Leadership - Week 5

Differences between management and leadership

Managers in an organisation plan, control and solve problems, co-ordinate and implement policy which has been set by the leadership in the business to achieve results. Leaders within an organisation are the people who generate ideas, enthuse and inspire their staff to realise their personal and collective potential. Leaders have long term vision for the business and set direction for managers to follow. Managers tend to adopt impersonal attitudes towards goals while leaders adopt more personal and active attitude towards goals. Managers have a low level of emotional involvement in their relationship with other people but leaders have empathy with people so give attention to what events and actions mean.

“Managerial Grid” developed by Blake and Mouton



This managerial grid is based on two behavioural dimensions:

• Concern for people

This is where the manager considers the people working for them, their interests and any personal development when deciding how to achieve a task.

• Concern for production

This is where the manager decides how to complete a task efficiently because managers are always concerned with high levels of production.

The five leadership styles suggested by Blake and Mouton in the managerial grid are:

1. The impoverished manager does not expect too much from his/her employees. This type of manager does not have much concern for his/her employees or of meeting the business goals. This type of manager will just do enough work to keep their job as they have no commitment to the business.

2. The country club manager pays attention to their employees developing good relationships with them. This style of leader usually avoids conflict and is eager to help their staff achieve reasonable results.

3. The middle of the road manager also cares about their staff and they are committed to achieving the aims and objectives of the business.

4. The authority compliance manager will make sure jobs are done whatever the cost with total focus on achieving goals. These type of managers do not have a relationship with their employees because they judge employees on the quality of their work.

5. Team management manager according to Blake and Mouton is the ideal type of manager. This type of manager produces good results because they lead their employees to be committed to the goals of the business. These type of managers are flexible and open minded as they inspire their team to make sure everyone feels involved.

I currently have a retail job at Burtons. My manager’s leadership style would be Middle of the road on Blake and Mouton’s grid. This is because my manager cares about her staff as she is flexible and listens to her staff’s point of view. She also makes sure that we work hard to achieve good sales and customer service. All the staff feel happy at work and this is good for the business because everyone works as a team.

A Great Leader

There have been many great leaders throughout history in the world who have helped to change society. These leaders are still held in high regard for their work and they inspire many people. Their leadership has helped to change the world and deeply affected society. One of these great leaders was Martin Luther King, Jr.



Martin Luther King Jr. Was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, US. He was the leader of the American Civil Rights Movement. During the initial years of his career, he became active in the Civil Rights Movement. He famously led the Montgomery Bus Boycott and was instrumental in founding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Prize for his work in fighting racial discrimination with non-violent measures, at the age of 35. He gave a religious angle to his struggle against poverty and opposition to the Vietnam War.

Martin Luther King's most famous inspirational speech shows he was and still is considered to be an influential speeker and one of world's greatest leaders.

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.”



Martin Luther King was assassinated in April 1968. His assassination resulted in a wave of riots across many cities. Martin Luther King played a big part in the civil rights movement for trying to help oppressed black people in their fight for equal rights. I believe Martin Luther King was a great leader because he was inspirational, peaceful and was able to lead people by example.

Conclusion

Leaders always set good examples and are able to influence their employees and others. Leaders inspire their employees and others by setting clear aims and objectives. Managers in turn are responsible for getting their employees to carry out the work which will help an organisation or business achieve its aims. Leaders are usually strong and assertive. Leaders like Martin Luther King, Mohandas Ghandi, and Mother Theresa have shown that goals can be achieved through peaceful demonstrations which have had great impact on society. Good leaders are excellent role models for others to follow. A example of a good business leader is Bill Gates owner of Microsoft who is extremely successful, but still helps charities and people less fortunate.

Reference list:

Blake and Mouton grid [online]. Available from: www.coachingcosmos.com/.../Leadership+grid+2.jpg [Accessed 01 March 2010].

Presentation magazine [online]. Available from http://www.presentationmagazine.com/martin_luther_king_speech.htm [Accessed 03 March 2010].

Youtube Martin Luther King "I have a dream" [online]. Available from: Accessed 06 March 2010].