Leadership in Practice: Critical Review of Power and Modern Leadership

This critical review explores the practices adopted by leaders to enhance overall performance and productivity of employees. It examines the relationship between power, politics, and conflict in leadership using examples from successful leaders like Bill Gates and Tim Cook.

LEADERSHIP IN PRACTICE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART 2 Critical review of power and modern leadership using practice examples from
business........................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................3
ACADEMIC ANALYSIS..............................................................................................................3
Self-Reflective piece....................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
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PART 2 Critical review of power and modern leadership using practice examples from
business
INTRODUCTION
Leaders have special capabilities to influence individuals to do desired work in
appropriate manner so that company can achieve higher growth and success in future scenario. It
makes use of its capabilities to motivate people to work together as team for completion of
specific task. The aim and objective of critical review is to understand the practices adopted by
leaders to enhance overall performance and productivity of employees to maximum extend.
Likewise, it will helps in extracting that leaders through making use of its influencing personality
encourage employees to make optimum use of their available skills, capabilities and knowledge
for better outcome. It will also helps in getting information related to the manner in which the
leaders resolve the conflict happening between the two or more employees so that they are more
concerned to complete the task in specific time frame. French raven model and others theories,
ideas can be used to understand the relationship to power, politics and conflict (Raelin and et.al.,
2018). Likewise, Bill gates (Microsoft Company) and Tim cook (CEO of apple) is some of the
successful leaders that have make use of different practice to influence individual and achieve
the desired goals. This essay has presented critical review on leadership practices through
making use of different theories, ideas and concept. It will make use of three concept named as
power, conflict and politics to understand the practices adapted by leader to have talented
employees within the organisation for many years. At last it has also included self analysis in the
end.
ACADEMIC ANALYSIS
Power: It can be defined as power of leader to influence others individuals that are working
within the company or ability to get things the way a particular individual wants to be done.
French raven model can be used to understand the manner in which power is being distributed
within the organisation. Likewise, first on the basis of legitimate power that has been derived
from the set of formal relationship or position. For examples: Tim cook (CEO of apple) has
legitimate power because of its position as CEO of company so all the employees working in
organisation has to follow its order. Coercive power involves forcing someone to do something
against their will by giving the punishment to someone for non compliance. Likewise, leader of
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Apple has make rule that the employees that are underperforming will be penalised if they are
not performing in effective manner. Reward power is another elements in which generally the
leader provide reward and recognition to employees for their hard work and dedication that lead
in making it happy and satisfied (Kremer, Villamor and Aguinis, 2019). For examples: Bill
gates is one of the successful leader of (Microsoft Company) that have always rewarded
employees for their hard work and dedication put to complete the task. Such as, it has given
them huge increment, promotion in financial terms and many other benefits. Informational
power- there are some of the leaders that gained power because they have huge information or
knowledge related to specific field hence people follow them to learn from them. For example:
Jeff Bezos the CEO of Amazon have done B.S. Princeton University, so it have knowledge
pertaining to the business is being managed and operated. Hence its information is being utilised
to take decision related to smooth operation of business in external environment. While the last
power is known as referent power in which the leader gain power as it has been liked by most of
the people for having special characteristics, personality (Nelson, 2019). For examples: Bill
gates have gain power through referent only as many of the individual likes its leadership style as
it encouraged employees to share their views that could be used by firm to stay ahead in
competition.
Politics: In recent scenario, there are various individual at top level promoting or playing politics
within the organisation so that the task or activities are being performed as per their desired. In
another words, it is concept or informal way used by the people to influence the organisation or
the manner in which it works. Negative politics within the work culture adversely influence the
overall performance and productivity of employees to maximum extend. For example: there are
some of the leaders that make discrimination among employees on the basis of caste, culture,
age, gender and other factors while promoting and selecting them within the firm. Hence, it
resulted in making them dissatisfied or not interested to work for benefits of organisation in any
circumstances (Rosenhead and et.al., 2019). On the contrary hand, there are some of the
positive politics that are being played within the firm such as behaviour that individual have to
infelunce others with goals of helping both person playing politics as well as the organisation.
For example: publicizing one's accomplishments and portraying a professional image, all these
contribute in improving the overall performance of employees that are working for the firm so
that it can achieve higher growth. Therefore, in short it can be stated that the positive politics
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may resulted in enhancing overall profitability, interpersonal relationship between the
employees. So, manager of company need to eradicate the negative politics that has been played
by the individual for their respective gains and better outcome of organisation.
Conflicts: Personal and direct are two nature or type of conflict that are being occurred within
the organisation that acts as effective barriers in effective completion of task in desired manner.
Conflict mainly occurs when the thinking or perception of two individual does not match the
desired goals so they started disagree with each other. For example: there is one individual that
thinks company would attract more customers through focusing on improving the quality of
product and services. While, the other person in the firm belief that organisation by emphasising
on reducing the price of products and services can influence customers to be part of the
organisation so that it can earn high profit margin (Learmonth, 2018). So, because of difference
in the thinking and perspective of both the individual, there will be conflict arise in the
organisation. There are number of reason for which conflict can be occurred between the two
individual such as information conflict that is insufficient information is being shared between
the individual that result in issue. Furthermore, there are chance of value conflict as some may
like to work in friendly environment while other wants to have strict, discipline and more formal
environment in which each set of rules are clearly defined. So, their respective values related to
live or do particular task also resulted in conflict with the organisation.
