...The Role of Leadership in Shaping Organizational Culture Douglas E. Kronk Walden University Abstract Leadership’s role in shaping a healthy organizational climate has many facets. Both leadership and organizational culture are difficult concepts to define, as many researchers have chosen to define each in various ways. For the purposes of this paper, I examine leadership as a process that guides both leaders and followers to a common goal, that being a shared culture that binds the members together in a healthy and productive climate. I present several leadership factors that play an important role in shaping a healthy organizational culture. The Role of Leadership in Shaping Organizational Culture One of the most critical roles of a leader is to create and maintain a healthy culture in his or her organization. This needs to happen at all levels of an organization, so the responsibility rests with all levels of leadership, from the most senior executives down to the first line supervisor. Culture represents the organization’s personality and has a critical influence on both employee satisfaction and organizational success. While every organization has a culture, it is often misunderstood by the members of the organization due to various interpretations between departments or divisions, both laterally and hierarchically. While some variation may be necessary to meet business demands in larger organizations, it is important for all organizations, both large...
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...The Role of Leadership in Shaping Organizational Culture Laurita M Jones, MBA, MSA Walden University The Role of Leadership in Shaping Organizational Culture Leaders have a profound impact on their organization and how well their teams perform. Thus, organizational leadership plays an influential role in shaping culture and culture in return forms administration. As a leadership perception, corporate culture has been acknowledged as one of the various elements that leaders can utilize to enhance a dynamic business. The process of establishing the cultural foundation of a company begins with the appointed leadership of organizations. They do so by enforcing their assumptions and expectations of organizational culture onto their followers. High-level superiors are the major sources for communicating norms and core values in organizations. Therefore, it is imperative that leaders convey the organization leadership and cultural principles to their followers for utilizing their leadership powers to support and preserve an organizational culture that is ethical and healthy. With the attentiveness to culture in today’s business entities, and its resilient influence on the behavior of subordinates, leaders in company’s can produce a culture that supports high moral and ethical behavior. The subsequent analysis of leadership and organizational culture will attempt to discuss several mechanisms of leadership, and the role leadership plays in shaping the culture of an organization...
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...531 March 21, 2011 John D. Thompson Affecting Change Leadership has been defined as the ability to influence a group towards the achievement of goals. Leaders are sometimes faced with challenges of encouraging employees to adapt to organizational structure and cultural changes. In large organizations the effectiveness of managers depends on influence over supervisors and peers as well as influence over subordinates.” (Yukl, 2006) As the Chief of Operations for Smith & Falmouth Online in the (Leadership in Action simulation) my role is to consolidate operations. I am faced with the challenge of leading a group of unwilling employees to achieve the goals of the organization which is to streamline the online operations, increase the reach of the Online Sales Channel, and make S&F Online a profitable strategic business unit. The deadline for achieving this task is nine months from now. The following will address the current culture within the organization, establish methods that will be utilized in order to maintain control within the organization and recommend a restructuring strategy that will improve the culture and empower employees, which management practices will be most effective, and explain how the new size and structure can affect the organization, individuals, groups, teams, and the organization’s future. Current and Departmental Culture Organizational culture is defined as a pattern of basic assumptions that are considered valid and that...
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...Leadership styles, entrepreneurial orientation and family business growth in Ghana. The research problem While the number of family business abounds in Ghana, one sees lots of these slowly dying and some going bankrupt (Wolf, 2004). The lack of continuity and growth in family businesses is a major concern because of the primary contributory role that family businesses play in the world economy (Lansberg 1999: 1). It is perceived that entrepreneurial activities in Ghana lack the dynamism and competitive edge of those in more developed countries (Saffu, 2004). One reason that can be advanced is the lack of appropriate leadership style and competencies to manage the family business enterprises in Ghana (Wolf, 2004). Researchers in the fields of organizational behavior and leadership have examined leadership styles and their effects on such variables as job satisfaction, job stress, role conflict, job performance and organizational commitment (Humphreys et al., 2003, MacKenzie et al., 2001 and Stock and Hoyer, 2002), in the context of the North American and other developed countries and has rarely been conducted in emerging economies with different cultural orientation (Fakhrul et al 2011), and the Ghanaian context is no exception in this regard. Globally, there is a dearth of research regarding the influence of leadership styles and entrepreneurial orientation on the growth of service sector businesses including private schools. According to (Kest, 2007) there is a lack...
