The effective leader is one who adapts his behavior to the demands of his own unique situation. Paul Hersey. Leadership is considered in terms of its effectiveness or its ineffectiveness, but there is another aspect of leadership, its ethics or morals. James McGregor Burns.
INTRODUCTION
Leadership today constitutes an aspect of primary importance for the work and development of teams and organizations, not only with a view to achieving the programmed organizational objectives, but also for the integral development and job satisfaction that all employees must achieve. workers, which allows them a correct approach to changes in the environment and a continuous improvement of their performance and the work results of the organization.
Logically, to achieve the above, the reference is to effective leadership.
LEADERSHIP CONCEPT
There are many definitions and concepts related to leadership, focused by the different authors, the purpose of this author is to provide readers with a concept that is as comprehensive as possible, which in turn allows their understanding and can be helpful in the topic covered.
Let's look at the following concept:
“Leadership is the process that influences the members of a team, an organization, or another; to guarantee and / or transform the development of the activities to be carried out with the aim of complying with the programmed ”.
If we analyze this definition we see that the influence must be exercised by someone, who in this case is the “leader”, and that there are also other people who are the followers of that leader, who will be willing to follow it in case they meet their needs and / or interests.
We appreciate that between both leaders and followers, there is a difference in power, the former counting on the possibility of having, in addition to the legitimate power that the position gives him, with other powers such as that of an expert, that of sanctioning, that of rewarding and reference. The possibilities of leadership will increase as the leader can exercise a greater number of sources of power.
This does not eliminate the power of followers, which is to apply different variants in the conduct of their activities.
It is necessary to emphasize that everyone who directs or manages is not a leader, for this he must develop certain aspects such as: credibility, human skills, communicating values, sensitivity to his followers, with his action transforming the environment and / or the collective, that is, being an agent of change, and other aspects that are not always developed by administrators, even even the latter with good work results.
CHARACTERISTICS OF LEADERSHIP.
Above all, it must be said that in a team or organization, in addition to having leaders who exercise leadership through their formal authority, there may be others who are leaders by their moral authority, that is, who exercise it by group decision. Both "leadership" may be exercised by the same person or by more than one as the case may be.
The leader should apply a leadership style depending on the circumstances, changing it, if necessary, or using combinations in prudent cases.
Above all, leadership must be comprehensively effective, and due to the influence and repercussion it has on the followers, it must be the bearer of a social ethic that allows transparency and honesty in all actions and decisions.
In general, it is a process that interrelates the leader, the follower, the current situation and the activities that are carried out. It must be able to increase the cohesion of the work team.
APPROACHES AND THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP.
The topic of leadership has been investigated by many scholars, considering various criteria and approaches in this regard, the dilemma about "leaders are born or made" has been much debated, and there are followers of both criteria, each with their arguments, the reality is that There is still no exact definition in this regard, regardless of the theories that support each criterion, so research continues.
In our case we will raise the central elements on the main approaches or theories, with the aim and aspiration, that the necessary elements on the different variants be possessed.
Focus on the traits of leaders.
Truly for a long time, and still have some followers, leaders were thought to be people, where everyone had certain attributes like intelligence, aggressiveness, great communicators, or others.
One of the first aspects that the researchers tried to study were the traits or characteristics that leaders had and that could differentiate them from those that were not. In this sense, aspects related to the person's physique, her personality, her way of communicating from the point of view of being an introvert or extrovert, race, sex, among others, were valued.
However, finding cases of coincidence of certain traits in many leaders, the practice shows the opposite in others, so there is still no criterion, neither unanimous nor scientific, that guarantees that these have traits or patterns that distinguish them exactly from the they are not.
Other studies, with identical results, have been carried out among leaders whose work has been effective and others not so effective.
Therefore, so far it has not been demonstrated that leaders possess a set of distinctive traits or characteristics that allow them to be distinguished, for the purpose of making a selection, just by taking these aspects into account.
Approach related to the conduct of leaders.
Once the idea about the traits or characteristics of people in relation to leadership was determined, attention was directed towards the study of what leaders did, that is, their conduct, their behavior.
It was stated that for the exercise of leadership, two fundamental aspects needed to be developed: labor (work) and relational (group support). With this form of approach it was necessary for both aspects to be addressed by the leader in question, practice showed that in many cases these two aspects could be attended by different people, in the first case, work, by a formal leader and in the other case by informal one for team support care.
Approach as a function of the organization.
This study is not based on the determination of traits or on the conduct or behavior of people in relation to leadership, but rather on what is intrinsically related to the team or group.
