Analysis of Leadership and Management Styles: A Comparative Study

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Leadership and Management
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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................2
LO: 1- Overview of management....................................................................................................2
P1: Define and compare the different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager............2
Role and Characteristics of a Leader:..........................................................................................2
Role and characteristics of a manager:............................................................................................3
M1: Analyzing and differentiating between the role of a leader and function of a manager by
effectively applying a range of theories and concepts.....................................................................3
Nature and Nurture: According to the theory of Nature and Nurture..........................................4
LO2: the role of a leader and function of a manager in given situation..........................................5
P2: Role of leader or manager in different situational context........................................................5
P3: Theories and approaches of situational, system and contingency leadership: chaos theory and
management by objectives...............................................................................................................5
M3: Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Different Approaches Discussed:....................................6
-D1: Analysis And Evaluation Of Theories Applied:......................................................................7
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................8
References:......................................................................................................................................9
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Introduction:
Leadership and management are two synonymous expressions. It is necessary to understand that
effective management leadership is very important. As it is an important constituent of
management, significant leadership behavior emphasizes on building an environment for every
employee where they can excel and develop. The potential to influence and drive a group to
accomplish a specific goal is leadership and to control or instruct the group to achieve the aim by
following some set of rules and regulations of an organization is called management. It cannot be
said that a leader would, and 5the followers would follow. The relationship between a leader,
management and the followers are more of a complex equation. Leadership and management
often go hand-in-hand as there is a continuous adjustment in directing and controlling the
resources for the achievement of directions.
A manager of a business has to carry out several duties like planning or organizing people and
assets of the organization and controlling services or operations. The manager also has to set and
monitor the budget of the business. The most important purpose of a manager is to maximize the
output of the organization by proper management. However, to grow or excel in business,
leadership is a crucial component as a leader sets direction, inspires and guides others to achieve
the goals of the organization. The leader looks for new possibilities so that it is beneficial for the
organization.
In the following research, the impact of leadership or management for the growth of the
enterprise is studied.
LO: 1- Overview of management
Coordinating and organizing several activities of an organization is called management. It leads
and controls the resources of the organization for a better outcome.
The theory of classic management in the business believes a worker only has a financial and
physical need. It doesn’t consider job satisfaction or social need, but advocates specialized labor,
concentrates on leadership and decision making and the maximization of profit.
P1: Define and compare the different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager.
Role and Characteristics of a Leader:
Leadership is an important role in an organization and is given to people who can lead. A leader
is a person who motivates the team or people working under him to achieve a set of goal for the
organization. A leader maximizes the effort of a group for achieving a better outcome. A leader
has to communicate with the followers in a given situation or an environment to attain a mutual
goal which influences the relationship of a leader and his followers. A leader constantly needs to
motivate the people around so that they can come up with a new solution to the existing or given
problems. This also helps in the development of the workers and the organization itself.
Leaders are not born but are made through practical experiences, skills, and knowledge. The
beliefs, values, ethics, and character of a leader make him unique in his approach and influence.
Leaders open a new perspective to a person or a group, guiding throughout (Pardey, 2016).
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Leadership is a personal quality which can only exist with the followers. The leader needs to be
alert to the situation and must possess a decision making power. He should always take sound
and just decisions. A leader must be enthusiastic and know how to earn respect without showing
his seniority. Leadership demands creativity, imagination, and perseverance. The leader sets a
clear vision for his organization and employees.
Role and characteristics of a manager:
A manager plans to organize the people of the enterprise, controls and organize the service
through proper management. A manager is directly involved in serving the customer and their
needs. A manager is entrusted with the qualities of leadership to control and look after the
employees or group under an organization. A manager’s contributions are reflected through his
ability to lead and look after business operations, manage stress and effectively communicate
with the other employees by following the principles and values of an organization (Aga,
Noorderhaven and Vallejo, 2016).
A leader has followers whereas managers have people who work for them. A manager also acts
as a link between the senior authorities or CEO and the employees. A manager is responsible to
maintain the working environment and deal with the issues that arise in the organization.
Managers can be one or many depending upon the function of a department. A manager set goals
employ staff, monitors, motivates and provides training to the employees. He evaluates the
works of the employee to motivate further. A manager must possess good communication skills
to communicate with the clients, customers and employees. A manger needs to plan every step
and has the problem-solving ability to solve the issues arising in the organization. A manager
needs to identify the weakness and strength of the person and employ accordingly. The manager
has the4 sole responsibility to control or direct the employees for the company benefit.
The five main functions of management are:
 planning and deciding the actions or alternatives that need to be chosen or taken
 Organizing the steps of action or a group to carry out activity by allocating the resources.
 employing staffs according to their abilities
 instructing, guiding and supervising the subordinates
 controlling and coordinating
M1: Analyzing and differentiating between the role of a leader and function of a manager
by effectively applying a range of theories and concepts
Managers Leaders
Managers set the target and are administrative. Leaders carry out the targets set by the
managers and are innovative.
