Models of Leadership
Introduction
The paper seeks to address the different models of leadership, which are commonly used in the new business scenario. The paper would critically evaluate the new forms of leadership in the context of traditional models. The new models of leadership that are specifically highlighted in the paper are transformational, authentic, ethical, and followership models of leadership. The conventional models to be used in the paper are trait, style, and behavioral models. It has been argued by many researchers that the new models of leadership have been transformed versions of the traditional models of leadership. Therefore, the paper would propose arguments based on the modified version of the leadership models in light of the conventional models.
Discussion
Critical Evaluation of the models of leadership
The traditional leadership style is also referred to as leadership of command and control. This is because a conventional leadership style is used when the company hires, trains, monitors, and deploys people from a pool of homogenous resources. It has always been believed in the past that coercion and dominance are useful traits of a successful leader, and through these traits, the leader would be able to control his employees consistently (Aas and Brandmo 2016). Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Sometimes, these traits are supported by psychological and economic violence. Gradually, due to a change in the current business environment, there has been immense development of technology beyond the industrial era (Kranabetter and Niessen 2017). The ideas and thoughts about leadership, progress, and productivity have changed drastically. The leaders have started to realize that they should manage and control the workers differently. Due to all these reasons, the traditional models of leadership have been transformed into newly developed models of leadership.
The newly developed models of leadership have tried to implement an alternative essence of leadership that is quite different from the traditional ones. The different ways by which these new models of leadership have transformed can be discussed below.
1) The progressive models of leadership have tried to eliminate the class system that has been followed strictly by the traditional models of leadership (Lee 2016). In conventional models, a hierarchy is followed where the top leaders at the highest position got all the advantages as compared to other employees at the bottom. The progressive leadership model seeks to abolish this hierarchy and follows a system where everyone is given equal opportunity regardless of his rank or position.
2) In traditional models of leadership, the information is transmitted only to the selected people, who need it. This is because leaders feel hesitant to share information with every employee. In such a system, a tough situation would be challenging to handle as the people have a lack of knowledge regarding every matter of the organization (Lewis 2018). On the contrary, the progressive culture marks a leadership style where business literacy is promoted through open communications between the leader and other employees. It is believed by the progressive leadership model that every employee has the right to knowing about the different segments of the organization such that he can perform his job effectively.
3) In traditional models, the leaders try to work by their interests to increase their powers and control over the employees. The power is used for generating a profit and earning a suitable position within the system (Zhang et al. 2018). The new leadership models tend to abolish this culture by bringing upon leaders who would care about the well-being of their people. The leaders believe in putting the interests of the workers and communities above their self-interests.
From all the above illustrations, it can be argued that the new leadership models are quite different from the traditional ones and cannot be considered as remnants of the previous models (Miao et al. 2019). However, there are many arguments, which can be proposed in favor of the statements that throw light on the development of the new leadership models from the old and conventional ones.
The two conventional models that can be discussed in this context are trait style leadership and behavioral style leadership. The trait theory of leadership is considered an early-assumed method, which signifies leaders based on their traits. It has been believed by this theory that the leaders are born with certain qualities and features, which enables them to hold supreme power among the followers (Marion et al. 2016). Specific behavioral characteristics have been observed in people who are considered prospective leaders of the future.
Similarly, the behavioral theory of leadership assumes that a leader is going to follow a pre-determined set of actions or reactions when he is kept under a pressurized situation (Feng et al. 2016). This theory differs from the trait theory in a way that it believes in the creation of a leader after he is born. The study of this leadership theory focuses on the specific and observable behaviors of leaders.
Trait models can be viewed as an essential foundation for new models of leadership. This is because the trait model believes in the concept that not every person has the ability to become a successful leader. The proponents of this theory are widely considered obsolete in recent days (Faraz et al. 2018). However, it is still believed that potential leaders can be screened from non-leaders based on leadership qualities. Current thinking suggests that traits can be aligned with characteristics, and some people can possess them naturally or learn them gradually. It is prudent for leaders to understand these qualities and nurture them to become more influential in the future.
