Motivation as a Primary Component of Leadership - Coursework Example

Running Head: Leadership and motivation [Name] [Professor Name] [Course] [Date] Introduction Leadership has been a subject of interest given its potential influence on the end results of organization. Indeed, it has been argued that leadership is the process through which those at the forefront motivate members within their groups to attain a certain task, while at the same time influencing the followers towards delivering the aims and objectives of the organization. This paper argues on the premise that motivation is a primary component of leadership. It discusses how leadership and motivation coexist, and depict leadership as a position of responsibility aimed at motivating the subordinates. In providing effective organizational leadership, there are two significant concepts that influence the level of worker performances at workplace, namely the personal motivation and the type of existing leadership (Sager, n.d.). Even as neither is scientific in nature, extensive researches have reached general conclusions and identified theories postulating the relationship between leadership and motivation. In addressing the concepts of correlation of leadership and motivation as theories rather than as technical facts, a range of issues on employee behavior must as well be considered (Kickul & Neuman, 2000). According to IBRD (n.d.), individual employee behavior involves a reflection of the disparities between individual employees caused by a range of influences existing at the workplace. Employee behavior is thus greatly influenced by a system of motivations or retributions existing in an organization. It can be argued that since a leader is charged with the responsibility of setting trends and behaviors at the organization, an effective leader should motivate his subordinates towards displaying desirable behavior and to work towards delivering desirable results (Almansour, 2012). Although this conception has been hotly contested, some social theorists have arrived at a consensus that motivation is indeed a part and parcel of organizational leadership. Such a school of thought is consistent with the perception that ‘leaders are not born, they are made’ and therefore, all effective leaders must go through some form of training on how to motivate their teams (Pritchard & Ashwood, 2008). Leadership has been a subject of interest over the years given its potential impact on the end results of a business. The concept of leadership can be broadly defined, including as a course of social influence where the person at the forefront mobilizes support from the individuals within a group or organization to fulfill certain obligations. In all, effective leadership cannot stand by itself without motivation (Baumeister, 2004). As noted earlier, the term leadership in itself is broadly used to describe the practice through which individuals at the forefront motivate the members within their groups to attain certain goals or tasks (Baumeister, 2004). Over the last two decades, a body of researches has accumulated evidences to support the idea that charismatic and transformational leadership is an influential means of leadership instrumental in ensuring high levels of performance by the individuals and the overall organizations (Kark and Dijk, 2008). Scholars have examined charismatic and transformational leadership, and in a number of instances, discussed motivational factors as important constituents in their frameworks. Indeed, some social theorists have described transformational leadership based on the motivational impacts it has on followers (Kark and Dijk, 2008). Transformational leadership signifies instances when a leader extends and elevates the interests of their subordinates when they cause awareness and acceptance of the tasks or goals for their groups. The same situation also occurs when a leader influences the followers to look beyond their personal interests for the good of the organization. Transactional leadership on the other hand entails exchanges between the leader and the follower essential for attaining the desirable performance in the eyes of both the leader and the subordinates (Almansour, 2012). From the above illustrations, even as it is agreeable that different leaders deploy different styles of to push and motivate their teams, the term motivation has been a subject of contestation given its potential to stimulate the members within the team to attain some optimal results. To some social theorists, motivation has increasingly become a more complex concept because of the increasingly unstable working environment and limited understanding among employers on what should really motivate a new generation of workforce. Indeed, the concept of motivation continues to be of great import in organizational management since it has the potential to influence psychological processes capable of triggering result-oriented voluntary actions (Scouller, 186). The term is also considered a great organizational asset as it has been instrumental in triggering certain controlled behaviors, such as influencing individuals to perform their duties with persistence. The argument is consistent with the essence of effective leaders. For instance, effective leaders are considered as individuals who have the capacity to motivate the members of their groups to achieve common objectives and improved performances. Therefore, for leadership to be effective, it is crucial that leaders within their groups should motivate the individuals in their teams to direct their energies towards a definite direction (Baumeister, 2004). From this perspective, it can be argued that motivation, as a component of leadership, is a psychological aspect that motivates individuals to work towards achieving certain preferred goals. Additionally, motivation is a psychological drive that triggers an emotional response towards attaining overall goals individual and organizational goals (Baumeister, 2004). Studies have indicated a general tendency to rely on individual worker’s leadership skills. Towards this end, studies have been preoccupied with rediscovering how leaders can be made and what can make effective leadership. Indeed systems that were initially made up of rules, procedure and regulations are continually