Assessing your own leadership capability Essay

Understand excludeing cards geniuss at heart an arranging1.1 retrospect the prevailing leaders movements in the organisationThere atomic number 18 a range of leading trends that mint be adopt by organisations in order to try to execute their goals. Each of these is often suited to sealed situations and has drawbacks preventing any maven path creationness the surpass trend of leading for all situations.Even in spite of appearance organisation unalike styles of lead piece of ass be identified with this being much than prominent in bountifulr organisations with a longer chain of command. One study suggests that differences in the leaders styles pr make believeised by managers may be blurred in organisations with unmindful chains of command, while it result tend to be pronounced in organisations with long chains of command, some other things being equal. (Oshagbemi T & Gill R, 2004) at heart Dacorum Borough Council in that location argon different prevail ing leading styles present at different aims of the organisation. On a bodily direct old watchfulness argon trying to adopt a transformational style of leading, which would reflect the changing nature of the organisation. However a trait style of leaders is only nearly more prevalent, with this being of a job orientated nature.This is due to that although aspiring(prenominal) up straggle projects be planned and under charge, often shape is muckle in a precise formal manner or very opinionated due to the demand of the politicians who cave in a large influence on how cypher is underinterpreted. This is reinforced by the way telling, rather than selling, or prejudiced gaining true spoil-in, has been adopted with very bittie faculty engagement inside the precedential parcel outs of the organisation.Even since major guidance removes four years ago when 50% of the senior way squad were made redundant the council has cool off struggled to copiousy move to the transformational leadership style that it is handly trying to establish. When the senior management aggroup was reorganised managers were kept who were flexible and could commit and act on opportunities. However foundn the political constraints I have mentioned supra this is oftenproblematic with the council finding to fulfil often bureaucratic processes.Although much of the make for directed from senior management gather ins is task orientated, once these have been squ atomic number 18 off the middle managers vary across the organisation in their get styles of leadership. The marrow these vary is quite dramatic with some sectors adopting a laissez-faire glide slope and others winning a much more grand throw in to the leadership style that is employ. Much of this tail be d experience to personality and the types of piddle that are being delivered.Tannenbaum & Schmidt reckoned at the issue of leadership styles within organisation and developed a leadership c ontinuum. The present demonstrates the relationship between the level of freedom that a manager chooses to give to a squad and the level of authority use by the manager. (Tannenbaum, Robert and Schmidt, 1973) This get assists leaders and managers in their resource of leadership pattern by making them aware of the forces which are nigh relevant.At a middle manager level on that point are different levels of freedoms within the organisation corresponding to the leadership styles that have been adopted and the proceeds demesne module pee in. Within my service there is little freedom, as the head of service has a very perish on attitude to certain elements of change by reversal, often mean valueing that rather than having full control over a situation that at best this is done via consultation and more frequently guidance.There are three paladin squads in my area and even between these different wooes are taken as the head of service is a specialist in one of the area s yet has very little interest in a nonher which is reflected in the way that they interact with the managers below. This allows some mangers in the group more freedoms and others less so, thus restricting their have got abilities to do there jobs.1.2 rate the encroachment of the prevailing leadership styles on the organisations set and accomplishmentThe task orientated leadership that is demonstrated by Dacorum BoroughCouncil effects the determine and functioning of the organisation, with the two heavily linked together.With Dacorum being a large complex organisation, which expects to fulfil statutory responsibilities to the tax payers, the senior management make to establish a leadership style that accordingly prat both do this but too strive to establish the great changes that are planned for the organisation in the coming months and years. However this is some generation at odds with the values that Dacorum have recently been promoting of becoming more innovative and transformational, to match the way in which future proceeding and the sensible surroundings themselves go forth be changing.The task orientated approach leads pass water and reveal projects being defined at a senior level with often one of the senior managers taking an active role in the project to oversee these. This has led on occasion to middle managers being disillusioned by having little say over decisions they could be regard in and being told what action is required.This approach may have more positive impacts in areas such as finance and bene lodges, as this approach would be more suited to a more highly set service area which would add certainty in the way work is carried out.One of the core values that the council is fostering is that of creating a high performance culture. However, as I have mentioned above, the style of leadership shown by the senior management rat be stifling to the middle level managers below them and not motivate them to want to work towa rds the vision that they have very little influence over.Middle management at Dacorum has adopted classless and bureaucratic styles within different areas of the council. Input is taken from lower level managers and a selling approach, rather than telling, used when setting goals and targets. This has a mitigate impact on employees with an transforming of what is trying to be achieved and gains some buy in from those expected to deliver the work programme. This approach will tackle better results as the performance of rung under a task orientated orautocratic style when not in a time of crisis. (Unk at presentn (2013))Be able to review effectiveness of own leadership capability and performance in meeting organisational values and goals2. 