Background And Importance Of Charismatic And Transformational Leadership: Personal Learning

Critical reflection/analysis

What does the theory suggest?

Leadership is the quality of an individual to influence people to reach a particular goal by bringing some differences in the actions performed by them (Aronson, 2001). I have met many leaders, my parents being the first one followed by the teachers and professors. Control in the most constructive manner. I noticed my parents shared wonderful public relations with all the relatives, neighbors and acquaintances. Leadership is present in almost everyone to an extent but it has a very important role to play in an organization where huge costs are incurred to attain big profits. Maintaining a good relationship with everyone can help a leader in an organization influence people and get the work done smoothly. My mother is very sensitive, friendly and understanding towards my maid. These are the best qualities of a leader and if they are followed by a leader towards the subordinates, the results can be fruitful. It was learning for me also to get the work done from everyone in the organization. I also made some teachers and educator’s who were very friendly and show the best characteristics of leadership and maintained a very good relationship with me. I noticed that I was more engaged in the activities, my performance was boosted and I became more competent. I scored more marks in the subjects whose teachers treated me with a good attitude as compared to the strict teachers. I felt more confident and comfortable in their classes. I remember the functions organized under the leadership of the best teachers and seniors. The organization of the activity went on smoothly. The difficulties were handled. They were always ready for making spontaneous changes in the plans in case the team members are suffering from some problems (Dulewicz and Higgs, 2005). Those teachers were willing to solve the problems that I shared and helped me to carry out the activities that were given to me as a part of the team. On the contrary, when the worst ever leaders are present that show the qualities of dictatorship, which only follow their own opinion and do not have respect for the opinions of others(Dulewicz and Higgs, 2005). They provide an environment that does not provide a comfort zone for the employees of all team members to work happily. When I met with such people who do not share any information to make the decisions, it was difficult for me to somewhere over there because I did not find any kind of respect for me. They also tend to practice favoritism. The focuses on the people who speak highly of them or rather flatter them. The strategy goes a little negative according to me and felt discouraged and incompetent. I was also a little restless and frustrated.

Asking why things are the way they are..

When I thought the reason behind the difference in my feelings on working with the best and the worst ever leaders, I realized that it could be the basic human nature that needs respect, non-discrimination, admiration, friendly attitude, supportive behavior, problem-solving approach, a delegation of responsibility with faith, contribution in decision making, etc. When an individual received this kind of attitude, he tends to get enthusiastic towards achieving the goal of the company.

Personal learning

I also learned these ways of leadership and the differences between the best leader and the worst ever leader. I realized the difference in my attitude toward working with such constructive leaders.

Application of concepts in contemporary organizations

If these kinds of qualities are present in the leaders in an organization, the productivity e will reach its top and all the team members will perform with high-quality zeal (Aronson, 2001). This will give them a feeling of dedication and extreme satisfaction. As a result of it, there will be camaraderie in the organization and it will help the organization grow faster. It would also support emotional quotient among the employees and it will help in developing the nation.

To what extent do theory and organizational reality match

It is possible to execute these qualities in the organization also because schools and educational institutions are also a kind of organizations and as per my experience it is possible to carry them out successfully. Considering the most admired companies like Amazon, Apple, Walmart, and others and others; they all are known for the exceptional leadership styles of their managers.

How relevant is the theory to organizational life

Leadership is one of the most prominent qualities in the world of management. It helps in increasing the life of the organisation because people like to work in the organisation and company is nothing without people. Therefore, best qualities of a leader are relevant to the life of the organisation.

Leadership is earned:

What does the theory suggest?

Defense leadership is an Unbreakable part of every country. This style of leadership is earned. It depends on the traits and behavior of an individual that helps in reaching the position of a leader. It focuses on command leadership and Management. I read in the first chapter that good leaders are good managers and vice versa. However, according to this theory, there are differences between command leadership and Management but still, they go hand in hand. Leadership is more important as compared to management as far as the defense industry is concerned.

Asking why things are the way they are

When I started thinking about the reasons behind the differences in practicing leadership and management in normal organizations and the defense industry, I noticed it is because of the difference in the activities that are followed in the defense industry and normal organizations. It is very challenging to perform effectively in military organizations (Eagly et al, 2003), therefore, come on leadership is very necessary because the team members of the soldiers need to perform far more than expected physically and mentally both. In a normal organization, command leadership may not be required because urgency is not always prevalent due to the micro or macro-environment.

Personal learning

I understood the importance of command leadership. It can make a person perform beyond its strength and helps in bringing out the exceptional powers lying within a human being. It is because the members are in huge numbers in all the military organizations as compared to corporate organizations. All of them need to follow the same kind and quality of commands with equal effectiveness and expertise and therefore command leadership holds a lot of importance. I also have performed under command leadership when I was in school. It was under the coaches of sports. My coach wanted me to perform exceptionally and therefore he practiced the high quality of strictness on me. It was command leadership due to which I outperformed.

