Responsible leadership
Please see the attached instructions for my part of the group assignment. I want this response to focus on
Path Goal Theory if possible.
The instructions are very important as it needs to form part of a group assignment. Any queries please let
me know
Introduction
Leadership is a crucial aspect in any given organization. This is because; the undertakings
of any given business are shaped by the leadership. It is therefore crucial that the leadership in
any given organization is articulated well such that there are high chances of success of the
business undertakings. The leadership determines the success or the failure of the business. This
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paper analyses the leadership of a manager in a coffee making organization. The alignment of
the leader to the path goal model of leadership has been analyzed especially in view of the
strengths and the weaknesses attributed. The suggestions to the improvement have been given in
respect to the improvement that would arise in the organization.
Description
The manager in this organization can be said to be the ultimate authority in this
organization. He heads this coffee making organization which specializes in making coffee from
the coffee seeds. This organization, (Coffee top- pseudo name) has been in success in its
undertakings under the leadership of this manager. This success is denoted by the expansion of
the organization in terms of its market share as well as the profits. The leadership of this manager
is experienced by the different stakeholders. The employees are affected by the leadership
decisions made the manager. The suppliers of the raw materials such as the coffee seeds are also
affected by the leadership in one way or the other. The customers are also affected by the
decisions of the manager as the ultimate leader and authority in this organization. The manager
leads under some challenge. A great challenge here is the stiff competition from the other
businesses of similar orientation. There has been sprouting of businesses oriented to making of
coffee just like the coffee top. This has come with a lot of competition which call for articulation
of responsible leadership to ensure that the organization is kept afloat.
Effectiveness with model
To some extent, the leadership of the manager in this organization can be said to be
oriented to the path-goal model of leadership. This model of leadership denotes the orientation of
the leader’s style and behavior such that they match the employee and work environment in a bid
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to achieve the goals, (Landrum & Daily, 2012). The aim of his is to make the employees become
more productive members of the organization, (Johnson, Garrison, Hernez et al, 2012). This
idea is based on the expectancy theory. This is whereby the employees are said to perform well
depending with the expected outcome of the undertaking which depends on the excellence of
their performance. On this note, when the employees are aware that their excellence performance
will be appreciated with something beneficial to them, they are more likely to work harder to
improve their performance, (Hayyat Malik, 2012).
The leadership of the manager of coffee top can be said to align to this model of
leadership. This view emanates from the efforts observed in articulating the leadership style such
that it orients towards motivating the employees, empowering them and ensuring satisfaction.
Under the leadership of this manager, there has been adoption of programs that are geared
towards motivating the employees. There have been establishment of channels such that the
employees are able to air their views without encumbrances. This has gone a long way in
ensuring that the employees are satisfied. This is because; they are able to air their grievances
whenever they are not satisfied. This keeps the management informed on the demands of the
employees.
Some of the efforts of the manager which have been oriented to motivating the
employees and ensuring their satisfaction include the motivational package at the end of the year.
This is whereby the employees are washed with gifts at the end of the year such as parties, gift
hampers as well as gift vouchers. This has gone a long way in ensuring motivation of the
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employees and has translated to improved performance due to the expected appreciation at the
end of the year.
The form of leadership
The form of leadership adopted by this manager can be said to be transformational.
Transformational leadership is the kind of leadership that denotes efforts of the leader to make
positive transformations in the persons being led. There are deliberate efforts made to ensure that
there are positive advances made not only in the performance within the organization but also in
the general life of the employees, (Rowold, 2014). The transformational leadership of the
manager of coffee top is first denoted by the traits portrayed in his undertakings. The manager is
energetic, enthusiastic and passionate. Those are basically traits that are associated with
transformational leaders, Bruce, Avolio, William et al (2005)For a leader to be transformational
they must articulate the trait of being energetic. Being energetic enables the leaders to ensure that
they inspire their subjects in adopting the transformative advancements with ease. If a leader
does not become energetic in their leadership, it becomes difficult to convince the subjects to
adopt the transformational advancements.
In transformational leadership, there are always efforts of the leader to ensure that the
employees are motivated so that they become innovative and creative for the good of the
organization. This aspect is opposed to the idea of having to push the employees for every deed
and for innovation. When the employees are motivated, they come up with creativity and
innovation, Joseph (1968). When such aspects are displayed, it is crucial that the leaders
appreciate.
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In any given organization, it is crucial that that the leader is armed with leadership
psychological capacities. These include confidence, optimism hope as well as resilience. These
aspects are personal resources of an authentic leader. It is crucial that the leader does not engage
in forcing the employees into adopting changes. There could be adoption of soft power. This is
whereby; the leader has the ability to shape the preferences of the others so as to like what they
like.
In order to be transformational, there must also be enthusiasm in the leader, Gregory
(2003). The manager of the Coffee top organization has been enthusiastic especially in adopting
the advanced technology. This enthusiasm has made him ensure usage of the advanced
technology in the undertakings of the organizations. The transformative leadership of the
manager can be seen in the efforts made to ensure that the employees advance in the
performance and also in their general life such as in the considerations given in permitting
employees to attend to their other matters when it is necessary. It is also crucial that the leader
embraces the spirit of diversity. In the wake of globalization, there is need for every leader to
ensure diversity in their area of duty. Different lifestyles and orientations must be embraced due
to the realization of the diversity of customers. The diversity also touches on inclusion of women
in the right ratios and not to show any kind of discrimination. In responsible leadership, there
must also be embrace of deliberate efforts to address the practical challenges facing organization.
Relevance is sought in addressing the issues because every organization is unique in its own way
and therefore, solutions to problems cannot always be generalized.
This kind of leadership can be said to be effective in ensuring that there is improved
performance of the employees following the consideration of their needs and ensuring that there
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are avenues of achieving improvement, (Dixon & Hart, 2010). This translates to higher profits
which necessitate the expansion of the business.
However, it would be crucial for the manager to consider advancing the empowerment of
the employees, (Gilmore, Hu, Wei et al, 2013). This aspect is associated with the goal path
theory but has not been well articulated in the leadership of the manager in this organization.
This aspect can be attributed to the lack of advancement opportunities in the organization. There
has been noted stagnation of the level of the workers in the job such that they do not get
promoted to advanced levels even after working for longer periods of time such that they deserve
to be promoted.
It could be suggested that the manager as the leader in focus in this organization should
endeavor to improve in ensuring that the employees are provided with opportunities for
improvement. For instance, the manager could consider ensuring that the employees are provided
with opportunities to venture in furthers studies so as to ensure that they improve their
knowledge and skills which n turn will improve their performance, (McCleskey, 2014). At
times, the employees could be presented with so much of duties to perform throughout the time
such that it becomes difficult for them to engage in studies even on part time basis. This subjects
the employees to stagnation in their jobs. Adoption of these kinds of changes would ensure that
the organization has higher skilled employees. This would improve the performance and the
profitability of the organization.
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References
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Gilmore, P, Hu, X, Wei, F, Tetrick, L, & Zaccaro, S 2013, ‘Positive affectivity neutralizes
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Gregory, A. S. (2003) Transformational versus servant leadership: a difference in leader focus
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