Analysis of Leadership Behaviour's Impact on Group Dynamics

This essay delves into the intricate relationship between leadership behaviors and organizational group dynamics. It defines leadership as the ability to influence others and group dynamics as the attitudinal and behavioral characteristics of a group. The essay examines how social facilitation and interference, influenced by a leader's ability to assign tasks effectively, impact group performance. It underscores the importance of leaders fostering trust, managing decision-making processes, and motivating team members to enhance productivity. The analysis incorporates contemporary theories like the team performance model and stages of group development, along with traditional leadership theories, such as leadership styles and social facilitation. The essay discusses Tuckman's five stages of group development and how different leadership styles are best suited for each stage. It also contrasts traditional and contemporary leadership theories, highlighting the influence of leadership behaviors on groupthink. The conclusion emphasizes that effective leadership positively impacts group dynamics, with contemporary leadership showing greater potential in modern organizations.

INTRODUCTION
In this essay, performed was analysis of how organisational group dynamics is influenced by
leadership behaviours. Leadership is simply defined as a relationship through which one person
influences the behaviour or actions of other people. Mullins, (2016). Leadership behaviour
however, specifies how a leader relates to persons in order to influence their actions.
In organisational regards, a group can be defined as several individuals who come together to
accomplish particular tasks or goals. Group dynamics refers to attitudinal and behavioral
characteristics of a group. (Reference for Business, 2008).
Constructed by consulting secondary based research gleaned from academic texts, journals and
educational publications, this essay will make use of contemporary theories; team performance
model and stages of group development along with traditional theories of social facilitation and
leadership styles theories.
It must be noted that segregating leadership styles in the analysis of organisational group
dynamics is discouraged. Alternatively, emphasis should be given to the combination of
leadership events that affect the interaction between group members.

DISCUSSION
Group members may be asked to perform tasks in the presence of their peers. Social facilitation
and social interference can result in these scenarios.(Zajonc 1965). This theory allows the
argument that if a leader is skill-full to appoint the appropriate employee to perform a certain
task in the presence of group members, social facilitation can occur due to the presence of others.
The person excels in the task resulting is a positive effect on group dynamics. Antithetically, if a
leader is in-capable of understanding team members and appoints an incapable member to
perform the same task social interference can occur causing them to under-perform thus
impacting group dynamics negatively.
Apart from individual member performance, group success is also related to the leaders’ ability
to manage team structure (Lussier 2010). For proper group structure and effective performance, a
leader must encourage mutual respect and trust within the group. Should a leader engender
mutual trust, award and reprimand team members accordingly and appropriately, that leader will
be respected by the group and will have a positive effect on group dynamics. Where a leader fails
to forge trust and respect in the group, a negative effect will be had on the group.
Fostering trust and respect can further be enhanced by a leaders’ ability to manage decision
making and problem solving. Positive effects on group dynamics will definitely result should a
leader encourage collaborative problem solving and decision making in the group. Opposingly,
should a leader take the decision-making prerogative himself, a negative impact on group
dynamics is likely to result.

The chief purpose of a leader is to motivate each member of a group so that they can perform at
their maximum capacity, hence enhancing the productivity of the organization. (Neider, L.,
Schriesheim, Chester, 2002).The positive or negative influence leadership behaviour may have
on the group dynamic can chiefly depend upon what leadership styleis applied at different
development stages of the group.According to Tuckman’s five stages of group development; the
five stages include forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning (Metcalf and Benn
2013). At the forming stage of the group targets, activities and other fundamental parameters for
the operation of the group need to be established. A leader that exhibits the consultative style of
leader ship at this stage is most likely to have a positive effect on group dynamic.(Gennard,
Gennard and Judge, 2010).
Following the forming stage is the storming stage which sees the highest level of disagreement
and conflict.According to McCleskey (2014), storming is a group dynamic takes place when the
team members communicate freely to each other. At this stage the leader is required to maintain
direct control over the group, hence the autocratic leadership behaviour is best for yielding
positive results. Alternatively if the leader provides a lasses-faire style of leadership where
minimum control and direction is provided (Marquis and Huston 2009) chaos will ensue thus
affecting group dynamic negatively.
Group think
Several operational differences can be identified between the traditional and contemporary
leadership theory with respect to the groupthink. The theories of traditional leadership

includes’the great man theory’ which values a leader’s personal characteristics and leadership
style. On the other hand another tradional theory named, “Leased preffered coworker’ theory
put emphasis on the leader’s behavioral approach. On contrary to the traditional leadership
theories, contemporary leadership theories argues that effective leadership involves possession of
behavioral and cognitive capacity to recognize and react to contradiction, complexity and
paradox in the environment (Dansereau 2013). Two of the most crucial contemporary leadership
theories include laissez-faire and Autocratic leadership theories. An Autocratic leader
establishes conduct and norms for the group and is self directed. In some group settings like
military exercise and open heart surgery, this type of leadership behavior is quite advantageous,
however, to all leadership opportunities, it does not apply equally. Unlike the autocratic
leadership, a laissez-faire leader believes in the concepts of ‘live and let live’ policy (Giltinane
2013). Instead of dictating the employees about what to do, a laissez-faire leader put more effort
on providing the staffs with tools that will be required by them to impose a positive impact. This
not only enhances the creativity of the employees, but also increases their commitment towards
the organization. Traditional leadership is a leadership style where the power is given to the
leader on the basis of the past traditions (Weber 2013).On contrary to the traditional leadership
theories, contemporary leadership theories argues that effective leadership involves possession of
behavioural and cognitive capacity to recognize and react to contradiction, complexity and
paradox in the environment (Dansereau2013). Leadership behaviours influence the groupthink of
an organization in both positive and negative ways. The chief purpose of a leader is to motivate
each member of a group so that they can perform at their maximum capacity and hence enhance
the productivity of the organization. Some of the positive influence of leadership in groupthink
includes vision, emergency response, team building and developing the skill of the employees

(McCleskey 2014). However, negative or destructive leadership can lead to decrement of the
productivity of the team.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that effective leadership behaviour does
impose a positive impact on the group dynamic of an organization. However, the efficiency of a
leader is highly dependent on the type of organization and its requirement. Efficient leadership
not only enhances the commitment of the employee but also enhances the productivity of the
organization. Finally, it can be stated that in this era of modernization, contemporary leadership
has the greater potentiality to enhance the productivity of an organization compared to traditional
leadership.

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