Leadership
What is Leadership?
A leader is a person who gives direction by guiding people
towards achieving goals.
Leaders delegate tasks and responsibilities to others to
involve them, share the workload and reduce stress.
Leaders coordinate the efforts of all staff to ensure that
harmony and common goals are achieved.
Leaders motivate staff by being aware of the factors that
entice workers to be more productive.
Leadership involves…
Direction
Delegation
Coordinating
Motivating
Adaptability
Time-management
Conflict resolution
Problem-solving
Listening
The three types of leader are:
Autocratic
Democratic
Laissez-faire
Autocratic Leader
Gives plenty of direction as they always tell people what to
do.
They do not delegate well as they think that they can do
things best.
They communicate mostly downwards.
Motivate by fear.
Worker morale may be low under this type of leader.
Example: Hitler
Democratic Leader
Gives good direction as they guide people towards a
common goal.
Will delegate work to ensure all are involved and
included.
Communicates both downward and upward, listens to
suggestions and feedback from employees, and acts
accordingly.
Motivates by encouraging and including all staff.
Worker morale will be high as they feel valued.
Example: Barak Obama
Laissez-Faire Leader
Also called as Hands-off approach.
Does not give much direction.
Delegates a lot of tasks and responsibilities.
Communicates both upward & downward.
Motivates by giving freedom to workers.
Worker morale may be high or low.
Example: Richard Branson.
Managerial Grid Model
Developed by
Robert R. Blake
and Jane S.
Mouton in the
1960s
Delegation
Is assigning responsibility and authority to another person in
order to carry out a task.
A manager should ensure that this person has the skills,
competence and resources necessary to complete the task
within a stated deadline.
However the ultimate responsibility rests with the manager.
Motivation
Motivation
Is a management skill that involves persuading people to
act in a certain way.
It involves being aware of the factors that lead people to act
in a certain way.
Theories of motivation include:
McGregors Theory X and Throry Y
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs.
McGregors Theory X and Y
Douglas McGregor wrote the book “The Human Side of
Enterprise” in 1960.
He examined individuals’ behaviour at work.
From this he formulated two models of management,
Theory X and Theory Y
Theory X
Assumes that people are lazy and don’t like work and are
motivated by money.
Therefore people have to be forced to work.
Managers need to be controlling and motivate by threats and
fear.
The leadership style used by managers will be autocratic.
Theory Y
Assumes that people seek fulfillment through work and are
willing to work hard.
Workers do not need to be controlled.
The management motivate by encouragement and
inclusion.
The leadership style used is democratic or free-rein.
Evaluation of McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y
I think that a knowledge of McGregor’s theory of motivation
is useful for managers. The type of management style used
depends on:
Workers attitudes
Good worker = Theory Y
Lazy worker = Theory X
Type of work they are doing
Skilled = Theory Y
Unskiled = Theory X
Therefore managers need to be aware of which style best suits
the situation.
Sample Exam Question: 2009 Q 4 (b)
Q: Analyse the implications for a business of a manager
adopting the Theory X approach to managing.
A: Theory X manager:
Assumes that people are lazy and don’t like work and
are motivated by money.
Therefore people have to be forced to work.
Managers need to be controlling and motivate by
threats and fear.
The leadership style used will be autocratic.
Sample Exam Question: 2009 Q 4 (b)
Implications of Theory X manager:
Controlling manager, may lead to conflict.
Little trust, employee initiative stifled.
No consultation leading to poor morale and productivity.
Little delegation leads to poor training of future managers.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Abraham Maslow wrote many psychology books in the
1940s and 1950s.
He believed that people’s behavior can be influenced by
motivating them to meet their unsatisfied needs.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs states that:
There are FIVE needs.
The must be satisfied in a certain order.
Challenge,
promotion, courses
Performance
appraisal, job
title
Friends,
teamwork
Contract,tenure
Job, food,
water, shelter
Evaluation of Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Needs
I think that a knowledge Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is very
useful to managers.
However they must know what level each person is on in order
to satisfy needs in correct order, e.g. there is no point in trying
to motivate a person on minimum wage by praise, they need
more money first.
Benefits of motivation
Higher morale
Better productivity
Less absenteeism
Less conflict, better industrial relations
Better communication and trust
Spirit of intrapreneurship
