Leadership vs Culture in Organizations: Analysis of Relevant Theories

In organisations does leadership drive culture or does
culture drive leadership. Discuss your response to this
applying relevant leadership theories in your analysis.
“Culture is the collective programming of the mind which
distinguishes the members of one category of people from
another.” The work culture highly determines the success or
failure of an organization. To compete in the fast-paced
environment, an organisation must develop a safe culture for its
employee.
Leadership is a very powerful word that cannot be defined in
absolute terms. It is about inspiring, empowering, directing and
motivating people in an organization and sometimes watching
them succeed from behind. According to Alan Keith, “Leadership
is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to
making something extraordinary to happen.”
Leadership theories are the methods and styles that a leader
should incorporate in running a successful business and
achieving overall growth of an organization. The role and
responsibilities of leader is defined by these theories. The five
leadership theories are beautifully presented by Radhika kapur
in her research paper, Understanding Leadership Theories
(2020). As stated in her paper, the first theory is the trait theory,
which explain personality traits that the leaders need to have.
The second theory is the behavior theory, which puts emphasis
upon the behavior and conduct of the leaders and how they
influence the Behavior of their subordinates. The third theory is
the contingency model. This theory suggests the most suitable
leadership style in each situation. The fourth theory is
transaction theory of leadership. In this theory, there is an
exchange of ideas and perspectives between leader and
subordinates. Leader motivates and direct followers towards
right direction. The fifth theory is transformational theory which
not only focus on implementation of advance technology and
innovation by leaders but also about transformation of individual
attitude in workplace. After a certain point, cultural beliefs,
values, and norms no longer serve the purpose of the company. A
leader needs to develop new culture that serve the aims of the
organization.
Peoples are the most valuable assets of an organisation. With the
emergence of technologies and globalization of process, people