A511.5.3.RB_EllisMark Remote Transformational Leadership

Remote Transformational Leadership

For this week’s blog I will consider the impact of remote transformational leadership based on the research article by the Leadership & Organizational Development Journal in 2003.  The research was designed to better understand the remote transformational leadership, the effects of intellectual stimulation and charisma in remote leadership contexts.  The study gathered and analyzed the responses of two vignettes consisting of 180 students. The point of the research was to determine how remote leadership through technological means impact the relationship between leaders and subordinates.  Based on the study, remote leadership is less optimal due to the limited interpersonal contact between leaders and subordinates.  However the use of transformational leadership would be beneficial if employed properly to achieve the organizational goals in a remote situation. Despite the distance, “Transformational leaders make followers more aware of the importance and value of the work and induce followers to transcend self-interest for the sake of the organization (Yukl, 2013, page 335),” as written in this weeks texts.

The Research

The point of the research was to broaden the understanding of remote transformational leadership, specifically the effects of intellectual stimulation and charisma in remote leadership contexts.  The studies focused on the communication between leaders and followers who work in remote locations, who rely on technology-based communication to accomplish tasks given by a leader, the subordinate’s possible, and perceived reactions to instructions. The study sought to discover if remote leadership is less optimal due to the limited interpersonal contact between leaders and followers.  Based on the research study and this week’s readings, students could distinguish between the leadership styles.  Transformational leadership was received better and preferred, where as the charismatic style generated a negative perception and threating adverse effect. As written in this week’s readings when using a transformational leadership style, “It gives the work meaning, serves as a source of self-esteem, and fosters a sense of common purpose (Yukl, 2013, page 333).

The Theory

The hypothesis at the beginning of the study was to determine what was the negative impact to a leader and subordinate relationship due to geographical distances.   The study found the approach taken by leader and how the leader directed their leadership style via electronic means towards the subordinate impacted how the subordinate perceived the message.   The complete study suggests, “that remote transformational leadership can still have the same positive effects on performance and attitudes that occurs within face-to-face interaction  (Kelloway, 2003).”  The relationship between a leader and subordinate is not impacted when the leader employs a transformational leadership style.  The entire study supported that receiving correspondence whether charismatic or intellectual improved subordinate performance overall versus not having any communication or limited communication from their leader.  The research methods used were laboratory-based procedures with questions requiring problem-solving exercises to illicit responses from the participants, which proved successful in this study. 

Result Analysis

Based on this week’s studies and the research by the Leadership & Organization Development Journal, I believe the results of the study are correct and applicable to better understanding the negative impact of distant or remote relationships between leaders and subordinates. In the end, researchers determined remote transformational leadership does have the similar effects on performance and attitudes of suburbanites despite distance and geographical location.  The study states, “the suggestion that leader-follower distance has a negative effect on performance and followers' perceptions of their leader (Kellowy,2003),” but what about longevity and its effects of leading in this manner over long periods. I believe additional research is needed to determine the impact of time on the leader & subordinate relationship. The additional study should focus on the how long subordinates can function effectively without face-to-face interaction with their leader?  Will the leader lose their influence over time?  How long can a leader maintain a common purpose while geographically separated? 

Reference

Kelloway K., Barling J., Kelley E., Comtois J., Gatien B., 2003, Remote Transformational Leadership, Leadership & Organization Development Journal.

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

A511.4.3.RB_EllisMark Leadership Traits

A511.4.3.RB - Leadership Traits

Managerial Motivation, Traits, and Effectiveness

Managerial motivation, traits, and effectiveness are the attributes that are required for leaders to be successful. Managerial motivation is based on the leader and the amount of achievement motivation they have.  The higher the achievement motivation the more effective the manager is, in contrast a manager with low achievement motivation is less effective and successful. Traits are the skills and values a leader possesses and they contribute to how a leader is perceived by senior leaders, peers, and subordinates.  This is driven by “a variety of individual attributes, including aspects of personality, temperament, needs, motives, and values (Yekl, 2013, page 136),” where an individual behaves a certain way.  Effectiveness is how a manager’s motivation and traits lead to success or failure of the manager’s goals.  A good manager is considered respected, confident, and knowledgeable.  A not so good manager can be perceived as defensive, weak, and considered a failure.  These deference depend on how a manager is perceived, its ether strong, weak, motivated, effective or ineffective.

