Exam - Leadership PDF

Introduction There are many contemporary issues in Leadership field such as diversity and leadership, empowerment, morality, team leadership and leader as facilitators. However, for the purpose of this outcome, we will only focus on the following issues. Content : 1. Ethics and Leadership 2. Strateg...

Introduction There are many contemporary issues in Leadership field such as diversity and leadership, empowerment, morality, team leadership and leader as facilitators. However, for the purpose of this outcome, we will only focus on the following issues. Content : 1. Ethics and Leadership 2. Strategic Leadership 3. Leadership and Knowledge Management 1.Ethics and Leadership For leaders, it is very important to be ethical. Ethical theory is a relevant concept that provides a system of rules or principles that guide us in making decisions about what is right or wrong and good or bad in a particular situation. It provides a basis for understanding what it means to be a morally decent human being. Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership; Theory & Practice. Sage Publication. Principles of Ethical Leadership 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Respect Others Serve Others Show Justice Manifest Honesty Build Community Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership; Theory & Practice. Sage Publication. 1. Respect others Leaders who respect others also allow them to be themselves, with creative wants and desires. Treating subordinates in ways that confirm their beliefs, attitudes, and values When a leader exhibits respect to subordinates, subordinates can feel competent about their work Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership; Theory & Practice. Sage Publication. Kitchener, K. S. (1984). Intuition, critical evaluation, and ethical principles: The foundation for ethical decisions in counseling psychology. Counseling Psychologist, 12(3), 43–55 2 Serve Others Ethical leaders have altruism behaviour. followers’ welfare foremost in their plans Leaders serve through mentoring, empowering, team building, etc Ethical leaders have a deep understanding of each followers and make decisions pertaining to them that are beneficial and not harmful to their welfare. Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership; Theory & Practice. Sage Publication Beauchamp, T. L., & Bowie, N. E. (1988). Ethical theory and business (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall 3 Show Justice-Principles of Ethical Leadership Ethical leaders are concerned about issues of fairness and justice. They make it a top priority to treat all of their subordinates in an equal manner. Equality necessarily means that leaders apply the same set of actions on each individual. Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership; Theory & Practice. Sage Publication. 4 Manifest Honesty-Principles of Ethical Leadership For a leader, honesty is important. Honesty is not only about saying the truth but also about being open in handling sensitive issues and difficult situation. Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership; Theory & Practice. Sage Publication. Jaksa, J. A., & Pritchard, M. S. (1988). Communication ethics: Methods of analysis. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth 5 Build Community-Principles of Ethical Leadership Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Defining the common goals requires the involvement of the entire community as these goals need to be compatible with everyone. Working towards these mutual goals change both leader and team members An ethical leader is concerned with the common good in the broader sense. Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership; Theory & Practice. Sage Publication. Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women’s development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Bass, B. M., & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, character, and authentic transformational leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 10, 181–127 2.Strategic Leadership-Introduction Strategic leadership is the process of providing the direction and inspiration necessary to create or sustain an organization (DuBrin, 2015). DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Cengage Learning. 2.1 Five Components of Strategic Leadership DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Cengage Learning. 2.1.1 High-Level Cognitive Activity of the Leader Thinking strategically requires highlevel cognitive skills, such as the ability to think conceptually, absorb and make sense of multiple trends, and condense all of this information into a straightforward plan of action. DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Cengage Learning. 2.1.2 Gathering Multiple Inputs to Formulate Strategy Many strategic leaders arrive at their ideas for the organization’s future by consulting with a wide range of interested parties. DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Cengage Learning. Byrne, J.A. (2002). Three of the Busiest New Strategists. BusinessWeek, August 26, 2002, 2.1.3 Anticipating Future A major component of leadership is direction setting, which involves anticipating future for the enterprise or organizational unit. DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Cengage Learning. 2.1.4 Revolutionary and Contrarian Thinking To be an industry leader, a company’s leaders must think in revolutionary terms. DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Cengage Learning. 2.1.5 Creating a Vision A carefully considered and articulated vision helps us know who we are and who we are not. DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Cengage Learning. Lucas, J.R. (1998). Anatomy of a Vision Statement. Management Review, P. 26 3. Knowledge Management and Leadership Effective knowledge management requires strong leadership that can create a culture of knowledge sharing and continuous learning. DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Cengage Learning Davenport, T.H., Prusak, L., Strong, B. (2008). Putting Ideas to Work: Knowledge Management Can Make a Difference,but It Needs to Be More Pragmatic. The Wall Street Journal, March 10, 2008, p. R11. 3.1 Knowledge Management Components Knowledge management has three components, as revealed by the research (Davenport, Prusak, & Strong, 2008)). The three components are 1. Knowledge creation, 2. Knowledge dissemination, 3. knowledge application. DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Cengage Learning Davenport, T.H., Prusak, L., Strong, B. (2008). Putting Ideas to Work: Knowledge Management Can Make a Difference,but It Needs to Be More Pragmatic. The Wall Street Journal, March 10, 2008, p. R11. 3.1 Knowledge Creation Knowledge creation is the first component and is used to spur innovation. Programs for creating knowledge solicit ideas, insights, and innovations from many sources, including rank and file workers, customers, and business partners, instead of relying exclusively on the research and development staff. DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Cengage Learning Davenport, T.H., Prusak, L., Strong, B. (2008). Putting Ideas to Work: Knowledge Management Can Make a Difference,but It Needs to Be More Pragmatic. The Wall Street Journal, March 10, 2008, p. R11. 3.1 Knowledge Dissemination Knowledge dissemination through information technology is the most frequent activity within knowledge management. Methods of sharing knowledge include company intranets, web portals, and databases. Information is consolidated in one place so it is more accessible to potential users. DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Cengage Learning. 3.1 Knowledge Application Knowledge application is the process of getting workers better at what they do. Many organizations encourage workers to apply knowledge through basic practices such as mentoring, on-the-job training, and workshops. Knowledge application includes applying knowledge action, problem solving and for decision-making protection which can ultimately result in knowledge creation. DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Cengage Learning. 4. Summary Leadership is a multidimensional phenomenon and has many aspects. several new trends are emerging in the field of leadership such as women as leaders, leaders as coaches, delegation, morality, and so on. However, for this outcome, the focus was on three contemporary issues including ethical leadership, strategic leadership, and leadership and knowledge management. The first contemporary trend is ethical leadership which is about the application of ethical principles to a leader’s action and leader as a person. 4. Summary- Cont’d The second contemporary trend we discussed is ‘strategic leadership’ which is about taking a long-term perspective of organizational goals, survival, and growth. Its components include a leader showing a high level of cognitive activity, gathering input from multiple sources while formulating strategy, accurately anticipating the future and making a plan, revolutionizing the industry by changing the rules of the game, and setting the vision. The third and last contemporary trend we discussed is knowledge management. We discussed that leadership can play important role in knowledge management and making an organization a learning organization by creating a suitable environment, giving strategic importance to the KM, empowering employees, fostering a system thinking approach.