Individual Assignment 2: Online Discussion: Leadership Theories

This individual assignment, presented as an online discussion, explores various aspects of leadership and management. The assignment begins with personal reflections on movie preferences, cultural influences, and psychological factors, setting the stage for understanding individual differenc...Read More

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT 2: ONLINE DISCUSSION

Table of Contents
Week 5.......................................................................................................................................3
Week 6.......................................................................................................................................3
Week 7:......................................................................................................................................5
Week 8.......................................................................................................................................6
Week 10:....................................................................................................................................7
Reference List............................................................................................................................9

Week 5
Recently I have watched the movie "The silence of the lambs" a sequel of "Hannibal". The
fundamental fact which I have liked the most about this movie is that in comparison to the
previous movie in the same series it is less frightening and less disturbing while the storyline
is extraordinary. The film catches the attention of the audience from the very first few
minutes. However, I have recommended watching the movie to a friend of mine, and he did
not like it at all. I can observe that there are a few key differences which play a key role in
developing the pattern of the choices and preferences of people. Initially, the cultural
background from where a person belongs can broadly define what the person will like or
dislike (Thompson, 2018). I have observed that in the movie both of the main characters
experienced childhood trauma and in the case of my friend, he also experienced certain
problems in his childhood. In this context, it can be stated that he was unable to build up the
resilience and could not stand the stories depicted in the movie. Furthermore, the
psychological tensions as depicted in the movie which I found to be most attractive may not
seem to be liked by my friend. This is because he is a person who believes in watching
movies for purely entertainment purpose and according to him movies of this genre do not
entertain him rather scare him. In this case, also there is a fundamental difference in the
context of values and beliefs. On an added notion, it is also essential to mention that the
educational background also plays a crucial role. I always liked the scientific methods of
investigation; apart from not being a student of pure science I always liked the subjects. On
the contrary, my friend is a student of pure literature, and he does not find anything
interesting in the process of investigation and the flow of the movie.

Week 6
Among the top 50 best workplaces in the United Kingdom, The Sovini Group from the
construction and real estate industry acquires the top position in the list. There are several
other new companies as well. For instance, Talk Talk achieved great success in its very first
year of participation in the programme. On the other hand, in Europe, more than 2800
companies participated in the program of best workplace listing. These companies altogether
recruit more than 1.6 million people throughout this region. However, achieving a better rank
in the best workplace listing is not easy. The companies need to work hard and put forward
substantial efforts behind motivating its employees so as to increase the trust and engagement
of the employees. There are a few common methods through which these large and popular
organisations motivate their employees. These can be stated as follows,
The first and foremost technique of motivation for increasing engagement is the top down
communication process (Arnold et al., 2015). The top-down communication process, in turn,
enables the organisations the employees of all the stature informed about the organisational
decisions. Through this, the organisational decisions are communicated from the top
management to the bottom employees. This also asked the employees to contribute their
opinions and which in turn made them feel that they are valuable to the organisation.
These organisations also provide rewards and recognition to the deserving candidates.
Rewards and recognition are extensively effective for increasing the motivation of the
employees for performing better. Through these programmes, it is ensured that whenever an
employee performs beyond expectation, he or she receives certain awards or gifts and that too
in a stage or in front of the other employees, which will make them feel that they are being
recognised.

Week 7:
Q1.
The significant components for the successful teamwork which are being identified by
Hackman are the small groups having regular team members. This will assist all the members
of the team in understanding their team members as well as adjudged their strength as well as
weaknesses. This will also help in to save more time for various works like identifying the
errors and making the team prepared for the new task. The other essential element identified
by Hackman is the presence of strong leaders having strong character. The leader must have
the capability of motivating the team members and finish the task within the prescribed
deadline of the clients. Thus these elements are highly required for successful teamwork as
the small team will help in maintaining the team’s integration, and the good leader will
ensure that the task is done in an appropriate within the prescribed time frame.
Q2.
Another significant condition that is required for an effective team is the existence of an
appropriately qualified assessment where each team member will have the scope of assessing
as well as providing their feedback to their team members. This will help the team members
of having an excellent view of their pros and cons and groom them according to that. The
feedback will also help in reducing any sorts of conflicts in the future as the team members
will have the scope of knowing the area for improvement.
Q3.
The step that I will implement is I should gain the knowledge of my team member’s strength
and the weak points as well as I also require in understanding them in the best possible way.
This will help me in allocating them the appropriate tasks that will decrease the potential

