Analyzing Leadership Styles and Situational Context

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Management and Leadership Perspectives
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Identify key theories and perspectives of leadership and management within a range of contexts
and diverse environments................................................................................................................4
Understand and evaluate the various leadership styles, matching these to the situational context. 6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9
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Introduction
This report will be discussed about the leadership theories and leadership styles. These theories
will help to describe the management and leadership approaches for accomplishing the goal
within a deadline. In this report, the relevant theories are taken from 1900 onwards. These
theories are set the goal and responsibilities to the leaders. It focuses the methods on reducing the
conflict rate in the organization and accepting the challenges in a proper manner. Leadership
styles will be discussed about the properties and attributes of, which included the system of
decision making approach and power of authority. These strategies are helpful to motivate and
inspire employees for developing innovative culture by collaborating and interacting together for
achieving a common goal. This report will increase the knowledge regarding leadership and its
management.
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Identify key theories and perspectives of leadership and management within a range of
contexts and diverse environments.
Contingency theory of leadership: This theory is implementing by the leaders in the
organizational culture. It is the most effective approach to organize a corporation activity. In the
contingency, approach organization considers the management and satisfies the needs of internal
need. In this theory, leaders will fit itself according to the situation and take the decision
accordingly. Fred Fiedler developed this theory in 1958. It aims to understand the circumstances
rather than accomplishing the goal or objective of the organization. This theory seeks to consider
the behavior of team members and build an interpersonal relationship with the subordinates. By
the help of this theory, the leader will be able to develop initiating structure like planning,
allocation of the task, monitoring the activity (Lee, 2014).
The strength of this theory is to emphasis to integrate different leadership style. It also used to
create a leadership outline for the organization. There is numerous category of business which
requires to adopt contingency theory of leadership — technology, Unions, Suppliers,
Government, Distributors etc.
The situational theory of leadership: This theory works based on assumption. It is the most
useful theory which may vary situation to situation. It was introduced in 1969.
For example, many employees like to work with autocratic leadership because of better
functioning. In the other hand, there are some other employees who want to work with a
democratic leadership style where they can able to decide on their approach or strategy
(O'Shaughnessy, 2013).
According to the situational theory of Hersey and Blanchard’s, this approach suggests matching
two elements appropriately. In this theory, there are four approaches, such as:
Telling: In this approach, the only leader will able to take the decision and inform the team
members or employees to what to do.
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Selling: In this approach, the decision maker is again a leader, but it communicates with the
employees properly instead of putting the decision directly.
Participating: In this approach, leaders collaborate with the team members and encourage them.
The -decision-making process will be considered together.
Delegating: In this approach, leaders will give responsibility for the decision-making process to
team members but leaders will accurately overseas the work.
Due to these theories, it reduces conflicts in organizational culture because it provides the proper
management skills to the leaders. By effective decision-making skills, the various alternative of
problem-solving, taking the experience from real facts and figure and implement the approach or
strategy as per the attitude or behaviour of leaders(Miner, 2015).
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Understand and evaluate the various leadership styles, matching these to the situational
context.
Leadership style is a method or approach leader to guide the team member for implementing the
plan and encourage the related people. These styles become the behavior and attitude towards the
team members or the workers to accomplish the task efficiently.
Autocratic leadership style: It is also known as one dimensional leadership style in which
leaders have the full power of decision-making process without communicating or interacting
with the team members. In this style, employees will able to follows the instructions of the team
immediately. Most of the workers are against this kind of leadership where they are not able to
work appropriately and always be a part of the restricted area. It decreases the chances of an
innovative product and reduces the morale of team members ( Lee, 2014).
Democratic Leadership Style: In this style of leadership style, employees will able to take their
own decision in the overseas of leaders. In this style, people are more communicate with each
other and resolve they are conflicting by evaluating the adverse effects. Those employees who
are part of the democratic leadership style will accomplish the innovative ideas, more
competitive, intelligent and creative. But sometimes, it is difficult to take the decision itself by
the team members only.
Transformational leadership style: This leadership style is one of the essential leadership styles
which help to set the collective goal by the team. The decision-making system contributes by
leaders and its team member itself. The critical factor of this style is to communicate, which
helps to achieve success in an efficient manner. But it follows a strict deadline which is set by
the leader itself. This type of leadership style will help to motivate the employees to fix the other
goal and implement the creativity and innovative ideas to accomplish the set goal within deadline
(Stacher, 2012).
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Autocratic Democratic Transformational
Power of
decision
making
Decision making
system in the hand of
higher authorities
Employees or team
member will take
decision itself.
Leaders and team members
will take decision together
Control In the hand of higher
authority
Team leaders and
team members.
Team members
Motivation
(High or Low)
Low motivation High Motivation High Motivation
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Conclusion
This report described the two different leadership theories, such as contingency leadership theory
and situational leadership theory. By the help of these theories, leaders enable to take care of
their responsibilities to manage the team and the task respectively and efficiently achieve the
goal. This report also focuses on leadership styles such as autocratic, democratic and
transformational leadership style. These leadership styles vary accordingly, like their decision-
making strategies are different; some leadership style will motivate the employees are some
leadership style is not favourable by the team member. These styles and approach reduce the
possibility of conflicts and challenges in the organizational culture.
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References
 Lee, M.R., 2014. Leading virtual project teams adapting leadership theories and
communications techniques to 21st century organizations, Boca Raton: Auerbach
Publications.
 O'Shaughnessy, J., 2013. Patterns of business organization, Milton Park, Abingdon,
Oxon: Routledge.
 Miner, J.B., 2015. Organizational behavior 2. Essential theories of process and structure
2nd ed.,
 Stacher, J., 2012. Adaptable Autocrats Regime Power in Egypt and Syria, Palo Alto:
Stanford University Press.
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