Leadership and the Tasks of the Manager

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Leadership and the Tasks of the Manager

• Bus 160 - Summer 2006

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Leadership Definition

• The art of mobilizing others to want to struggle
  for shared aspirations
• Kouzes and Posner, The Leadership Challenge
• Note that this implies that leadership involves a
  relationship between leader and follower, and
  that leadership is not defined by role or by
  position in a hierarchy.
• What this definition doesnt sufficiently
  articulate is that leadership is a process. This
  definition in really describes an outcome.
  Leader and follower may not start out with
  obviously shared aspirations.
• But ultimately, leadership, if it is to be
  effective, has to tap into what also matters to
  followers.

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In the beginning

• The Vision for an Ideal Outcome
• And
• Some who believe right away or share the idea
• Some of whom have skills or resources that can be
  helpful, some of whom do not.
• Some who are on the fence or are skeptical
• Some of whom can be moved.
• Some of whom youd really like to move because
  they can be helpful.
• Some who are against the idea
• Some who can block the idea.
• Some whose minds can be changed.
• Some of whom have resources or skills that could
  be helpful and youd really like to moveetc.

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Leadership and Influence

• Rational persuasion, education
• Hard Influence Tactics Can impact behavior
  (which can be necessary)
• Coercion (policies and practices that are a
  condition of employment as well as punishments).
• Incentives
• Soft Influence Tactics Can impact thinking
  and commitment.
• Relational influence (friendship for example)
• Referent influence (being a role model, offering
  a vision)

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What does it take to move followers?

• Leaders who display what Kouzes and Posner
  describe as Credibility
• Honesty
• Forward looking
• Inspiring
• Competent

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Leadership and Management (Kotter)

• Managers Managing the Current Plan Controlling
  Complexity
• Plan and budget
• Organize and staff
• Control and problem solve
• Leaders Managing Change
• Set direction, a vision
• Align people to the direction, using
  communications
• Motivate people to action, through empowerment
  and need gratification

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When you observe leaders in the field they

• Demonstrate unrelenting activities that are
  brief, varied and discontinuous.
• Managers favor verbal media, telephone calls and
  meetings, over documents. (Is this changing?)

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Managerial Roles (Mintzberg)

• Decision-making
• Entrepreneur (improving the unit or its output,
  initiating change)
• Disturbance handler (responding to pressures)
• Resource allocator (who gets what)
• Negotiator (working out arrangements)
• Informational roles
• Monitor (looking for information)
• Disseminator (passing information to
  subordinates)
• Spokesperson (passing information outside the
  unit)
• Interpersonal
• Figurehead (ceremonial responsibilities)
• Leader (hire, develop, motivate, provide internal
  vision)
• Liaison (relationships outside the vertical chain
  of command)

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What does Mintzberg tell us?

• His tale is both normative and cautionary.
• Dont expect to be able to plan, direct, organize
  and control.
• Beware that in the chaos of organizational
  management, you dont deal with things on a
  superficial level or that you ignore the basis
  for good decisions and influence.

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Managers, perhaps most importantly

• Help organizations set goals
• Help organizational actors pursue those goals
  through by both managing change and managing
  complexity
• In doing so, they build credibility which in
  terms help them exercise leadership with greater
  effectiveness