who respect and value their teamwork and individual contributions.  They expect leaders to invest in relationships that are earned over time.  Leaders that stick to their plans, take the appropriate risks when necessary, and communicate the outcomes – whether success or failure – are the leaders who earn respect from those they serve and lead.

Conclusion

Although certain aspects of leadership came naturally to them, there are a few that took some conscious effort. This was very important for them since they had to be able to retain workers while demonstrating that they were the right individual for the job. They started leading regular staff meetings, which gave them the chance to hear their concerns as well as make my expectations clear. They also wanted to motivate our workers to succeed in their work. To do so they took various ideas from this course and put them into practice. They made an effort to ensure that they were well trained, respected, felt as though they were appreciated, and interested in the company’s goals. For some of the employees their goals could be aligned with the company’s goals. This made my job remarkably easy! All they had to do was take the time to get to know each employee. They now know what makes them tick, what their interests are, and what aggravates them about the job. They really do have a greater appreciation for what their style of leadership is, but they are also aware that there style has to be tweaked in certain situations to maximize their effectiveness.

From all this research the conclusion we find that the managers and employs always work on task performance and try to complete the task first because they didn’t want to face the punishment.

Recommendations

Follow procedures and adhere to policies.

Effective leaders are essentially good followers. They understand that they are accountable to those in authority. They know it is not a good idea to behave as a lone wolf, but that they must instead keep their work priorities aligned with the organization’s goal and have an appropriate sense of self-importance. People who lead in place value the necessity of following procedures and adhering to established policies.

Submit to the authority of others. 

we are all under the authority of someone, whether it is a supervisor, director, president, board of governors, or whomever else.

Take risks.

Sometimes it is necessary for leaders to step outside the box, to be innovative. Leaders must be flexible enough to know when it is time to try a new procedure or implement a new policy. For many taking a risk is frightening, but such behavior can be invaluable, benefiting the entire group.

Commitment

Any person who assumes a leadership role needs to be committed to the group. The group’s vision and mission must be internalized by the leader. An effective leader is a person who can commit to using his or her ability to lead others, perform technical skills, and conceptualize situations, thus helping to ensure goal achievement.

Expect conflict

Conflict among people is a natural, inevitable, and constant factor of human interaction. An effective leader expects conflict and is able to manage it in a productive manner.

Tell the truth, but with compassion

To some degree conflicts occur because people are not able to differentiate between task-related conflict issues and their personal investment in a given situation. Yet at the same time the leader must compassionately tell the truth (e.g., about a faculty member’s job performance, etc.).

Listen. Communication plays a vital role in the achievement of interpersonal and organizational goals. Communication is a two-way process. Effective communication requires leaders capable of effective listening Seek First to Understand, Then Seek to Be Understood, reflects the epitome of effective listening. Ineffective listening undermines people’s self-esteem, self-confidence, and creativity. Remember, hearing and listening are not synonymous terms.

Check your attitude.

I contend that effective leadership begins with a correct mindset. That mind-set is founded upon an individual’s willingness to lead, to serve others. An effective leader desires the opportunity to step up to be involved in controlling not only his or her personal actions, but the actions of those being led. This leadership attitude flows from a reasoned choice; it is a conscious decision to take on the role with all its rights and responsibilities. Effective leaders are able to demonstrate a fixed purpose. Such leadership is determined to ensure not only that personal goals are reached, but more important, that the group achieves its objectives and fulfills its mission. Those who seek to lead in place must be compelled to lead no matter the personal cost.