Every team to carry out the work assigned to it, has certain needs, one of which is that of a leader who acts on behalf of the group, which becomes increasingly necessary depending on the complexities of the group, both for the work to be done, as for the relationships to be displayed.
The leader is valued, by the group, for his abilities to solve the problems presented, as well as for the fulfillment of his objectives.
Situational leadership theory.
Situational leadership theory has many followers and was developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard, which is based on two variables that will cover a given situation based on the maturity of subordinates.
The two variables are as follows:
- Task behavior (behavior) Relationship behavior (behavior).
In the first case (task behavior), the leader guides his followers on what task to perform, emphasizing how he should do it, as well as where and when, in this case, communication is unilateral. Regarding the other variable, a support relationship is established for the followers, through a bilateral communication.
Regarding maturity, its initiators state that it is not a question of age, nor of stability in the emotions of workers, but rather, a willingness to assume responsibilities, education and acquisition of skills, experience, desire for achievement.
The elements proposed are specified or refer only to the specific task.
Hersey and Blanchard propose that depending on the maturity that the followers are acquiring and the conjugation of the exposed variables, the leader must modify his leadership style through four stages or phases.
The figure represents the four stages that express the leadership styles that the leader must assume based on the acquisition of maturity acquired by his collaborators.
- High task and low ratio. In this first stage maturity is very poor, so there is a great orientation of the leader in relation to the work, that is, the latter decides what should be done (task to be done), as well as how, where and when it should be done.. The leader assumes a guiding role, teaching activities, rules, procedures and other aspects of the job. High task and High relationship. The followers have already acquired some maturity, so without abandoning the orientation, the leader can increase the relationship, familiarization, carry out a bilateral communication with the aim of persuading his followers and stimulating them to increase their effort and support in the decision to take.High ratio and Low task. The maturity of the followers has continued to increase, seeking greater responsibility,Joint participation in the task is also increased through bilateral communication, allowing the leader not to supervise the task at previous levels. As the followers have greater skill and knowledge, the leader becomes a facilitator. Low relationship and low task. The subordinates have a high maturity, experience and confidence in their work, generating initiatives not previously achieved, for this reason the leader delegates control activities allowing independence in other aspects of the job.The subordinates have a high maturity, experience and confidence in their work, generating initiatives not previously achieved, for this reason the leader delegates control activities allowing independence in other aspects of the job.The subordinates have a high maturity, experience and confidence in their work, generating initiatives not previously achieved, for this reason the leader delegates control activities allowing independence in other aspects of the job.
This theory requires the leader to pay attention and evaluate the development of the maturity and motivation of his followers, also allowing him great flexibility and dynamism to adjust and apply the appropriate leadership style, to obtain the best results, and to be effective in his work..
Another aspect, together with the development of maturity, is the attention to the individual differences of his followers, since all do not mature or develop uniformly.
Charismatic leadership.
Charismatic leadership is exercised by leaders who possess what we call "charisma," which is a quality related to their personality and allows them to have authority or social power to influence the thinking and acting of other individuals.
The depth and validity of this charism is determined by the recognition and trust of the followers, which allows conscious changes in the attitudes and actions of the latter.
LEADERSHIP STYLES.
We can see in teams and organizations different types of leadership styles, that is, the way leaders guide their collaborators, that personal stamp they imprint when directing, the form or method with which the boss exercises authority and In the same way that the relationships between bosses and subordinates are manifested, various types of styles can be expressed, which are:
- Autocratic or authoritarian.Democratic.Anarchic.
Each of these styles has its characteristics and can be used interchangeably depending on the existing situation, however in practice the one that has shown the best results is the democratic one.
Other styles can be expressed depending on the tasks and the group, these are:
- Task-focused. Relationship-focused.
CHARACTERISTICS OF LEADERSHIP STYLES.
Autocratic.
- Decisions are made by the boss, also placing the center of power over him. This style allows quick decisions. Little participation of subordinates in the definition of objectives and other activities. Communication is unilateral.
Democratic.
- Team participation is encouraged by leaders, so decisions are participatory. The authority of the leader together with his power are exercised with greater decentralization. Bilateral communication is established between the leader and the team. The group receives more information about the problems that concern him.
Anarchic.
- The leader avoids the use of power together with authority and responsibility, so his role is less in this style. The objectives, the development of activities and tasks in general depend on the group or team.
Regarding styles focused on tasks or relationships, we can say that, when the leader turns his attention to work, that is, to tasks, he shows great attention to work, what should be done and how it should be done., with rigorous planning and organization and tight control over the followers, the progress of the work and its results.