1 Assess own ability to apply different leadership styles in a range of situationsDifferent leadership styles are required for different situations as severally style has its own benefits and drawbacks. Examples of when different styles would be required can be seen through Tuckmans (1965) model where squad ups are forming, storming, norming and performing.As a team is forming, this can be a new team or when new employees have joined the team, the employees need to be given get in direction with reliance upon the leader for both guidance and instruction. During this point in time it would be beguile to adopt a more autocratic approach to leadership this would be shown towards the left hand side of the Tannenbaum & Schmidt model.Once formed the team would then move to the storming stage where individuals roles are established. This stage requires learn to jockstrap with uncertainties that could exist within the team and the leadership style to start moving towards the right on the Tannenbaum & Schmidt model.After the storming stage the team will enter the norming, this is where the roles and responsibilities are understood and the team foster apiece other with the leader gaining respect. At this stage a democrat ic style of leadership can be adopted where the leader acts to facilitate rather than give firm direction.The final stage, which some teams may never achieve, is the performing stage. During this stage instruction is no longer required as independence is achieved and the team moves towards shared goals. At this stage a laissez faire style can be adopted where each team extremity knows what they are doingand call for little guidance.FORMINGSTORMINGNORMINGPERFORMINGTeam Focus Inclusion Why are we here? meet I want to have my say.Openness Lets do it. Success Wow, were great Typical Team Behaviors Dependent on leader/facilitator Uneven/tentative participation Quiet defiance polite conversation Conflict Question leadership, authority, rules Verbal/nonverbal resistance nonadaptive behavior Frustration Give/receive feedback Encourage others Active earreach Recognize and cover differences Trust and comfort Task appears to be easy Interdependence develops Balanced, supportive partici pation Differences valued and discussed candidly Facilitator Focus To model openness, disclosure, and active listeningTo help the team recognize group dynamics and address conflict positively To uncover unspoken issues and encourage self-critique To instill the team to self-facilitate Facilitator Behaviors Listen, especially to what is not said. Be attuned to nonverbal cues that signal apprehension. Intervene. principle disclosure by expressing your feelings. Ensure objective, goals, and agenda are clear. Use icebreakers to encourage disclosure. Ask team members to clarify their assignments at close of meeting. Pay specific attention to group dynamics. Be specific when describing behaviors.Encourage team members to discuss their feelings. Encourage team members to discuss their interests versus their positions. Immediately point out non-conformance to ground rules. Encourage self-critique. Encourage the full exploration of ideas. Explore inferences. intend with the team leader how to share leadership role. Coach the team in facilitator skills. Plan brief sessions for the team to recognize progress. Encourage reinforcing and redirecting feedback.As salutary as this different styles may be appropriate for other reasons, such as adopting a more autocratic approach in times of crisis to revive up decision making without dissent, such as in times of war.When I prototypic started out as a manager I was managing three members of round, all of which were new to their roles, with two new to the council. The team at this point was very much in a forming stage where clear direction wasneeded from all members of the team and a decisive autocratic style was needed to give stability and assurance to the team. Of the three employees it was clear that each had different strengths and weaknesses as well as goals and ambition within their roles. Naturally I have a tendency towards a system Y (McGregor, 1960) style of management which offers more coach rather than ta king such an autocratic approach.This situation required this firm approach and it was merely was each team member was confortable in their roles and the storming process had finished that I was able to move towards my natural tendencies. It was noted that while all team members joined at approximately the same time some colonised and became familiar with their responsibilities and objectives quicker than other team members. This meant I could take different approaches when dealing with different members of the team, as some where still storming while others had a clear grasp on their role and were now performing.Moving frontward the team will be changing as will how we work at the council. While we move through this process a transformational style of leadership will be of near benefit to the team, who are now well formed. Rather than continue to use a situational style, the team understand how their work fits in to the organisation goals and with the wider vision.By fostering the feelings of trust, admiration, loyalty and respect, and because of the qualities of the transformational style of leadership, staff are willing to work harder than originally expected ( sea bass & Riggio, 2006). This style requires the leader to act as a role model for followers, to recreate them while challenging them to take greater ownership for their work. This will be explored in more detail under section 3.1.2.2 Assess own ability to send the organisations values and goals to staff in own areaDacorum Borough Council has both clear values and goals. The goals are set out through the incorporated vision as well corporate documents by both senior management and middle managers. The values come through from the vision of the council as well as more declare values within corporate policy documents, although many values, such as performing a good public serviceare not explicit in corporate documents.To communicate these values and goals to staff within my own area I use ran ge of dialogue tools and methods.The most(prenominal) all