3.2 INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP
3.2.7 Effective leadership
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identify their working context and how to adjust their behaviour to a given situation (Snowden & Boone, 2007).
There is, however, plenty of research suggesting that a democratic or participative leadership style is generally more effective than the autocratic style because it gives the opportunity of exploring ideas from experienced and knowledgeable followers by involving them in a decision-making process (Tang, 2019; Buchanan & Huczynski, 2017). The notion of the democratic leadership style is that everyone should play a part in the group’s decision irrespective of their status (Tang, 2019). Autocratic leaders apply their position to enforce their decisions and compel people to do as they are told, whereas democratic leaders encourage people to take part in the decision-making process. This approach also increases the commitment of followers and develops the confidence of “ownership” of such decisions. Autocratic leadership style suppresses creativity, ignores expertise knowledge, and stifles commitment and motivation.
However, it can be effective when time is short in making a decision, when the leader is the most knowledgeable, and when participants do not agree with each other, but a decision must be made (Buchanan & Huczynski, 2017; Armstrong, 2012). Normally democratic leaders might shift to a more directive style of leadership when faced with a disaster, but they inform followers about the situation and explain why they are doing so, whereas inefficient leaders confuse their team members by changing their style randomly (Armstrong, 2012).
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attend to followers’ desires and have to help them to define their goals and the ways to attain those goals. The job of a leader is to help followers arrive at their intended goals by guiding, directing, and coaching them along the way. In order to accomplish their role effectively, leaders must use their capacity to match their leadership behaviours or styles with a specific context or setting (Arenas, Connelly & Williams, 2017).
The style of the leader is one of the most essential elements of leadership that contributes to leadership effectiveness. A leadership style is the behaviour a leader exhibits while guiding followers in the right directions (Certo & Certo, 2006). Leaders develop their style over a period of time through experience, training, and education.
“It is a universal truth that people are not born with leadership skills, but they develop leadership skills and quality by facing the circumstances” (Zafar, Hmedat, Chaubey &
Rehman, 2019:41). For leading organisations, transformational leadership has been demonstrated as an effective leadership style (Felfe & Schyns, 2004). It has a significant on followers’ behaviour and organisational successes (Tickle, Brownlee &
Nailon, 2005; Bommer, Rubin & Baldwin, 2004). Leaders with transformational leadership behaviour can direct their organisation towards productivity and effectiveness by increasing followers’ job satisfaction, motivating followers to use extra effort, cultivating creativity and innovation, and improving their performance beyond expectation (Pihie, Sadeghi & Elias, 2011). A positive correlation exists between transformational leadership dimensions and leadership effectiveness (Erkutlu, 2008).
Good quality leadership requires many social skills and emotional intelligence, paired with remarkable courage and visionary thinking (Pinnow, 2011). Leadership involves key organisational activities such as formulating a vision for the future, communicating the vision, inspiring people, and securing their engagement (Armstrong, 2012). Vision is “a picture of the future that produces passion” (Blanchard, 2000:5). Effective leaders engage followers in the organisational vision preparation and strategies. Leadership has a direct influence on the organisational environment and influential leaders can have a considerable impact on the fate of an organisation and the lives of followers (Yukl, 2013). According to Yukl (2013), good leaders mature through a continuous process of experience, education, training, and self-study. Ciulla (2014) argues that effective leadership is not only about competence but also about ethics. This is to
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emphasise that ethical behaviour and the effectiveness of leadership are interrelated.
Leaders are considered the heroes and saviours for organisations in crisis (Cote, 2017). They play a vital role in creating and upholding the ethical working culture in their organisations, and most of the time organisations are recognised by the faces of their leaders. A good leader implies a high reputation for their organisation, and a bad leader implies the reverse. Leaders are role models who are persistently followed and watched (Kooskora & Isok, 2014). Leadership is a holistic process comprised of various activities that lead to developing, learning, influencing, and altering the self and others (Kooskora & Isok, 2014). “Modern leadership requires shifting from the role of the boss to that of the partner” (Pinnow, 2011:10). It needs to involve subordinates in essential processes, rather than functioning from an individualistic position of power.
Good leaders are exemplary for their followers and their organisations. In order to achieve a remarkable result in their course of leadership, leaders should be friendly with their followers.
The success or failure of organisational transformation depends on how the transformation is led (Chow, 2014). Acts of leadership may be good or bad. A leader with good character possesses the platonic merits of prudence, courage, temperance, justice, as well as honesty, keeping promises, compassion, and dedication to the common goal (Bass, 2008). A leader with bad character is stimulated by voices such as greed, indifference, cruelty, and cowardice (Bass, 2008). Therefore, the approach of a leader in handling an organisational issue is a determining factor for organisational success.
In this multifaceted world, no single leader has the ability and knowledge to effectively plan, envision and attain organisational, social or political goals entirely alone.
Contemporary leadership demands cooperation with many people, each of whom has special skills, expertise and knowledge that generates unique perspectives and insights. Therefore, one of the fundamental aspects of a leader’s post is to encourage open communication between co-workers and involve them in various decision- making processes at all levels (Northouse, 2016). Recent research about leadership has pointed out that good quality leaders are optimistic and know what they want to do and where they want to go. They have the capacity to bring transformation, inculcate their vision to their followers, encourage and mobilise their followers or team members
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to perform their tasks appropriately, conduct close follow-ups to make sure that work is moving according to the stated plan, and ensure their agreed goals are achieved (Armstrong, 2009). They are confident, resilient, trustworthy, respect their followers/team, honest, humble, fair, have the ability to influence people and are qualified to understand the perspectives, attitudes and needs of team members (Caldwell, Dixon, Floyd, Chaudoin, Post & Cheokas, 2012). They are aware of their own weaknesses and strengths and understand the advantages of involving and consulting people in decision-making (Yukl, 2013; Northouse, 2016).
Effective leaders have the ability to switch flexibly from one leadership style to another to satisfy the needs of different people and situations and adapt their behaviour to altering situations (Yukl, 2013).They are flexible in adopting different styles based on the situation, so “there is no one right style” (Armstrong, 2009:33). However, people should understand and choose the best style. Good leaders benefit their organisation and society. They are more ethical and more trustworthy, have good relationships with employees, are successful at creating committed team members, and are devoted to their organisation They demonstrate a commitment to serve stakeholders, put their organisation ahead of their own self-interests, give credit to others who contribute for their organisational successes and assume personal responsibility for organisational failures (Caldwell et al., 2012). Effective leaders employ a behaviour-orientated approach to better understand the needs of followers and to be able to provide direction and support.
The qualities of successful leaders, according to Kirton (2015), are the ability to make decisions in unpredictable situations, operate outside their comfort zone, deal with uncertainty, give the right directions, learn from failures, recognise that leaders do not have all the answers in diverse and complex workplaces, accept feedback, refrain from their emotional feelings and read others’ emotions, and make spontaneous decisions when appropriate.