DIFFERENTIATED LEADERSHIP IN GROUPS.

Differentiated Leadership in Groups

CORE IDEA BEHIND RESEARCH:

This piece of study deals with the after effects of differentiated leadership practices in a group. Differentiated leadership is an issue that still remains unresolved. Its contribution towards the overall effectiveness of the group performance is a topic that still has not a definite conclusion. In this study, Wu, Tsui, and Kinicki (2010) have studied how the transformational and differential leadership can be utilized to increase the overall output from a group in the presence of a leader. They tested seven different hypotheses, and concluded that when individuals are treated differently in a group, whether positively or negatively, the overall group performance is ineffective. Thus it was concluded in their study that transformational leadership is more useful than differential. A leader should inspire others to follow him.

ASSUMPTIONS UNDERLYING THE STUDY:

The assumptions underlying this study can attribute to many factors. Leadership is more of an emotional process than a cognitive phenomenon. Though leaders have to be mentally alert and assertive, usually their way of handling requires more of an emotional balance in their personalities rather than just a command over thinking process. According to Friedman, there are six characteristics that indicate a differentiated leader who initiates the leadership process: being definite about one's goals and objectives; being calm while others are anxious; being separate while being connected; carrying a non-anxious, steady personality; managing one's reactions and responses; taking initiatives even when people oppose.

METHODOLOGY USED IN THE STUDY:

In this study, group-focused and individual-focused leadership was brought into account. A three-phase survey method was employed and data was collected from 70 work groups in eight companies. This survey included general investigation, then analysis of the finding and finally certain conclusions were reached. Differentiated leadership behaviors were discussed and their implications were studied. Lastly recommendations regarding best leadership practices were devised based on the results of the findings.

DISCUSSION ON THE FINDINGS:

This study showed a reduction in group effectiveness that result from differentiated leadership within groups. This article is very useful in practicing and evaluating leadership practices in modern environment and outlines best practices. The role of a leader a team is critical and one that demands acute precision in each step and action. What the leaders do, others follow. So it is very important that whatever a leader is practicing, it should be just and equal to all involved with him. In this particular article, we come to find out that the collective efficacy of the group decreases once each member of the group is treated differently. This creates resistance in the group for each other and collective sharing of ideas become rare. On the other hand, group-focused leadership where group members are collectively treated and evaluated show more effective results and makes positive contribution to the overall results of the group.

The main idea behind differential leadership is to maintain strong emotional connection with each one of the group members while also being detached from them. This is an art that only a ...