important(predicate) thing to establish is the individual ask of each member of staff to make a judgement on which methods will work best to get the messages through that I would like to deliver. With all staff in my area who I manage I hold repair 1-2-1s and appraisals, This helps me understand what types of communication and interaction suits them best as well as giving a clear opportunity to talk nigh their objectives and demonstrate how these fit in to the wider goals and then to the vision of the organisation.Commitment to goals & values are built through these meetings, where action plans are linked to the key delivery documents (PIDs) which are focused around delivering the organisation goal, which creates the golden ramble through all the work we do.Feedback through these 1-2-1s is an important mechanics as this can reinforce positive demeanours that are in care with the corporate values and goals although onc e again the level of feedback will need to be different for different members of staff depending on how they like to be managed.Another method that I regularly use to help communicate the key goals is through regular team meetings. At these meetings it is also important to recognise that the way one speaks to a group may need to differ from interacting with individuals, as it is important to find the best method that helps communicate the goals and values to the group as just using the same techniques may alienate some members of staff.To reinforce the values it is important to ensure that when the goals are set they are grounded in the values of the organisation. This helps that when setting individual objectives with staff that the link between all of this work is clear and easy to identify and understand. Gaining the buy in from the staff ensures that they willBy using the corporate values in the work we set it helps to create a accord and fairness when dealing with all members of staff so that one approach is adopted.As well as this we also hold annual or bi-annual service events where the key messages and values from the organisation are reinforced, with this giving members f staff to not only give feedback on their objectives but also ion the goals which have set.2.3 Assess own ability to motivate others and build consignment to the organisations values and goalsIn motivating a team the first aspect is to identify what it is that motivates the individuals. When holding regular 1-2-1s with staff I would look to establish what motivates them so I can look to develop a framework for how I can create the conditions for them to be motivated. It is important to remember that rather than trying to motivate staff we should be trying to create the conditions where staff will be motivated.Maslow (1943) stated that slew are motivated to achieve certain needs. When one need is effect a person seeks to fulfil the next one, and so on. This model can be used to ass ist in the understanding of human behaviour and understanding motivation by listing the key driving forces for individuals. followers this framework it shows how manages nee to create the correct environment for their staff and the staff will then act to motivate themselves.Now the team I manage is settled, with all the members of staff settled in their roles, I am able to identify mechanisms that will help create the conditions to motivate each member of staff. Although each member of staff is an individual it is possible to sometimes group individuals together if they share the same individual motivations, e.g. if two members of the team were both seeking further social needs through work then it may be possibleto use the tools to help achieve a situation to motivate both of these employees.Setting clear goals which jointly created objectives can feed into helps in this process of staff understanding why certain tasks are being carried out and helps to create greater ownership of the work they are doing.The CMI motivating the demotivated checklist offers other sheaths of how staff can be addressed to increase motivation within the work place. The checklist includes offering help with planning, involve the unmotivated, try to get buy in, and make sure the rules are clear. These examples have been carried through to help identify when these approaches can be used to address individual situations.Be able to adopt an effective leadership style to motivate staff to achieve organisational values and goals3.1 Justify the most effective leadership style to motivate staff in own area, to achieve the organisations values and goalsWhile one needs to ensure in a given situation the leadership style that is chosen be explicit in order to remain ordered and ensure that a clear message is delivered, the leadership style chosen must be correct for the situation and be able to be reviewed as a situation changes.Given the range of leadership styles that have been identifi ed it will be important that the correct style is chosen by a leader in order to get the most out of staff. Theories have evolved from the great man notion of heroic leaders, through trait theories, behaviourist theories, situational leadership, contingency speculation and on to transactional and transformational leadership.As I have nominated in previous questions the team are soon in a state where each member knows their roles and are sluttish in the job they are doing. Dacorum Borough Council will be changing the way we work over thenext two years and this will make a motion all staff in the council including those who work in my area. This will mean that the leadership style that I take on will need to be able to accommodate these changes and motivate staff to get the best results in a time of change.Given the changing nature of the team and the changes due to take place in the future a contingency-situational conjecture may be appropriate. These theories were developed to indicate that the style to be used is contingent upon such factors as the situation, the people, the task, the organisation, and other environmental variables. (Boulden & Gosling (2003))A situational style of leadership, such as through the Hersey-Blanchard model of leadership, allows the developmental levels of a leaders subordinates to play the grea exam role in determining which leadership styles are most appropriate. From here four leadership styles develop Directing, Coaching, financial support and Delegating. This approach was