Question

Assume that you have just been promoted to a new position where you have leadership responsibility. You have never had formal leadership responsibilities before, and you wish to maximize the possibility that you will be successful with this new responsibility. Reflect upon the major leadership theories and models that we have learned about in this unit. Develop a Pro and Con list involving at least three of these theories/models. Reflect on each theory and discuss how the theory fits with your own personal style. For example - with a contingency style of leadership, perhaps this would not fit with someone's style if that person believes that all subordinates should be treated identically.

Answer 1

A leadership style refers to the characteristic behavior of leaders when directing, leading, motivating and guiding groups of people. Great leaders can bring social and political changes. The leader motivates other team members to create, innovate, and perform.

The leadership styles I would like to follow and use are as follows:

1. Participative leadership: The participative leader is the democratic leader. They encourage group thinking, give guidance to team members and encourage them to execute their ideas.

• Advantages: The team feels involved, like to deliver results, and are motivated. The democratic leader makes the team feel involved and an important part of the organization. They also feel committed to meet the team goals. The final decision-making is done with teams consent but by the leader.
• Disadvantages: There are multiple channels of discussion and too many ideas leading to slowing down of the decision making process.

1. Transformational leadership: The transformational leader likes to initiate change in the team, himself and the organization. They motivate teams to outperform themselves by creating challenging situations. The team goes out of its way to achieve the desired results.

• Advantages: The team feels involved and motivated to outperform and feeling of success is generated. The level of commitment is very high, improves the team morale, and generates good growth for the organization.
• Disadvantages: The team members may feel overworked and pushed to their limits creating a burnout situation. There is a demand to perform continuously and there is no work-life balance.

1. Cross-cultural leadership: The cross-cultural leadership exists where the workforce is diverse and a mix of many societies. The diverse workforce has global advantages and creates more global opportunities for the leader and the organization by diverse and multicultural ways of thinking. The leader has to very flexible in his approach and open to new ideas.

• Advantages: It adds to global advantages and has the potential for immense growth. The cross-cultural team is handled and leader has an adaptive way of functioning. He accepts diversity as an advantage and maximizes their strengths.
• Disadvantages: There can be discrimination or hostility in the workforce as some groups might feel alienated. The leader will have to be very diplomatic and careful in team management.

To sum it up I need to have a combination of all above leadership styles to be successful in achieving my targets of innovation, growth, and progress. My personal qualities match the above three styles as I enjoy as a team and also want to have targets which challenge my goals and my way of thinking. My interest in diverse cultures will also help manage the organization's global goals and we can become a geocentric organization.