Abstract
This paper is a discussion of a leadership project. It examines leadership experience of leading a team at Sentara Healthcare Organization and the leadership approach employed in leading this team. It further analyzes assertiveness leadership conundrum and the insight gained from the interviews with leaders on how to acquire and rightfully apply the skill in leadership. The paper posits that assertiveness is a crucial skill that every leader should possess as it influences team success. However, leaders should know how to employ effectively the skill as extreme levels of assertiveness are detrimental to a team. Additionally, the paper provides an explanation of the benefits of the participative leadership style and some of its challenges. The style of leadership is said to be one of the approaches that has been applied by successfully business people, but yet many leaders are not ready to implement it to avoid losing autonomy. The paper finally evaluates the success of the leadership project which it posits that it was a fantastic one as the experience and challenge acted as an eye opener for efficient future leadership.
Introduction
This paper is a report on my leadership project. It analyzes my experience on leading my team at Sentara Health Organization, the style of leadership approach I applied and my leadership conundrum.
My leadership project was orienting new recruits at a Sentara Healthcare Organization. The orientation was carried out after every two weeks for eight hours with a team of eight members which I led. The orientation was done to the newly hired employees to the organization who were to serve in various departments. The program aimed at acquainting the new recruits with the Sentara policies and the organization expectations from the recruits. The orientation was carried through presentations which were conducted by the team members. Besides, the team would respond to any inquiries from the new recruits regarding the organization or any area they needed clarifications from the presentations. My work in the team was to organize the team members for new hire orientation. The activities involved in the presentations included the allocation of roles on the different topics of presentations among team members. Additionally, I supervised the orientation program and coordinated all the activities during the orientations sessions. Members were assigned roles on a rotational basis and were expected to make presentations through an interactive process with the newly hired recruits.
Leadership conundrum
My leadership conundrum was assertiveness. Assertiveness as a leadership skill empowers individuals to communicate with confidence and influence those whom they lead to rising into action (Kaiser & Overfield, 2011).The effective communications that emanate from assertiveness ensure that there is a fulfilling relationship when communicating to other people within the team as a leader (Sauer, 2011). However, when the leadership skill is not properly exercised it can be detrimental to the team. High or low levels of assertiveness may negatively affect those people who are being led thus harming the team. Low levels of assertiveness may make the team members not to take decisions made seriously and thus becoming a barrier to efficient team operations. High levels of assertiveness may make employees feel dissatisfied with their jobs and thus affecting the efficiency of the team (Pathak, 2012). Due to this, assertive is an important leadership skill for success, and it is also important for leaders to know how to rightfully apply the skill. Successful application of assertiveness calls for balancing between pushing hard to have things done but also ensuring that relationships are maintained (Sauer, 2011).
As a team leader in the orientation of newly recruited employees, I experienced some challenges in leading the group. Some of the team members at times would fail to prepare for the duties assigned to them by coming with lame excuses at the last minutes. This failure negatively impacted on the activities of the team, particularly presentations. The last minutes excuse forced me to either look for someone else to do the presentation on their behalf or do it by myself. Some team members would at times handle two topics, and this was affecting the team spirit. Moreover, the last minute excuses hampered efficiency as the new members had to prepare within a limited time. Therefore, I felt that there was a need to ensure that team members are all present during the presentations because I realized that if there was continued absence of some team members, it was going to be injurious to the team. Moreover, I realized that instead of taking stern actions on them, sometimes I would change the stance after listening to the explanations, and this encouraged others also to come up to excuse themselves from making the presentations on the last minute. I, therefore, needed to be assertive so that I can push all the team members into action to ensure that the team was successful in all endeavors.
Leadership style that I used to lead my team
The leadership style I used to lead my group was participative style. The leadership style is also known as the democratic style of leadership. This leadership style involves including everyone in the team in decision-making. When leading using the collaborative style, the manager does not exercise immense power and include matters of status on those whom they lead. The manager provides information and facilitates those whom they lead to ensure that the decisions made are excellent to steer the organization into success.
