Leadership And Decision Making Assignment Three Assessment T
Leadership And Decision Makingassignment Threeassessment Task Threele
Provide a background of a key issue or problem within a chosen organisation, select one or two contemporary leadership theories to address the issue, apply one decision-making style or model to enhance performance, and offer up to three practical recommendations for future improvement. The report should analyze the organisation, identify the problem, evaluate relevant leadership theories and decision-making models, and justify the recommendations, supported by at least ten credible references.
Paper For Above instruction
This paper aims to analyze a contemporary organisation's key issues by integrating leadership theories and decision-making models to provide strategic recommendations for enhancement. The chosen organisation is a mid-sized manufacturing company experiencing declining productivity and employee morale, issues that threaten its competitive position in the market. Recent internal reports indicate that poor leadership communication and ineffective decision-making processes are contributing to low employee engagement, high turnover, and operational inefficiencies.
The crux of the problem revolves around transformational leadership deficits, where leaders fail to inspire and motivate employees to embrace organizational goals. This issue is compounded by a centralized decision-making style that limits team autonomy and responsiveness, ultimately impacting performance. The strategic application of transformational leadership theory, coupled with participative decision-making models, can address these issues by fostering a culture of empowerment, innovation, and shared purpose.
Transformational leadership, characterized by inspiring vision, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, and motivational influence, offers a framework to catalyze change within the organization (Bass & Avolio, 1994). Implementing transformational leadership can revitalize the leadership approach, encouraging managers to develop emotional intelligence, communicate effectively, and promote employee development. Studies demonstrate that transformational leaders significantly enhance organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and performance (Miao et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2011).
Complementary to leadership style, applying a participative decision-making model—such as the Vroom-Yetton-Jago decision model—enables leaders to adapt their decision approach based on the situation, engaging employees in decisions that affect their work. This model delineates when to involve team members and when to opt for autocratic decisions, promoting a balance that increases engagement and accountability (Vroom & Jago, 1988). Such an approach can improve the quality of decisions, foster trust, and accelerate implementation.
Effective leadership and decision-making are intertwined and pivotal for organisational success. Leaders who adopt transformational styles and participative decision-making foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and flexibility—essential qualities in today's dynamic business environment (Northouse, 2016). Enhanced communication, empowerment, and shared leadership can lead to better problem-solving and adaptability.
Based on this analysis, three practical recommendations are proposed:
- Leadership Development Programs: Implement comprehensive training to develop transformational leadership competencies among managers, emphasizing emotional intelligence, communication, and inspirational motivation. This initiative ensures leaders can effectively motivate teams and drive change.
- Adopt Participative Decision-Making Frameworks: Encourage leaders to utilize models like Vroom-Yetton-Jago to tailor decision processes based on situational factors, increasing employee involvement and ownership.
- Establish Feedback and Recognition Systems: Develop mechanisms for regular performance feedback and employee recognition to reinforce positive behaviors and sustain motivation, thereby enhancing organizational culture.
These recommendations are grounded in academic research and practical considerations. Implementing transformational leadership development can directly address morale and engagement issues, as leaders learn to inspire and connect with their teams (Bass & Riggio, 2006). Utilizing participative decision-making enhances commitment and accountability, leading to more effective problem-solving (Vroom & Jago, 1988). Finally, feedback and recognition systems foster a supportive environment that sustains high performance and retention (Luthans & Youssef, 2007).
In conclusion, the integration of transformational leadership with adaptive decision-making models can strategically transform the organisational culture, improve employee morale, and facilitate operational excellence. By investing in leadership development, empowering employees through participative decisions, and establishing ongoing feedback mechanisms, the organisation can foster a resilient, innovative, and motivated workforce capable of responding effectively to future challenges.
References
- Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. Sage Publications.
- Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
- Luthans, F., & Youssef, C. M. (2007). Emerging positive organizational behavior. Journal of Management, 33(3), 321-349.
- Miao, C., Humphrey, R. H., & Qian, S. (2014). Transformational leadership and team performance: The mediating role of team cohesion. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 21(1), 94-104.
- Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Sage Publications.
- Vroom, V. H., & Jago, A. G. (1988). The New Leadership Prototype. Organizational Dynamics, 16(3), 26–40.
- Wang, G., Oh, I.-S., Courtright, S. H., & Colbert, A. E. (2011). Transformational leadership and performance across criteria and levels: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(7), 813-829.