Leadership Assess Leading Change - Groups and Teams

Question: How important is top level leadership in organizations? What are the differences or similarities between top level leadership and leadership in groups and teams? How are group decisions affected by the size and composition of the group? In what ways does change pose special challenges for organizational leaders and what guidelines should they use to implement change? Answer: Introduction A successful organisation stands on the shoulders of the management and the leadership of the business heads. A leader is more than a ruler and head. A true leadership will be able to show direction and guide the followers to take action. Leadership is required in every organisation and every level. Efficient leadership works in a goal oriented manner and manages the subordinated to achieve the highest degree of success. A leader is also a counsellor and mediator. Hence, leadership is crucial to running a well-managed organisation. Importance of Top level Leadership The Leaders are the key human resources that an organisation has. Thus, Companies are not just successful because of their products but also through the Leaders who develop the employees and gives direction to the business. The top level leadership consists of the CEO, directors, and senior managers. It is these people who take the most crucial decisions in a day to day basis and delegate the crucial functions to the subordinates (Arnold, 2012). In a vertical organisation, the command or communication is generated from the top-level leadership and distributed to the lowest ranks through leaders of each level. Thus, the top level leaders are the people who run the business. It is important that only the best talents are recruited for these positions. The top level leaders are experienced and possess the greatest knowledge of organisational functions and dilemmas. The employees look up to the top level leaders for inspiration and often idolises them. An efficient Leader would be cordial, autocratic and build rapport with the individuals at the same time (Aydin Ceylan, 2009). Thus, top-level leadership is important to manage and hold together the organisation. Authority is also essential in obtaining performance or managing conflicts. The top level Leaders are the most suitable person to handle this function (Trapp, 2015). Top level leadership and leadership in groups and teams Leadership is present at all levels and is important in managing performance. While the top level leaders hold the business, it is the group leaders who handle the employees and the subordinates on a first-hand basis. Teamwork is very much essential to achieving the organisational goals. Teams are formed to handle specific projects and leaders are assigned to delegate the tasks and closely monitor the activities. The team leaders then report to the group leaders and the group leaders to the manager of the department and finally the manager's report to the top level leaders (Andersen, 2004). Thus, there is a difference in the functions of the Top level leaders and group or team leaders. The top level leaders take organisational decisions whereas the group leaders take decisions regarding each task they are associated with. Also, the top-level leadership manages issues and conflicts that concern the business in a larger context. The group leaders have less responsibility and manage only the employees. A similarity in the demeanour of the leaders is their leadership style. To achieve great performance and favourable work attitude, the Leaders at all level must ensure authority. The authority should flow with the same vigour and the leaders must sustain their positions (Leonard, 2013). Impact of group size and composition on group decisions A group consists of more than two people. Groups are important to divide the tasks and reduce pressure and complete it in a more organised and structured way. Group size and composition is very crucial to how the group performs, especially in different situations. Firstly while there are fewer chances of conflict and decision can be reached unanimously in a smaller group, it is closed and confined and less scope for innovation and creativity. A larger group would take much longer time to reach a point of unison, yet a lot of different ideas would be generated that will increase the diversity. A diverse group is hence more active and high performing than a confined group. Thus, the group composition should include people of all gender, race, and ethnicity. It is the duty of the leader to maintain and manage the conflict and ensures that the groups work in a cohesive manner to reach the goals (Carey Von Weichs, 2003). Another negative aspect of group decisions is groupthink. A group that is completely reliable on the leader might just follow orders and ideas of the leader or a single person, this limits the innovativeness. Hence, the leader should also manage and reduce groupthink. Managing Change by Organisational Leaders Change is very crucial to organisation success, growth and sustenance. The change could be in the form of Company leadership, its philosophy, acquisitions, downsizing, change of location, etc. Change poses uncertainty and this raises concern among the employees. The employees resist changing that directly concerns them and their positions in the company. Thus, the organisational leaders are the key personnel who need to manage the change initiative. They are the people who handle the organisation and its external affairs, and thus are answerable for all the managerial decisions they have taken. Since, they are ruler and the people towards whom the subordinated look up to, it are essential that they pose a clear vision for the change and communicate it to the employees. The organisational leaders also face criticism, disobedience and resistance when facing change. Hence, it is a very important challenge that the leaders have to face (Levay, 2010). To implement change, the Leaders must follow these guidelines with respect to Kotter's 8 Stage model: Construct a plan and create a sense of urgency among the employees about the need for change. Communicate with the group leaders and build teams and task forces to guide coalition. The strategic vision must be formulated regarding the change and initiatives have to be taken . A voluntary task force must be built who will carry forward the change initiative All the barriers, like internal politics, media glare must be tactfully managed and removed. Short term wins must be celebrated and the employees who are sustenance must be held as great assets. The change must be accelerated with complete authority and finally the organisation should be stabilised after the change is complete. Conclusion Leadership is essential to maintain organisational balance and structure. The Leadership is present at all levels, with responsibilities increasing as one goes higher up. There are differences and similarities between the roles of top-level leaders and group leaders are assessed. Also, the role of group size and composition in decision making is understood. Finally, the requirement of implementing change in the organisation and the guidelines that must be followed by the leaders is assessed. References 1. Andersen, J. (2004). Vicars vs. Managers: Do Vicars Differ From Managers In Terms of Leadership Behaviour?. Journal Of Management, Spirituality Religion, 1(2), 201-223. doi:10.1080/14766080409518556 2. Arnold, F. (2012). What makes great leaders great. New York: McGraw-Hill. 3. Aydin, B., Ceylan, A. (2009). A Research Analysis on Employee Satisfaction in terms of Organizational Culture and Spiritual Leadership. IJBM, 4(3). doi:10.5539/ijbm.v4n3p159 4. Carey, D., Von Weichs, M. (2003). How to run a company. New York: Crown Business. 5. Leonard, H. (2013). The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of the psychology of leadership, change and organizational development. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley-Blackwell. 6. Levay, C. (2010). Charismatic leadership in resistance to change. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(1), 127-143. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.10.010 7. RemmeÃÅ' , J. (2008). Leadership, change and responsibility. Oxford: Meyer Meyer Media. 8. Trapp, R. (2015). Successful Organizations Need Leaders At All Levels. Forbes. Retrieved 11 September 2015, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogertrapp/2014/03/23/organizations-need-leaders-at-all-levels/