Organizational Leadership Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organizational Leadership - Thesis Example Managing the public sector is relatively difficult and for a leader to be a candidate of future promotions they need to learn how to constantly acquire required leadership skills and competences (Lobel, 2007). Furthermore, the world is undergoing dynamic changes in all sectors including management. This will also call for a manager in DPSS to be alert and have high affinity for change so as to drive the County to the next level. County of Los Angeles has a high potential to grow more than it has but without effective leadership this cannot be a reality. One of the leadership theories useful in managing the affairs of DPSS is the Contingency Theory. Many issues keep on rising and which need to be solved in the department. As such a manager is supposed to use that style of leadership that they feel will be in line with prevailing variables (Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2001). This theory emphasizes that the followers’ attitudes are important in determining the style of leadership to use. One is the autocratic leadership which is not quite desirable in managing affairs in DPSS since it requires the manager to amass all power and rule by decree. Bureaucratic style can fit in situations that require the law to be followed while laissez-faire will not be suitable at all due to the nature of operations in the public sector. It is easy to lose control of a situation where many people do as they wish since laws govern the operations of LA DPSS. The best in this scenario will be the democratic leadership which requires the participation of all stakeholders both in decision making and strategy implementation. An example is the GAIN program that will require full participation of all in order to find employment, offer skills training, substance abuse and counseling among other services (LA DPSS, 2011). A manager in DPSS is required to make numerous decisions that affect many people either positively or adversely. As such the best course of action needs to be formulate d and choices need to be made. It therefore leaves one with minimal choices to make within a short time span. Situational Theory in this case will apply well since a manager has to make the right decision based on the prevailing situational variables (Zaccaro & Klimoski, 2001). As mentioned earlier it is important to involve stakeholders in decision making and implementation of strategic plans more so in the public sector. Participative theories fit in this case to explain that ideal leadership is one that involves the input of others in various management aspects. In this case group formation is used to encourage others to share their ideas and experiences in order to develop highly effective decisions. In LA DPSS under each Bureau there should be committees that formulate policies and design how they are to be implemented. Their recommendations should be relayed afterwards to the Chief Deputy Director to facilitate high level discussions and subsequent approval. Without adequate p articipation such recommendations can be approved but since the implementers’ views had been ignored implementation is rendered ineffective. As a manager one is supposed to assess the available avenues to render punishment and rewards depending on actions of others. These are used as motivational factors and are explained by Management or Transactional Theories. Junior

Teamwork Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Teamwork - Essay Example However, when there is a team of say 5 members, there is again one goal but 5 minds to discover and handle the same work with 5 times the effort and time which of course will give better and more innovative results. The more awareness that surrounds the human brain, the more it widens and functions towards its goal. Shaina, age 25, works in a large telecom service provider company. She was always in charge of billing funds and employees' salary distribution part. She always came to office the same time of the morning and left at the same usual hour of the afternoon. The eight hours of her stay were mostly with her computer making estimates and doing calculations and the day would end with all reports being sent to the supervisor. Often he had to spend hours going through the details sent by her and sorting out differences between reports generated by all departments. All was fine and life went on until one day the supervisor realized the work was increasing and they must hire another person with Shaina. And, in the next two months, the work done by both of them together was much more than anticipated earlier. Also, the striking difference observed that not only did the daily, weekly and monthly reports reach his desk but Shaina and her teammate visited him often to discuss over billing details and any discrepancies in funds. Work was going on at a much faster rate and moreover, he had to no more spend time re-checking all calculations and fighting with billing discrepancies as everything was discussed and sorted out before the final report was sent to him. This was an example which depicts very clearly how teamwork can enhance not only work but the enthusiasm towards work and also generate comradeship between peers which in turn gives better results. Not only was his work redused but the bond shaared by the members made it easier to complete any work. There are various factors related to teamwork viz. How should teamwork be assessed, how can one develop and benefit from personal team skills and team awareness, what role does communication play in teamwork etc. Team performance assessment can be done by first checking whether they followed the right approach towards work. The characteristics of effective teams that were identified by Larson and LaFasto in their book titled Teamwork: What Must Go Right/What Can Go Wrong (Sage Publications 1989) are that the team must have a clear goal, results-driven structure, competent team members etc. Now to assess whether team member are competent, it is first required to assess the individual members. Personal team skills play important role. For example, for a team that works together in a construction based company, the individual members should all have a graduate degree in civil engineering or any equivalent. In case few members are more involved with the topic than the others, the others can build their awareness about the team and its activities. Any organization always works at its best if the employees work in teams and have mutual awareness about their peers. Getting any work accomplished with quality and efficiency is possible with maintaining competitive air around the employees. Another example that we can see is of the floods that happened in county