CRITICAL LEADERSHIP STUDIES (REFLECTIVE ESSAY)
Critical leadership studies
Leadership is like a catch to all solution for every problem in an organization. I have understood the importance of leadership theories, concepts, and approaches in an organization. There is a spread suggest that organizations provide to the employees about leadership being the dominant social myth of using leadership and management that indicate an interest in managerial work and leadership skills. Leadership thereby at some point has overtaken management. critique of leadership is largely observed while recognizing several aspects of leadership theories used and practiced in an organization (Aalateeg 2017). There is a sympathetic call that is regarding the power of leadership and the suspicious approach of resistance to work in an organization. The suspicious approaches that are used in the organizations at times fail to configure positive consequences. Leadership skills are built among employees to achieve organizational performance as and when there is a need for organizational change. The organizational structure is controlled while the procedures and rules need to be instead of the management aspect and leadership theory.
Leadership influences the thinking, emotions, and values of followers which is distinct and provides a potentially valuable element for organizations. Some substitutes are observed in terms of leadership theories which needs to be efficient management and completely turned on to engage management and professionalism in an organization. From my point of view, leadership studies play an integral role in the success and development of an organization. It is important to have faith in leaders as the leading theory adopted in the organization need to support the required change in the organization. naturalization of leadership is necessary as it helps to develop suspicious engagement in terms of valuable relations and authority that will be revisable. There are critical studies of leadership that consist of the approach of leadership. Potential negative consequences may be categorized while reviewing the leadership theories, whereas positive value can be realized alternatively while focusing on functional exercises of responsibility and authority. Thereby I have understood that leadership can be bad as well as good which depends on the implementation process and leadership practices applied in an organization.
I have observed the critical theorists nature that result in bad leadership practices and aim to create a framework that overall help an organization to focus on performance outcome. Thereby the organizations need to support ethical frameworks for effective leadership which ensures involving leaders into performative engagement in an organization. The major concept to ensure positive leadership in an organization draws the intention of leaders to act and recognize the performance of leaders that entail potential lurking and leadership ideas. A difficult balance strike needs to be created in an organization which I feel is very important to ensure emancipator in terms of the potential use of leadership skills. There is a detailed and specific engagement of leadership theories that can be taken into account to focus on positive leadership theories and approaches. there is a combined switch of actions that are taken in an organization to ensure performative positions while at times it may lead to critical positions in an organization. At the time of the critical position of the organization, there are several factors such as the condition of the organization, independent thinking capability, constraints in an organization or unsupportive staff in the organization. Thereby it leads to the critical situation to accept the leadership theories and concepts in an organization. I will engage in critical leadership studies while working in an organization and practicing creative and innovative concepts that help to ensure the success and development of an organization.
I will engage in performative critique leadership that contributes to relevant outcomes in an organization. it is important to propose a way in which leadership can be questioned and seek approval as per the situation and nuanced interpretive studies. The current accounts of leadership are not taken into account while the leadership traits are followed in every organization that understands the importance of leadership concepts. In some organizations, leadership is not a good approach to start with a concept or to ensure the effective realization of objectives. There is a limited form of leadership that I think should be practiced by organizations which should be compatible and work towards emancipatory goals to be achieved. The critical studies of leadership largely express the negative point of view of implementing leadership in an organization which is closely associated with domination (Khajeh 2018). There is a lack of significance that is understood in terms of reconstructing the ideas of leadership. Thereby an alternative mode of leadership in an organization in terms of contemporary organizations should be studied according to the need and performance outcome.
To work on leadership aspects, there are conceptual blunting ideas that ensure effective leadership theories and studies in the organization. Leadership largely includes task objectives, strategies, commitment, compliance, group maintenance and culture of an organization. These aspects need to be applied in a positive way to reach and influence the overall concern of leadership. There are ways in which the leadership concept can be captured unambiguously. Leadership means ensuring right concepts while addressing organization culture, structure and outcomes positively (Allen 2018). There is a difference in organizational goals and thereby different leadership theories and styles need to be accepted. The leadership approach is different in several organizations which depend on culture and organizational need. I have worked in several aspects of leadership which ensures that there is a difference in assumptions that people make about leadership approaches. To carve on the leadership approaches there are many different ways to ensure the glut of perspectives, models, theories and typologies. I have understood that paradigmatic assumptions are largely based on the leadership approach which underpins the research. There is some positivist paradigm emergence of leadership theories and constructivist paradigm that can be understood with the cognitive interest of leadership approaches (Harter 2012). To inform about the leadership approach, it is important to ensure the functionalist approach of leadership.
