An Analysis of Flexible Leadership Style

An analysis of flexible leadership style Name: Shi Baoyuan Student ID: 20121367 Email: [email  protected] co. nz Word Count: 2029 Executive Summary Flexible leadership style is a vital for leaders to manage the company that a leader needs to possess this model to cope with the changeable company activities. A leader who utilizes the flexible leadership style will provide a suitable working surrounding to his (her) subordinates, and make them working in positive emotion; hence, the subordinates would provide more profits to the company.Additionally, in different situations, the leader needs to change the leadership style to fit the current circumstance. However, the benefits of the situational leadership model are obvious to the leaders; many leaders still avoid adjusting themselves to change. Analyzing this fact, habit and fear of failure are two reasons for this problem. In order to overcome the resistance of changing leadership style in managing a company, the leader should obtai n more education which could assist the leader understanding more and reduce anxiety.Furthermore, the leader can build a new habit, which is depended on the situational leadership model, to cover the old one. Table of Contents Executive Summary2 1. 0 Introduction4 2. 0 Flexible leadership style to a company5 2. 1 Different subordinates need different leadership styles5 2. 2 Different situations need different leadership styles6 2. 3 Variable leadership styles for a company7 3. 0 Resistance of changing leadership style9 3. 1 Habits9 3. 2 Fear10 4. 0 Overcome the resistance of change11 4. 1 More Education11 4. 2 Building New Habituation12 . 0 Conclusion13 6. 0 Recommendation14 References15 1. 0 Introduction Leader plays a vital role in the operation of the company. The leadership style that a leader utilizes in managing is the key to nicely operate the company. According to Hersey and Blacnchard’s situational leadership model, there are four leadership styles in leading an orga nization in different circumstances, which represents that the leader needs to adjust his (her) leadership style to certain situations. The situational leadership model brings plenty of profit to the company.In this report, some evidence will be provided to proof it. However, situational leadership model is a mature and effective model; some leaders still avoid following it. The reasons and solutions of this phenomenon will be mentioned in this report. 2. 0 Flexible leadership style to a company In the management activities, the leader should possess two basic behaviors which are task-oriented behavior and relationship behavior. Both of these two behaviors should be balanced during the company activities, which could assist the company acquiring favorable management model.However, because of the followers and the situations are different, the leader needs to change the leadership styles to handle the variable management activities. 2. 1 Different subordinates need different leadersh ip styles In a company, the subordinates are all different in ability, emotion, and other factors. In order to effectively managing the company, the leader needs to utilize appropriate leadership style to certain subordinates, because the way that the leader treating the followers directly influences the emotion of the followers.According to Graham (1999), â€Å"having a comfortable and stimulating work environment is becoming a crucial factor in getting the job done right. † Individuals working in a comfortable surrounding would reduce the probability of making mistakes. Hence, the leader needs to provide the subordinates comfortable working environments, which could effectively assist the subordinates promoting the working efficiency. Treating different staffs with suitable leadership style would make the subordinates feeling working in a comfortable surroundings, which could assist the followers keeping in active emotion. The leader’s internal, external, and relatio nal context of behavior connects with the followers; own sense of internal motivation† (Banutu & Shandra, 2007, p. 70). It represents that the subordinates can magnify their functions of roles in the company business activities by the influence from the leader. Hence, the correct leadership style choosing in leading certain subordinates is a necessary part in leading activities. Finally, the company will be profited from the result of employees’ duteous works. 2. 2 Different situations need different leadership stylesApart from the factors of the subordinates, the situations of a company always change, which the leader needs to adjust the leadership style to fitting the current circumstance. According to James (2004, p. 296), the leader should change the leadership style â€Å"that is dependent on the situation of which the leader finds him/herself in. † There are two basic elements in leadership, which are task-oriented behavior and relationship behavior. Hence, the leader needs to decide which one is more important in certain situation, the task or the relationship, and provides corresponding leadership style to control and handle the company activities.Facing different situations, the leader needs to alter different leadership styles to match the circumstances. For example, â€Å"in emergency situations, leaders do not have time to seek opinions and suggestions from followers or to use other participative styles† (Robbins & Hunsaker, 2011, p. 224). It represents that the main job of the company in such situation is to immediately complete the assignment they should finish. Hence, the leader needs to just give order to the subordinates finishing their assignments instead of asking for any suggestions and acquiring permission. . 3 Variable leadership styles for a company The operating condition of a company is related with the leadership of the leader. The leadership always occupies the vital position in resolving the result of a co mpany in a crisis; hence, in order to lead the subordinates, the leader needs to amply analyze the choosing of leadership style in certain situation (Steven, Berke, Taylor, & Jose, 2008). It represents that the choice of the leadership in different surroundings and with different subordinates is vital to a company.Once a new assignment coming, the leader needs to consider different factors; and selects a suitable leadership style to handle the assignment. In 1974, House and Mitchell illustrated the Path-Goal situation model that there are four leadership styles in managing activities to fit different situations and subordinates. Utilizing different leadership style can deal with special issue. According to Hammuda and Dulaimi (1997), utilizing different leadership style needs to fit different condition. Table 1 illustrates the Path-Goal situation model (Hammuda & Dulaimi, 1997).From this table, it clearly states that, in different situations, the selection of the suitable leadership style will bring positive effects on the outcome. Table 1: A Path-Goal situation model. 3. 