1.4.5 Leadership Flashcards
what is leadership?
the way in which one person influences the behaviour or actions of other people
-leaders inspire staff to meet demanding goals
what is leadership about in modern business?
-inspiring employees
-creating a vision (clear sense of purpose and direction)
-shaping core values and culture of business
-building effective teams
why is leadership increasingly important in business?
changing organisational structures
-flatter hierachies and more delegation means more emphasis on teamwork and quality assurance
-coaching, support and empowerment
rapid change in business life
-soft skills of leadership and managment is more important
compare leaders vs managers
leaders:
-set strategy and objectives
-inspire and build relationships
-take risks
-have followers
managers:
-set strategies/ business aims
-coordinate resources
-use authority to make decisions
-manage risks
-have subordinates
describe the three key levels of management in a business
senior, middle and junior management
-senior management sets corporate decisions and objectives, they are responsible to shareholders
-middle management accounts to senior, they run business functions and departments
-junior management supervises and is accountable to middle, they monitor and control day to day tasks, and manage teams of workers
how is a leadership style determined?
by the way the functions of leadership is carried out and how a leader behaves
name the four traditional classifications of leadership style
authoritarian, paternalistic, democratic, laissez-faire
authoritarian style
-managers tell employees what to do and do not listen much to them
-communication is top-down and one way
-give orders to workers and do not want feedback
-use rewards and penalties
democratic style
-involve employees in decisions by listening their ideas and ensuring they contribute to the discussion
-communication is two-way
-delegation is regular, giving junior managers decision making responsibilities
paternalistic style
-thinks and acts like a father
-consultation occurs to find out views of employees, decisions are made by the head of the group
-believes employees need direction, support and care
-interested in security and social needs of staff
laissez-faire style
(let it be)
-leaders are ‘lazy’ to take time to ensure that junior staff know what to do and how to do it
-freedom can be good for some people, but can make others frustrated
-leader has little input on day to day decision-making
-delegates power
-only effective when staff are ready and willing to take on responsibility
when might an autocratic style be effective?
it may be desirable when a business is facing failure and requires painful restructuring
what factors suggest a move away from autocratic leadership?
-changes in society’s values
-better educated workforce
-need for soft HR skills
-changing workplace organisation
-greater workplace legislation
-pressure for greater employee involvement
factors affecting leadership style
-rate of change
-personality
-nature of the task
-risk
-time constraint
-skills of manager and workforce
describe the change from entrepreneur to leader
as a business grows and develops, delegation occurs more, organisational design and leadership style needs to change as the business matures.
-entrepreneurs become ineffective after a while, its best to stand aside to let their business develop into the next stage
