Leadership in business organization is one of the most crucial aspects of management. In business, managers form a social organization in order to accomplish the aims and objectives of the company (Bryman, 2005). Leadership is essential in coordination and management of the human efforts in an organization in order to achieve the overall goal of the company. As the company continues to rely on group efforts and as many organization groups become extensively large, the leadership task is becoming increasingly complex and influential. Therefore, managerial and leadership theories and framework has increasingly become clamorous in a way the manager lead complex organization (Bryman, 2005).
This report analyzes various leadership issues facing an organization management structure using leadership and management theories, and commending the appropriate recommendations that can be used to address the identified leadership issues (Storey, 2004).
Leadership issues in the business can essentially hinder the organization progress toward achievement of its goal and objectives. Furthermore, leadership issues in an organization can also suppress productivity, creativity and can also deprive a company to a point that it can no longer be economically viable (Kouzes & Posner, 2001). These leadership issues in the management of an organization usually stems from personal character conflict to dysfunctional group dynamic forces.
Quality leadership in the business is usually judged from the overall performance of the organization. The way the manager set standards, make decision, integrate working groups, create a design of the firm, and coordinate all aspects of business affects either positively or negatively the performance of the whole organization (Posner, 1999). Furthermore, it is evident that high performing organization values the quality of the leadership system that actually advances the goals and objective of the company. This means that the overall performance of the company can actually be attributed to the quality of leadership system in place. Thus, performance acts as a crucial indicator that is used to pinpoint presence of poor leadership system in an organization (Posner, 1999).
In addition, the quality of leadership in a company is also explicitly expressed by managers and all members of the organization. Managers normally model the appropriate behavior that is evenly replicated through the entire organization (Conger, 1998). Furthermore, it is normally consistent to conclude that organizations in which all staffs explicitly understand the desired leadership values and incorporate them in their operations; they usually achieve the organizational goals and objective effectively (Conger, 1998).
The leadership concerns in an organization normally emanates from the individual personality conflict or dysfunctional group dynamics. Since many organizations operate globally, this means that they are usually exposed to an expanded customer and competition potential (Giuliani & Kurson, 2002). Therefore, organizational leadership strategy that focuses more on making collaborations advances the organizational more than when focusing on competition alone. In contrary, today’s organizational leadership normally confines and concentrates on what an individual can achieve (Giuliani & Kurson, 2002).
Defective assumption from the top management is another cause of leadership problem in an organization. It happens when an individual manager operates under inconsistent and unsound assumptions that can essentially hinder the progress of the company when it is left unconstrained. Usually, this is common when a staff is promoted on the basis of expertise and experiences (Vecchio, 2007). Hence, end up mistaking those skills will convert directly into competent management skills. This usually makes it hard to such managers to develop competent leadership skills that can move forward the organization to a new level. Likewise, the problem is that such manager tends to focus mostly on their expertise and only seek clear and logical resolutions of the problems, while ignoring the most significant aspect of personal management (Vecchio, 2007). In addition, they assume that all staff in an organization possesses similar levels of practical aptitudes. This leadership style essentially fails to adequately take control of the entire staff or direct the workflow in the entire organization (Paterson, 2004).
Organizational executives who are usually faced with a problem of finding the appropriate individuals to fill vacant management post tend to worsen the leadership problem in the company; because the reason of it is that they tend to focus on the idyllic leadership qualities possessed by their managers that usually reproduce what the organizational executives are yearnings to express through corporate culture, rather than searching for an individual with the skill that matches the current leadership issues facing the company (Yukl, 2000).
Attitude issue is another leadership problem that faces organizations. The attitude brought to the organization by the manager normally influences the productivity of the teams and groups in the organization (Yukl, 2000). These attitudes include being excessively jovial, hiding behind the planning and analysis operations, hence neglecting other aspects of the company, having emotions that are out of control or being too much depressed to match the actual occurrence in the business. In addition, most managers are normally unable to recognize the personality of the staff and team member. They also fail to employ a consistent approach when handling the staffs (Yukl, 2000). Besides, this kind of leadership normally involves instilling fear on the staffs in order to get wishes realized.
