Leadership can also be analyzed in terms of how much
contribution the leader obtains from subordinates before solving a
problem or making a decision. As previously discussed, most leaders
are situational and they use both styles on different
occasions.
A popular leadership trend since the 1980s has been to encourage
employee participation in problem solving and decision making. By
obtaining and considering the suggestions of subordinates, a leader
has access to more data, experience and opinions.
Participation can occur when the leader either delegates total
responsibility for tasks or allows subordinates to participate in
problem-solving and decision-making processes. A more restrictive
form of participation is used when a leader discusses the task with
subordinates but ultimately makes the decision as to what will be
done. By using a participative style of leadership, a leader
doesn't relinquish the responsibility to get the job done, but
gives subordinates the authority to help arrive at the right
decision to get the job done correctly. Participation is
particularly effective in less structured or rapidly changing work
environments.
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Leaders who have a direction orientation decide what needs to be
done and communicate this to subordinates. They may or may not
explain why they chose a course of action and they may use
persuasion techniques to bolster their directives. These leaders
autocratically assume that, since they know the right answer,
seeking input from subordinates is unnecessary. They may
rationalize the use of a directive style by citing organizational
problems, such as low employee educational levels and competence,
even though this may not be applicable. The degree to which a
leader may be directive depends upon a number of factors.
For example, leaders tend to be more directive when there's
high uncertainty in the situation, little time is available, a
short-term increase in productivity is needed, or they exercise a
high degree of positional or organizational power. Directive
leadership tends to be used more than participative leadership in
slow-changing situations or where less employee input is
needed.
Relationship or Task
Orientation
The best leaders concern themselves both with people relationships
and the tasks for which they are responsible because tasks usually
are accomplished more effectively when human factors are
considered. The degree of integration of task and relationship
varies considerably with each leader; the exact mix partly depends
upon task urgency, subordinates' work performance and ability,
organizational climate, and the leader's natural inclination
toward one orientation or the other.
Leaders who set relationships as a priority recognize the
synergistic effects of attending to the human side of work. This
doesn't mean they're less concerned with accomplishing
tasks but that they know the best way to achieve high-quality
success is to make sure they consider subordinates' and team
members' needs. They do this by maintaining warm, close and
friendly relationships with their followers and co-workers and by
openly trusting and supporting them.
A complete task orientation means that a leader has foremost in
mind the job that must get done. Without seeking input from
subordinates, the leaders structure the work, define the goals,
allocate resources, and focus on achieving production quotas or
delivery of services. People are of concern, but only because
they're necessary to get the work done. This leader uses an
inflexible, no-nonsense approach with subordinates.
Consideration or Initiation
Orientation
Considerate leaders do what any considerate person would do, but in
the context of leadership. Since they concern themselves with
subordinates' interests and well-being, they're sensitive
toward their feelings, needs and goals. Before making decisions,
they seek suggestions from subordinates and consider what effects
these decisions will have on the team. By openly praising and
privately correcting subordinates, they establish a working
environment in which people trust, respect and follow them.
Initiation refers to a leader's ability to start activities
and organize work. Strong initiators prefer not to let the group
completely structure its work or make all of the on-the-job
decisions. They prefer not only to determine what must be done but
also who does it and how it is to be done. Consequently, they focus
on tasks: most of their daily initiatives occur simply to
facilitate achievement of work-related goals. Since there can be
overlap in these two orientations, a leader could be both highly
considerate and initiating and still be effective.
Action or Inaction
Orientation
Action-oriented leaders involve themselves with fulfilling work
responsibilities. They take charge of these responsibilities by
using the leadership and management principles discussed in
Leadership Made Easy and by realizing that subordinates perform
better when their leaders are aware of work-related issues,
interested in seeing goals achieved, and actively monitoring
performance.
Active leaders establish and communicate their subordinates'
authority, responsibilities and work parameters. Having this
knowledge of what is expected of them and the encouragement to
perform well, employees will gain the autonomy that most of them
crave. There are distinctions between action and inaction. By
asking a subordinate to complete a task, for example, the leader is
actively delegating an assignment, not avoiding taking action.
Leaders who are inactive are much less engaged in their work
than active leaders. On a spectrum of reasons for such inactivity,
you will find leaders who consciously shirk their responsibilities
and those who do not realize they're less active than they need
to be. Inactive leaders tend to react to a daily work challenge
after someone tells them about it, whereas the active leader
proactively seeks out impending obstacles. In addition to the risk
that inactive leaders pose to their organization's ability to
achieve goals, the leaders themselves risk being perceived as
irrelevant or ineffective by their subordinates.
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