Chapter 4: Building Teams, Adaptive and Situational Leadership, and Leadership Power

Question 1

Leadership Climate

Answer 1

The state of what employees or subordinates believe regarding how the leader has shaped the organizational climate in terms of the level of trust they have in the leader and the level of empowerment they have to perform duties and responsibilities in the organization.

Question 2

What impacts the leadership climate?

Answer 2

Leadership cognitions and behaviors (how they communicate, how they act, and physical presence in the organization)

Question 3

What must happen before you can meet the enrichment and sustainment goals of moving the team forward?

Answer 3

Keeping a cohesive team together once it is formed.

Question 4

Formation stage

Answer 4

In team building, the leader is responsible for welcoming or receiving new team members to the organization. How the leader “receives” and “orients” a new team member is crucial to the member feeling fully accepted as part of the team.

Question 5

Enrichment stage

Answer 5

In team building, leaders learn to trust followers by listening, following up on what they hear, establishing clear lines of authority, and setting standards. The most important thing a leader does to strengthen the team is ensuring for individual and collective training.

Question 6

3 Areas of the Enrichment Stage

Answer 6

1. The leaders actions: how to trust, following up on what they hear, establishing clear lines of authority, and setting standards.
2. Training
3. Teams development during the conduct of operations.

Question 7

Sustainment stage

Answer 7

In team building, employees do what is necessary to obtain organizational success without being directed to do so. They clearly identify with their team, develop personal ownership for tasks, and take pride in team accomplishments.

Question 8

Adaptability

Answer 8

the adaptible leader has the ability to recognize changes in the environment affecting the organization, identify the critical elements of the situation presented to the leader, and make the appropriate decision to mitigate the situation to the benefit of the organization and its employees.

Question 9

2 areas leaders need to be cognizant of in Adaptability:

Answer 9

1. Area of operation or responsibility
2. Area of influence

Question 10

area of operation/responsibility

Answer 10

Conforms to the size and design of the organization so the leader can employ assigned and supporting systems to accomplish assigned tasks and take care of employees. Leaders may be presented with an internal or external situation that they have to adapt to.

Question 11

Area of interest

Answer 11

This is the area where the leader adapts to and influences actions outside of the immediate scope of his or her assigned area of operation/responsibility. This area can be occupied by an organization that does not normally compete with your organization.

Singularly the concern of the leader and his or her designated leadership team. Is of importance to the leader as he/she can influence action outside of the immediate area of operation by mitigating threats to the area of operation or seizing on long-term opportunities.

Question 12

Are the functions of teams static?

Answer 12

The functions of teams are never stagnant, and leaders require situational awareness at all times to keep their teams effective and efficient.

Question 13

Complexity Theory

Answer 13

involves interacting units that are dynamic (changing) and adaptive, and the complex pattern of behaviors and structures that emerge are usually unique and difficult to predict from a description of the involved units.

Question 14

adaptive culture

Answer 14

this culture is made up of policies, procedures, and practices that support the leadership team’s ability to respond quickly to changing environmental conditions. In adaptive cultures, individuals are encouraged to take risks, experiment, innovate, and learn from these experiences.

Question 15

2 components of adaptability

Answer 15

1. the ability of the leader to identify the essential elements critical for performance in each new situation, while being somewhat risk tolerant.
2. The ability of the leader to change his or her practices or organization by quickly capitalizing on strengths and minimizing his or her own weakness.

Question 16

How to be more adaptable

Answer 16

• learn to adapt by moving outside of their comfort zone
  ** Lead across cultures by seeking out diverse relationships and situations
  *** Seek challenges that engage them in activities involving major changes in the operational environment. Becoming a specialist can often detract from building yourself as a leader.

Question 17

Concerns of the leader:

Answer 17

• protect the organization and its employees
  ** Prevent being surprised by incremental situational changes
  *** Prevail against environmental changes that would disrupt the product or service delivery of your organization.

Question 18

eustress

Answer 18

good, motivating stress

Question 19

distress

Answer 19

bad stress that causes employees to become ineffective in the performance of their tasks.

Question 20

empowerment

Answer 20

involves autonomy, shared responsibility, and influence in making important decisions by the leader and the led. The level of authority a leader possesses can determine the level of decentralization allowed to subordinates and subunits.

Question 21

Personal Power

Answer 21

derived from followers and is based on the leader’s or on a particular follower’s behaviors in terms of the amount of referent and expert power he or she possesses.

Spiritual power or a personal character quality that gives an individual influence or authority over a group of people.

Question 22

Legitimate power

Answer 22

possesses the formal downward flow of authority given to a leader or manager by an authorized agent over the work activities of followers or subordinates, as well as their adherence to rules and direction. Consent of a legitimate leader’s authority rests in the hands of the follower as much as the person providing the authority.

Question 23

informal leader

Answer 23

a person, follower, or subordinate who does not hold a legitimate leadership position in an organization but may also display charismatic leadership.

Question 24

Position power

Answer 24

derived from executive leaders, this power is delegated down the chain of command. A leader who holds a legitimate position of authority has more potential to influence power than an employee who is not in a position of legitimate authority.

More potential for abuse of power.

Question 25

Expert power

Answer 25

an element of personal power.

the leader possesses relevant knowledge of the organization, technical skills, and people skills. Expert power will only remain as long as dependence on the leader is maintained, based on his or her expertise. Commonly justifies legitimate power.

Question 26

Referent power

Answer 26

an element of personal power.

Centers around the desire of others to please the leader or a particular follower. This is reflected in strong positive feelings and affections for the person and is closely related to his or her charisma.

Question 27

Coercive Power

Answer 27

an element of position power

based on the leader’s authority over punishments. This power varies by leadership responsibility in any given organization.

Question 28

reward power

Answer 28

an element of position power

perception by the follower that the leader controls important resources and rewards desired by the follower Reward power stems in part from formal authority to allocate resources and rewards. The leader’s reward power is strongly representative of followers’ judgment of the leader’s level of procedural and distributive justice.

Question 29

Information Power

Answer 29

an element of position power

both laterally and vertically can have an upward and downward power influence. Involves access to essential information and control over its distribution to others.

Question 30

Ecological power

Answer 30

element of position power

control over the physical work environment. Leaders can indirectly influence employees by the use of ecological power. The subtle rearrangement of the situational environment is sometimes called situational engineering or ecological control.

Question 31

Types of Personal Power:

Answer 31

Referent and Expert

Question 32

Types of Position Power

Answer 32

Legitimate, Reward, Coercive, Information, and Ecological.

Question 33

Two views of power:

Answer 33

Leader and Management
Management: react to nonconformity and rule-breaking to maintain organizational efficiency
Leader: persuade and influence followers by convincing them that their idea is the best idea to accomplish the task at hand. May break rules to reach the common goal.

Question 34

Power politics

Answer 34

being very clear about where the formal organizational position power resides and how it is used.

Question 35

political power

Answer 35

political power occurs when people choose their words and actions based on influencing how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think. Additionally, political power can derive from successful competition for perceived limited resources.