Leadership approach
My learning aspect on the functional approach is effective as leadership is developed and learned in the group. Followers and group members learn this approach with the help of key theories such as Adair’s Action Centered Leadership. This approach is focused on the responsibilities, functions, and accountabilities of the leader of the group. Leaders behavior affect in the group which is learned by the team members by the leader’s behavior. Applying leadership skills is based on the focus of leadership skills and responsibilities. The functionalist approach of leadership is called the objective to scientific query which reflects on shared interests of leader and followers. This is a functioning system that leads to a fairly stable object in the world. The followers in an organization consider leadership skills while following the leader’s style and behavior. This can be tracked with the help of analytical tools used in an organization. Thereby I have worked on functional leadership approach to consider the leadership styles and theories in the organization. In this approach, it is important to identify the traits of a leader and work based on psychological and physical characteristics of leadership. Leadership behavior such as people-centric and task-centric is assumed in the organization. In the third broad situation, leaders skills are assumed. From the role of leaders, followers adopt the leadership style based on the interpretive approach that attracts the outcomes. Different explanatory variables are addressed in an organization and provide effective results (Antonakis, Day & Schyns 2012,). Leadership is related to the independent existence of employees choice and causal relationship with leaders.
There are uncertainties in the functional approach that were realized and questioned in the late 1970s. The study of leadership has drastically improved the leadership styles and theories that produce effective results of an organization. Scientific knowledge is widely applied in leadership which proves to be the major aspect of conceptual weakness and strong support to leadership styles (Hannah & Avolio 2010). It is possible to identify coherent essence of leadership which is related to the functionalist approach. There are related activities that ensure a bundle of theories and styles on leadership. There are limitations in the functionalist approach of leadership which I have observed while reviewing the articles and research. Leadership cannot be treated, forced or cannot be measured with tools and techniques. It is thereby called a reified object that has a blindfold effect on the actual leadership styles used in the organization. The dynamic processes do not work at times thereby it becomes difficult for the organizations to ensure leadership styles and approaches. The local meaning of leadership is different when it comes to different actors of leadership. So, it is assumed that at different situations and with different things, different leadership styles can be adopted which is an open question that is studied.
There are ranges of leadership functions that have helped me to satisfy the critical needs of the team. leadership functions largely integrate the framework that ensures past team leadership and summarizes future opportunities in leadership approach. Leadership in teams is centrality to the team performance approach that is viewed as the matter of team need satisfaction. The ultimate aim of leadership is to foster team effectiveness and assume team responsibility to satisfy the need of the team. This ensures the team leadership role. The team leadership approach is the most prominent approach that can be used in the organization while working on teams needs and ensuring growth in an organization. I have studied the importance of functional leadership approach in which leadership role is an important concept to be studied on. In this way, it is relevant to work on what leaders tend to work on and what aspects are studied in leadership while handling a group of people. A leader is assumed to be a completer in this role while the main function of a leader is to assist its team and satisfy the team needs while performing the best in a relevant segment that enables to accomplish the objective of the organization. thereby team leadership is oriented while satisfying the critical team needs. There is considerable attention that is largely on the formal team leaders which recognize the functional view of leadership that satisfies the team needs (Morgeson, DeRue & Karam 2010). Multiple leaders are capable to satisfy the team needs and devote their attention towards the study of leadership.
