A Contemporary Challenge of Leadership: Lao Brewery Company Analysis

This report delves into the contemporary challenges of leadership, using Lao Brewery as a case study. It examines the impact of technological advancements and the importance of ethical dimensions in leadership, including commitment, integrity, and relationships. The report also explores the application of Path-Goal theory and provides insights into learning goals through SMART objectives. Furthermore, it discusses practical leadership practices for conflict management, such as right timing, respecting differences, and confronting tension, along with strategies for overcoming the challenges of technological advancements. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and emphasizing the importance of ethical leadership in navigating the complexities of the modern business environment. The report is a valuable resource for students studying leadership and management, providing a comprehensive overview of the challenges and solutions in a real-world context.

A contemporary challenge of
leadership

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK ..............................................................................................................................................1
1) Contemporary challenge of leadership...................................................................................1
2) Ethical dimensions for leadership ..........................................................................................2
3) Learning goal .........................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFRENCES...................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Leadership is the way a person guide, direct and encourage the individual towards the
achievement of the objective in a situation. Leadership is the potential of a manager to motivate
the workforce to work with determination and enthusiasm and is an important function of
directing which is a management function. This report shows the contemporary challenges of
leadership. Faced by Lao Brewery company. It is a alcoholic beverage company founded in
1971 by Lao government and sells beer (Ladegaard, 2012).
TASK
Contemporary challenge of leadership
A leader is someone who makes difficult choices but there are challenges faced by a
leader within the organisation.
Technological Advancements
The main advantage to give competition in the market is to understand the use of
upcoming technologies. But nowadays many leaders find it difficult to adjust with the
technological advancements . It is necessary for a leader to stand out of a curve and use the new
technologies as an advantage to the company. In Lao Brewery Company, the employees are not
literate enough to understand the use of technological advancement within the organisation
which led to decline in their productivity in the market.
This challenge is related to Path goal theory in Western Leadership Approach. In this
theory the leader makes sure that their subordinates work efficiently and effectively to achieve
their targets or organisational goals. They motivate and boost the morale of the employees So it
is important for the leaders to understand the behaviour of the employees and characteristics that
will help them to achieve the organisational goals and to help them to improve the performance
of the employees as well as the organisation and learn the use of the advancements coming in the
technologies. This theory also states that the behaviour of the leaders towards their subordinates
will help them to know the effectiveness of the leader and their personality and trait will also
contribute to their effectiveness. This is the main reason for considering the leadership as the
central part of management and organisational behaviour literature for several decades. This
theory also states that the leaders had an important influence and on those around them (Arthur,
and Tomsett, 2015).
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Ethical dimensions for leadership
The leader with effective challenge analyses that determining and maintaining ethical
standards also need the required behaviour and these challenges are the challenges which are met
with the daily operations of the organisation. Ethical leadership is the part of the leadership
which leads to respect for beliefs and values which are related to ethics of the business. It
involves concepts such as trust, fairness and many more. If leaders will use ethical dimensions
in implementing the advancements of technology, they will learn the use of new technologies
and will adapt themselves to the technologies coming in dynamic environment. Usually some
situations will give more unique and complex implications (Mellalieu and Hanton, 2015). The
Ethical dimensions for leadership are:
Commitment: Commitment is the most important ethical principle behind leadership.
Commitment means a word of well being and improvement of the organisation. This is often
observed as frigid and isolated, because the profits and enhancement of the business can stand
out as a personal emotional requirement of the person. But to neglect conflicts, the leader must
be committed according to the potential to keep the business practices as the foremost and first
priority of the person. This avoids the complexities arising from the conflicts of interests, doing
favours to others and clashing of egos. By putting the business on the first and foremost priority
is an impressive way to be fair and unbiased with the other subordinates which will also lead to
maximizing the success.
Integrity: It is the main root of being fair in the decisions and this can be an advantage
for the organisation in the longer duration when it is implemented in critical situations. Integrity
refers to being loyal, trustworthy and honest with the people within the organisation and by
sticking to words and keeping adherence with the commitment which one does. This also
involves that if a person wants someone to leave the organisation than he should let the person
go without doing harm to that individual and reveal the bad news immediately rather than being
delayed in delivering the information which will lead to collapse of funding. Leading with
integrity means that the actions should match with words of an individual and the person should
be adhere to the commitment he does (Coulson-Thomas, 2017).
Relationships: The main motive of the organisation is to earn profits and do the work of
the individual better and faster. Ethical leadership sates that the person should build, cultivate
and maintain the relationship with the staff members of the organisation because developing
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healthy and good relationship bond with the employees will create an example for rest of the
subordinates with the workplace. If the person will concentrate on the requirements of the
employees it will influence loyalty and commitment among the employees and no one can give a