Participative leadership works through a series of steps that are interconnected and inclusive. In this approach, the team leader facilitates the decision-making process by initiating conversation. After starting the conversation the leader then shares the knowledge and pertinent information to decision-making. The exchange of knowledge and information enhances team members understanding of the situation at hand so that they can fully participate in making the decision. The sharing of information and knowledge is then followed by encouraging members to share their views on the topic of discussion. The available information generated by the team members is then synthesized and evaluated to identify the best possible solution. Each decision made by the members is examined and analyzed exhaustively. The team leader then selects the most probable solution which is finally communicated to the group (Psychologia, 2016; Rubin, 2013).
My leadership style was collaborative as I involved all individuals in the team in the decision-making process. Whenever there was a problem or decision to be made in the team all the members of the team took part in either finding of the solution or arriving at the decisions. I did not impose any decisions on my team members as the decisions made were those reached by consensus and those arrived by the majority of the team members. The steps followed in the decision-making process were in line with the participative style of leadership. The team would deliberate on various issues by taking into consideration all the views of the team members. After deliberations, the best alternative decision would be selected to ensure effectiveness in the group activities.
My leadership conundrum and leadership
The knowledge acquired through the interview with the leaders was insightful. I was able to identify how I can ensure that I am assertive as a leader and on how the various ways to react to situations to steer my team to success in carrying out all the group activities. Through the interview, I was able to understand that assertiveness is a very critical leadership skill that every leader should have. I learned that assertiveness was crucial as through it leaders were able to run their teams more efficiently. I was able to also that some people are born assertive, but the skill can be acquired through other ways. Through the interview, I was informed that there were many ways to gain the skills, mentorship and training were some of the most common ways of learning to be assertive. I was surprised that at times, the top managers would look for this skill when promoting their staff to various roles in the organization. Senior managers prefer leaders who are assertive to lead in critical departments within the organization as low or high levels of assertiveness may be detrimental to the team. I also learned that at times some employees do not prefer assertive leaders as they perceive them forceful. Consequently, this requires skills on how to manage the challenge to promote and enhance relationships in the organization and avoid any discord. Besides, I learned that being assertive as a leader is not optional. Assertiveness empowers leaders and provides them with best chances of motivating and inspiring team members. However, acquiring the skills also takes time but with continuous practice, one is likely to perfect it. After implementing the information obtained through interviews and research, I was able to manage absenteeism and absconding of roles assigned to the team members. By the second session, all members were working collaboratively, and all team members were always present in the presentation. These enhanced the success of the team activities mainly the orientation exercise of the hired employees. By the end of my project, all members were motivated and active in the orientation presentation sessions. All members always looked forward to the day of their presentation.
Participative leadership approach
Participative leadership style entails the inclusion of team members in decision-making process of a team. The participative approach of leadership contributed to the success of my leadership project. The leadership style was entirely instrumental and played a significant role in ensuring that I led the team successfully. Research has shown that participative leadership increases employees’ performance on various tasks in an organization. Participative leadership gives employees greater discretion, support and extra attention in solving problems and in decision-making (Psychologia, 2016).
There exist varied views on the factors that influence the application of this leadership style in management and its influence on organizational success. One the argument is based on the belief that motivation that emanates from the application of the leadership style. Another perception is that success of the organization in the participative style of leadership comes from a reciprocal relationship that emanates from inclusion. The managers who hold onto this opinion state that this style of leadership makes employees feel valued and have a sense of self-determination. The psychological satisfaction that originates from the involvement of employees in decision-making empowers them. In contrast, the view based on reciprocal relationship draw the relationship between proper treatment of employees and the need to work hard in return as the way in which participative style influences success as employees feel trusted and reciprocate in return by exhibiting exemplary behavior (Huang et al., 2010).
