Vast businesses adopt different leadership theories and practices during their operation with the aim of realizing and sustaining their productivity. As it is widely known, leadership plays an important part in ensuring that organizational objectives are attained. Leadership styles vary from business to business. Two main leadership theories are prominent in the current world. These are the relational-oriented and task oriented leadership theory. The relational-relational oriented theory is also called people-oriented leadership since it is employee centered. Typically, each of these theories has their merits and demerits. Nevertheless, this paper shall conduct a survey to establish the best theory and the attractive features it offers to businesses.
Leadership Theories
Broadly speaking, many theories try to explain the various forms of leaderships that companies can adopt. However, two main theories have been identified to have a significant impact on businesses. As aforementioned, these leadership theories are task-oriented and people-oriented leadership theory. The task-oriented theory is centered on specific tasks and procedures that are vital for a particular task to be achieved (Transactional leadership, 2016). Based on this theory, a task leader is not interested in the employee’s welfare. Rather, he/she is focused on establishing technical as well as procedures that will aid in achieving particular goals.
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A relational leader, on the other hand, values the importance of the task. However, the leader is much concerned about employee welfare (Pillai & Williams, 2004). In other words, a relational leader spends ample time and focus on ensuring that the needs of everybody involved in a particular assignment are met. Such a leader can adopt different methodologies to ensure that such needs are satisfied prior to or while undertaking the assignment. Some leaders achieve this purpose by giving incentives, solving workplace conflicts, working with each employee separately to understand their strengths and weak points (Pillai & Williams, 2004). Besides, the leader can also lead by example, offer financial compensation, or empower employees to motivate them.
Establishing My Leadership Style
A survey was conducted to establish my leadership style. The results of the survey indicated that the relational-oriented theory was my preferred leadership theory. This theory I had a score of 41. On the other hand, in the task-oriented theory, my score was 38. In that respect, it is apparent that people-oriented leadership style is the best theory that organizations need to embrace.
Discussions
There are four main attributes of a relational leader. These include intellectual stimulation, motivation, inspiration, and individual consideration. Leadership needs to encourage the employees so that they can be intellectually stimulated. The employees can become intellectually stimulated if the leader appreciates and acknowledges their unique skills (Pillai & Williams, 2004). This can only happen if a leader builds trust with the employees as it is evident in various military camps. Trusting the employees would imply that they are granted the autonomy to tackle organizational problems using their peculiar skills.
Notably, organizations face many challenges that can only be addressed if the employees are made to feel that the organization values them (Pillai & Williams, 2004). Once an employee feels that he/she is valued and cared for, he/she will feel that he/she has an important part to play in the organization. In return, an employee will always show commitment and desire to help the organization to face challenges particularly those that entail change implementation. This is particular for those organizations that exhibit gender and racial discrimination.
In any organization, employees need to be motivated. It is the mandate of the leader to ensure that employees demonstrate the right attitude in their endeavors (Sander & Moreman, 2011). The attitude of the employees can be improved if a leader motivates them. There are various forms of motivation in businesses. For instance, a leader can motivate the employees by empowering them, communicating visionary statements that articulated well with the employee’s personal objectives, financial compensation, as well as giving moral support to a worker.
Leadership scholars have been able to show that the ability of a leader to empower employees measures his/her competencies. A relational leader needs to encourage the employees to be innovative and develop leadership traits (Pillai & Williams, 2004). It should be noted that a leader does not just lead. Rather, he/she is required to mold others to become leaders in their field of specialization. In the military, a leader needs to empower his/her followers such that they can become leaders as well (Ivey & Kline, 2010). Therefore, a leader needs to communicate regularly with team members so that they can understand what is required from them.
Communication is the best tool that relational leaders have that is essential in employee empowerment process. Relational leadership needs to raise awareness relating to organizational objectives. The leadership also needs to communicate to the employees on how such objectives can be achieved. With such understanding, the employees will form an integral part of the decision-making process (Ivey & Kline, 2010). In the end, their allegiance will lie within the organization. As stated earlier, the main merit of relational leadership is the fact that it is employee focused.
Therefore, in times when there is a decline in organizational performance, the duty of the relational leader will be to ensure that the employees are revitalized. Notably, a reduction in organizational performance is a direct indication of a decline in performance from the employees’ side. In that respect, a relational leadership will be required to provide the employees with the needed support through sharing knowledge and experiences as well as allowing them to be exposed so that they can learn from all dimensions of life (Ivey & Kline, 2010).
There are two main challenges related to relational leadership. First, sometimes it may prove to be difficult to get the best out of an employee however much the leader tries. Relational theory believes that the leader needs to provide the employees ample time after equipping them with the needed skills so that they can realize their productive strengths. This process is called self-realization. Nevertheless, this process may fail to yield positive results of may take too much time. Secondly, the relational leader may misappropriate the power accorded to him/her by the organization and the employees (Parry & Proctor, 2002). Such leaders often chase their personal goals and neglect that of the organization hence leading to its failure.
In conclusion, people oriented or rather relational oriented leadership style is the best leadership style that organizations ought to adopt. This type of leadership tends to motivate the employees since it makes them feel that they are an important part of an organization. Such a feeling makes them be committed to the organization, and their level of productivity will be remarkable. Notably, this form of leadership has been known to provide the employees with some form of autonomy that provides them with an opportunity of demonstrating their innovative abilities. Innovativeness is essential in addressing organizational challenges.
References
Ivey, G. W. & Kline, T. B. (2010). Transformational and active transactional leadership in the Canadian military. Leadership & Organization Development Journal , 31(3), 246–262.
Parry, W.K. & Proctor, B. S. (2002). Perceived Integrity of transformational leaders in Organizational Setting. Journal of Business Ethics , 35(2):75-95.
Pillai, R. & Williams, E. A. (2004). Transformational leadership, self-efficacy, group cohesiveness, commitment, and performance. Journal of Organizational change management, 17 (2):144-159.
Sandber, Y., & Moreman, C. M. (2011). Common threads among different forms of charismatic leadership. International Journal of Business and Social Science , 2(9).
Transactional leadership. (2016). Changing Minds . Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles/transactional_leadership.htm .
