(LITERATURE)
Writing assignment: Leadership and Integrity
Missy James and Alan Merickel have critically addressed leadership and integrity, as two independent disciplines that are necessary, particularly in management and in the leadership of organizations, corporations or any other institution. At the same time, they two authors have also critically analyzed leadership in chapter 9 of the book, and in this case, they have involved the roles of leadership in organizations, and how it effects and supports effective management of the same, as well as effective execution of the set goals, objectives and strategies (James & Merickel, 2013).
In order to understand their perspective, it is necessary to start by looking at the two disciplines, from an independent perspective, as well as understand how they support and complement each other, in order to achieve effective organization and implementation of set goals and strategies. At the same time, it will be necessary to look at how both leadership and integrity support each other, in achieving the set, societal goals and objectives.
Integrity, by understanding, is the concept and attribute of having positive consistence in one’s principles, values, outcomes, productivity and measures of expectations. Integrity is one of the most essential attributes that is necessary, in all areas of people’s social lives. This is the reason why most of the social settings, such as companies, organizations and various institutions put ethics into consideration, through ethical organization and consideration. This is where the corporation ensures that it establishes monitoring departments, through which it will be in a good position to analyze, monitor and address employees’ ethical behavior, as well as their interaction and interrelation with each other. At the same time, by working hand in hand with the human resource department, the department will not only be able to monitor the employees behavior, but also change them into ethically acceptable and applicable ones, for example, through effective training, discipline, rewarding and even motivation of the employees.
The most essential thing to do in any social setting is to establish a value system in accordance with the setting’s organization, and an analysis of the same is carried out from both a subjective, as well as an objective perspective. In a subjective perspective, the corporation ensures that it approaches the concerned people’s (for example the employees) integrity and behavior from a humanistic perspective. In most case, the human resource management department and the personnel management departments are concerned in achieving this. From an objective perspective, the corporation, through the management team, ensures that the employees develop their ethics from the corporation’s set perspective. For example, it ensures that the employees follow the corporation’s set tradition and strategy, in order to achieve its set goals.
Leadership
Leadership, on the other hand, is the influence that one has, from a political, administrational or social perspective, which ensures that the person in charge unites a group of people, and turns them into achieving a set goal or objective. One of the most essential things for any organized corporation is the fact that effective leadership is necessary, in order for the organization or social setting to achieve its set, mutual goal. According to Missy James and Alan Merickel, effective leadership is based on how effective the subjects comply with the administration’s set rules and objectives. At the same time, integrity is necessary, especially, in maintaining effective leadership, since subjects need to be treated with respect and humanity (James & Merickel, 2013).
Relationship between leadership and integrity
Leadership and integrity are two aspects that essentially go hand in hand, as they boost the success of an organization or a society, in the actualization of its set goals and objectives. This has led to the development of integrity leadership, based on ethics and morality. According to Missy James and Alan Merickel, for example, integrity leadership is the best integration that corporations, organizations and administrations should adopt, in order to make sure that they carry out their activities in a progressive and satisfactory manner. At the same time, integrative leadership is necessary, since it creates a good relationship between the corporation and its employees, or the subjects that the organization or administration, respectively, is leading.
Objective and subjective forms of leadership are two applied strategies, that have different impacts on organizations, and that differently affect the corporations in which they are applied and implemented. In this case, therefore, integrity plays a major role in ensuring that the leadership in place is based on responsibility, commitment and accountability. These are the three major proponents of effective subjective leadership that integrity applied in its activities.
Secondly, leadership based on integrity provides a platform through which democracy can be exercised, and a way through which the subjects or the employees will have an open platform through which they can effectively communicate with the employees, as well as amongst themselves, without the fear of discrimination or stigmatization.
In organizations, integrity is essential in management, since it ensures that the subjects or employees do the right thing at the right time. However, it is necessary to note the fact that there is a major difference between leadership and management, whereby, managers oversee and guide their employees and subjects, whereas, leaders exclusively guide their subjects or employees. However, managers have also been adopting the implementation of integrity in their areas of management, just as leaders have been doing their same in their areas of jurisdiction.
Fourthly, Esprit de corps is yet another essential quality to address in leadership, and that plays a major role in ensuring that there is effective and organized coordination between the subjects and the leadership team. In this case, integrity is necessary, since acquiring unity of direction is only dependent on how effectively an organization or corporation is, as well as how effectively the employees or subject take up their roles, as well as the leaders. Operating in a selfless and a collaborative environment is necessary, since it ensures that all teams are effectively and fully dedicated to carrying out their roles and tasks efficiently (James & Merickel, 2013).
Lastly, leadership through demonstration is yet another quality in leadership that is greatly enhanced by integrity amongst the leader(s). In organizations and corporations, this is referred to as ‘leading from the front’, and this is a case whereby, the leader shows by example what he expects the employees or his subjects to do, by ensuring that he achieves his own set targets and goals, as well as fulfills the employees or his subjects’ expectations of him, based on his leading position. According to Missy James and Alan Merickel, leaders should show positive values, based on satisfaction and consistency (2013). Remaining consistent in a leader’s action is determined by the level of integrity that he possesses, since consistency and positive achievement is one of the building blocks that integrity promotes. From an analysis of these qualities, therefore, it is evident that effective leadership is based on leaders’ willingness and dedication to uphold integrity, not only in their character, but also in their leadership roles and activities.
References
James, M. & Merickel, A. (2013). Reading literature and writing argument. 5th edition. New Jersey: Pearson-Prentice Hall, pp. 532-45.