The following are the identified roles that participative leadership style plays in ensuring team success. The style encourages employees to support changes and promotes successful implementation as decisions are reached through consensus or majority vote. Decision and problem solving through consensus make employees feel valued within the organization. The style, therefore, allows employees to take part in the success of the company through successful implementation of the organizational decisions. The leadership approach also boosts the morale of the employees. The confidence is boosted through the feeling that employees are also participating in the success of the company. It empowers them as they are able to perceive their creativity being put into action and translating it into success. The boosting of the morale of the employees promotes efficiency and productivity. Of significance importance, the leadership style encourages creativity in the company. Creativity is enhanced in this approach from the generation of various alternatives from which the best solution is selected. Additionally, the approach heightens retention rates within the organization as it promotes job satisfaction. When employees are actively involved in the growth of the company, they become encouraged to continue working for the organization to see their efforts result to success. The style thus ensures profound retention rates and thus reduces turnover costs. This approach of leadership has been utilized by some of the prominent and successful business moguls such as Donald Trump, James Parker and Bob Diamond (Lam &Chan, 2015).
However, this style of leadership works more effectively when employees are not given all authority in decision-making but just a certain amount of it. Similarly, whenever leaders apply this leadership style, they should always ensure that the decisions made by other team members are incorporated in the final decision for the style to be more operational. Also, this method cannot be assumed to be effective without putting some efforts as a leader in managing the team (Lam &Chan, 2015). Moreover, the style of leadership cannot be employed when there is need make immediate solutions to an urgent problem as it will not be convenient in managing the crisis. The method may also force individuals to conform to decisions that are not favorable, and this may negatively impact the organization.
Evaluating the success of the project
The leadership project was successful. The team was able to organize efficiently and carry out the orientation sessions for the organization. Through my leadership, we were able to conduct seven sessions of orientation for the recruited employees. The success was evaluated by the organization of the orientation and the way the team members made presentations. The leadership approach adopted ensured that the members were motivated and productive in all the events and activities of the orientation group. The presentations also faced minimal challenges as all the undertakings went on as planned. Likewise, the new recruits were able to maneuver around their roles with few challenges. Also, the surveys that were carried out at the end to evaluate the utility of the orientation sessions generated positive results. Although there were few hiccups here and there at the commencement of the orientation sessions, the team was able to overcome them all.
The project, however, would have been more efficient if I had dealt with my leadership conundrum earlier. This would have eliminated any challenge in leading the team as was witnessed at the start of the program. I would have also incorporated more than one style of leadership as at times participative style would consume more time in the decision-making process.
Discussion of what still needs to be learned about the participative leadership style
Participative leadership has always elicited controversy over the years as few leaders and managers are ready to employ the style in their exercise of authority. Most leaders fear that if they apply this style of leadership, they are more likely to lose their autonomy. The reluctance to adopt this style of leadership by leaders has led to criticism from educators and youth as being undemocratic and closed. There are some of aspects that need to be understood about the concept of participative leadership clear to ensure that many individuals embrace the style of leadership.
It has been argued that due to the ambiguity of the concept, there is need for research to be carried out to ensure uniformity in the adoption of this style of leadership. The concept has been stated to be vague as the word participative may mean different things to different individuals. The vagueness of the concept has led to varied interpretations which include inclusive goal setting, group decision-making and being passive, and active listener in the decision-making process. Therefore, there is a need for studies to be carried out to identify the following. First, the behavioral characteristics associated with participative leadership. Second, the different approached associated with the leadership style by various managers, primarily by young and older executives. Finally, there is the need for studies to be carried out to understand if leaders associate participative leadership with practical results (Harvard Business Review, 2016).
Additionally, there is need for more studies to be carried out to understand if application of the leadership style is innate or acquired. A number of people argue that leaders are born and not made. They, therefore, state that leadership style is ingrained in individual’s personality. On the other hand, the other school of thought posits that leadership behavior associated with a particular leadership style through cues from the environment. They therefore state that, leader’s behavior can be altered towards a participative style (Harvard Business Review, 2016). Thus, there is the need for studies to be carried out to examine if the belief the individuals have has influenced their application of leadership approach in management. The study will also enhance the understanding of the factors affecting the implementation of the style of leadership among the leaders.
Moreover, more studies should be carried out to create clarity on how participative style of leadership enhances work performance. There exist varied views on how the style of leadership promotes work performance. Some people posit that job performance is boosted through exchanged base process while others postulate that it is enhanced through motivation (Lam &Chan, 2015). The understanding of the correlation that exists between job performance and this style of leadership will influence the application of the style among various managers to safeguard increased productivity and organizational success.
Conclusion
References
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