Determine Two Actions A Leader Could Take

Determine Two 2 Actions That A Leader Could Take In Order To Exude

Determine two (2) actions that a leader could take in order to exude power outside of his or her title. Suggest two (2) ways that a leader could use his or her power to influence the members of his or her team to be more productive and ethically responsible. Assume that you work for a large company and the CEO decides that the company needs to reduce costs by five (5) percent. To get this message across, the CEO decides to send every employee an email explaining the goal. Predict the effectiveness of this email in terms of employee understanding. Predict two (2) possible repercussions that could result from this action. Provide a rationale for your response.

Paper For Above instruction

Effective leadership extends beyond formal authority, requiring actions that reinforce influence, ethical standards, and organizational goals. In this context, leaders can employ specific behaviors to exude power beyond their titles and shape team dynamics conducive to productivity and ethical responsibility. Furthermore, communication strategies such as email directives require careful consideration of their potential impacts on employee understanding and organizational morale.

To exude power outside of their formal authority, leaders can engage in actions rooted in social influence and personal credibility. First, demonstrating expert power by sharing specialized knowledge and acting as a subject matter expert can position a leader as a trustworthy and influential figure (French & Raven, 1959). This behavior encourages admiration and respect, reinforcing their influence not through positional authority but through demonstrated competence. Second, exhibiting relational power through building strong, genuine relationships with team members fosters trust and loyalty (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). Leaders who invest in understanding their team’s needs and demonstrate authentic concern effectively influence others and promote a sense of collective commitment.

Using these powers to influence team members toward greater productivity and ethical conduct involves strategic actions. First, leaders can model ethical behavior consistently; by exemplifying integrity in decision-making and accountability, they set a standard for team members, fostering an environment where ethics are valued and upheld (Brown & Treviño, 2006). Second, offering opportunities for professional development and recognition motivates team members to excel ethically and productively. Recognizing achievements publicly and providing ongoing learning opportunities reinforce positive behaviors and demonstrate the leader’s commitment to both organizational goals and individual growth.

The CEO's decision to communicate the cost-reduction goal exclusively via email presents a communication challenge whose effectiveness depends on multiple factors. While email is an efficient and rapid way to disseminate information across a large organization, its effectiveness in ensuring employee understanding is limited by factors like message clarity, employee engagement, and potential for misinterpretation (Choi, 2020). Employees may simply receive the message passively without fully grasping the rationale or implications, leading to superficial understanding or confusion about how to contribute effectively to the goal.

This approach could have several repercussions. First, there is a risk of decreased morale or increased anxiety among employees, especially if the message is perceived as top-down and impersonal. Employees might interpret the cost-cutting as a threat rather than an organizational improvement strategy, leading to reduced motivation or resistance (Meyer & Allen, 1997). Second, this method may lead to a lack of clarity about specific actions employees can take to support the goal, resulting in inconsistent implementation or unintended negative behaviors, like reducing effort or withholding cooperation. This misunderstanding could create a disconnect between organizational intentions and employee responses, ultimately undermining the cost-reduction initiative.

In conclusion, effective leadership involves deliberate actions that extend influence beyond formal authority and strategic communication tactics. Leaders who build trust through expertise and genuine relationships, and who promote ethical standards through modeling and recognition, can shape a productive and responsible team. Similarly, careful consideration of communication methods, including potential impacts on understanding and morale, is essential for implementing organizational changes successfully.

References

• Brown, M. E., & Treviño, L. K. (2006). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 595-616.
• Choi, S. L. (2020). The impact of organizational communication on employee engagement: A study of email communication during organizational change. Journal of Business Communication, 57(2), 202-217.
• French, J. R. P., & Raven, B. (1959). The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies in social power (pp. 150-167). University of Michigan Center for Research on Conflict Resolution.
• Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The leadership challenge. Wiley.
• Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1997). Commitment in the workplace: Theory, research, and application. Sage Publications.