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...A Research Paper on Wal-Mart Management, Leadership and Organizational Culture I. Differentiate Between Management and Leadership At Wal-Mart, management is a mixture of controls and standards with a certain degree of freedom for everyone to be able to test on new things and continue to innovate for improvement. The company has excellent controls and they make the company good. Management strategy is built on teams and the leaders go through the process of working with their team members. Leaders go with the group and after every major operation, they all sit down together to analyze the strengths and improve on the weaknesses of the endeavor. Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, introduced some of the basic concepts of management which were popular with employees until the present. He offered stock options and store discounts to his employees. Walton believed that teams will always do better than individuals hence; he has always tried his best to make his employees happy since happy employees make happy customers and more sales. Another reason is that he believes that the employees would care about the company more when they are a part of it and their success is dependent on the company's success. At Wal-Mart, management encourages their employees to be open to talk and air out their concerns and problems. This is what they call the "open door policy" management style. "Leadership is an organizational role involving establishing a clear vision, communicating...
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...Leadership Analysis The purpose of this analysis is to identify and analyzed the different leadership behaviors and requirements a front-line leader must have. The front-line leader position is to help the organization to become more successful. A successful front-line leader must have a combination of skills, knowledge, experience, and personality traits that are needed to excel in any organization and culture. These skills include: * Accountable - Confidence to do the work and in the people they work with. “We” attitude. * Approachable - Accessibility in time of need. “Open door policy” * Appreciate - Appreciate efforts of team members and subordinates. * Accommodating -Adapt to learning and working styles of team members. * Decision-Making - Responsibility to appropriate others to maximize team member’s effectiveness. * Setting Goals – Achievement and continuous improvement. Knowledge Needed: * Knowledge of services, products and clients. * Knowledge of processes and techniques, strategies, competition and financial metrics. Experience Needed: * Coaching people for current and future roles. * Managing the performance of others. * Working effectively with other departments. Personal Attributes: * Positive approach to challenges. * Energetic Orientation to achieve goals. * Maintains high work and ethical standards. * Inspires confidence and trust. Based on the skills, knowledge, experience and personal attributes...
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...A Research Paper on Wal-Mart Management, Leadership and Organizational Culture I. Differentiate Between Management and Leadership At Wal-Mart, management is a mixture of controls and standards with a certain degree of freedom for everyone to be able to test on new things and continue to innovate for improvement. The company has excellent controls and they make the company good. Management strategy is built on teams and the leaders go through the process of working with their team members. Leaders go with the group and after every major operation, they all sit down together to analyze the strengths and improve on the weaknesses of the endeavor. Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, introduced some of the basic concepts of management which were popular with employees until the present. He offered stock options and store discounts to his employees. Walton believed that teams will always do better than individuals hence; he has always tried his best to make his employees happy since happy employees make happy customers and more sales. Another reason is that he believes that the employees would care about the company more when they are a part of it and their success is dependent on the company's success. At Wal-Mart, management encourages their employees to be open to talk and air out their concerns and problems. This is what they call the "open door policy" management style. "Leadership is an organizational role involving establishing a clear vision, communicating...
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...KENYATTA UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION MBA: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Company Mission, Social Responsibilities and Ethics External Environment Internal Environment Strategic Analysis and Choice Possible? Desired? Long Term Objectives Generic & Grand Strategies Short Term Objectives Functional Tactics Policies Organizational Structure, Leadership and Culture Strategic Control and Innovation IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGY TOPIC: STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION WAMBUGU JOHN KAMAU STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION THROUGH SHORT-TERM OBJECTIVES, FUNCTIONAL TACTICS, REWARD SYSTEMS, AND EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT Introduction Strategy implementation is the manner in which an organization should develop, utilize, and amalgamate organizational structure, control systems, and culture to follow strategies that lead to competitive advantage and a better performance. Steps in Implementing the Firms Strategies Managers shift focus from strategy formulation to implementation successfully by doing the following right: * Identify short-term objectives: * Initiate specific functional tactics. * Outsourcing nonessential functions * Communicate policies that empower people in the organization. * Design effective rewards. How are Short-Term objectives used in Strategy Implementation? Short-term objectives are measurable outcomes achievable in one year or less. Short-term objectives provide much more specific...
