An Evaluation of Leadership Styles in Abu Dhabi Police GHQ on Motivation - Literature review Example

An Evaluation of Leadership Styles in Abu Dhabi Police GHQ on Motivation: Literature Review LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction This literature review is based on a study of the impact of leadership on motivation on the Abu Dhabi Police GHQ. The study seeks to achieve three important objectives which are described as follows. The first objective is to examine the different leadership styles that are utilised in the Abu Dhabi Police. Secondly, this study seeks to analyse the intensity of the levels of motivation among employees as a result of different leadership styles being used. Lastly, the study seeks to identify specific leadership styles that are effective in motivating employees. It is upon these three objectives which are related to one another that this review of literature is based. Basically, this literature review is divided into three sections, each one of them relating to one of the objectives of the study. This is done as follows. In the first section, a brief review of the concept of employee motivation is examined. This is done with reference to relevant academic literature. In the second section, a brief review of academic literature on the subject of leadership styles in general is examined. In the third section of this literature review, academic findings on the subject of the impact of leadership styles on employee motivation are evaluated. Throughout this review, reference is made to the practice in organisations in general and the police in particular. Also, in this literature review, different gaps that exist in the literature about the impact of motivation on employee performance are pointed out. Therefore, this review of literature serves the purpose of reviewing academic findings relevant to the subject of the study while also showing why it is necessary to carry out the study. Employee motivation There are many studies that have been carried out on the subject of employee motivation in general. Many of the studies, which have been based on different theories that define motivation, have sought to point out different things that make employees to be highly motivated or not motivated at all. Although not all the studies have specifically been carried out on employees working in a police force, the general knowledge they generate about employee motivation, its characteristics and factors that encourage it can be useful for the present study. In general, there are several definitions of motivation that have been developed over the course of time. These definitions have varied from those that are based on the psychological process that gives direction to behaviour to those that focus on motivation as an internal drive to satisfy specific needs of human beings (Burton 2012, p. 5). Within the context of employees, however, motivation can be defined as the internal force which makes employees seek to achieve either individual or organisational goals as a result of the incentives given to them so that they identify with the goals of the organisation (Burton 2012, p. 6). According to Kim (2006, p. 21), all the different definitions of motivation suggest that the concept can be seen in terms of human behaviour, what causes it and the drivers that are behind different patterns of human behaviour. Motivation of employees is made of completely different factors. These vary not only from industry to industry but also in terms of individuals and the nature of jobs that they are doing. For instance, Johnson (2005, p. 70) identified several factors that employees considered as what made them to be motivated. These include the level of security that they have in their jobs, the kind of conditions they are working in, the relationship with the management and overall remuneration (Johnson 2005, p. 73). The extent to which these aspects are met within the organisation is seen as being the measure as to whether the employees are motivated or not. These factors correspond to the ten factors identified as being key motivators for employees. Some of the ten key motivators for employees include the following: good wages, the kind of working conditions, job security, availability of help in the event of personal problems, the level of discipline at the place of work and a feeling of being appreciated for the work that has been done (Kim 2006, p. 22). In another study, Nohria, Groysberg and Lee (2008, p. 1) identified four key factors which they describe as the drivers of motivation among employees within an organisation. These are the drive of individuals to acquire material goods for their wellbeing, the need to bond with each other, the need to make sense of the surrounding environment and lastly, the drive within individual to defend their property (p. 2). What this means is that when an organisation makes sure that these needs are taken care of, it enables the employees to be fully motivated in their work. Many theories have been developed to describe the subject of employee motivation. Many of these theories have come up with different explanations as to what really constitutes motivation in individual employees, the types of motivation and what factors can be used either to enhance or diminish the level of motivation among employees within organisations. Burton (2012, p. 6) identifies three different theories of motivation that have become popular among scholars over the recent time as follows: Herzberg’s two-factor theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the different types of motivation based on whether it is intrinsic or extrinsic. All these different theories offer different explanations about the concept of motivation in individuals. For instance, when seen in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, motivation can be understood as arising from either internal or external factors. Whereas intrinsic motivation comes from within individuals and is based on non-financial incentives, extrinsic motivation is seen as one that is based on external factors – financial incentives being a key driver (Yudhvir & Sunita 2012, p. 58). This is based on Herzberg’s two-factor theory in which motivation is seen as being made up of two types of factors: those that lead to job dissatisfaction and those that lead to motivation (Yudhvir & Sunita 2012, p. 60). On the