The Evolution of Leadership: Adapting to Post-Bureaucratic Models

This essay examines the shift from traditional bureaucratic management to post-bureaucratic leadership styles, emphasizing the impact of globalization and technological advancements on organizational structures. It highlights the importance of shared power, democratic principles, and network logic within organizations. The essay underscores the need for leaders to adopt collaborative approaches, demonstrate flexibility, and cultivate self-awareness to effectively manage diverse workforces. Furthermore, it discusses the role of vision, employee empowerment, and soft power in driving organizational change and achieving sustainable success in the modern business environment, moving away from coercive control towards co-option and shared values.

Running head: LEADERSHIP
Leadership
Name of the student
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Author note

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Post-bureaucracy refers to breakdown of the traditional mode of the managerial
authority owing to pressures that are related to globalization along with technological
advance. It has necessitated the emergence of various kinds of alternative practices that lays
stress on sharing power within the organization (Raelin, 2016). This essay states that greater
fluidity are introduced within the organisational structure of the present age that helps in the
perfect functioning of the modern day organization.
Post-bureaucracy management approach is more experimental and it is less directive
in style that can help an organization in making progress and making profit in the long run.
The leaders in the post-bureaucratic management approach lays stress on the invention of a
new identity and strategic human resource management that can ensure the sustainability of
an organization (Dischner, 2015). There are democratic principles underlying the post-
bureaucratic management approach of an organisation. The leaders take care of the fact that
there is network logic in the organization that can help in bringing cohesion in the
organization. Network logic refers to the managerial denomination in relation to political
democracy with the help of self-determination along with mutual adjustment. It is important
that the leaders flex the style of natural leadership that can help in fitting an individual along
with situation (Johnson & Szamosi, 2018).
The leaders in post-bureaucratic era take a collaborative approach that involves the
others in the process of decision making that helps in the growth of the modern day
organization. The leader should be able to execute best possible solution that can help his
team members to a great extent. The diverse workforce of the modern age necessitates that a
leader is capable of responding to different kinds of situations that can help in the growth of
the organization (Hummel, 2014). Flexibility is a necessity of the modern age and the global
business environment makes it necessary that one should not abide by the traditional modes
of management for controlling the employees. The leaders should be able to respond nimbly

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within the complex work environment that can rightly help the organization in making profit
in the long run (Williams, 2017).
Self-awareness is an important aspect that leaders should have in the recent age that
can help him in understanding his employees along the right lines. A leader who is self-aware
can be an asset for an organization and he can help in steering the organization ahead in the
right direction. The previous times used to conceive that leadership was on the basis of
control but the modern age places people at the centre of the aspect of leadership. The leader
in the post-bureaucratic management approach takes input from different sources and
determines the appropriate path (Barton, Johns & Magee, 2017). The leaders in the modern
age continue learning along with trying to develop new skills that can help an organisation to
sustain itself within the competitive environment. Vision is an important aspect pertaining to
post-bureaucratic management approach and the ideal leader can establish plan and work so
that they can accomplish the plan. In the post bureaucratic set up the employees are
empowered and more power is given to them by the leader (Bolman & Deal, 2017).
The post-bureaucratic leaders can bring about change in the organization by taking
recourse to concertive control along with the use of soft power. The post bureaucratic leaders
tries to co-opt instead of using the power of coercion. The leader in the modern age shapes
the preference of other people by making use of appeal. Soft power can help the leader in
achieving the necessary outcome without making use of the element of control. Post-
bureaucratic leaders can shape preferences of other employees in an organization and they
can lead by setting an example (Spisak et al., 2015). The policies are made friendly within the
organization that can encourage the employees to contribute their best for the organization.
Soft power is more than simply persuasion and it wants to attract people that can pave the
path for acquiescence. The post bureaucratic leaders do not make use of money or force for

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engendering of cooperation. It makes use of shared values that can motivate the employees to
perform effectively within the organization.
The traditional authoritative mode of management no longer exists in the present age
on account of the forces of globalization. The modern approach can be said to be more
experimental which can ensure the profitability of an organization. The leaders adopt a new
identity in present age where strategic management is taken recourse to for ensuring
sustainability of a business. Democratic principles are inherent in post-bureaucratic set up of
modern day organization. Network logic exists in the modern age organization that helps in
bringing together employees within the organization. The modern day leaders have self-
awareness that assists them in proper understanding of employees. Self-aware leader can be a
positive factor for an organization and it can help in moving the organization in the right
path.

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References:
Barton, A., Johns, N., & Magee, S. (2017). Looking beyond tasks to develop flexible
leadership. British Journal of Healthcare Management, 23(2), 56-61.
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and
leadership. John Wiley & Sons.
Dischner, S. (2015). Organizational structure, organizational form, and counterproductive
work behavior: A competitive test of the bureaucratic and post-bureaucratic
views. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 31(4), 501-514.
Hummel, R. P. (2014). The Bureaucratic Experience: The Post-Modern Challenge: The
Post-Modern Challenge. Routledge.
Johnson, P., & Szamosi, L. T. (2018). HRM in changing organizational contexts. In Human
Resource Management(pp. 27-48). Routledge.
Raelin, J. A. (2016). Imagine there are no leaders: Reframing leadership as collaborative
agency. Leadership, 12(2), 131-158.
Spisak, B. R., O'Brien, M. J., Nicholson, N., & van Vugt, M. (2015). Niche construction and
the evolution of leadership. Academy of Management Review, 40(2), 291-306.
Williams, B. N. (2017). Linking theory with practice: Examining the case of servant
leadership and community policing. Public Voices, 5(1-2), 67-72.