Chapter 4: Building Teams, Adaptive and Situational Leadership, and Leadership Power Flashcards
Leadership Climate
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.
What impacts the leadership climate?
Leadership cognitions and behaviors (how they communicate, how they act, and physical presence in the organization)
What must happen before you can meet the enrichment and sustainment goals of moving the team forward?
Keeping a cohesive team together once it is formed.
Formation stage
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.
Enrichment stage
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.
3 Areas of the Enrichment Stage
- The leaders actions: how to trust, following up on what they hear, establishing clear lines of authority, and setting standards.
- Training
- Teams development during the conduct of operations.
Sustainment stage
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.
Adaptability
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.
2 areas leaders need to be cognizant of in Adaptability:
- Area of operation or responsibility
- Area of influence
area of operation/responsibility
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.
Area of interest
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.
Are the functions of teams static?
The functions of teams are never stagnant, and leaders require situational awareness at all times to keep their teams effective and efficient.
Complexity Theory
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.
adaptive culture
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.
2 components of adaptability
- the ability of the leader to identify the essential elements critical for performance in each new situation, while being somewhat risk tolerant.
- 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.
How to be more adaptable
- 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.
Concerns of the leader:
- 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.
eustress
good, motivating stress
distress
bad stress that causes employees to become ineffective in the performance of their tasks.
empowerment
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.
Personal Power
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.
Legitimate power
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.
informal leader
a person, follower, or subordinate who does not hold a legitimate leadership position in an organization but may also display charismatic leadership.
Position power
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.
