UNIV 1213: Leadership and Teamwork

Dr. Ali AL-Ghazo, Section 101

Name: Muath. A. Redwan

ID: 200600662

Major: Mechanical Engineer

Assignment 1: Leadership in Organizations (10%)

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Introduction

In modern society leadership has become a necessity. Every successful

organization has implemented leadership in some way at one time or another.
However, it has not always been implemented effectively and therefore and has
resulted in low productivity. Therefore, only effective leadership techniques will
benefit organizations and allow them to achieve their goals. This report will first
attempt to define what leadership is and its importance in organizations. It will also
show the difference between leadership and management. Then, it will discuss
several qualities that a leader should possess as well as several different leadership
styles with well-known examples. Finally, it will discuss several leadership theories
and where they are typically found.
Leadership

Cannon & Griffith (2007) defined leadership as “the ability to influence others
toward a desired end.” From this, we can say that leaders must be able to motivate
and direct their team efficiently to realize the organization’s vision. Contrary to
popular belief, leadership is not the same thing as management. Management is about
directing the team according to the rules and guidelines that have been set by the
organization, whereas leadership is about setting new rules and directions for the
team to follow (Team Technology, 2009).
Leadership Qualities

There are numerous traits or qualities that a leader may possess. Siegel (2007)
points out six positive qualities for leadership: optimism – always expecting positive
outcomes no matter what, creativity – always thinking outside of the box, resilience –
never giving up even when the odds are against them, self-control – hard work and
dedication will definitely result in success, empathy – understanding the feelings of
others, and sociability – being able to get along with others.

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Leadership Styles

There are many different types of leadership styles as well. The following are four
of the more commonly found styles: Autocratic leadership gives the leader total
power over the team members. Howell Raines (the exec. editor of The New York
Times) was well known for using all the resources of the newspaper to cover stories
he deemed worthy. In democratic leadership the team contributes to major decisions,
although it is the leader who makes the final decision. Dwight D. Eisenhower worked
hard to get the Alliance forces to agree on a common strategy and lead them to
victory. A bureaucratic leader always follows the rules and procedures. Almost all of
the world leaders are bureaucratic and have to follow the rules to the letter. Finally,
charismatic leaders are skilled at infusing large amounts of enthusiasm in to their
team. One of the most famous charismatic leaders of all time was Adolf Hitler, who
could infuse incredible amounts of passion into his armies and get them to follow his
every command (Mind Tools, 2009).

Theoretical Leadership Approaches

Over the past few decades, interest in leadership has increased greatly and thus
many different theories about leadership have surfaced. Here we will discuss four of
the major theories that have emerged: Trait theories assume that leaders have
inherited the qualities that have made them great leaders. Behavioral theories, on the
other hand, are based on the principle that leaders are made not born and that one can
learn how to be great leader. The foundation of situational theories is that whether or
not someone can be a leader depends on the situation they are in. In that they might
be a skilled leader in one certain situation and be a bad one in another type of
situation. Contingency theories focus on the variables in a certain environment that
might determine which leadership style in best suited for the situation and that no
single style is effective for all situations (Van Wagner, 2009).

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Conclusion

In conclusion, despite the many different styles and theories of leadership, all
great leaders have similar qualities that have made them who they are today. They are
the ones who will lead us to the future and help us to realize our visions. This is why
leadership is important to our lives today.

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 References

Cannon, M. D., & Griffith, B. A. (2007). Effective Groups. Allyn & Bacon.

Mind Tools. (n.d.). Leadership styles. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from Mind Tools web
site: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_84.htm

Siegel, L. (2007). Suite Success. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from American Management
Association Web site:
http://www.amanet.org/books/catalog/0814473601_SixPositives.htm

Team Technology. (n.d.). Leadership and Management. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from
Team Technology web site: http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/leadership-basics.html

Van Wagner, K. (n.d.). Leadership Theories. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from
About.com: http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm

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