My Leadership Skills, Traits, and Competencies

My leadership skills, traits, and competences have grown over the last 20 years of military service.  I entered the military with high moral values, honesty, fairness to others, and loyalty to the organization.  I was lacking in job skill knowledge, military customs, and politics. I improved my knowledge about the military, occupational skill, and leadership. I am considered a subject matter expert in military human resource, but had to grow to attain that position. The road to success required me to learn how to work with others that possess diverse skills, beliefs, and leadership styles.  Being confident, learning from others, positive or negative, contributed to my development. I maintain a positive outlook even in stressful situations to provide the confidence that even if we fail, there is something positive to learn from it. I learned as written in this week’s text, “optimism and persistence in efforts to accomplish a task or mission are likely to increase commitment by subordinates, peers, and superiors to support the effort (Yekl, 2013, page 140)” works when applied.

Strength, Leverage, and Variables

I have high self-confidence, I am emotionally mature, power motivated, and achievement motivated.  I spent seven years as an Enlisted member of the Air Force.  As an enlisted member I observed a lot of negative leadership and worked in environments that would have been improved if there were better leaders in charge.  I was confident I would be a better leader than the NCO’s and officers in my organization at that time.  I was emotionally mature than a lot of the leaders around me, so I set a goal of becoming an commissioned officer.  My motivation to gain power or rank in this case was driven by my desire to make the work environment better for people of lower rank like myself.  It took two years, but I completed my undergraduate degree and was accepted to officer training school.  My leadership traits have helped me over the last 13 years as an officer.  Having developed a locus of control, I believe that everyone is responsible for the situation around them, meaning bad things will happen, so learn from them and move on.  My traits also help me to work with variables such as toxic narcissistic leaders who possess “a strong personalized need for power, low emotional maturity, and low integrity (Yakl, 2013, page 143).”  Being a flexible leader able understanding the positives, negatives and variables of an organization is critical and has helped me to be successful over the last 20 years.

Reference 

Yukl, Gary, (2013), State University of New York, Albany, Leadership in organizations 8th Edition, Pearson Education, Inc.

A511.3.3.RB_EllisMark Power and Influence

Power and Influence

          I have experienced different types of power and influence at work with senior leaders and subordinates over the years.  At work I am a commissioned officer, as such I am given the authority, power, and influence over others of lesser rank based on United State Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).  The source of this coercive power comes from article 90 of the UCMJ which states service members who “willfully disobeys a lawful command of his superior commissioned officer;
 shall be punished, if the offense is committed in time of war, by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct, and if the offense is committed at any other time, by such punishment, other than death, as a court-martial may direct” (UCMJ, 2006, page 464).   This is necessary for the good order and hierarchy of the military because it sets the boundaries and understanding of everyone’s role within the organization.

          Article 90 is a powerful coercive influence in which as a leader have enacted only once and brought charges against a Non-Commissioned Officer for disobeying my orders.  In the interest of public safety and the image of the Army, I instructed all subordinates assigned my unit to not drink and drive. My senior leader instructed me to not drink and drive, I delegated the same responsibilities to my subordinates for their own safety and the image of the military.  This consideration for safety impacts the community, the individual, and the Army.  The results of not following orders of senior leaders are substantial where a individual can lose rank, pay, and even go to military jail.  I lead by example, as written “The target person imitates the agent’s behavior or adopts the same attitudes to please the agent and to be like the agent (Yekl, 2013,page 187), I expect my subordinates to follow my lead.  A few months into my role as a leader, a subordinate decided to not follow my orders and was arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol.   Both civilian and military courts prosecuted the individual for the incident. Based on the violation and the disobeying of my orders, I facilitated the individual’s removal from the military. 