All modern forms of leaders, which is, authentic, transformational, and ethical, are said to possess certain traits to excel in their respective fields. Authentic leaders have different characteristics such as self-awareness, focussing on long-term results, integrity, and leading with vision. Ethical leaders have a different set of traits such as honesty, justice, value-driven decision making, and respecting others (Bolman and Deal 2017). Similarly, transformational leaders also possess specific other characteristics such as self-management, being inspirational, the ability to make correct decisions, and encouraging new ideas from employees. All these traits and qualities have led these leaders to maintain a strong position in their respective areas. Among all these modern leadership approaches, the charismatic leader has been observed to evolve from trait theory and has ultimately given rise to transformational leadership.
A behavioral theory of leadership has been derived from the scientific psychology of behaviorism formula. The behavioral approach has later given rise to the managerial grid proposed by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton. Many motivational theories have been observed to directly arise from behavioral theory. A change in the motivational level of a group of members has directly affected their behaviors (Crews et al. 2019). Further, transactional leadership was born from the behavioral theories of exchange. In this kind of leadership, the author believes that there is an exchange process between the leader and his followers. In this process, the leader organizes actions, creates decisions, and solves problems for the followers. As a return to this, the followers show recognition and respect to the leader.
The authoritative and democratic leadership approaches have been developed from the situational and behavioral methods of leadership (Miller 2016). The researchers have pointed out that authentic and democratic leadership approaches are primarily dependent on three variables, that is, characteristics of the leader, group, and other situational factors. Three situational variables have been identified in this context. These variables are relation, structure, task, and power.
Although modern trends of leadership approaches have been developed from past models of leadership, still many changes have been brought about to make this new model effective in the contemporary business environment (Faller and Gogek 2019). Leaders have started introducing learning organizations where each employee would be involved in the decision-making and problem- solving process to provide his valuable insights. This is a forward-looking concept, which is essential in developing a unique corporate culture for dealing with the complexities and uncertainties of the modern business world.
Many examples of change situations can be cited along with the respective quality of leader highlighted in bringing about the change.
1) The first process of change in the systems of the organization has been brought about by Shell Company in the year 2004. After facing a massive oil crisis, the chairman realized the importance of transforming the structure and process of the company. The team of experts composed of senior leaders and in-house experts took control of the entire situation and focussed on gaining adoption from all the involved employees (Hassan et al. 2016). These people have the technical understanding required for providing change leadership. The team analyzed the new behaviors among people that are crucial for the success of the change program. Accordingly, they discussed the risks and potential problems with the employees, and they solved them together. Due to all these reasons, the change program was implemented without any disturbance and was later on proved successful.
2) Another change program was developed by Santander in the year 2008. The objective of the company was to acquire a strong portfolio in the US banking sector. The chairman of the company decided to buy these financial institutions and unify them under the brand name of Santander. The team leaders detected that the change program could bring about cultural misunderstandings, and hence they should integrate the systems, processes, and people of different organizations under a common platform (Chatterjee and Yuxuang 2019). The team leaders briefed the risks and issues to the affected ones. Teams were formed in the branches that collected responses from various customers. The simple ones were also given clear messages. The aim of the program was to ensure that all the employees embrace the change program on a positive note. Finally, in the year 2010, the company launch Santander UK, unifying all the financial institutions and has become one of the largest providers of savings and mortgages to the customers. By 2013, the company became one of the largest retail banks in the UK.
Conclusion
Through all the examples and explanations, it is clear that the modern concepts of leadership have been more practical-oriented and cater to the current business scenario. The progressive models of leadership have been derived from some of the old schools of thought related to leadership. Some of these continuous models are the transformational leadership model, transactional leadership model, ethical leadership model, and authentic leadership model. Along with similarities, some differences are noticed between the traditional models and progressive models. These similarities and differences are highlighted, along with different change situations. Suitable examples of real-world companies have been given to discuss the change program of the companies and the way by which the leaders of the company have handled the change process.
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