LEADERSHIP GRID

What is Leadership ?

There are almost as many different definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the conceptWe define managerial leadership as the process of directing and influencing the task related activities of group members.

Implications of Leadership.

Leadership involves other people by their willingness to accept directions from the leader it helps in the leadership processIt involves unequal distribution of powers between leaders and group membersThe ability to use different forms of power to influence followers behaviors in a number of waysThe last aspect combines all three and says that leadership is about values.

Four Factors of Leadership

Leader :You must have an honest understanding of who you are, what you know, and what you can do. Also, note that it is the followers, not the leader or someone else who determines if the leader is successful. If they do not trust or lack confidence in their leader, then they will be uninspired. To be successful you have to convince your followers, not yourself or your superiors, that you are worthy of being followed.

Communication :You lead through two-way communication. Much of it is nonverbal. For instance, when you "set the example," that communicates to your people that you would not ask them to perform anything that you would not be willing to do. What and how you communicate either builds or harms the relationship between you and your employees.

Followers :Different people require different styles of leadership. For example, a new hire requires more supervision than an experienced employee. A person who lacks motivation requires a different approach than one with a high degree of motivation. You must know your people! The fundamental starting point is having a good understanding of human nature, such as needs, emotions, and motivation. You must come to know your employees' be, know, and do attributes.

Situation :All situations are different. What you do in one situation will not always work in another. You must use your judgment to decide the best course of action and the leadership style needed for each situation. For example, you may need to confront an employee for inappropriate behavior, but if the confrontation is too late or too early, too harsh or too weak, then the results may prove ineffective.

What is Leadership Grid.? Leadership grid explains how leaders help

organize actions to achieve to achieve their objectives through the factors of concern for production or results (task behaviour) and concern for people (relationship behaviour).

The grid consists of two axes – Y-axis representing concern for production while X-axis representing concern for people on a scale 9 points. 1 represents minimum concern and 9 the maximum.

Elements of leadership grid Authority – Compliance Management or

task management Leaders who fall in this category heavily emphasize results with minimum concern for people. They consider people merely as a means to achieve desired results. The leader is often characterized as controlling, overpowering, over driving and coercive.

Country club management Leaders falling in this category are those who are concerned more welfare and personal needs of people and lack the focus on task accomplishment. The leader is often characterized democratic but also is seen as ineffective in driving the people toward achievement of goals.

Impoverished management (1,1) Leaders in this category are generally those who arrived here merely by means of their position, and are simply viewed as going through the motions of being a leader. They are characterized as indifferent, non-committal, un-involved and withdrawn.

Middle of the road management (5,5) Leaders in this category seem to achieve a “balance” between people relationships and results, but are basically compromisers in nature. They compromise on conviction to make some progress and as a result miss out on push for results and also on drive for creating a true team culture. Such leader is characterized as avoiding conflicts.

Team management Leaders in this category consider people relation, commitment and empowerment as a means of achieving goals. They are open to learning, view conflicts as opportunity for innovative thinking, clarify goals and set high expectation and provide learning opportunity for people in the course of completion of the task. Such leader is characterized as driving trust and learning in the teams.

Leadership Grid Model. The managerial grid model (1957) is a

behavioural leadership model developed by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton. This model originally identified five different leadership styles based on the concern for people and the concern for production. The optimal leadership style in this model is based on Theory Y.

Conclution The grid theory has continued to evolve and

develop. Robert Blake updated it with in (Daft, 2008). The theory was updated with two additional leadership styles and with a new element, resilience. In 1999, the grid managerial seminar began using a new text, The Power to Change.