Introduction
to Business MGT 211
VU
LESSON
21
MANAGERIAL
STYLES AND LEADERSHIP
There are
many valid styles of
leadership. Most managers do
not conform to anyone style,
but
under
different circumstances, any
given style or combination of
styles may prove
appropriate.
Leadership
-- A process of
motivating others to work to
meet specific
objectives.
a.
Managerial Styles--pattern of behavior
that a manager exhibits in
dealing with
subordinates.
i.
Autocratic
Style--managerial
style in which managers
generally issue
orders
and expect them to be obeyed
without question.
ii.
Democratic
Style--managerial
style in which managers
generally ask
for
input from subordinates but
retain final decision-making
power.
iii.
Free-Rein
Style--managerial
style in which managers
typically serve as
advisers
to subordinates who are
allowed to make
decisions.
The
Contingency Approach to
Leadership--The contingency
approach acknowledges
that
people
in different cultures behave
different and expect
different things from their
managers.
Managers
will be more effective when
they adapt their styles to
the contingencies of
the
situations
they face.
Contingency
Approach--approach to
managerial style holding
that the appropriate
behavior
in
any situation is dependent
(contingent) on the unique
elements of that
situation.
a.
Motivation and Leadership in
the Twenty-First
Century
i.
Changing
Patterns of Motivation
1.
Today's employees want
rewards that are often
quite different
from
those
valued
by
earlier
generations.
--Money
is no longer the prime
motivator for most people,
and
because
businesses cannot offer the
same degree of job
security
that many workers want,
motivation requires
skillful
attention
from
managers.
--One
recent survey found that
workers wanted flexible
working
hours
(67 percent), casual dress
(56 percent), unlimited
Internet
access
(51 percent), opportunities to
telecommute (43
percent),
nap
time (28 percent), massages
and other perks. In
another
study
of fathers, many men said
they wanted more
flexible
working
hours in order to spend more
time with their
families.
Today's
workers have a complex set
of needs and their
motivations
are increasingly
complex.
2.
The diversity inherent in
today's workforce makes
motivating
behavior
more complex.
ii.
Changing
Patterns of Leadership
1.
Today's leaders are finding
it necessary to change their
own
behavior
as organizations become flatter
and workers more
empowered.
--The
autocratic style is less
acceptable and many
managers
are
functions more as coaches
than bosses.
2.
Diversity is affecting leadership
processes. --Women,
African
Americans,
and Hispanics are entering
the managerial ranks
in
94
Introduction
to Business MGT 211
VU
increasing
numbers, and they are
more and more likely to
be
younger
than some of the people
they are leading.
3.
Leaders must adopt more of a
"network" mentality rather
than a
"hierarchical"
one. -- New forms of
organizational design
may
call
for one person to be the
leader on one project and a
team
member
on another.
95