Leadership denotes the ability of an individual to inspire and guide others, along with the management for the achievement of a common goal. Leadership is a conjunction of development of vision, building a team, motivating individuals to achieve the vision, and managing the end process of delivery of vision (Lunenburg, 2012). In contrast to this, the power denotes the ability of an individual to control the activities of others. The analysis of the different definition of the power has led to the observation that power is a casual efficacy aimed at facilitating people to choose one alternative over the other (Haslam, Reicher & Platow, 2010). Thus, while power comes by the virtue of the position of authority, leadership is a personal attribute. Often, both the terms are confused, but it is vital to note that both the terms complement each other. In order to strengthen the human resources, a balance of power and leadership is necessitated as described below. Understand and Command:A leader at the workplace must possess the command to run a department or a team of individuals, and at the same time must be considerate about the concerns of the team members (Lasswell, 2017). The department running requires power, yet understanding the needs requires leadership. Control and Influence:The leader must both be engaged in controlling the situation and groups, as well as influence the group to work while being the part of the team. Thus, while situations can be controlled through power, influence can be rendered through efficient leadership. Direct and Consult: It is essential for the leaders to be able to give directions to the operations and activities. In addition, they must obtain the consultation of people being led in context of their ideas and opinions while formulating policies and procedures for operations. Strive and Yield:As a leader, it is imperative to strive for success and achieve the set goals, but it is also essential to facilitate team members in a way that they contribute their
maximum yield in the team success. The most significant attribute of a good leader is to facilitate cooperation and communication in team, so as to facilitate achievement of individual as well as professional goals of self and team mates (Bunderson & Reagans, 2011). Be Strong and Flexible: Yet another means to balance the power and leadership is by creating a healthy balance between being both strong and flexible. A strong vision and definition of missions is required to provide clarity of goals. In conjunction to this, leaders must be flexible enough to include ideas and different approached of work of teammates in the short term goals and objectives. Order and Ask:Lastly, a leader must giver orders when necessary, such as in context of disciplinary actions and at the same time must ask the feedback from the subordinates on timely basis to address their needs and issues. Hence, the discussions in the previous parts aid to conclude that effective functioning of an organization is dependent on healthy balance of power and leadership at workplace.
References Bunderson, J. S., & Reagans, R. E. (2011). Power, status, and learning in organizations.Organization Science,22(5), 1182-1194. Haslam, S. A., Reicher, S. D., & Platow, M. J. (2010).The new psychology of leadership: Identity, influence and power. UK: Psychology Press. Lasswell, H. D. (2017).Power and personality. UK: Routledge. Lunenburg, F. C. (2012). Power and leadership: an influence process.International journal of management, business, and administration,15(1), 1-9.