In the case of focusing on support for the group, that is, relationships, these acquire a nuance, with the followers, with a great sensitivity to the latter, there is a broader communication that creates greater interest in the team, being the motivation towards the followers the main interest of the leaders.
Robert Tannenbaum & Warren Schmidt, How to choose a leadership pattern, in Stonner, J., Freeman, R. and Gilbert, D. (2004). Administration. 6. Edition. (P. 510) express that: “three sets of forces are considered before choosing a leadership style: strength in the manager, strengths (characteristics) in subordinates and situational strengths”.
The same source points out that:
"How an administrator will lead will certainly be influenced by his background, knowledge, values and experience (administrator's strength)."
"The characteristics of subordinates must also be considered before choosing an appropriate leadership style, stand out, the independence, responsibility and freedom of action of the group."
"The choice of a leadership style must take into account certain situational forces, such as the style preferred by the organization, the specific work group, the nature of the group's work, the time available, environmental factors, and others."
PRACTICAL ASPECTS THAT A LEADER SHOULD NOT neglect.
A leader in the exercise of his task must attend to a wide range of aspects that allow a positive influence on his collaborators, so that they carry out their tasks with the greatest possible effectiveness and efficiency, as well as with a creative mindset that allows the process of change. for continuous improvement.
Let's quote a group of them:
- Enable the members of the group to master their personal goals, such as those of the team. Create a motivational environment for each individual and for the group in general. Provide solutions to the difficulties or problems that the group presents and that hinder the work or cause dissatisfaction The communication that is carried out with each member or with the group as a whole is precise, clear and with as little noise as possible. Recognize the work of the group with fairness and opportunity. Face and face mistakes with a positive mindset and always with the spirit of learning from them and as an opportunity for development. Always be part of the team, sharing with other members all the situations inherent in the group. Your relationships should be as wide as possible.Be flexible and with a strategic vision that allows you to adjust your decisions and actions to changes in the environment. Ethics must be present in the leader's actions.
SUMMARY.
Leadership constitutes a fundamental aspect for the work and development of teams and organizations, with a view to achieving the programmed organizational objectives and also for the integral development and job satisfaction that all workers must achieve.
To achieve the above, the reference is to effective leadership.
We define leadership as.
“The process that influences the members of a team, an organization, or another; to guarantee and / or transform the development of the activities to be carried out with the aim of complying with the programmed ”.
The influence must be exercised by the “leader”, and there are also other people who are the followers of that leader, who will be willing to follow him in case they meet his needs and / or interests. Between both leaders and followers, we study that there is a difference in power, we must observe not only the legitimate power that gives the position to the leader, but the other sources of power that he can exercise. This does not eliminate the power of followers that consists of applying different variants in the performance of their activities.
It was also highlighted that everyone who directs or manages is not a leader, for this he must develop other aspects that were exposed and that must be taken into consideration.
The leader must apply a leadership style depending on the circumstances.
Leadership above all must be comprehensively effective, and due to the influence and repercussion it has on the followers, it must be the bearer of a social ethic.
It is a process that interrelates the leader, the follower, the existing situation and must be able to increase the cohesion of the work team.
We study the central elements on the main approaches or theories, detailing some of those that in the author's opinion are considered the main ones. Among which are:
- Focus on the traits of leaders. So far it has not been demonstrated that they possess a set of distinctive features or traits. Approach related to the conduct of leaders. It was expressed that for the exercise of leadership, two fundamental aspects needed to be developed: work (work) and relational (support for the group), practice showed that in many cases these two aspects could be attended by different people. Approach as a function of the organization. This study is based on what is intrinsically related to the team or group. Situational leadership theory. It is based on two variables that will determine a situation based on the maturity of the subordinates. The two variables are: task behavior (behavior) and relationship behavior (behavior). Charismatic leadership.It is exercised by leaders who possess what we call "charisma", which is a quality related to their personality and allows them to have an authority or social power to influence the thinking and actions of other individuals.
These approaches were raised in adequate depth, so they must be studied in detail.
Various types of styles are proposed: autocratic or authoritarian, democratic and anarchic.
Each of these styles has its characteristics and can be used interchangeably by leaders, depending on the existing situation, however in practice the one that has shown the best results is the democratic one. Other styles can be expressed depending on the tasks and the group, these are: task-centered and relationship-focused.
We recommend studying the characteristics exposed for each case.
A leader must attend to a group of aspects that allow a positive influence on his collaborators and with a creative mindset that allows the process of change for continuous improvement.
A group of them were raised to be observed.
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