being replaced by requirements for employees to be flexible, to have personal initiatives, greater levels of decision-making and empowerment. However, to attain this, it is critical to understand their behaviors and issues that affect their actions and reactions. Motivation is greatly identified as a major issue. This perception is largely supported by some observers who view motivation as reasons that underlie a certain form of behavior (Lai, 2011). The notion is further supported by the concept of intrinsic motivation stimulated by personal interest, enjoyment or pleasure. Intrinsic motivation stimulates and maintains persistence through spontaneous satisfactions associated with desirable result-oriented actions (Deci, Koestner, & Ryan, 1999). Several theories have been developed to hypothesize on how leadership and motivation correlate at the workplace. First, motivational theory is essentially of two types, including transactional leadership and transformational leadership (Barbuto, 2005). Transactional leadership involves situations where the leader encourages the team members to make independent decisions while transformational leadership refers to circumstances where the leader changes the goals of the members of his group in order to achieve the overall goals of the organization. Recent developments on motivational theory suggest the significance of the followers’ self-regulatory focus as a key factor that determines their levels of motivation and desirable behavior (Kark & Dijk, 2007). This conceptual development may be instrumental in enabling the understanding of the leaders’ ability to influence and motivate their followers through arousal of different self-regulatory focuses of the followers. Instinct theory postulates that employees tend to get motivated to behave in certain manners as they have been evolutionary programmed to do so (Van Vugt et al, 2008). Basing on this theory, since organizations have their respective cultures, once a leader initiates a certain behavior, each employee would be expected to act in compliance with the behavior. Through an evolutionary process, new employees joining the firm would adopt the behavior. Third, incentive theory argues that individuals tend to get motivated to adopt certain organizational trends and behaviors motivated by certain external rewards. Other theories include drive theory, which suggests that employees will be motivated to adopt certain behaviors or achieve certain organizational goals just to lessen the internal tension that may be caused by unrealized expectations or demands (Scouller, 2011). Motivation has also been interpreted by some observers to mean a strong compulsion that influences people to achieve organizational objectives in a manner that can overcome obstacles, while at the same time seeking the most convenient means to attain the set goals. Based on this assumption, it is justifiable to describe motivation as an aspect of leadership capable to enabling individuals and organizations to meet desires, objectives or goals (Baumeister, 2004) However, if motivation has to be applied by a leader to achieve certain goals and objectives, then there concept of determination and inspiration must as well be included in the form of leadership. The two tend to work jointly with motivation to pursue and accomplish personal and organizational interests. Some studies have suggested that when motivation is backed by a strong will and courage, it can be transformed into an invincible weapon in the hands of individual employees to achieve organizational goals (Kappen, 2010). Some scholars have illustrated that even as employees are much likely to benefit from a range of external rewards such as high perks, wages and salaries, they will often need a leader to keep them working on track (Almansour, 2012). Hence, even as the rewards may offer sufficient incentive to influence the employees to work, effective leadership is essential for directing their energies and efforts towards a predestined direction. In conclusion, effective leadership is lacking if the followers remain unmotivated. In the same breath, motivating employees through external rewards or timely gifts may often be futile when the employees lack the directive of a leader. Simply put, even as motivation is an essential component of leadership, the two coexist if each has to function effectively within an organization. References Almansour, Y. (2012). "The Relationship between Leadership Styles And Motivation Of Managers Conceptual Framework." International Refereed Research Journal, 3(1), pp.161-166 Barbuto, J. (2005). "Motivation and Transactional, Charismatic, and Transformational Leadership: A Test of Antecedents." Faculty Publications: Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communication Department. Paper 39. Web. Retrieved 11 July 2013 Baumeister, R. &Vohs, K. (2004), Handbook of self-regulation: Research, theory, and applications, New York: Guilford Press, p. 574, Deci, E., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. (1999). “A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation.” Psychological Bulletin, 125(6), 627–668. IBRD (n.d.) Leadership and Motivation. Web. Retrieved 11 July 2013 Kappen, F. (2010). Leadership and motivation: Bachelor Thesis Organization & Strategy. Tiburg: Tiburg University. Web. Retrieved 11 July 2013 Kark, R. & Dijk, D. (2007). “Motivation to Lead, Motivation To Follow: The Role Of The Selfregulatory Focus In Leadership Processes.” Academy of Management Review, 32(2), pp.500–528. Kickul, J., & Neuman, G. (2000). “Emergence leadership behaviors: The function of personality and cognitive ability in determining teamwork performance and KSAs.” Journal of Business and Psychology, 15, pp.27-51. Lai, E. (2011). Motivation: A Literature Review. Pearson. Web. Retrieved 11 July 2013 Pritchard, R. & E. Ashwood (2008). Managing Motivation. New York: Taylor & Francis Group. p. 6 Sager, D. (n.d,) Leadership and employee motivation. Web. Retrieved 11 July 2013 Scouller, J. (2011). The Three Levels of Leadership: How to Develop Your Leadership Presence, Knowhow and Skill. Cirencester: Management Books. Van Vugt, M., Hogan, R., & Kaiser, R. (2008). “Leadership, followership, and evolution: Some lessons from the past.” American Psychologist, 63, pp.182-196 Read More