Application of concepts in contemporary organizations

Command leadership can be practiced in contemporary organizations when macro-environment factors present very big challenges in front of the organization and create a situation of urgency. In such circumstances, all the team members need to follow the decisions that are taken urgently and therefore there is a lack of time to share the information and ask for opinions.

To what extent the theory and organizational reality match

Command leadership may not be e matching according to the reality of the organizations in today’s world. People tend to work in an environment that provides them a sense of respect and admiration. They can become good followers if they get charismatic and humble leaders. Only in cases of urgent situations, it can be practiced (Eagly et al, 2003).

How relevant is the theory of organizational life?

The theory of command leadership may not be favorable to the life of the organization that deals in the corporate but it is highly successful in military organizations.

Charismatic and transformational leadership

What does the theory suggest?

Charismatic and transformational leadership are considered as new theories of leadership. Charisma is the quality of inspiring someone with a combination of personality and Vibes. It is a highly positive quality and it is a great experience to work with charismatic leaders (Dulewicz and Higgs, 2005). The celebrities have charismatic personalities and this is the reason they are hired to become brand ambassadors. It is with the help of their charismatic personality they are capable of leading the people to buy a product. Common people associate the products with their respective brand ambassadors and ultimately by the product or services.

Transformational leadership covers bringing the changes in the organization to those who create the circumstances for achieving the objectives of the company. Transformational leadership is transactional also focuses on the transactions that take place daily in a company and it takes care of rewarding the team members when they complete their tasks. Full range leadership argues to include transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership as distinct behaviours (Eagly et al, 2003).

Asking why things are the way they are

The leaders that establish charismatic relationships, including the celebrities who act as brand ambassadors; help in establishing long term relationships as per my experience. It is possible when Sach charismatic leaders are accepted by the common people and they feel affected by them. It has also been seen that charismatic leaders are followed willingly and the team members obey all the orders of theirs. I feel like ok emotionally connected with the companies that hire charismatic celebrities. Narcissism is somewhere considered important in charismatic leadership. A little component of Narcissism can be helpful but it should not be more because it represents a sense of superiority and self-importance.

Transformational leadership takes place because it helps in raising awareness among people and make them check the benefits beyond self-interest. Its focus is on self-fulfillment and understanding the necessity for bringing the changes (Leban and Zulauf, 2004). It makes the managers understand the urgent situations, builds trust and promotes proactive behavior. It is possible when the problem is looked at in detail and customized solutions are designed.

Personal learning

I am inspired by the charismatic style of leadership as compared to transformational. However, both the styles of leadership have their importance, strengths, and limitations. I admire some of the advertisements and the way of speaking of the brand ambassadors particularly the ones related to the sports brands. Their facial expressions look so satisfactory and they have a lot of confidence in endorsing a product or service that I get convinced to try the product immediately. The features of the products are very well narrated by the brand ambassadors that create belief in my mind for the product.

Application of concepts in contemporary organizations

These concepts of charismatic and transformational styles of leadership can be helpful in contemporary organizations. If the managers can practice a charismatic style of leadership, they will be able to influence the team members and make them believe the objectives of the company can be achieved within the timeline while following the particular code of conduct. They have a magical approach to convince people (Eagly et al, 2003).

The transformational style of leadership also revolves around the transactional leadership style. Both of them together help in making the team members feel justified when they put extra effort into achieving the targets. The transactional style provides rewards to the group members when they perform well. This gives them a sense of satisfaction and they are encouraged to perform more.

If the charismatic style of leadership can be combined with transformational and transactional styles, the team members can be given creative motives effectively.

To what extent do theory and organizational reality match

The theories of charisma and transformation do match with reality because the highly successful organizations have the most inspirational leaders. For example, Microsoft was led by Steve Jobs who had a wonderful charisma and he was also known for the Ethical style of business that justified transformational and transactional styles of leadership also.

How relevant is the theory of organizational life

These theories are relevant to the organizational life because they help in bringing the people under the charm of the leaders and making them feel they are appreciated and rewarded for the efforts that they are putting. Give and take is a fair play. This is practiced by transactional and transformational styles and a sense of loyalty, affection, respect, and inspiration is achieved by a charismatic style of leadership.

Reference

1. Aronson, E. (2001). Integrating leadership styles and ethical perspectives. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences/Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l’Administration, 18(4), 244-256.
2. Dulewicz, V., & Higgs, M. (2005). Assessing leadership styles and organisational context. journal of Managerial Psychology, 20(2), 105-123.
3. Eagly, A. H., Johannesen-Schmidt, M. C., & Van Engen, M. L. (2003). Transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles: a meta-analysis comparing women and men. Psychological bulletin, 129(4), 569.
4. Leban, W., & Zulauf, C. (2004). Linking emotional intelligence abilities and transformational leadership styles. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 25(7), 554-564.
5. De Vries, R. E., Bakker-Pieper, A., & Oostenveld, W. (2010). Leadership= communication? The relations of leaders’ communication styles with leadership styles, knowledge sharing and leadership outcomes. Journal of business and psychology, 25(3), 367-380.