Leadership Authority and Bottom-Up Views

Leadership Authority

• Leadership authority is foundational to most classic organizational structures, often structured as a pyramid.
• Top-down authority is based on position. Power flows vertically from highest to lowest levels.
• In a top-down pyramid, workers support managers and supervisors who in turn support executives.
• The traditional US view of leadership authority stems from the right of private property. Owners have the right to manage their affairs, as long as they don't violate others' rights.
• Authority is often delegated to executives, managers, or supervisors.

Bottom-up View

• Power flows from the bottom because people can reject directives.
• Saying "yes" or "no" affirms or denies the authority of others.
• Leaders need to ensure directives fall within the subordinate's zones of acceptance.
• Order will be accepted if four conditions are met: understanding of the order, consistency with organizational goals, compatibility with individual interests, and ability to comply (mentally and physically).

Top-Down/Bottom-Up Views

• By accepting employment, employees acknowledge the authority of owners and managers to make decisions and give orders.
• Employees also acknowledge their duty to comply and obey those orders.
• Servant leadership recognizes both the top-down and bottom-up views and emphasizes the interdependent relationship between leaders and followers.

Servant Leadership

• Management author Robert Greenleaf describes servant leadership as a "calling to serve".
• It begins with a feeling of caring for people and wanting to help others. A conscious choice drives a person to aspire to lead.
• The great leader is a servant first.
• Servant leadership involves a generous orientation.
• It encourages trust, listening, and the ethical use of power and empowerment.
• It often uses an "upside-down" pyramid approach, putting customers and clients at the top.

Servant Leadership, Continued

• Servant leaders ask four key questions of all employees:
  • What is going right?
  • What can be improved?
  • Do you have what you need?
  • How can I help you achieve your goals?

Access, Communication, and Support

• Servant leaders show commitment to people by:
  • Being available (access).
  • Listening effectively (communication).
  • Providing guidance and support.
• Praise without support is an empty gesture.

Psychological Size

• Psychological size is relevant for people in authority positions.
• Power can influence the communication process, and employees are often in a weaker position relative to a leader.
• Relationships can be affected, and people in power positions may fear a leader's power, inhibiting their own behavior.
• Abuse of psychological size is demonstrated in a one-way communication pattern where the leader does not listen to, or receive feedback from, those who are subordinate.

Psychological Size, Continued (Negative Factors)

• High-status position
• Use of closed-ended, "terminal" statements
• Formal, distant manner
• Know-it-all attitude
• Commanding physical appearance
• Power to make decisions
• Use of sarcasm/ridicule
• Cruel and punishing remarks
• Public criticism
• Interrupting

Equalizing Psychological Size

• A leader who reduces their perceived size can lose respect, whereas a leader who focuses on raising the psychological size of others through listening, showing interest, modeling open communication, and empowering through project involvement can increase productivity.

Guidelines for Two-Way Communication

• Stop talking
• Put the talker at ease
• Show you want to listen and remove distractions
• Empathize
• Be patient
• Hold your temper
• Go easy on arguments and criticism
• Ask questions
• Encourage clarification
• Stop talking