Another leadership problem that faces the leadership of most organization is the lack of communication proficiency. Most of the personality issues are usually entangled around the communication (Smith & Hitt, 2007). Therefore, when a leader or a manager in an organization is unable to convey information to the subordinate staffs in the entire organization, the work tends to get stalled (Rue & Byars, 2000). Furthermore, managers, who are usually on the top of leadership hierarchy in an organization, tend to block flow of essential information within and outside the organization through avoidance of conversations that may challenge their communication skills. This makes them to adopt leadership attributes that are autocrat in nature (Smith & Hitt, 2007). Conversely, they are usually unable to understand that different staffs need different channels of communication. Yet, managers with poor communications tend to dominate all conversations hence barring the workers from replying to their demands. In addition, they tend to affirm their suppositions and point of view as a fact, rather than asking question, they tend to make declarations. Managers with deprived communication skills bring leadership problems to the company (Smith & Hitt, 2007).
There are various contextual elements that impede effective eradication of the leadership problems in an organization. For instance, political forces normally influences the decision made by the managers in an organization (Haberberg, 2008). Political influences within and outside the organization limit the implementation of an effective leadership because of the vested interest for various individuals that are usually entrenched in an organization. Other elements such and economic factors such as competition faced by the organization also influences the extent to which current leadership issues are addressed (Haberberg, 2008). Another contextual factor such as trends in the way people work in the organization is also of great significance to the organization management.
The recommendations to the problem of leadership in the organizations are made in relation to the management theory which has elements that are essentially interrelated to the social and technical functions and activities of the organization (McCorkle, 2010). For an organization to have effective leadership, the organizational management needs to establish leadership objectives that all members of the staffs should strive to achieve them with regard to cultural diversity in the organization (McCorkle, 2010). The top management should lead in providing a context in with a clear organizational framework that outlines the leadership attributes to be adhered by the entire organizational staff.
According to the management theory, managers at all levels of the organization shape the values and the culture of the company through the decision they make. Therefore, due to the direct impact of their decisions on the entire culture of the organization, they need to be the role model by promoting effective leadership, which is in accordance to the established organizational professional codes of leadership ethics (Bratton & Gold, 2000). Furthermore, scientific management theory propose that in order to have an effective leadership in the company, the old system of management that relied on an individual need to be replaced with a new scientific management system that utilizes the management personnel that are brilliant. This will cause that incompetent and less educated organizational leaders are replaced by competent leaders, who will ensure smooth conveyance of information across the organization (Bratton & Gold, 2000).
Furthermore, scientific management theory recommends the overthrowing of the manager to leads with the rule of thumb (Brigham, 1998). In addition, all staffs in the organization need to be subjected to a universal and intensive leadership training rather than allowing managers to take personalized discretion on the behest in their operations, choices that make the company vulnerable to leadership and organizational issues (Baker, 1998). Moreover, this will further ensure that a spirit of enthusiastic cooperation develop between the management and organization.
It is also recommendable for an organization to establish a corporate strategy that ensures that all primary leadership challenges facing the company are thoroughly addressed before they overwhelm the organization (Miner, 2005). Management theory further asserts that leaders need to assert positive influence to the entire company through positive leadership that promotes team productivity. In addition, managers need to be equipped with strong inter and intrapersonal skills in order to enhance sound judgment, as well as understanding, cooperating with others, motivating and leading others in the organization (Sheldrake, 2003).
It is recommendable for the organizational leaders to understand the cultural and political dynamics within and outside the organization as well as other contextual elements. Effective understanding of the political dynamic ensures that decision made in organization opens various avenues for organization research investigation (Spears, 1999). This is because in general contextual elements influences the decision making practice in the organization.