Lesson SummaryDefinitions of LeadershipIf managementis defined as getting things done through others, then leadership should be defined as the social and informal sources of influence that you use to inspire action taken by others.There is an emphasis on team achievements and pride in individual accomplishments that contribute to the company's overall success.Entrepreneurshipis defined as the recognition of opportunities (needs, wants, problems, and challenges) and the use or creation of resources to implement innovative ideas for new, thoughtfully planned ventures.Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurshipare the catalysts for value creation.Strategic managementis the body of knowledge that answers questions about the development and implementation of good strategies.
Alternative Perspectives on LeadershipLeadership is more about "setting the direction, standards, and vision for an organization"Confucius' aim was to bring about social reforms through education to bring about an ideal society through the promotion of ideal ways of life and full development of the individual personality.According to Bass, transformational leadership occurs when a leader transforms, or changes, his or her followers in ways that result in followers trusting the leader.The concept of idealized influence is similar to what might generally be thought of as charisma. It is important to note that charisma is not always to be viewed in a negative light.Leaders who are effective at individual consideration are better able to delegate responsibility, empower people, support their subordinates, and be responsive to individual needsIt should be recognized that social work administrators/leaders do need to be able to focus on the tasks at hand in fulfilling their managerial roles, as in reality, social service agencies are essentially businesses that must at least break even in order to stay in existence.
Leadership, Personal Values, and Cultural ContextConsiderable evidence exists that there are both similarities and differences across countries in the kinds of behaviors sought for in ideal leaders, but actual empirical studies of differences between leaders and followers are, to our knowledge, rare or nonexistent.Trait theory which grew out of the great man approach mentioned above is based on the idea that leaders possess certain attributes or traits which permit them to attract, secure and control followers.Behavioral theories of leadership arose in response to the predominance of trait theories and argued that people of great personal and psychological diversity have successfully played leadership roles,A leader should command respect, or Subordinates should not challenge their boss.Most studies to date have sought to identify differences in mean levels of attitudes, values, or practices from one cultural setting to another.The Relations Quadrant contains affect, empathy,sociability or group orientation, and loyalty. Two other quadrants, control and thought are less dependent on traditional American management thought and were informed by an extensive survey of anthropological and sociological literature
Ethical Challenges Managers FaceIt is easy to think that people who behave unethically are simply bad apples or have a character flaw. But in fact, it is often the situation or circumstances that create the ethical pressures.Ethical behavior among managers is even more important in organizations because leaders set the moral tone of the organization and serve as role models. Ethical leaders build trust in organizations.Without integrity, there can be no trust. Leadership is based on trust. Ethics drive effectiveness because employees know they can do the right thing decisively and with confidence.Ethics implies making a choice between decision-making rules. For instance, when choosing between two suppliers, do you choose the cheapest (decision rule 1) or the highest quality (decision rule 2).Accordingly, while efficiency and profitability are viewed as a leader's primary objectives, there is a long-held view that leaders also have responsibility for ensuring standards of moral and ethical conduct.Many leaders and academics have a fascination with the shared concept of values because values are seen as the underlying attitudes and beliefs that help determine individual behavior, both personnel, and leaders.