LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: Effective management of a diverse workforce

Agenda
Introduction

Leadership Development EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF A DIVERSE WORKFORCE CHALLENGES FACED IN WORKFORCE DIVERSITY CAPITALIZING ON DIVERSITY Conclusion

1. Introduction

For weihrich et al(2008), to be able to distinguish between managership and leadership is to look at the following: There can be leaders of completely un-organized groups while managership is more associated with organized groups where organized structures are created with roles. Separating managership from leadership has the advantage of isolating leadership for study without the encumbrances of qualifications to the more general issue of managership. It is however important to note that leadership is an important aspect of managing due to the following reasons: Ability to lead effectively is one of the keys to being an effective manager.

Introduction Contd
Managers who lead effectively are those who exercise all the functions of their role with a degree of discretion & authority in order to combine human & material resources to achieve objectives. We are also to highlight the fact that leadership & motivation are closely interconnected due to the following reasons: By understanding motivation, a leader can appreciate better what people want & why they act as they do Leaders may not only respond to subordinates motivations but also arouse or dampen them by means of the kind of organizational climate they develop

CAUSAL CONNECTION BETWEEN (i)MANAGING (ii)MOTIIVATION AND (iii) LEADERSHIP THEORIES

MANAGING CAUSAL CONNECTION CAUSAL CONNECTIO N MOTIVATIONA L THEORY

LEADERSHIP THEORY

2. LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
In treating leadership development we shall attempt at covering the following: Leadership as a concept : Though leadership may have been given different meanings by authors, there is an understanding that leadership is the art or process of influencing people so that they may use willingness to work with: a) Zeal: earnestness & intensity in work execution b) Confidence: experience & technical ability Leadership ingredients: One of the distinguishing characteristics of a leader is that he envisions the future by inspiring organization members & chart the course of the organization

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Contd

The skill to achieve this has some ingredients: a) Ability to use power effectively & in a responsible manner b) The fundamental understanding of people through the knowledge of motivation theory, kinds of motivating force & its application to people & situations. c) The rare ability to inspire followers to apply their full capabilities to a project or work. The leader should possess qualities of charm & appeal that give rise to loyalty, devotion,& a strong desire on the part of followers to promote what leaders want. d) Leadership style & organizational climate he develops. This involves followers expectancie, perceived rewards, amount of efforts believed to be required, tasks to be done & other factors

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Contd

Leadership Trait approach Prior to 1949 leadership studies presented a causal connection between leadership & traits possessed by leaders. Beginning with the Great man theory which states that leaders are born and not made. Physical, mental & personality traits of various leaders were identified as a basis to determine those who are born leaders. However, the rise of the behaviorist school of psychology led to loss of confidence to the trait approach. Leadership- charismatic approach : This is one of the early theories that associated certain characteristics to a Leader such as :

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Contd

i) ii) iii)

iv)
v) vi)

Self confidence Strong convictions Articulating a vision Able to initiate change Communicating high expectations Influence followers & supporting them e.t.c

Leadership behavior & styles: Several theories that are based on behavior & style abound. We shall focus on the following :

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Contd

Three basic styles are used here : a) ON THE BASIS OF HOW LEADERS USE THEIR AUTHORITY i) Autocratic leader commands & expects compliance, leads by ability to withhold or give rewards & punishment. ii) Participative consults with subordinates on proposed actions & decisions, encouraging participation from them. iii) Free rein Leaders- use his powers very little if at all, giving subordinates a high degree of independence. b) ON THE BASIS OF THE MANAGERIAL GRID Blake & Mouton developed & identified two types of leaders with a grid that has two dimensions : i) Those with more concern for production. ii) Those with more concern for people.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Contd

c) ON THE BASIS OF DIFFERENT CONTINGENCIES Tannenbaum & Schmidt developed leadership continuum concept . They identified three forces that may influence a managers style along a continuum: i) Forces operating in the managers personality including his value system, confidence in his followership & styles of leadership. ii) Forces in subordinates such as their willingness to accept responsibility, knowledge & experience ii) Forces in the situation such as organizational values & traditions, pressure of time.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Contd

