Leadership and Management Flashcards
What is the difference between leadership and management
Leadership:
* Influences human behaviour.
* Communicates by means of interaction
* Innovates and encourages new ideas to increase productivity.
* Inspires staff to trust and support each other.
* Focuses on what and why.
* Focuses on the horizon/long term.
Management:
* Guides human behaviour.
* Communicates through management functions
*Administers plans to reach targets
* Controls systems and procedures to get the
job done.
* Focuses on how and when.
* Focuses on the bottom line.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Democratic Leadership style on businesses
Advantages
* employees participate in decision making process
* Staff offer ideas
* Clear communication ensures group commitment
* Complex decisions can be made with inputs from skilled workers.
Disadvantages:
* Incorrect decisions may be made if staff is inexperienced
* Decision making may be time consuming because stakeholders have to be consulted.
* Employees may feel discouraged if their opinions/inputs are not considered.
* Leaders can rely too much on the input of the followers and fail to make a final decision.
Advantages & Disadvantages of autocratic leadership style on businesses
Advantages
* Quick decisions can be taken without consulting employees.
* Work gets done in time
* Line of communication is clear as it is top-down
* Direct supervision and strict control ensure high quality products/service.
Disadvantages
* Leaders and followers may become divided
* Workers can become demotivated if their opinions are not considered.
* De-motivated workers impact negatively on productivity.
* New ideas may never be considered.
Positive & Negatives of of the Laissez-Faire leadership style on businesses
Positives:
* Workers are allowed to make decisions on their own work
* Subordinates have maximum freedom and can work independently.
* Leader motivates workers by trusting them to do things themselves
* Authority is delegated, which can be motivating
Negatives:
* Lack of clear direction
* Employees can be held responsible for their own work which may lead to under performance.
* Could lead to conflict
* Workers are expected to solve their own conflict situations.
Advantages & Disadvantages of transactional leadership on businesses
Advantages
* Encourages employees to work hard because they will receive rewards.
* Improves employees’ productivity and morale.
* The goals and objectives of the business can be achieved as workers are motivated.
* Employees know what is expected of them.
Disadvantages
* Employees can become bored because there is no creativity in the workplace.
* A transactional leader will have to monitor the work performance of employees
* Some employees may be demotivated, if they fail to reach targets
* Usually not suitable for team work
Advantages of charismatic leadership styles on businesses
Advantages
* Employees are motivated as the leader is inspiring.
* Inspires loyalty and hard work among employees.
Disadvantages
* Leader believes more in him/her than the team.
* Projects can collapse if the leader leaves the team.
* Leaders are intolerant of challenges
Advantages and Disadvantages of bureaucratic leadership style on businesses
Advantages
* Rules are always followed accurately.
* Works well when tight control measures need to be followed.
* Health and safety are increased in a dangerous workplace, e.g. construction
* Followers know what is expected of them because of detailed instructions.
Disadvantages
* Complicated official rules may seem unnecessary and time consuming.
* Leaders may become authoritative and can disregard inputs from others.
* Lack of creativity
Discuss the Differences between democratic and autocratic leadership styles
Democratic:
* The leader involves employees in the
decision making process.
* Clear communication ensures
group commitment to final decision(s).
* People-oriented, as employee’s feelings
and opinions are considered.
* Workers feel empowered as they are
involved in the decision-making process.
* Useful when the leader depends on the
inputs of experienced followers.
* Handles conflict situations by involving
followers in finding the best solution.
Autocratic:
- A leader takes all decisions alone without
involving employees. - Line of command/communication is clear
as it is top-down/followers know exactly
what to do. - Task-orientated as the opinions of
employees are not considered. - New employees feel confident/safe as
strong leadership is provided. - Useful in a crisis/urgent situation, e.g.
after an accident/meeting tight deadlines. - Handles conflict situations by telling
followers what they should do.
Give a situation in which leadership style can be used?
- Democratic: Group members are skilled and eager to share their ideas.
- Autocratic: In crisis situations
- Laissez-faire/ Free reign:The leader is very busy and delegation of tasks will increase productivity.
- Charismatic: Sell vision and achieve excellent results.
- Transactional: When the business wants to maximise employee performance.
- Bureaucratic: Appropriate for routine jobs
Discuss, in detail, the different leadership theories
Situational leadership theory:
* Different leadership characteristics are needed for different situations.
* The task/situation dictates the leadership style that should be applied, so leaders are flexible
* Effective application of this theory may enable leaders to accomplish their goals.
* Relationships between leaders and employees are based on mutual trust
Transformational theory
* Suitable for a dynamic environment, where change could be drastic.
* The passion of leaders inspire followers to change their expectations to work towards a common goal.
* Strategic thinking leaders develop a long term vision for the organisation and sell it to employees.
* Leaders have the trust/respect/admiration of their followers/subordinates.
Leaders and followers
* Teams achieve great results when there is a sense of understanding between the leader
and the team of followers.
* Followers listen to what is expected of them and are willing to work as a team.
* Followers easily accept responsibility when something doesn’t work out.
* Leaders lead by example and reward positive behaviour.
Explain the role of personal attitude in successful leadership
- Positive attitude releases leadership potential.
- A leader’s good or bad attitude can influence the success or failure of the business.
- Leaders must know their strengths and weaknesses to apply their leadership styles effectively.
- Great leaders understand that the right attitude will set the right atmosphere.
- Leaders’ attitude may influence employees’/teams’ thoughts/behaviour.