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...nature, organizational culture and organizational behavior are two subjects that have not always been considered as having a direct correlation. In the past twenty or so years, the two have been considered as having a more direct connection and influence in relation to each other. In the context of this paper, the author will provide a definition of organizational culture and organizational behavior and explain different types of organizations. The author will also address the importance of organizational culture in shaping employees and attempt to bridge the gap between organizational cultures and influences on organizational behaviors. What is Organizational Culture? Organizational culture is sometimes referred to as corporate culture. Culture is defined as to grow in a prepared medium. An organization is an arrangement into a coherent unity functioning as a whole. Organizational culture, in a sense, is an arrangement of a coherent unity providing a medium in which members are cultivated to operate within the desires of the organization. Culture is the foundation on which an organization is built. It is a composition of values and beliefs that are developed within the boundaries of the organization and is designed to guide and direct the members or employees’ behavior. It is, in essence, the adhesive that bonds the organizational members together. Organizational cultures can have...
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...REFLECTIONS LEADERSHIP THEORIES AND PRACTICES Leadership is much like a quality we all know when we see it but have a difficult at times describing it. But when I think about leadership it remains me of my experience at National Wholesale as Store manager in Bridgeport with little more than fifty employees on my payroll. As a store manager I feel one reason why I had been so successful and likeable among my employees and the upper management is the way I ran and manager my store and employees. I made use of courage, credibility and conviction to define my leadership as a store manager at National Wholesale in Bridgeport. Leaders are distinguished by their courage to lead and I belief that the most important characteristic as a true leader. I know leadership is tough because is about change, and I initiated lots of changes in the store from employee training, regular performance appraisal with constant feedback and promoting fairness and equality and rewarding hard work and dedication among my employees. Sometimes I do meet with resistance and I tried to stay the course in spite of numerous obstacles and disappointments. Leadership is all about courage, and through courage and will I press on in spite of challenges and criticisms and at the end of the day I’m always the winner. Leadership is all about conviction and having the integrity to live by ones conviction. I tried to show strong values and beliefs and demonstrate these values and convey them to my followers. Finally...
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...How does leadership shape organizations and how do organizations shape leadership? Discuss critically by drawing on theory and research, using an example relevant to HR to illustrate your points. In today’s continuously changing world, the only constant that an organisation would hope to have is the people in it. It is the leaders of an organization that ultimately result in the achievement of its goals. In simple terms, Leadership can be defined as a process or phenomenon wherein one individual successfully attempts to define or outline the reality of the others in an organization (Smircich and Morgan, 1982). The leader’s thought processes, their previous experiences, their understanding and reading of situations and the resulting actions they take affect this reality. Thus, every organization is shaped by the actions of its leaders. Alternatively, an individual rises to the ranks of a leader only when the organization invests in the person and creates opportunities for leadership. Thus the organization too plays an important role in shaping its leaders. This essay explores the interdependent relation between an organization and its leaders, and how actions taken at both individual and organizational level, affect the role that each one plays in achieving targets. Before outlining the impact leaders have on organizations and vice versa, it is imperative to understand the parts of the organization that can be affected or influenced by a person. These parts mainly constitute...