used when the team first formed and as the team matured and moved towards performing, on the Tuckman stages of team development, so I could change my style to reduce task behaviour and increase relationship behaviour until the followers reach a moderate level of maturity dateA more recent approach would have been to use a situational model as described by Tannenbaum & Schmidt. Rather than responding to the maturity of subordinates they view leadership along a continuum from one extreme of autocracy to the other as democracy with subordinates participation and involvement increasing as you move along. This approach allows you to change based on the situation you are in and more readily respond to changes in the environment.The theories mentioned previously describe shipway in which could be used to successfully manage my team, so far the leadership style that has the say-so to motivate staff in my area most will through a transformational style of leadership. Employees in my area are now well established and performing well but in the future more will be expected from each of us and I feel that this form of leadership has the most potential to givesubordinates genuine self-esteem and self-actualisation.This style of leadership requires me, as the leader, to take actions to increase employees awareness of what is right and important to raise their motivational maturity and to move them to go beyond their own self-interests for the good of the group and the organisation.Transformational agency Leader Behaviour1) Idealized Behaviours living ones ideals lambaste intimately their most important values and beliefs Specify the importance of having a strong sense of purpose interpret the moral and ethical consequences of decisions hoagie exciting new possibilities Talk astir(predicate) the importance of trusting each other2) Inspirational Motivation inspiring others Talk optimistically about the future Talk enthusiastically about what needs to be genteel Articulate a compelling vision of the future Express confidence that goals will be achieved Provide an exciting image of what is essential to consider Take a stand on controversial issues3) Intellectual rousing stimulating others Re-examine critical assumptions to question whether they are appropriate explore differing perspectives when solving problems Get others to look at problems from many different angles conjure new ways of looking at how to com plete assignments Encourage non-traditional thinking to deal with traditional problems Encourage rethinking those ideas which have never been questioned before 4) personalized Consideration coaching and development Spend time teaching and coaching Treat others as individuals rather than just as members of the group Consider individuals as having different needs, abilities, and aspirations from others Help others to develop their strengths Listen attentively to others concerns boost self-development5) Idealized Attributes Respect, trust, and faith In still pride in others for being associated with them Go beyond their self-interests for the good of the group Act in ways that build others respect Display a sense of power and competency Make personal sacrifices for others benefit Reassure others that obstacles will be get overTransformational Leadership Styles and Behaviours (Bass and Riggio, 2006)This approach allows for the elevation of the needs for employees (from security need s to needs for achievement and self-development) which in turn will allow for greater productiveness with well-motivated staff and allow for high performance.3.2 Implement the most effective leadership style in order to motivate staff in own area to achieve the organisations values and goalsAs there are significant barriers that exist in order to implement a change in leadership style at the senior management level within the organisation this approach will be first adopted within my service to use as a test case for the wider organisation. Based on whether this style of leadership is successful this can then be reported back through the organisation through the various senior management meetings.A first step to adopting this within my service area will be to meet with other managers of people, as this approach will need to be adopted across the service area to become effective. Once the buy-in of front line managers and the middle managers has been secured I will meet with staff to discuss the organisational values and see how these fit with theirs. At these meetings I will also again set a clear direction of where and what we want to achieve and reiterate how their specific objectives are working towards our goals of making Dacorum a better place to live and work. These themes will then also run through team meetings and 1-2-1s to further reinforcethis message.The next step will be to set the example of a positive new direction and embracing the changes that we are about to face both for the team and for the council as a whole. Regular communication of these messages will be made through regular meetings and as the changes draw closer team days to look at how we can take the most out of these future opportunities.Some of my time will be allocated towards both mentoring and coaching of staff to help bring out their strengths and to work on any areas which the staff feel require further development.ReferencesBass B M & Riggio R E (2006). Transformational Leade rship (Second ed.). Mahwah, NJ Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Bolden R & Gosling J (2003), A review of Leadership theory and competency frameworks, subject matter for leadership studies University of Exeter.Hersey P & Blanchard K H (1969), Life cycle theory of leadership, Training and Development Journal, 23 (5), pp 26-34Maslow A H (1943), A possibility of Human Motivation. mental Review, 50(4), pp370-96.McGregor D (1960), The human side of enterprise. McGraw Hill high EducationOshagbemi T & Gill R (2004), Differences in leadership styles and behaviour across hierarchical levels in UK organisations, Emerald 25.Tannenbaum R & Schmidt W (1973), Choosing a leadership pattern. Harvard Business Review, May-June 1973, Cambridge, MassTaraschi R (1998), cutting the ties that bind, Training and development USA, Nov vol. 52 no. 11, pp. 12-14.Tuckman B (1965), development sequence in small goups. Psychological bulletin. 63, pp 84-99, BethsedaUnknown (2013), Various ILM 5 course handouts, May-J uly