0 Resistance of changing leadership style The situational leadership model is a necessary factor in leading activities; and many leaders have realized it. However, the utilization of this model is not universal. There several reasons in this issue. In this chapter, two reasons of resistance of change will be mentioned which are habits and fear of failure. 3. 1 HabitsThe person who is in the position of leader has experienced much time in managing company, which represents that the leadership style of the leader has become one of his (her) habits. It states that changing the leadership style equals breaking the habit of a person. â€Å"Breaking a habit is difficult because it takes hard work and involves giving up perceived benefits from the habit† (Robbins & Hunsaker, 2011, p. 241). A habit has become a part of individual, which means that it is difficult to change. Individuals have be en accustomed to obtain the benefits from their habits, so it is hard for them to abandon the habits.Here is an example. A man who always wears a watch on his left hand changed wearing the watch on another hand, which will make him feel that it is a heavy burden to his right hand, while he feels nothing wearing on his left hand. It illustrates that individuals dislike the uncomfortable with changing habit. For the reason that people will not prefer to undertake the uncomfortable, as a result, avoiding changing habits is universal. 3. 2 Fear Another reason that leader refuses to change is fear. Leadership style changing represents that the relationships and aims of the company will be different from the past.Before changing, the company could still continue normally working. However, leadership style changing will bring risk to the company because that no one can ensure the new style fitting the company situation. It illustrates that the changing activity might fail, which the leader dislike to suffer the pain from failure. Hence, â€Å"the best way to avoid the pain of failing is not to do anything at all† (Connelly, n. d. ). It is because of this sense; many leaders prefer to maintain the unique leadership style in managing the company in avoiding suffering risk. Furthermore, the fear of losing also makes people avoiding change.According to Robbins & Hunsaker (2011), individuals will feel fear when they are unclear about the coming change, which might make them losing their positions, status, rights or other things are belong to them. It states that people resist changing because of the fear of losing, so facing the unknown change, an involuntary of resistance sprout in individuals’ minds. 4. 0 Overcome the resistance of change Flexible leadership style is a basic element in managing company business. The profits of the flexible leadership style, as it mentioned above, are abundant.Hence, the leader needs to overcome the resistance of change, wh ich could provide positive influences in the management activities. In this chapter, some suggestions will be provided to assist these leaders overcome the resistance of changing leadership styles. 4. 1 More Education As it mentioned, some leaders avoid changing because they dislike undertaking risk; and fear of losing. In order to overcome these uncomfortable senses in changing the leadership style, it â€Å"requires a kind of leap of faith: you decide to move in the direction of the unknown on the promise that something will be better for you† (Schuler, 2003).Leaders need to clearly understand the result of the changing. Additionally, leaders need to be clear about the process of change. An effective method for achieving these purposes is to obtain more education of relative knowledge. According to Robbins and Hunsaker (2011), well-educated will reduce the anxiety of leaders because leaders can understand what will happen, which provide confidence to them to overcome the fe ar of changing. Once leaders know how to control the coming situations by changing their leadership style, and forecast the profit in future; they would not fear to change. . 2 Building New Habituation Leader resists changing the leadership style because he (she) has built it as a habit of his (her) behavior. Changing a habit is a tough work, hence leader can build another habit to modify the leadership skills and even cover the old style. â€Å"Habituation is a decrease in the strength of a naturally elicited behavior that occurs through repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus. † (Bouton, 2007) It states that an individual can build new habituation by repeating the same action.Hence, leaders who want to own the ability to flexibly change the leadership style need to continually force them to do relative activities. Additionally, it needs â€Å"a signal or event that will make you do the thing that you want to do† (PluginID, 2011). Leader can utilize this meth od to model inflexible leadership as his (her) new habit, but, as it mentioned above, before building the new habit of leadership, leader needs to comprehend the benefit, and makes confidence with the change he (she) is going to do. Finally, a new habit in leadership style controlling will be built. . 0 Conclusion A leader needs to utilize appropriate leadership style to handle the issue with different subordinates in different situations. Hence, the flexible leadership style is necessary in managing the works of a company. The benefits of this model are obvious, so the leader should utilize this model in operating activities of the company. However, there are some resistances to some leaders in altering the leadership styles; these leaders can utilize suitable methods, as it mentioned, to overcome this condition. 6. 0 RecommendationAt present, company management plays an important role in a company development. Leaders need to possess the capability in changing the leadership style to adjust the leading activity to an ideal condition. Acquiring more education and building a new habit are two reasonable selections to assist the leader obtaining the ideal leading ability. However, it is not easy to achieve the purpose; a wonderful leader should overcome these uncomfortable, and nurture the leading ability for the future self-development. References Banutu, M. B. , & Shandra, M. T. B. (2007).Leadership and organizational change in A competitive environment. Business Renaissance Quarterly, 2(2), pp. 69-90. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com Bouton, M. E. (2007). Learning and behavior: A contemporary synthesis. Retrieved from http://www. sinauer. com Connelly, M. (n. d. ). Exposing Fear of Change. Retrieved September 30, 2012, from http://www. change-management-coach. com/fear-of-change. html Graham, A. (1999, May 07). Comfortable space promotes creativity lighting and colour enhance a productive work environment. The Times – Transcript, pp. n/a. R etrieved from http://search. roquest. com Hammuda, I. M. , & Dulaimi, M. F. (1997). The effects of the situational variables on the leadership stylesin construction projects. 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