Running head: MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF LEADERSHIP 1

Module 1: Introduction to the Study of Leadership

John W. Liles II

LEPSL 540

January 29, 2018

Gary Morrison
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Module 1: Introduction to the Study of Leadership

In every profession there is one constant, which is the profession will be made of people,

and people are diverse. Sometimes the differences between people can be generational or

cultural. Regardless, no one person is exactly as the other. Each person is inspired and

motivated in different ways. Therefore, one common leadership challenge in any profession can

be in motivating others to accomplish the desired task. Throughout these next seven modules

what will be studied is how to effectively motivate people and the different theories that can be

applied when doing so.

What is the concept, theory, or framework you wish to study?

Several different motivational theories can be studied. For example, there is the Needs

Theory, McGregor’s Theory of X and Theory Y, Expectancy and Contingency Theory and Self-

Efficacy Theory. Motivational theories are of particular interest to those of us in law

enforcement because we manage such a diverse group of individuals. These individuals must

come together as a group to accomplish a given goal, and different managerial approaches are

necessary. The individuals must also demonstrate proficiency, personal safety and ethical

behavior on a daily basis. They are also expected to serve the public, protect interests and root

out crime by proactive policing.

How can you apply your identified leadership challenge?

Encouraging subordinates to remain productive can sometimes be a challenge while

balancing proactive policing, as well as a myriad of other factors. Learning different ways to

motivate people can be an invaluable tool and something that has merit in mastering. Tailoring

different motivational theories may require change. That change might be needed of the
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subordinate as well as the manager. However, change may occur slowly and is often met with

resistance (Robbins & Judge, 2013).

One of the several different motivational theories, which will be studied over the next

seven weeks, is McGregor’s Theory X/Y. Although the theory was developed in the late 1950’s,

McGregor’s work was hailed as being one of the most significant accounts of understanding

organizational behavior and is still being studied and applied today. McGregor presented several

ideas; first, all managers have their pre-conceived theory of what motivates humans to work.

Second, there are two different views of people at work and their nature, which he refers to as

Theory X and Theory Y. Finally, he asserts that managers who adopt the more pessimistic

Theory X view of their subordinates would create the environment that forces the employee’s to

return the managers' pre-conceived performance expectation (Lawter, Kopelman, & Prottas

2015). Therefore, in regards to Theory Y managers, who are more positive and believe their

subordinates are intelligent and can find work their fulfilling will inadvertently create a

productive work environment. On the contrary, Theory X managers who have the mindset their

employees are inherently lazy, have little to contribute and must be micromanaged automatically

performed to the managers’ expectations.

Conclusion

The topic chosen is of particular interest of study because as a supervisor it is essential to

understand what motivates others. Different motivational theories will be studied in this course

as the topic choses, which will aid to understand how to address leadership challenges in law

enforcement. There are many examples affecting the criminal justice field such as reduced work

performance and negative work performance, failing to interact with the public and excessive

uses of force. A few of the questions be asked will be; why do these things happen? What has
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the supervisor done to address the issues? All of these factors could be as a result of the

underlying fact that the subordinates’ supervisor failed to motivate effectively. The end desire is

to be able to better understand how to motivate others.

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Reference

Lawter, L., Kopelman, R. E., & Prottas, D. J. (2015). McGregor's Theory X/Y and Job

Performance: A Multilevel, Multi-source Analysis. Journal Of Managerial Issues, 27(1-

4), 84-101.

Robbins, S., & Judge, T. (2013). Organizational Behavior (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Pearson Education Inc.