          The use of coercive power is to influence positive and mitigate negative behavior.  The military needs coercive power to maintain order of its members, as written in this week’s text “A leader with direct authority over a target person has the right to make requests consistent with this authority, and the target person has the duty to obey (Yekl, 2013, page 186),” without this type of influence, the military would fail.  I often use the leader-member exchange theory with my staff team as we plan and execute our assigned mission from our higher command.  I better understand from a technical perspective, what I have found is as written in this weeks additional text is “reciprocal relationship evolves into a trusting and loyal relationship (Othman, 2009, page 338),”and it works for me in my organization.  I have worked in dysfunctional organizations as a subordinate, however the key to circumventing a negative situation or leadership is to work together with peers and subordinates to achieve the success.

Reference:
Uniform Code of Military Justice, United States Code, 2006 Edition, Supplement 4, Title 10 - General Military Law.                                                  
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/USCODE-2010-title10/USCODE-2010-title10-subtitleA-partII-chap47/content-detail.html

Othman, R., 2009, Understanding dysfunctional leader-member exchange: antecedents and outcomes.                                                     https://erau.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-16428578-dt-content-rid-25058288_4/institution/Worldwide_Online/MSLD_Courses/MSLD_511/Word/Understanding_dysfunctional.pdf

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

A511.2.2.3_EllisMark Supportive Behavior

Supportive Behavior 

A511.2.3.RB

Mark A. Ellis

ERAU Worldwide MSEM

Supportive Behavior

As a leader within the United States Army, it is part of my duty as an officer to utilize and maintain a supportive behavior.  My duties as an advisor to senior coalition officers, Afghan leaders, and as a leader of my subordinates require the use of supportive behavior for me to be successful.  I believe consideration as the most import behavior because it creates a relationship and comradery necessary within the combat arms career field.   Consideration is more than doing favors for peers and subordinates, it requires listening and providing feedback positive or negative.  It is taking advise from leaders, peers, and subordinates in an effort to improve ones self, the working environment, and the team.   I am not a perfect leader, I strive to become better and through my own use of consideration I am open to suggestions from all levels.  I provide supportive feedback to peers and the counseling subordinate Soldiers to help them to become better leaders.

There is a need for a relations oriented behavior within the military.  This is because of military’s combat nature, where the primary concern is increasing mutual trust and cooperation among the organization’s team members to accomplish tasks and missions.   However, of all the supportive behaviors, the use of participative leadership is very ineffective in the military especially in combat situations because there is no place for democratic hierarchies in a top down driven combat environment.  I have experienced the impact of leaders who do not empower subordinates and micromanage the organization.  The most common result of this type of leadership is slower accomplishment of tasks and in some cases failure.   What helps subordinate leaders is a clarifying leadership behavior, when senior leaders provide feedback as written in this week’s text “The purpose of clarifying behavior is to guide and coordinate work activity and make sure people know what to do and how to do it.  It is essential for each subordinate to understand what duties, functions, and activities are required in the job and what results are expected (Yukl, 2013, page 59),” in my experience is leaders are more successful with their subordinates and assigned tasks when a clarifying behavior is employed. 

When considering subordinates and peers, my objective is to be supportive and honest.  I have learned as written, “Due to the considerable position power of most managers, subordinates are especially sensitive to indications of acceptance and approval (or rejection and criticism).  An outburst of anger, harsh criticism, and personal insults are stressful regardless of the source, but especially when the source is someone who has considerable position power (Yukl, 2013, page 64), is extremely important.  My actions as a leader directly impacts subordinates and although not mentioned in this week’s studies, my actions can also impact my peers and supervisor.  If am an unsupportive supervisor who makes harsh inappropriate remarks, discourage or demine subordinates, it could lead to a filed complaint or judicial actions that will impact my organization and tarnish the image of its leadership.  My focus based on this week’s studies is to develop my subordinates, peers,  and myself through mentorship, supported career opportunities, and continued learning through supportive leadership behavior.

Reference:

Yukl, Gary, (2013), State University of New York, Albany, Leadership in organizations 8th Edition, Pearson Education, Inc.