substitute to the working environment which is open, enthusiastic and caring and by this
employee will feel that they are the part of the organisation which will lead to increase in the
productivity and profits of the company (Duan, 2017).
Perspective: Every organisation wants their business to earn profit and maximise it but
earning profits are not the only reason for the organisation to sustain in the competitive world.
This kind of perception can also have the adverse effect on the organisation . Ethical leaders are
those who make an important decision after considering the thoughts and changes for the third
parties. They should not implement the decision by self perspective and considering with those
who are not even the part of the company or are not directly linked or involved with the
company. Decisions taken must be supported by all the employees within the organisation which
will help them to be recognised and obeyed by the subordinates and will benefit the firm in the
long run by providing it with success and will also increase the productivity and profits of the
firm.
3) Learning goal
The Learning goal is treated as the backbone of a lesson which gives the reasons for
teaching and observing of the lesson. It will help the person to remain focus on their
achievement of the objectives and analysed the outcome they will get from the given tasks.
Learning goals can made by using SMART goals and objectives. Individuals employees,
managers and entrepreneurs adopts the SMART goals and objectives (Molvik and Nielsen,
Kwanner, 2018). The main advantage of the SMART objectives is that they are easy to
understand and analyse when it is to be done. These SMART goals can be elaborated as:
S: Specific: To improve the conflict management skills of management within the
organisation.
M: Measurable: By being fair and unbiased
A: Achievable: To the parties involved in the conflicts
R: Relevant: daily
T: Time bound: for next one year.
The leadership practices used for handling conflict management:
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Right Timing: There are unnecessary conflicts within the organisation. Timing plays an
important role when it comes to resolving the conflicts and the right time for resolving is when
there is proof of doing wrong which will eventually affect the performance of others. Leadership
is about taking actions and resolving the issues without delaying it.
Know the boundaries: Conflict can be more complicated and could be manage properly
if the leaders does not know the boundaries of the employees of the organisation. Everyone has a
different perspectives towards handling the conflicts and they must be aware about the risks and
rewards of resolving the conflicts within the boundaries of each workforce within the
organisation. A leader should also help others when they try to cross their boundaries and this
can be done through careful observations and determining the behaviour tendencies of the
employees or monitoring a lack of self awareness (Bertram, Cdibie & Dibie 2014).
Respect differences: Rather than imposing the rank within the organisation. It is the
priority of the leader to respect the differences in people and learn to understand the perspectives
of others too because it makes easy for the leader to handle the conflict easily or to resolve it.
Respecting the differences of the employees will also help in resolving the general conflicts
easily and assume that every workforce has its unique chance for professional growth and
development .
Confront the tension: Leadership allows the person to do things which other people are
not allowed to do. Conflict can lead to an emotional state of mind of the people and can be
stressful for the employees. Under such circumstances we need to face the situation and try to
resolve the conflicts and should not run away from the situation . Conflict resolution refers to
seeing the different perceptive of resolving the problems which others cannot see (Mika and
O'Sullivan 2014).
Plan for overcoming issue of technological advancement
Step 1:Identifying current loopholes: A technological advancement should be used in an
organisation after determining its needs and analyse inefficient working of organisation and
reasons for it. If it is due to technology than technologies are being found out.
Step2:Select the right technologies: The next step after implementing new technology is
to find the appropriate technology which is needed to be use to resolve problem.
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Step3: Involve Employees: If employees are being involved in implementation of
advancements of technologies than they will be more open to the ideologies of IT system and
can give suggestions for their usage.
Step 4 Early Acceptance: The employees give ideas of implementing technology in a
starting stage only before bringing advancement of technology in workplace.
CONCLUSION
The above report is about the contemporary challenge for leadership. It also shows the
western critical theory approach of leadership and ethical dimensions for leader for handling
conflict within the organisation. At last it shows the implementation of SMART objectives and
leadership practices to address conflict management issue within the organisation.
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REFRENCES
Books and Journals
Ladegaard, H. J. (2012). Rudeness as a discursive strategy in leadership discourse: Culture,
power and gender in a Hong Kong workplace. Journal of Pragmatics. 44(12). 1661-
1679.
Arthur, C. A., & Tomsett, P. (2015). Transformational leadership behaviour in sport.
Contemporary advances in sport psychology: A review, 175-201.
Mellalieu, S., & Hanton, S. (2015). Transformational leadership behaviour in sport CA LUM A.
AR THUR A ND PETER TOM SETT. In Contemporary Advances in Sport Psychology
(pp. 201-227). Routledge.
Coulson-Thomas, C. (2017). Addressing the Productivity Challenge and Ensuring a Future for
Management Services.
Duan, H. (2017). A Narrative Inquiry of Women Pastors in Contemporary Protestant Churches
in W Province of Mainland China (Doctoral dissertation, Johnson University).
Molvik, E., & Nielsen, J. K. Developmental Challenges in China.
Bertram, C. Institute for Strategic Studies Studies in International Security.
Wanner, C. (2018). Public religions after socialism: redefining norms of difference. Religion,
State & Society. 46(2). 88-95.
Dibie, R., & Dibie, J. (2014). The Dichotomy of Capacity Building and Unemployment in
Ethiopia. Africa’s Public Service Delivery & Performance Review. 2(3). 25-76.
Mika, J. P., & O'Sullivan, J. G. (2014). A Māori approach to management: Contrasting
traditional and modern Māori management practices in Aotearoa New Zealand. Journal
of Management & Organization. 20(5) 648-670.
Online
Leadership. 2018. [Online]. Available Through.
<https://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/leadership.asp>.
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