I have learned the importance of team leadership as a functional approach to focus on team leadership. These are the dimensions that affect the interaction between the team and the leader. Team task cycle continues to improve in day to day activities as and when required. The responsibility of team performance is relevant and ensures the formalized leadership theory to be adopted in the organization. Leaders, direct responsibility is to influence and satisfy team needs as per the locus of leadership dimension. The responsibility of team performance should be largely formalized as I have learned from the formal leadership theories. Internal formal leadership largely represents leaders to be a member of the team. These leaders are project managers or team leaders. Formal leadership or external leadership formally ensure that the leaders are not the members of the team. These leaders are called as team sponsors, advisors, coach or consultants. Thereby these sources of leadership in teams depending on the locus of leadership such as internal and external. The formality of leadership is based on formal and informal leadership. These sources of leadership in teams ensure and explain the functional leadership and team leadership importance. Team leadership ensures taxonomic efforts that result in potential measures taken by the organization to implement team leadership function.
I will develop a taxonomy of team leadership functions. The taxonomy principles will be outlined to focus on leadership and performance management. Team performance is the prime activity that is necessary for functional leadership approach. Teams should perform in an episodic cycle to work towards directed goals of an organization. The transition and action phases are considered in team performance approach, while the effective change in the team performance will fulfill organizational goals. In this sense, the initiative taken by the organization is improving team performance (Klein, Cooke & Wallis 2013). In the transition phase, the team will focus on activities which need to be performed and help in team structuring, planning and evaluating the team performance. This is the prime goal of the organization which will ensure team performance and organizational performance. Thereby the leadership functional approach will help to build the team performance and engage activities that structure organizational performance (DuBrin 2010). Thereby the primary focus of teams is to establish processes and structures that enable future effectiveness. In this sense, the right mix of people will help to accomplish the overall objectives of an organization. leadership is the prime step that is taken by the organizations to achieve goals, mission, and standard of performance in an organization. all the team members in an organization will have the capability to perform effectively that will make sense in team building and feedback process. These are the leadership functions that are enacted in the team while the core foundation is based on team actions and goal accomplishment.
I intend to practice leadership approach while working on the two key tasks. Two key tasks are involved in the leadership functional approach. In the first task, alignment of team and composition of the team is the main goal of the team that ensures the alignment process. The team task environment will drastically build a relationship between performance and team composition. A diverse team will ensure the superior performance of the team at the time of task interdependence. The interdependence is low in terms of task complexity and works towards important determinant of the business. The second task to focus on functional leadership approach is to ensure that the team has adequate knowledge and skills to perform the task. There will be trust and respect among team members which leads to the composed team and cooperative relationships among the team members. Different levels of diversity will ensure configurations and will impact the functional leadership approach. The next leadership function is to work towards the team’s mission and the activities such as communication among members and performance expectations of the team. At this end, the teams work to achieve the purpose of the organization and create a major step to define the mission and ensure a common understanding among team members. There is a dynamic shift in the leadership function that establishes expectations and organizational goals. However active involvement of team members will ensure future strategies that establish performance expectations in the teams.
References
Aalateeg, S., 2017, Literature Review on leadership theories, IOSR Journal of Business and Management, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 35-43.
Allen, W., 2018, Leadership theory: A different conceptual approach, Journal of leadership education, pp. 149-154.
Antonakis, J., Day, D. V., & Schyns, B., 2012, Leadership and individual differences: At the cusp of a renaissance. Leadership Quarterly, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 643-650.
DuBrin, A. J., 2010, Leadership: Research, practice, and skills. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Hannah, S. & Avolio, B. J., 2010, Ready or not: How do we accelerate the developmental readiness of leaders? Journal of Organizational Behavior, vol. 31, no. 8, pp. 1181-1187.
Harter, N., 2012, Point of view: Leadership studies from different perspectives. Journal of Leadership Education, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 158-175
Khajeh, E., 2018, Impact of leadership styles on organizational performance, Journal of Human Resources Management research, vol. 1, pp. 1-10.
Klein, A. S., Cooke, R. A. & Wallis, J., 2013, The impact of leadership styles on organizational culture and firm effectiveness: An empirical study. Journal of Management & Organization, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 241-254.
Morgeson, F., DeRue, S. & Karam, E., 2010, Leadership in Teams: A functional approach to understanding leadership structures and processes, Journal of Management, pp. 1-30.