Comprehensive Analysis of Leadership and Management Styles

This essay delves into various leadership and management styles, comparing and contrasting approaches such as democratic, autocratic, and laissez-faire leadership. It examines how leadership styles influence employee motivation and organizational success, highlighting the roles of strategic and transformational leadership. The essay also discusses different management styles including visionary, transformational, coaching, and democratic styles, as well as the difference between leaders and managers, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and understanding of internal and external business environments. The essay explores community management, focusing on attracting and retaining members, and the role of community ambassadors. It underscores the importance of setting up a successful ambassador program and establishing a proper onboarding process. The document provides a comprehensive overview of leadership and management, offering valuable insights for effective organizational leadership.

Running head: LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLES
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLES
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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLES
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLES
Leading organization could be compared with conducting orchestra. Leader directs
orchestra’s various parts, indicating how and when they need to play. Leadership styles
reflect any one of following approaches for motivating and directing people: democratic,
laissez-faire and autocratic. In democratic style, the managers seek input generally from
subordinates when retaining for making final decisions. In autocratic style, the managers take
decisions from subordinates without soliciting the input. They practice authority and also
expect subordinates for taking responsibility to perform required tasks having no undue
explanation. In style of laissez-faire, approach of “hands-off” is adopted by the managers and
provide little direction for the subordinates. They might advise employees, however give
them usually considerable freedom for making decisions and for solving problems (Du, et.
al., 2013). At initial glance, the employee would not like in working for autocratic leader, as
the employee do not like to be said what should be done without having input. Hence, the
idea to work for democratic leader is much better as the input could be asked. However,
working in environment of laissez-faire, they might seem little unsettling in the beginning,
the opportunity for making their own decisions could be appealing.
Leadership style is approach for providing direction, motivating people and
implementing the plans. As employees see, this consists of overall pattern of implicit as well
as explicit actions that are performed by the leaders. Leadership’s several different styles as
expressed by the leaders in business, political and all other fields (Sethuraman & Suresh,
2014). Leadership style’s studies are conducted within military field, thus expressing
approach which stresses leadership’s holistic view, which includes how physical presence of
a leader determines how the leader perceives all others. This physical presence’s factors
within this context consists of military bearing, resilience, confidence and physical fitness.
Intellectual capacity of a leader helps in conceptualizing solution and in acquiring knowledge
for doing the work. Leader’s conceptual abilities apply judgement, interpersonal tact,
innovation, domain knowledge and agility (Giltinane, 2013). Technical and tactical
knowledge along with geopolitical and cultural awareness are encompassed by domain
knowledge. There exists several leadership styles which could be useful.
Democratic leadership is something where leader takes decision depending on every
team member’s input. However they take final call, where every employee have equal say
over direction of a project. It is a quite effective style of leadership as it allows employees of
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lower-level in exercising the authority they would require for using wisely for positions in
future they could hold. This resembles also how the decisions could be made within meetings
of company board. The autocratic leadership is a democratic leadership’s inverse
(Nanjundeswaraswamy & Swamy, 2014). Within this style of leadership, the decisions are
taken by the leader without fetching input. Employees are not consulted and considered prior
to the direction and could expect to adhere in decision at pace and time stipulated by leader.
Leadership style of laissez-faire could empower the employees through trusting them for
working in the way they like, it could limit the development and could overlook crucial
growth opportunities of the organization. Therefore, it is essential that this style of leadership
should be kept in check. Strategic leaders sit in interaction among growth opportunities and
major operations of the organization. The leaders accept executive interests’ burden while
making sure that current conditions of work should be stable for everybody. It is desirable
style of leadership within several organizations as several kind of employees are supported by
strategic thinking (Saeed, et. al., 2014). Transformational leadership is improving and
transforming upon conventions of the organization. Employees should have basic set for
goals and task which they should complete each month or week, however leader is pushing
them constantly outside the comfort zone.
Management includes organizing, planning and prioritizing work efforts for
accomplishing objectives in business organization. Style of management is a particular way
where the managers try to accomplish the objectives. This encompasses way in which
decisions are made by them, how the plan is made, how the work is organised and how the
authority is exercised by them. Management styles changes in every organization, for each
person and their management level (Anjum, Karim & Bibi, 2014). A manager is considered
good if he could adjust the management style for adjusting different employees and
environments. Management style of individual could be shaped by many different factors
which includes internal and external business environments. Internal factors determine the
style of management, however not limited to corporate culture, priorities and policies, skill
levels of staff, management structures and staff motivation. For being effective, outlook and
style of manager should fit into organizational culture of the business. External factors which
effect the management styles are not in control of the organization. External factors consists
of, however not limited to competitors, suppliers, law, economy and consumers.
When considering success of career, tangible qualities come in mind, like type of
salary and work. However, one critical factor for success is style of management, both in how
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to be managed and how to manage people. Effective managers could improve morale of
employee and productivity and could reduce turnover. There are four types of management
styles: visionary, transformational, coaching and democratic (Chan, Sit & Lau, 2014).
