Analysis of Leadership and Management

 Analysis of Leadership and Management

The topic of the differences between leadership and management, as well as their similarities, have been a topic of fascination for all those who study management or philosophy. The main difference between management and leadership is that leaders provide new ideas and influence the entire organization towards a new vision, while managers focus on controlling the employees and work processes within the organization and avoiding chaos(Algahtani, 2014). Besides, according to Peter’s series of theories, the primary goals of managers are achieving the specific goals of the organization, making workers more effective in achieving their goals, and managing the social impact and social responsibility of the organization in a broader social context, which can be seen to be more focused on work completion and efficiency and thus differentiated from leadership(Greenwood, 1981). Despite the many differences, leadership is strictly a branch of management, and they all share the same purpose of helping the company accomplish its strategy and achieve its goals(Kotterman, 2006). Today, many scholars had proposed various management approaches and leadership theories, but no one dares to say which approach or theory is applicable to any workplace because of the diverse company systems, complex workplaces and employees personalities that are difficult to define.

The usage of Mintzberg’s 10 Managerial Roles

It is not entirely true, however, I think Mintzberg's theory of management roles is the most comprehensive, in other words the most widely applicable, management theory. According to his theory, managers do not always work in a single function in the company as is commonly believed, but perform many other tasks (Paolillo, 1984). Mintzberg divided the roles played by managers at the job into three main categories which are Interpersonal roles, Informational roles and Decisional roles. These three categories were further divided into 10 specific roles to explain in more detail the potential managerial functions of managers in their daily work (Kumar, 2015). The theory simply sums up perfectly all the things that a successful manager should do. Start with yourself, adapt to your employees by changing your own behavior patterns and behavioral purposes to manage them and thus achieve your company's goals. Nevertheless, the limitation lies in the fact that it is a bit idealistic, because few or perhaps no managers can really play these ten roles well (Blunt& Jones, 1997).

2 Examples of transformational Leadership

Anyone familiar with the NBA should know about Phil Jackson, who is probably the best coach in the history. In his coaching career, he has coached 1,640 regular season games and earned 1,155 wins, the highest winning percentage in NBA history. What is inseparable from these accomplishments is his coaching style, he is a classic transformational leader. When coaching his team members, he often gives them individual consideration while inspiring them( Armstrong, 2001).Another leader who also uses transformational leadership is Steve Jobs. I don't need to introduce this one, he's the one who turned Apple into the world's premier electronics company. Steve's requirements for all aspects of product performance are very strict, even the shape of the chip to personally check, this meticulous attitude also makes employees willing to follow him. In addition, during the meeting, he would often brainstorm with the members of the meeting, looking ahead to the next plan and strategy of the company, effectively stimulating the intelligence of the staff (Baker& Baker, 2017). Personally, I would prefer to work under such a leadership that would inspire me to be more energetic and committed to my work.

Suggestion

Regarding the leadership aspect, I think having a manager who is a transformational leader will probably help the company more than others. Managers also need to be flexible and adapt to the shifts in identity caused by the content of their work.

Reference

Algahtani, A. (2014). Are Leadership and Management Different? A Review. Journal of Management Policies and Practices, 2(3), 71-82. http://dx.doi.org/10.15640/jmpp.v2n3a4

Greenwood, R. C. (1981). Management by Objectives: As Developed by Peter Drucker, Assisted by Harold Smiddy. Academy of Management Review, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1981.4287793

Kotterman, J. (2006). Leadership Versus Management: What's the Difference? The Journal for Quality and Participation, 29(2), 13-17.

Paolillo, J. G. (1984). The manager's self assessments of managerial roles: Small vs. large firms. American Journal of Small Business, 8(3), 58-64.

Kumar, P. (2015). An analytical study on mintzberg’s framework: Managerial roles. International Journal of Research in Management & Business Studies, 2(3), 12-19.

Blunt, P., & Jones, M. L. (1997). Exploring the limits of Western leadership theory in East Asia and Africa. Personnel Review. https://bit.ly/3pMLQ7G

Armstrong, S. (2001). Are you a “transformational” coach?. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 72(3), 44-47.

Baker, J., & Baker, C. (2017). Transformational Leadership—Steve Jobs. In SAGE Business Cases. SAGE Publications: SAGE Business Cases Originals. https://bit.ly/3KocyNw