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The manager put across the policies and values of
an organization
Leaders convey the policies to the fellow
employees and influence them to work
accordingly (Noe et al., 2017).
A manager has a short term view A leader thinks for a long term benefit
The manager plays a major role in planning and
organizing the enterprise
A leader’s most important role is to influence
and motivate the employees to reach a specific
goal
Manager provides ideas for the organization’s
benefit
Leaders implement the ideas for the
organization’s benefit.
Nature and Nurture: According to the theory of Nature and Nurture no leader is born.
Leadership abilities develop with proper training and learning skills. Leaders develop critical
thinking through their intellect and emphasize on solving the problem. For leadership abilities, a
person must be self-confident, honest, patient, innovative, active and must possess a good
communication skill. These natural skills are nurtured through training and experiences so that
they can practically apply them in a given situation. These natural traits make a leader distinct
from a non-leader.
There are several styles of leadership that a leader applies. Leadership can be
 Autocratic or Authoritarian Leadership: in an autocratic leadership the leader has the
authority to make decisions without consulting the employees. It casts a negative effect
on the employees as it creates terror among the employees and involves punishment. It
can likely frustrate the employees in the enterprise and may cause retardation in the
growth of an organization. In the modern business, autocratic leadership approach
doesn’t work.
 Democratic or Participative Leadership: democratic leadership is howin which a
leader consults its subordinates about their opinions in planning and policy-making and
encourages their participation in decision making. This procedure encourages the
employees to think and also make them feel important.
 The Laissez-Faire or Free-Rein Leadership: in this style, the leaders completely leave
the decision making on his subordinates allowing them to find a solution to a problem on
their own. By this way, the maximum solution can be achieved. However, as no control is
exercised in the group, with this style the organization might stagger (Nhema, 2015)
.
 Paternalistic Leadership: this leadership style is more likely the father and children
relationship. In the organization, the leader here guides and protects his subordinates and
provides them with a good working environment and facilities. The matured employees
might not like this style of approach as instead of appreciation; it might generate hostility.
The style of leadership that has been followed the enterprise is democratic or participative
leadership as it follows an ‘ open door’ theory where a subordinate can always talk to the
senior managers if they face any problem. This way, a healthy relationship is maintained in
the organization, and the employees feel valued.
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D1: Analysis And Evaluation Of Theories Applied:
In the given context of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the leadership theory that is appropriate for the
company is democratic or participative leadership theory as the company uses an ‘open-door’
policy for its entire staff (Thorpe, 2016). This exercise of the democratic leadership in the
company y helps to main a good working environment and encourages the employees to
participate in decision making. They can communicate with senior management whenever they
face any problem regarding their work. The enterprise gives high value to team work. Team
work helps all the member of the group to implement their skills and knowledge while dealing
with a situation. This gives a better outcome and helps in the development of the company.
LO2: the role of a leader and function of a manager in a given situation
P2: Role of leader or manager in the different situational context
Situational leadership: situational leadership is flexible as it adapts the need of the organization
along with its working environment. Depending upon the situation a leader or manager must
move from one leadership or management style to the appropriate in context to a situation. The
action also depends on hard and soft skills. The main aspect of situational leadership is to modify
the process that suits the current requirement of the organization (Bendell and Little, 2015).
Hard and soft skill powers of a leader or manager determine the way of his action in a different
situation. Hard skills are the techniques or abilities that the leader or manager learns through his
experience on the job or from training. Soft skill, on the other hand, is the skills that a person
posses. Soft skills determine how a person would act or interact in a given situation. A person
might have learned several things, but, how he applies them shows his ability.
Both the hard skills and the soft skills of the person would determine how he deals with the
situation that has arisen and what action would be taken in that situational context (Gopee and
Galloway, 2017).
P3: Theories and approaches of situational, system and contingency leadership: chaos
theory and management by objectives.
Situational leadership theory: it was developed by Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hershey. This
theory suggests that a leader or a manager must adjust to the style of application to fit in the
development level of the employees he is trying to influence. It is the duty of the leader or the
manager to change the styles of application if it doesn’t suit the workers. The workers, here are
not guilty if they fail to adapt the style of the leader. The leader here has to change his style of
instruction with the changing need of the organization based on a given situation.
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Contingency leadership: contingency leadership theory dwells more upon the fact that the
effectiveness of the leadership is completely dependent upon matching the style of leadership
based o0n the situation. It can be defined by the relation between the leader and members,
structure of the tasks and authoritative power of the leader it is often used as the risk
management plan for the situation that may arise but cannot be predicted with surety.