Interest conflict also arise in many of the organisation such as there are many employees
working in Apple so that it is able to delivered timely services to customers for satisfaction of
their wants. Some wants to have more free time, while other focus to have a good salary so the
difference in areas of interest lead in creating conflict and leading hindrance in smooth operation
of business in external environment. For example: In Apple there are many employees that
belong to different caste, culture, professional, though and belied so manager face challenges in
resolving their conflict to maximum extend (Wiltshire, Malhotra and Axelsen, 2018). So they
have different areas of interest pertaining to the manner an specific task will be completed that
lead in delay in completion of work. Poor communication or lack of exchange of information
acts lead in causing conflict as there are many information that are not being exchanged between
employees which lead in confusion and conflict related to the manner a particular task need to be
completed. Hence, the leader through making use of different techniques motivates employees to
enhance their overall performance by overcoming the conflict and key issue.
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Conclusion
From the above report it can be concluded that the aim and objective of the review has
been achieved as theory such as French and raven has helped in learning type of power being
distributed among leaders within the organisation. The way power has negative and positive
impacts on employee’s performance and firm growth in market. Furthermore, the critical review
has helped in learning that there are different type of politics which are being played by top
management or authority that have power to gain competitive advantages from other or influence
other. It was identified the core issue in power is that it should be equally distributed to all to
avoid ineffective utilisation of it, negative politics should also be avoided to have more talented
and qualified employees within the firm (Bradley-Levine, 2018). In addition to this, conflict is
also major issue because it resulted in reducing overall performance and wastage of lot of time of
employees in completing task in desired manner. At last it can be summarised that the
assignment has helped in understanding the theory and the way it is applied to business context
as research has been made related to role of leader in context of power, politics and conflict.
Self-Reflective piece
Self reflective practice is a way of assessing ourselves, the ways of working and the
manner in which we learn and study. Kolb experimental learning reflective cycle is being utilised
to reflect upon my experience pertaining to making of the assessment. Such as Concrete
experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation and active experiment are four
stages of Kolb reflective model that could be used to reflect on my experience in detailed as
follows:
Concrete experience: During the experience of completing critical review on leadership I get to
know about what is leaders, the practice that are being adapted by it to motivate employees and
many more. At the same time, in university or during the academic year, I have learned
communication skill, decision making, researching, team working and others that are useful for
current and future career. The specific area of learning impacted more are I develop the way
information can be researched through making use of different sources such as internet, books
and others.
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Reflective observation: From my previous experience, it can be stated that I have somewhat
qualities pertaining to good leader such as good communication skill that helps in effective
exchange of information. I can manage team, have interpersonal skills and problem solving
ability, all these will helps in effectively resolving key issue face by employees while working in
the organisation. During the experience, I have learn method in which information can be
accumulated and organised, so it helps in improving my academic, research, presentation skills,
along with collaboration (Gardner-McTaggart, 2020). All this will help me in my career as
presentation is required by leader to present information to its team mate, and collaboration is to
motivate them to work in team for desired outcome and many more. Through the module, I get
to know related to the manner to become a ethical leader in future scenario, such as by
transparently sharing all the information, respecting and recognising view of each and every
individual and many more. I can make use of learning support to get better job or promotion in
career as it helps in learning team working skills, problem solving ability and many more
required to complete job.
Abstract conceptualisation: The reflection has helped in learning that I have to improve my
decision making skills so that I could be a greater leader in reputable organisation. As a leaders
have to take several decision for coordinating team member to effectively complete their
respective task in desired manner. Furthermore, I have decided to improve my listening
capabilities, coordination with other team member so that I could be a good leader that has skills
to manage different individual.
Active experiment: After analysis, it has been identified that there are certain skills which I have
to improve being a leader so I have decide to take steps to learn from my superior about the
manner in which they take crucial decision related to any situation (Nelson, 2019). Along with it,
I have plan to make efforts to communicate with more and more people to get insight about
them and find way to motivate them to work in team for achievement of desired goals.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bradley-Levine, J., 2018. Advocacy as a Practice of Critical Teacher Leadership. International
Journal of Teacher Leadership, 9(1). pp.47-62.
Gardner-McTaggart, A. C., 2020. Educational leadership and global crises; reimagining
planetary futures through social practice. International Journal of Leadership in
Education, pp.1-17.
Kremer, H., Villamor, I. and Aguinis, H., 2019. Innovation leadership: Best-practice
recommendations for promoting employee creativity, voice, and knowledge
sharing. Business Horizons, 62(1). pp.65-74.
Learmonth, M., 2018. Book review: leadership-as-practice: theory and application.
Nelson, T., 2019. Exploring leadership-as-practice in the study of rural school leadership.
Raelin, J.A and et.al., 2018. Practicing leadership-as-practice in content and
manner. Leadership, 14(3). pp.371-383.
Raelin, J.A., 2020. Toward a methodology for studying leadership-as-
practice. Leadership, 16(4). pp.480-508.
Rosenhead, J and et.al., 2019. Complexity theory and leadership practice: A review, a critique,
and some recommendations. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(5). p.101304.
Wilkinson, J., 2020. Educational leadership as practice. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of
Education.
Wiltshire, K., Malhotra, A. and Axelsen, M., 2018. Leadership in Practice: Institute For Urban
Indigenous Health. In Transformational Leadership and Not for Profits and Social
Enterprises (pp. 84-91). Routledge.
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