other hand, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is based in the idea that the needs of human beings can be understood in terms of existing in an order from the most basic ones to the highest and complex ones (Burton 2012, p. 7). Individuals will therefore, be motivated to achieve a need only after those lying below the need are satisfied. Different styles of leadership The second objective of this study is to analyse how leadership styles determine the level of intensity of motivation among employees. In order for this objective to be achieved, it is important to understand the theory of leadership as well as different styles used. This knowledge will then be applied in creating an understanding about the situation within the Abu Dhabi Police. In theory, there are several different approaches to leadership. Their uniqueness lies in the way the leader interacts with the others as well as how decisions are made. All these different types of leadership styles are important because they influence the way an organisation operates in general and how individual employees perform in their work in particular. In theory, leadership is based on providing the right environment within an organisation for the employees to perform their duties for the benefit of the organisation (Schmid 2006, p. 181). Since this process can be approached in different ways, there are many different types of leadership. Jayasingam and Cheng (2009, p. 57) identify four different kinds of leadership styles: (1) the human relations style of leadership, (2) the democratic style of leadership, (3) the autocratic style of leadership and (3) the laissez-faire style of leadership. The same authors note that these leadership styles are important because each one of them influences the way employees go about their duties within an organization and therefore the performance of the whole organization (p. 59). Also, each of the different styles of leadership is differentiated from the rest in terms of its unique characteristics. For instance, in the democratic style of leadership, there is open communication between the leader and the employees. This is seen in the way decisions are made and how other affairs at the place of work are managed (Gonos & Gallo 2013, p. 162). On the other hand, in the autocratic style of leadership, decisions are made by the top leadership alone and communication is done only from the top to the bottom of the organisation. In the liberal style of leadership, the subordinates are required to use the authority given to them by the leader to carry out their duties. Much as the leader gives authority to the subordinates under this kind of leadership, the leader still retains part of the authority and uses it to determine how well the subordinates are carrying out their responsibilities. Oshagbemi and Ocholi (2006, p. 753) identified different styles of leadership within organisations, which can be grouped into three different kinds as follows: practical leaders, unity leaders and uncaring leaders, based on the behaviour of the leaders. Practical leaders are known to pass responsibilities to the others below them, take a personal interest in their members and always inspire them into action (Oshagbemi & Ocholi 2006, p. 754). On the other hand, unity leaders are differentiated by the practice of consulting so much when making decisions within an organisation. Lastly, uncaring leaders fail to practice any of the things that are done by leaders under the first two groups (Oshagbemi & Ocholi 2006, p. 754). In the current times, new leadership styles have been developed to match the changes that are taking place in the world. One new model of leadership is the one developed by Casse and Claudel (2011, p. 46) in which four different styles of leadership are identified based on the degree to which the leader uses imagination as opposed to execution when carrying out the duties. The first style is that of leaders who lead by actually carrying out the tasks themselves. They emphasise on execution and therefore lead by example. On the other hand, there are leaders who show low motivation and low execution. Such leaders lead by empowering others to carry out the leadership functions for them. The third style of leadership is made up of leaders who show a low sense of execution but a high sense of imagination. Such leaders lead by inspiring the others. Lastly, there are leaders who, because of a high sense of execution and inspiration, lead by creating and maintaining successful teams (Casse & Claudel 2011, p. 48). Leadership styles and employee motivation There is a complex relationship between leadership styles and employee motivation. The different styles that leaders use to influence individuals at the place of work determine whether the individuals get motivated to follow their interests as well as those of the organisation or not. Also, the way leaders interact with employees determines the intensity to which the employees feel motivated to identify with the interests of the organisation. This is based on the observation that different groups of people working in different environments require different styles of leadership so that they can perform well (Sadler 2003, p. 74). In a study to identify human resource management practices and other factors that determine the level of retention of employees in the public sector in the United Arab Emirates, Alnaqbi (2011, p. 69) identified several ways in which leaders can influence the way employees operate within organisations. For instance, it is seen that the leadership style used can either encourage employees to stay by giving them incentives or leave by not giving them the right incentives (Alnaqbi 2011, p. 60). Although this study was based on the public sector of the United Arab Emirates, its findings can be useful for the present study in that they show how the styles adopted for leadership within the police force of Abu Dhabi can influence how satisfied the employees are and whether or not they are willing to work for the organisation for long. This is important because one of the main objectives of the Abu Dhabi Police is to become a highly effective organisation through integrity and employee training so that it can be able to meet all the needs of the society (Abu Dhabi Police, 2014). For this to be achieved there is need for the organisation to consider the type of