problems as well as make the factor of feel-good will also prevail among the employees
which will also enhance their job satisfaction. The pros and cons of the employees should be
known to me as a leader as it will help me in improving the employee’s weak points and
reduce the potential problems regarding the completion of the job.
Week 8
Trait theory is often characterised as a virtue theory of leadership which states that by virtue a
leader must possess a few traits. These traits are inborn they can take control of every
situation and guide people through any situation (Amanchukwu, Stanley and Ololube, 2015).
On the other hand, the behaviour theories nullify approaches of inborn potential. According
to behaviour theories leaders are never born they must be trained. Hence it can be stated that
as per this theory of leadership skills can be taught and developed.
There are various similarities and differences between these two types of leadership theories.
Behaviourism is more like a democratic theory. The behaviourist theorists state that
leadership is just a matter of proper training while as per the trait theory leaders must possess
certain traits inherently.
As per the theoretical framework, the behaviour theory of leadership is more consistent and
valid while the trait theory is not that much consistent.
It is a matter of the fact that effective leaders are less likely to come across organisations.
They are either recruited by the organisations or are developed through internal training.
Three major factors which are considered by the organisations while selecting the leaders.
These three skills are communication, adaptability and the capacity of relationship building.
The effective leaders should possess effective communication skills which mean that they
should be able to instruct and listen simultaneously (Anderson and Sun, 2017). Adapting to

the workplace environment determines the effectiveness of a leader. Furthermore, the leaders
should always strive to develop personal relationships with the other members of the team.
Organisations should always look for these three basic skills, and if the organisations found
that these skills are present in the individuals, they should select the employees. Further, in
order to develop effective leadership, the organisations should also render effective training
and development programmes as well.
Week 10:
Q1.
The sufficient discussion regarding the content issues within the group could be ensured by
me through fostering the working environment which is quite amicable. The positive outlook
of the employees on their job as well as on colleagues will help them to address the
controversial issues. The pleasant environment within the working place reduces the
maximum amount of tension as well as help to address the difficult problems. Managers have
the ability to bring the unspoken conflicts in front of the employees without making the
conflicts worse by implementing the open door policy with the employees. It is considered as
helpful when the employees are being invited for open discussion. It is also important to
conduct meetings with the employees on a regular basis for mitigating their issues. Thus the
conflicts are needed to be solved before it becomes worse and decrease the organisational
productivity.
Q2.
Negotiation has the power of utilising the strategies of conflict management as it achieves
numerous alternatives. Negotiation brings both of the parties in an open discussion and makes
both the parties to compromise so that the appropriate solution is being achieved. The
outcome of the negotiation is a win-to-win situation. Thus the concept of negotiation has the

capability of settling the conflicts as it improves the counter-productive communication at the
time of dealing with the significant issues. Negotiation also establishes goal which helps in
conflict resolution by providing the situation with the required structure as well as direction.
Q3.
I have confronted a situation where silence has worsened the conflict situation. I had not
provided any opinion nor have I raised my voice at a significant meeting in the Student
Government Association. Therefore, the meeting was quite unsuccessful as the other party
also followed the same suit and remain quiet. However, if I had raised my voices, then there
could have been a better solution, and the problem could have been mitigated. If raising the
voice was being encouraged and supported then the outcome could have been different and
the conflict could have been settled.

Reference List
Amanchukwu, R.N., Stanley, G.J. and Ololube, N.P., 2015. A review of leadership theories,
principles and styles and their relevance to educational management. Management, 5(1),
pp.6-14.
Anderson, M.H. and Sun, P.Y., 2017. Reviewing leadership styles: Overlaps and the need for
a new ‘full‐range’theory. International Journal of Management Reviews, 19(1), pp.76-96.
Arnold, K.A., Connelly, C.E., Walsh, M.M. and Martin Ginis, K.A., 2015. Leadership styles,
emotion regulation, and burnout. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 20(4), p.481.
Thompson, M., 2018. Cultural theory. Routledge.