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...Leadership • The logic of rule-following - Interpret situation - Make sense of one’s role - Follow the rules or norms • Organizational culture plays a significant role in shaping the behaviors of individuals or groups • Organizational culture is a widely shared pattern of beliefs, expectations, and norms in an organization • Like an iceberg - Observable artifacts - Espoused Values - Underlying Assumptions • Managers must design effect control systems • Culture is primary reason people hate or love their jobs • Leadership is the ability to influence a group toward shared goals • Basic assumptions about human nature determine how you lead others • Leadership style should be influenced by context - Culture - Team members - Tasks - Social norms • Leaders must be able to adapt • Find alignment between oneself and the situation Organizational Change • Our social identity shapes our behaviors • People work hard to protect their identity • Amount of change equals dissatisfaction, model, process > cost of change • Change involves loss and loss involves grief • Managing change requires a broad toolkit • Receiving change requires us to realize that the worlds does not revolve around us Power and Influence • Power is the ability to exercise influence • Power is the inverse of dependence • Power is a perception • Power is dynamic • Power is a social phenomenon • Power is derived from personal skills, attributes, hierarchical positions, and relationships ...
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...organization effective leadership is one of the most important factors that help to guarantee successful work of the organization, its development, and stability. It is a skill that helps managers to organize all of the processes within a company and maintain constant control over the employees. It requires great skills and a strong character and a level of charisma to influence others. While many of the world’s great leaders were not born to be leaders, several after starting with nothing went on to become great leaders because they desired it. Leadership can defined in many ways, but most commonly a leader is person who influences the thoughts and behaviors of others and a leader is one who establishes the direction for others to willingly follow. Leaders come in many styles; from the hard-nosed, strictly discipline oriented person, to the soft-spoken easygoing man, the product always seems to be a person that all subordinates can emulate. It appears as if a good leader is a person that is comprised of many principles and traits. Leaders play a vital role in standardizing performance. Leaders can influence other to perform beyond even their own expectations. Developing a sense of responsibility in your subordinates seems to play a very important role in a leader's actions. Leaders set vision, strategies, goals, and values in order to guide their followers and to set desired action and behavior. As a whole, any organization must have strong leadership as the basis for its...
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...Leadership Assessment Professor Woodard BUS302 March 4th 2013 Eastern Builders a construction company, is a task oriented and leadership company. The chief executive officer delegates his powers to different site managers based in different parts of the world. They are given powers to implement the decisions made by the head office and tasked to achieve the target given in a certain period of time. Task-oriented leadership style is one where the team leader is well focused on the major tasks that are required to be performed to achieve a certain set production target. There are other leadership styles and all depend on the circumstances of each particular project that the company is engaged in. Eastern Builders construction has the chief executive officer at the apex followed by close to twenty site managers on the same position. Below the site managers are the site engineers, who are assisted by site supervisors and below them are the casual laborers. The organizational culture and development was initiated by the chief executive officer at Eastern Builders Construction Company. It has promoted growth in terms of team work and employee satisfaction as members of one team. Organization of sports events and organized camp events has led to more integration and effective group work. These have spurred growth in the sector where only one objective reigned supreme, job performance only. Team work leads to better communication and creates favorable working relationships which...
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...……………………………………………………………………………….PP.7-8 2.1 ………………………………………………………………………………pp.9-10 2.2 ……………………………………………………………………………….pp.11-12 2.3 ………………………………………………………………………………PP. 13-14 REFERENCE LIST………………………………………………………………p.15 INTRODUCTION Organizational behaviour is an interdisciplinary field or study, which explores individuals, group and organizational behaviour and the impact of individuals, groups, organizational and society, in creating, shaping and controlling behaviours. www.business –school.exetere.ac.uk./modules. 1.1 Thompson J [ 2013] said that structure "is the internal differentiation and patterning of relationships." He referred to structure as the means by which the organization sets limits and boundaries for efficient performance by its members, by delimiting responsibilities, control over resources, and other matters. Katz and Kahn [1978] say that "structure is to be found in an interrelated set of events which return to complete and renew a cycle of activities." The different organizational structures are Functional, Divisional, Product based, Geographical, Matric , Project/team based , Virtual organization and Bureaucratic structures etc Functional Organization is where company is divided into separate units based on roles. Such as accounting marketing research and development or distribution Joseph C 2013 (on line) http:// small business chron.com , it offers a high level of specialization and each unit operates as a mine-company carrying out specific...
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