Direction and purpose is communicated by visionary manager which the employees trust in
that convinces the team in working hard for executing the objectives. After setting
overarching strategy and vision of the team, visionary managers allow the employees in
working within own terms, however must be productive. Managers would check the team for
making sure everyone is on right track. Transformational managers should be innovators. The
managers believe growth and change is on way for staying ahead of the curve, hence they
could push the employees past the comfort zone, thus realizing them for raising bar and
leading in improved performance of the team. Just like sports coach, the professional
development of the employees is improved by coaching manager. They have passion to teach
and watch the employees grow. They are willing in dealing with failures of the employees, as
long better results could be achieved (Kocher, Pogrebna & Sutter, 2013). The employees are
motivated by the coaching managers with opportunities of professional development.
Majority rules within democratic management. Managers let employees take part in process
of decision making, as they value the ideas of their employees. All decisions are approved by
the democratic managers, as employees are being involved within decision making’s process.
The words “manager” and “leader” are most used words within business and used
interchangeably. The manager is the organization’s member having responsibility to carry out
management’s leadership responsibilities that include motivation, communication,
encouraging employees in rising to higher productivity level and providing guidance and
inspiration (Morden, 2017). Unfortunately, not every manager is a leader. The managerial
duties are job description’s formal part. Primary difference among leadership and
management is leaders do not occupy or hold managerial position. Leader do not need to be
authority figure within an organization, leader could be anyone. The leaders are followed for
their behaviour, beliefs and personality. Leader invests personally in projects and tasks and
demonstrate work’s high passion level. Leaders show great interest for followers’ success and
enables them in reaching their objectives, which are not organizational goals necessarily
(Yahaya & Ebrahim, 2016). There is no tangible or formal power which is possessed by a
leader over followers. The leader is given temporary power and could be conditional
depending on leader’s ability for continually inspiring and motivating the followers.
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Being leader and manager at same point of time could be viable concept. However,
just because one is a phenomenal leader, do not make sure that he would be an exceptional
manager also. A leader invents, however manager organises. The team leader provides new
ideas. He kick starts transition of an organization to a phase of forward thinking. The leader
has eyes set over horizon, develops new strategies and techniques for organization (Aqqad,
et. al., 2019). Leader possesses immense knowledge about advancements, skillsets and
current trends and possesses clarity of vision and purpose. By contrast, the manager
maintains what is there already. Manager should watch bottom line in controlling workflow
and employees within an organization and prevents any type of chaos. Leader pushes the
employee in doing their best and also have idea to set ideal tempo and pace for other
members of group, whereas managers are needed depending on their description of job for
establishing control over the employees and helps them in developing their assets for
bringing out best performance (Clarke, 2013). Hence, managers should understand the
subordinates also for doing effectively their job.
Being community manager is not easy always. Manager manages several
responsibilities constantly and it could be tough managing all the tasks. Also, community
management could not only be challenging, however, it is still new practice relatively within
the organizations. Members of community are transient. Few stay unless their goals are
fulfilled, others just leave and again join in different groups. Thus, encouraging the new
membership could be vital tool to keep community alive. Community metrics could be used
for keeping track of behaviour of new user (Thorpe, 2016). If there are members leaving, few
ways are there for attracting new users. Online networking could be used. Events and news
could be shared about the community on platforms and groups of social media. Community
ambassadors could be used. The ambassadors could drive the new members in the platform
of community. Cross promotion could be done with all other communities. Awareness could
be raised and new members could be attracted by joining groups with similar interest or
attending meetups. It looks like the job of community member is not done always. It does not
matter what day in the week or what time it is, something is there always to do.
The ambassadors of the community could be used. They have risen probably to
surface as most active members of community. Steps should be taken for setting up a
successful ambassador program. The ambassadors should be found and gathered. Most active
members should be reached out with personal request for becoming ambassador. If there is
newer community, call of volunteers could be issued. On boarding process should be set up
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(Gopee & Galloway, 2017). An offline or online meetup should be set up for explaining
guidelines, generating excitement and gathering ideas. The community ambassadors should
be made easy to find. New onboarding members is time exhausting and most crucial
responsibilities of community manager. Though no hack is there for completely replacing
this. Proper set for onboarding process and community guidelines could do a lot for the
community members. Sending messages to new users on the profile should be considered.
Effort and time could be saved by community guidelines by informing the users about
interaction among each other (Schoar & Zuo, 2017). They could be shared within welcome
mail and would help smooth onboarding process. Regular contact should be kept with every
new members of the community. Community updates, webinars and videos related to
community could be sent to the new members of the community. Ongoing interaction would
help the users in becoming more comfortable within the community.
Approach of leadership skills regards abilities as well as knowledge which the leader
possesses. Leader could learn certain skills and could turn into remarkable one. An approach
is there for creating structure for leadership process and for conceptualizing around skills.
This approach describes leadership with regards to skills and thus makes leadership present to
all. This approach provides leadership’s expansive view which incorporates wide range of
components and structure consistent having education programs on leadership. Every style of
management is not easy, however all have similar goal that is achieving the objectives of the
organization (Bush, 2018). Managers need to use style which suits them best and for the
organization, style which makes them much more efficient. While combining style which
works along with the SMART goals instead of not the organization could be successful to
meet the long term objectives. One could be better leader through deconstructing leadership
skills in component parts and show that the leadership skills could be developed and polished
for improving the behaviour and abilities of leadership. One could be perceived as effective
leader having capability to deploy skills’ armoury which enable in commanding authority and
respect. Combination of such individual skills could be powerful.
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