21129 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Organizational Behavior, Trait Theory, Theory X And Theory Y
UTS 2014 – Managing People and Organisations
Page 17
place one can share comradeship, down a few drinks, dance, eat, talk with friends,
celebrate the holiday, be hosted by Walter, and laugh at the whole set of relations
that is the agency.
As a result, the individual can relate to the organisational culture and they attain a
sense of belonging.
As the individual becomes tied to the firm, the manager has greater SOFT POWER.
This blurring of boundary between self and organisation is in large part an
ultimate state of normative control.
2. The management of employees is often undertaken through attempts to control their
sense of identity as associated with the organisation. Think of 10 ways (other than the
example provided in the Rosen article, that organisational members identification
with organisations is encouraged, discuss them.
Seminars, training, rewards, subsidies and give RECOGNITION for achievements.
3. What function do the comedy skits at the party perform, both in reaffirming and in
questioning, the social order of the organisation?
Within this social club, on this evening once each year, the hierarchically arranged
relationships of the office are to a degree stripped and levelled during and through
play.
Humanising managers by disparaging/mocking them?
During a skit entitled Which Wild and Crazy Corporate King Will Win a Date
with the Sexy Blonde? Walter, Barry and Morry are portrayed as participants in a
game show entitled The Mating Game, a take-off of the formerly popular
television programme The Dating Game, during which a bachelorette would ask
three willing bachelors a series of questions. From these she would choose the
man she wished to date. The comparison of the skit to this television programme is
clear, particularly considering the theme of Walter, Barry and Morrys divorce
proceedings.
Promotes post-bureaucratic management.
4. Rosens work suggests that organisations are managed partly by intangible things such
as norms, values, and cultures. In your view, does this suggestion make organisations
more or less stable?
Conflicting values cause instability?
Shared values increase solidarity and as a result, more stable?
5. In what ways is your personal identity tied to or defined by your association with any
specific organisations?
Personal answer – previously, I attended tutoring centres and now I work at a tuition
centre.
Lecture 4 – Leadership
Clegg et al 2011 Chapter 4
DEFINITION OF LEADERSHIP
Leadership is the process of directing, controlling, motivating, and inspiring staff
towards the realisation of stated organisational goals. (Clegg, Kornberger & Pitsis 2011)
A leader is a person who:
(a) Leads people as a ruler
(b) Inspires people as a motivator
(c) Facilitates or guides the as a coach and mentor
LEADERSHIP VS MANAGEMENT (Knights & Willmott 2007, pg. 259)
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UTS 2014 – Managing People and Organisations
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Management identities responsibility for maintaining the division + coordination
of tasks, often through the development of a hierarchy to regulate the allocation &
flow of work.
Leadership is concerned less with allocating work tasks than with energising staff
with a sense of direction and commitment. It promotes a collective sense of
purpose to which members of the organisation commit their hearts & minds.
- Management seems more bureaucratic than the concept of leadership.
- Management is more day-to-day while leadership is looking at the BIGGER PICTURE.
TRADITIONAL THEORIES
Trait Theory
Behavioural Theories
Contingency Theories
Post-Modern Theories
TRAIT THEORY: G‘EAT PE‘“ON THEO‘Y
The trait approach to leadership assumes people are naturally born with qualities that
are stable across time and situations, and which differentiate leaders from non-leaders.
Common assumption of the existence of certain measurable internal
characteristics unique to leaders.
During WWI, army psychologists sought a new method of officer selection, identifying
leadership traits based upon various characteristics:
- Physical (height, weight, appearance, energy)
- Personality (dominance, extroversion, originality)
- Skills + abilities (intelligence, knowledge, technical competence)
- Social functions (interpersonal skills, sociability, socioeconomic position)
Such key demographic and personality variables were believed to differentiate truly
exceptional leaders from mere mortals, which is why trait theory has also been known
as the great person theory Barker .
LIMITATIONS OF TRAIT APPROACHES
If true – there is no sense in TEACHING LEADERSHIP – leaders are born not made
Not supported by research – studies have failed to identify specific traits that predict
leadership positions.
Most traits are made important through social norms & culture (in Australia, most
CEOs are male, white, well educated & from rich families).
Newer theories have chosen to what leaders do rather than what traits they have.
Correlation does not equal to causation (bias if there are required traits in society).
BEHAVIOURAL THEORIES
Focus on observable behaviours seeking to identify how leaders act.
Assumes leadership can be learned (and consequently, taught).
Thus, for behaviourists, you either act like a leader or you do not.
A critical concept that is common to all behavioural theories of leadership is the
notion that there are two underlying behavioural structures that characterise
leadership – an orientation towards the following:
Interacting and relating to other human beings.
The task at hand, or the technical side of work.
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UTS 2014 – Managing People and Organisations
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LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Technical skills
- Task/production centred specialised knowledge for operating things.
Human skills
- Employee-centred, emotional intelligence, perspective taking.
Conceptual skills
- Strategy-centred, MACRO concerns.
For long term and most important for highest levels of the organisation.
LEADERSHIP STYLES
Autocratic – unilateral decisions, dictate methods, limit worker knowledge of goals to
just the next step & give punitive feedback. E.g. military leadership.
Democratic – involve group in decision making, let teams decide methods, make
goals known, use of feedback for coaching. (seems more POST-BUREAUCRATIC)
Employees invited to contribute, leader identifies goal and asks for help.
Laissez-Faire – give group complete freedom, provide required materials, participate
only to answer questions & avoid giving feedback – in other words, do little.
(COMPLETE FREEDOM)
IMPLICATIONS OF LEADERSHIP STYLES
Autocratic: poor work satisfaction, average or superior performance.
Democratic: high work satisfaction & engagement, average or superior performance
(MOST EFFECTIVE)
Laissez-Faire: poor work satisfaction, poor performance
- The leadership grid (developed by Blake and Mouton 1985 at the University of Texas)
- Ideal position is the TEAM MANAGEMENT position
- IMPOVERISHED MANAGEMENT – leaders lack concern for both, so ability to manage
= poor
- COUNTRY CLUB MANAGEMENT – people being happy/having fun > getting the job
done.
- TASK MANAGEMENT – converse to the country club management style.
- Middle-of-the-road MANAGEMENT – around the centre of the grid.
LIMITATIONS OF BEHAVIOURAL APPROACHES
Implies managers have outstanding skills in dealing with tasks or people.
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Document Summary
As a result, the individual can relate to the organisational culture and they attain a sense of belonging. As the individual becomes tied to the firm, the manager has greater soft power. Think of 10 ways (other than the example provided in the rosen article(cid:524), that organisational members(cid:495) identification with organisations is encouraged, discuss them. From these she would choose the man she wished to date. The comparison of the skit to this television programme is clear, particularly considering the theme of walter, barry and morry(cid:495)s divorce proceedings. (cid:495)(cid:495) Promotes post-bureaucratic management: rosen(cid:495)s work suggests that organisations are managed partly by intangible things such as norms, values, and cultures. Personal answer previously, i attended tutoring centres and now i work at a tuition centre. Leadership is the process of directing, controlling, motivating, and inspiring staff towards the realisation of stated organisational goals. (clegg, kornberger & pitsis 2011)