leadership that is in use and whether this style is effective in helping it achieve its objectives. This is the reason as to why the study will be conducted. One important study that has been carried out about how leadership styles influence how employees are motivated among the police is a review by Campbell and Kodz (2011, p. 15) for the National Policing Improvement Agency, in which it was identified that there are several perceptions among employees in the police with regard to how effective the leadership styles used are. From various studies conducted on the subject; employees within the police force perceive the transactional type of leadership that uses cooperation and not coercion as an effective style of leadership (Campbell & Kodz 2011, p. 17). Many of the studies identified skills such as self confidence, active listening, communication, strategy and influencing as key factors that good leadership should show. This means that when a style of leadership that has these characteristics is used within a police force, the employees get motivated and this is shown in their performance and overall level of job satisfaction. In a similar study conducted by Aripin et al. (2013, p. 46) in West Java, it was observed that there is a direct relationship between the style of leadership that is used by police officers and the level of job satisfaction shown by their subordinates. In this particular study, data is based on a study in a society that was transforming from military to civilian rule. It can be seen that the findings are important in determining how leadership styles affect the overall performance of employees within a police force. Therefore, from these studies, it can be noted that there are different leadership styles that are seen as the most effective ones by employees working in police services. This, in general, is a result of the implicit theories of leadership that all individuals have towards their leaders (Schyns 2006, p. 189). Conclusion This literature review has been based on examining the findings of other researchers on the subject of leadership styles and employee motivation in general. There are a number of things that can be concluded from the discussion. First and foremost, it can be seen that although several studies that have been carried out on the subject of how different leadership styles affect employees within police organisations, there is rarely any study that has been carried out on the Abu Dhabi Police GHQ. Yet, this organisation is important because it seeks to be an effective organisation that serves the needs of the society. Because the styles that are used by leadership are important in affecting how well employees are motivated, it is important for this study to be carried out on the Abu Dhabi Police so that the information is made available. Also, from the discussion, it can be seen that many studies have identified a relationship between leadership styles and the motivation of employees. From the different leadership styles that have been examined, it is worth noting some of them are responsible for helping employees find satisfaction in their jobs. This leads to a high level of motivation and performance. On the other hand, some leadership styles that fail to meet the needs of employees have been shown to lead to low motivation and lack of satisfaction in the job. Lastly, from the discussion, it can be seen that studies have shown that employees in specific police services favour leadership styles that foster things such communication, respect and commitment. References Abu Dhabi Police 2014, ‘About the Abu Dhabi Police’, viewed 26 July 2014, Alnaqbi, W 2011, The relationship between human resource practices and employee retention in public organizations: an exploratory study conducted in the United Arab Emirates, PhD Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Perth, viewed 26 July 2014, Aripin, Salim, U, Setiawan M & Djumahir 2013, ‘implications of organizational culture and leadership styles: the effects on job satisfaction and organizational performance of police sector in Bandung, Cimahi, Garut – West Java’, IOSR Journal of Business and Management, vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 44-49. Burton, K 2012, A study of motivation: how to get your employees moving, SPEA Honours Thesis, Indiana University, Bloomington, viewed 25 July 2014, Campbell, I & Kodz, J 2011, ‘What makes great police leadership? What research can tell us about the effectiveness of different leadership styles, competencies and behaviours’, A Rapid Evidence Review for the National Policing Improvement Agency, viewed 26 July 2014, Sadler, P 2003, Leadership, Kogan Page Publishers, London. Casse, P & Claudel, P 2011, ‘Leadership styles: a powerful model’, The Training Journal, January 2011, pp. 46-59. Gonos, J & Gallo, P 2013, ‘Model for leadership style evaluation’, Management, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 157-168. Jayasingam, S & Cheng, M Y 2009, ‘Leadership style and perception of effectiveness: enlightening Malaysian managers’, Asian Social Science, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 54-65. Johnson, C R 2005, Employee motivation: a comparison of tipped and non-tipped hourly restaurant employees, Master Thesis, University of Central Florida, Florida, viewed 25 July 2014, Kim, D 2006, ‘Employee motivation: “just ask your employees”, Seoul Journal of Business, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 19-35. Nohria, N, Groysberg, B & Lee, L 2008, ‘Employee motivation: a powerful new model’, Harvard Business Review, July-August 2008, viewed 25 July 2014, Oshagbemi, T & Ocholi, S A 2006, ‘Leadership styles and behaviour profiles of managers’, Journal of Management Development, vol. 25, no. 8, pp. 748-762. Schmid, H 2006, ‘Leadership styles and leadership change in human and community service organizations’, Non-Profit Management and Leadership, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 179-194. Schyns, B 2006, ‘The role of implicit leadership theories in the performance appraisals and promotion recommendations of leaders’, Equal Opportunities International, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 188-199. Yudhvir & Sunita 2012, ‘Employee’s motivation: theories and perspectives’, Asian Journal of Multidimensional Research, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 56-64. Read More