SITUATIONAL OR CONTIGENCY APPROACHES TO LEADERSHIP As a reaction to the disillusionment associated with the earlier theories of leadership, the situational or contingency approaches to the study of leadership emerged :rather than suggesting there is one best style to lead, this theory suggests that appropriate style depends on the situation. a) Fielders contingency approach ;To determine the style of leadership that will be most effective at any given point in time, the following critical dimensions were highlighted: i) Position power the degree to which the power of a position enables a leader to get group members to comply with directions.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Contd

ii) Task structure The extent to which tasks can be clearly spelled out & people held responsible for them iii) Leader-member relations- The extent to which group members like & trust a leader & one willing to follow that leader b) Path-Goal approach; This approach suggests that the main function of the leader is to clarify & set goals with subordinates, help them find the best path for achieving the goals & remove obstacles. For path-goal approaches , leadership behavior can be categorized into four groups: i) Supportive leadership giving consideration to the needs of subordinates, shows concern for their well being. ii) Participative leadership allowing subordinates to influence their

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Contd

ii) Instrumental leadership-giving subordinates specific guidance & clarifies what is expected of them. iii) Achievement Oriented leadership- setting challenging goals, seeking performance improvement & with confidence that subordinates will achieve the goals TRANSACTIONAL & TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP A distinction has been made between transactional leadership & transformational leadership a) TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP- leaders under this category identify the following: i) What needs to be done to achieve goals

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Contd

ii) Clarify roles & tasks iii) Rewarding performance iv) Providing for the social needs of followers. b) TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP-leaders under this category do the following: i) Articulate a vision ii) Inspire & motivate followers iii) Create a climate favorable for organizational change.

3. EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF A DIVERSE WORKFORCE

Understanding and managing people who are dissimilar from us and each other is increasingly Challenging. The concept of business globalization has led to the evolution of a workplace with increasing diversity in terms of race, gender, age, nationality and indeed, cultural diversity. The labor market is dramatically changing with countries experiencing an increase in the age of their workforce, increased immigration, and, in many, a rapid increase in the number of Working women. With companies carrying out operations abroad, the need to scramble for talents in different Countries emerged.
The diversity brought about by globalization created the need for companies to ensure that their employees can relate to customers from different cultures.

EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF A DIVERSE WORKFORCE Contd

Companies are therefore to ensure that their managers must understand how cultural diversity affects the expectations and behavior of everyone in the organization.

4. CHALLENGES FACED IN WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

Coping with employee unfamiliarity with native

languages. . Learning which rewards are valued by different ethnic groups, gender, race , nationality, religion and age distribution. Providing career development program that fit the values of different ethnic groups, nationality, age and gender.

5. CAPITALIZING ON DIVERSITY

The following are some of the ways that organizations may use in capitalizing on diversity: Communicate your objectives and expectations about diversity to employees through a range of channels, such as vision and mission statements, value statements, slogans, round tables. Recruit though non-traditional sources such as womens job networks, training centre for disabled, known job banks etc. Use diverse incentives for motivation since most studies on motivation are by American researchers which are based on American workers. This may be at odds with people from others countries.

6. CONCLUSION

In this presentation, we highlighted a causal connection between managing and leadership theory. We also highlighted a causal connection between Managing and motivation theory. Various approaches used to understand leadership formed part of our discourse. Correlates of Business globalization such as a diverse workforce in terms of gender, race, age, religion, nationality with its diverse cultural implications were mentioned.
We are to conclude that Companies are to prepare their Managers to learn which rewards are valued by different ethnic groups, gender, race and age distribution and provide career development programmes that fit the values of different ethnic groups, nationality, age and gender in a workforce with diversity.