BX3174 Management and Leadership: Applying Critical Theory Approach

This discussion board post explores the application of critical theory in management and leadership, drawing from personal leadership experiences and academic research. It defines leadership as a practical skill that guides people and organizations, emphasizing the importance of critical research to address performance issues. The author reflects on using critical theory to lead a sporting organization, highlighting its role in decision-making, problem-solving, and identifying areas for improvement. The discussion further emphasizes the need for leaders to balance organizational financial health with human interests, and the significance of in-depth analysis and challenging established knowledge for organizational advancement. The author concludes by stating that critical theory will be fundamental in future leadership roles through in depth analysis of situations to identify things that are behold what human beings can see, and remaining focused to better performance.

Running Head: MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP 1
Management and leadership
Names
Institution

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Management and Leadership
According to Travis (2014), critical theory approach seeks to establish a balance between
human and corporate interests in an organization. It also makes leaders to reflect on what they
have learned, hence making them to develop the right intellectual rigour and knowledge to deal
with the complex ,multi-faced issues that arise in the work environment. This approach also
assist organizational leaders to analyze the corporate world, identify the available possibilities
and positive implications for social action.
In my personal leadership experience, especially having led some group of people in a
local sporting organization in my area of residence, this approach can be utilized to ensure a
leadership that focuses on attaining set goals has been used. Galina (2017) define leadership as a
research area, as well as practical skills that make a person, or a firm to “lead” or guide other
people, groups or organizations. This means by the use of critical theory approach, I can
undertake critical research to identify things that affect performance and implement permanent
solutions. Playing the role of a leader in this sporting group, I used Critical theory approach to
develop a proper knowledge to address key issues that were affecting proper performance, as
well as those that risked the existence of this group. These included seeking for sponsors to
donate funds that could assist us to cater for our expenses, making the players to remain focused
on winning and so forth.
In most cases, critical theory approach is used by leaders to make decisions and solve
problems that affect their organizations. For instance, while leading my sporting groups, I have
realized that reflecting on what I have learned and critiquing the possible opportunities in the
corporate world can assist me to address issues that hinder better performance. I have also

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realized that this approach can assist a leader to identify the critical areas that require attention,
and use the knowledge attained to implement the best solutions. For instance, it assisted me to
identify why my players were not performing well during games, why the group lacked enough
funds, and the reasons that causer high turnover rate in this team.
According to Beth (2014), critical theory approach is being reflective and reflexive in
management aspects. This means that for organizational leaders to attain positive results, they
must be thoughtful and contact deep analysis of the available knowledge. They must also strive
to deliver better leadership through solving issues from experience. This approach also means
that organizational leaders should always make critical analysis of everyday working practices so
as to come up with strategies that can make them to enhance competence and promote
professional development.
Being a leader, one should find out the opportunities that can make an organization to
prosper. This approach implies that looking for new possibilities make leaders to implement new
things that make their organizations to perform better. For instance, the person who heads IT
department in Breadtalk group can learn from new technologies and innovation and implement
the concept in in various areas in the organization. This can simplify a lot of processes, and also
make the quality of products or services to match the expectations of their consumers.
In leadership, there are situations that make organizational leaders to feel a challenge in
maintaining a balance between ensuring health financial status in their organization and
considering the diverse human interests (Manoj, 2015).Critical theory approach plays a key role
in helping leaders to create a balance between these aspects by helping them to have a critical

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reflection of what has been learned and implementing proper knowledge in addressing matters
that affect performance.
According to Galina (2017), critical thinking is fundamental in leadership. For positive
changes to be implemented, organizational leaders must emancipate, conduct depth analysis,
look awry and undertake systematic praxis. Based on these aspects, it means that organizational
leaders must explore what is beyond what people can see, come up with different and best ways
of looking into situations and establish best options for resulting actions. The leaders should also
strive to ensure their organizations have new resources obtained from different traditions in order
to see something new or hidden. This means that critical theory approach in leadership
emphasizes on striving to do things that seem impossible through the use of knowledge and
critical analysis of situations.
In my Future leadership, critical theory approach shall be fundamental in assisting me to
lead my organization in the right manner. This shall be attained through contacting in depth
analysis of situations to identify things that are behold what human beings can see, and
remaining focused to better performance. According to Manoj (2015), comprehensive research is
fundamental in organizations especially when in is done to identify things that affect
performance. By identifying things that are behold what other people can see, I shall be able to
spot all things that are likely to negatively impact the organization and implement proper actions.
Ilana (2013) states that in organizations, there are various internal and external factors
that affect performance. In some cases, it is challenging to address these aspects especially when
proper strategies are not employed. Being a leader, one must analyze these issues and come up
with proper ways of addressing them. Through the use of this theory, I shall attempt to address

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the complex social, political, economic and environmental challenges which may arise in the
organization that I shall manage.
The use of this approach can also play a key role in assisting me to challenge and
destabilize established knowledge. According to Ralf (2015), organizational leaders should
always develop new knowledge that can make their firms to advance in what they do. The reason
why developing new knowledge is important is because some of the already established
knowledge may seem fundamental but in real sense does not aid in assisting existing problems.
This means challenging and destabilizing such knowledge assists leaders to find out better ways
of doing things based on more advanced knowledge, hence leading to positive outcome.

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References
Beth, A. S. (2014). Know, See, Plan, Do: A Model for Curriculum Design in Leadership
Development. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 79(2), 57-85.
Galina, N. (2017). Leadership and Leaders in Networked Social Movements. Demokratizatsiya,
25(1), 124-136.
Ilana, M. (2013). Nurturing Opportunities for Educational Leadership: How Affordance and
Leadership Interconnect. Higher Education Studies. 3(3), 96-105.
Manoj, T. T. (2015). Theory and Practice of Leadership. South Asian Journal of Management,
22(2), 201-235.
Ralf, W. (2015). 'Who Am I and If So, How Many?' 1 Notes on the Myth of Leadership
Authenticity. Tamara Journal of Critical Organization Inquiry, 13(1/2), 75-90.
Travis, B. T. (2014). Servant Leadership 2.0: A Call for Strong Theory. Sociological Viewpoints,
30(1), 58-90.