LEADERSHIP

Leadership



Leadership

Introduction

The importance of leadership for organization can be compared with the eyes of human. Like without eyes a person is blind, likewise without leadership an organization is considered blind. This paper is going to examine a case study of Direct Telecommunication Plc (DT); a successful company of 80s and 90s become a huge failure in present competitive environment. Business analyst attributes the failure of the company to The Chairman David Williams, by providing clarification that he is still following the old management practices to run the operations of the company. In this connection, this study will make recommendation for the company after identifying possible solutions, what changes in leaderships and management approaches are required.

David Williams: A Leader or A Manager

David Williams management practices are old and have failed to be proven effective at present, thus it can be said that David Williams is merely a manager, who needs a leader to manage the company, to ensure success (Martineau & Hannum, 2004). Leadership and management both involve working with other people and striving to accomplish goals, however the overall focus of time, goals, functions, and the nature of the relationship (between the leadership or manager and follower or subordinate) differ across the two concepts of leadership and management. Following table provides an overview of these differences.

The above table provides a clear argument, why David Williams is termed as a manager, because his time focus is short term, he focuses more on completing tasks and mastering routines, than striving to bring any substantial change in organization. But why should a company focus on and care about leadership? The answer is multifaceted and perhaps most easily understood in examining this question on three levels: individual, group, and societal. On an individual or personal level, developing leadership capacity is important because it helps someone become a more effective person and group member, one who is able to think innovatively and initiate change (House, 2004; Martineau & Hannum, 2004). On a group or organizational level, leadership is important for sustainability and long-term success; leadership contributes to innovative thinking and new ways of operating and thriving in an ever-changing and complex world. On a larger, societal level, leadership is needed for creating a better, more just world. Leadership goes beyond serving one's needs, and its service-oriented nature lends it to creating positive change, which is needed for the sustain-ability of humanity and the environment (Collins and Holton, 2004). Leadership relates to these three contexts (individual, group, societal), which are in fact nested and interconnected, whereby what happens on an individual level influences the group and societal levels, what happens on a group level influences the individuals and larger society, and leadership and change on a societal level influences individuals and groups (Martineau & Hannum, 2004).

Evolution of Leadership Concept

Early 20th-century perspectives on leadership typically reflected leader-centric approaches focusing on the leader as a positional authority. Largely examined in organizational or management contexts, these perspectives led to theories and research on how positional leaders accomplished goals in organizational settings, on what traits and ...