System leadership: system leadership whereas allows the leaders to create situations where
every worker would work according to their potential. This theory uses the basic human behavior
principles to create a framework for good leadership, system design, company strategy and social
process. It helps to calculate the workers’ behavior beforehand so that it builds an effective
system to get a productive outcome which is needed for the organization (Renz, 2016).
Chaos theory and management by objectives: a management theory deals with the objective
that explains how the managers can utilize the resources of the companies to its best. Resources
of the company can include raw materials, processes and the people associated with
accomplishing the goals of an organization. However, the scientific theory of chaos deals with
the unpredictability of a system. It states that sometimes the system exhibits chaos where it
generates energy but in no proper direction. It suggests that even in a predictable situation,
randomness is the primary factor in the outcome. The MOB encourages the participation of the
employees and promotes commitment, but in chaos theory, it would be more accurate to think
that randomness is the outcome of the complex system and its interactions (McCaffery, 2018).
M3: Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Different Approaches Discussed:
 Situational Leadership:
Advantages Disadvantages
Creates a comfortable working environment
by acknowledging the need for flexibility
Focuses on short term needs
Increases the awareness of a leader and enable
better team work
Can create confusion within the organization
and can be challenging to identify the maturity
of employees
Promotes training Ineffective in a task-oriented working situation
 Contingency Leadership
Advantages Disadvantages
Recognizes unique circumstances though in a
general way
To get an applicative value, the theory has
been utilized in a grossly generalized manner.
It focuses on a particular characteristic of a
leader led situation needing intense focus
The reality of the leader-led situation may not
be properly grasped since the theory is purely
subjective (Amanchukwu, Stanley. and Ololube,
2015).
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 System Leadership
Advantages Disadvantages
The adaptability of the organization to
environmental changes is augmented by
studying the organization as a whole.
There is a delay in decision making due to a
tendency of becoming impractical in approach.
Both the individual and the overall target of the
organization are focused upon.
A specific style of functioning of the
organization or other contingencies is ignored
in this model.
 Chaos Theory
Advantages Disadvantages
It helps to look at the bigger picture and
determine whether other variables are affecting
the outcome or not.
Difficulty in assessing the root cause of the
outcome can be faced due to other factors
beyond control might be in action.
 Management By Objectives:
Advantages Disadvantages
Utilizes the company and its resources in the
best possible way so that the goal of the
company is accomplished
Consumes a lot of time and also can lack and
limited application
-D1: Analysis And Evaluation Of Theories Applied:
In the given context, situational leadership, system leadership and manage by objectives can turn
helpful. Situational leadership can promote team work and provide learning skills to the
employees. Situational leadership might not work in a task-oriented environment, but for that
system, leadership can be applied as in it a situation is created for the workers where they would
work according to their abilities. In system management, the organization and the employees are
in the main focus (Hallinger and Wang, 2015). Management by Objectives, on the other hand,
can be beneficial as it gives results based on the performance of the employees. This would keep
a record where they can be provided with more training to enhance their hard and soft skills. It
gives a better sense of identification and utilizes the human resource of the company to the
fullest.
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Conclusion:
From the above study, a clear idea can be derived from how the leaders and the management or
managers influence an organization. The organization is much more a complex structure. To
utilize all the resources of a company, to give instructions, be innovation, all are not that easy. It
takes a lot of self-confidence, leadership ability and patience to organize and plan for the better
outcome of the company through the employees. A leader or manager must make the employees
feel valued so that they participate more in the process of skill development and decision
making. This would enhance their working ability and excel in their performance. This in return
would be beneficial for the organization. The manager or leader also needs to be innovative or
creative so that they can come up with new ideas that serve the aim of the company or an
organization following their values, rules and policies.
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References:
Aga, D.A., Noorderhaven, N. and Vallejo, B., 2016. Transformational leadership and project
success: The mediating role of team-building. International Journal of Project
Management, 34(5), pp.806-818.
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.
Bendell, J. and Little, R., 2015. Seeking sustainability leadership. Journal of Corporate
Citizenship, (60), pp.13-26.
Gopee, N. and Galloway, J., 2017. Leadership and management in healthcare. Sage.
Hallinger, P. and Wang, W.C., 2015. Assessing instructional leadership with the principal
instructional management rating scale. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.
McCaffery, P., 2018. The higher education manager's handbook: effective leadership and
management in universities and colleges. Routledge.
Nhema, A.G., 2015. Relevance of classical management theories to modern public
administration: A review. Journal of Public Administration and Governance, 5(3), pp.165-179.
Noe, R.A., Hollenbeck, J.R., Gerhart, B. and Wright, P.M., 2017. Human resource management:
Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Pardey, D., 2016. Introducing leadership. Routledge.
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Renz, D.O., 2016. The Jossey-Bass handbook of nonprofit leadership and management. John
Wiley & Sons.
Thorpe, R., 2016. Gower handbook of leadership and management development. CRC Press.
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