Advantages and Disadvantages of Applying Transformational Leadership in Ausenco - Case Study Example

Name: Tutor: Subject: Date: Section A Advantages and disadvantages of applying transformational leadership in Ausenco Transformational leadership has a number of advantages, as well as, disadvantages in an organization. First, the transformational leadership is suitable for global companies. As a global company, the type of leadership will benefit the company as every employee will be considered individually. Also, transformational leadership will serve to bring positive change in Ausenco. The status quo of the company will also change when the type of leadership is adopted. Mining services is a challenging industry for the companies and sometimes the employees may feel demotivated. Transformational leadership in the Ausenco will ensure that the current challenges are identified, reframed, and a forward-looking vision formulated taking the company through such difficulties. The type of leadership will appeal to the employees to have a sense of purpose to achieve the objective of Ausenco. Also, the leaders in the company will be motivated to operate in an elevated sense of moral development than their employees leading to values such as freedom and justice. Transformational leadership would also inspire self-development in employees so that they can become better leaders in Ausenco. The type of leadership also encourages belief and sense of independence leading to high productivity. Transformational leadership also has a number of disadvantages that include taking longer to adopt. Changing to transformational leadership takes longer as it would involve changing the belief system of the employees of Ausenco. Also, transformational leaders may over rely on their emotions and passions at the expense of research. Lack of such research information may lead the transformational leaders to make decisions that are illogical. That is decisions that are inconsistent with what is happening on the ground. The type of leadership also does not have application details. It relies on the ability of the leader inspire others. Additionally, the type of leadership relies on the values and traits of the leaders. Other Leadership Theories that can be applied in Ausenco Among the most crucial theories of leadership that the company can benefit from is participative leadership. Participative leadership involves the inclusion of other workers in the decision-making process. Ausenco can use elements of participative leadership to foster teamwork and reduce individuality and competition. When the employees are involved in the making of particular decisions that would affect them or their work, they get to be more collaborative. For example, when the company faced a financial difficulty in 2013, involving the employees would make them collaborate and work towards a common goal. When workers make certain decision together, their commitment to one another and commitment to the task to be done also increases. In addition to participative leadership, the company can also employ situational leadership theory. The situational leadership style is where leadership evolves in accordance with the demands of the environment. Ausenco has a number of competitors that grow every year and so must maintain their competitiveness. Every employee is different and, therefore, different approaches should be employed depending on the level that each employee has developed. By adopting the situational leadership model at Ausenco, more work will get done and the company’s objectives will be reached. Section B 1. Negotiation and Listening Distributive and Integrative negotiation advantages and disadvantages Distributive negotiation is the one-win-one-lose situation. One party must win in the negotiation when the other loses. The distributive negotiation is competitive while integrative is not competitive. The goal of the distributive approach is one individual gets the largest share of the minimum cost. The method is employed in cases where there are fixed resources, or the interest of one part are in direct conflict with the others. The tactic that is used in the distributive approach is discovering and making use of the resistance point of the other party. The distributive approach is quicker than the integrative approach, and so agreements are reached quicker. The method is simpler and, therefore, is understood by most individuals around the world. There is no wastage of time in trying to understand the other party’s position. The distributive approach is suitable for short term relationships between individuals. The demerit of the approach is the promotion of adversarial tactics in negotiation between parties. Another disadvantage of the distributive approach is that it has a value maximizing limit. The integrative approach is a win-win cooperative approach of negotiation between parties. Both parties get what they want in the negotiations and sometimes, concessions between the parties are made to come to an agreement. The merit of the approach is that it is a conflict management tactic. It is suitable for a long-term relationship between parties and has options for mutual gains. The demerits of the integrative approach are that it can take longer for the parties to come to an agreement. Both parties must understand the position of the other party before an agreement can be reached. In cases where the communication is limited, the approach can prove to be problematic. Additionally, the method is not effective for parties that are dealing for the first time. Effective Listening Aspects The first aspect of effective listening is by minimizing distractions and committing attention. There must be a will to listen to the other party, and when it is not possible to give all attention, the conversation is better postponed. The next aspect is ascertaining the reason for listening. Knowing why one should listen helps in framing the way that an individual should listen. The third aspect of listening is controlling preconceptions and the assumptions that may be harbored about the speaker. Listening to the speaker helps in bringing out their best. The fourth aspect is being responsive by giving feedback and seeking clarifications where necessary. Being responsive to what is being said shows interest in what is been said. It also helps in the listener test what is been said. The last aspect of effective listening can revisit issues that are not clear. Listening takes time and the parties should be able to understand each other. 2. Team Building Five Stages of Team Development The first stage in team development is forming the team. During the forming stage, the members get to know one another. The members are usually excited and want to know what the team will be all about. The members learn about the project that they will be working on, and some ground rules are set. The roles of each are also defined during the forming stage. The second stage is storming. During storming, most of the team members compete for acceptance and recognition of the ideas that they have. Each of the members has different ideas and opinions on the way things should be done, and that causes temporary conflict within the team. Through the guidance of the leader, they gradually learn how to cope with each other and solve any conflicts the may have. Some of the teams may not move beyond the storming stage and most of their time may be spent in conflicts with each other. The third stage is norming. When a team moves to the norming stage, they are starting to work effectively with each other. They are more focused on the common goals rather than individual’s goals. In this stage, they are more respectful of each other’s opinions and goals and recognize the importance of such differences in the team. Through the norming stage, the team makes good progress on the project they are working on. The fourth stage is the performing stage. The team is performing at a high level, and the members already know each other; their strengths and weaknesses. They are more reliant and trusting of each other in the team. Every member is highly motivated to complete the project and in some teams, they are interdependent and function without any need for oversight. The last stage is adjourning. During this stage, the members are completing the project, and they start going their separate ways. The team leader may take some time to celebrate the success of the team. It is also during the adjourning stage that the members evaluate and capture some of the best practices to use at a later date. Four Ways that a Leader can improve and Develop Effective Team Work The team leader can improve and develop effective teamwork through the establishment of a climate based on trust. The team that has trust is crucial as it manages excellent relationships within the team. The leader has a role to play in ensuring all members are free to air their views without any fear of reprisals. A climate of trust will help the members learn from the mistakes they make, and they will not be afraid to talk and find solutions on the same. The second way that the leader can develop effective teamwork is through defining the mission of the group. Every team should have a clear purpose for its formation. The leader should help the members understand why they are together in a team, and that would inspire them to achieve the objectives of the group. The third way is developing guidelines and rules. The team norms would help the members achieve the goals for the formation of the team. Every team member should agree the norms, and the leader should periodically evaluate them to ascertain their effectiveness. The fourth way is through ensuring every member feels equal to the other. They should act as models for other members by not getting caught up in power. 3. Personal Reflection on Leadership How I see myself as a Leader Among the good qualities that leaders should have include self-confidence, good communication and strong mental ability. Using the self-assessment quiz score, I am an average situational perspective type of manager. That means that I have to improve on situational perspective to be a better leader that ascertains the environment and changes accordingly to influence others. Using the same self-assessment quiz by Dubrin (2010), my level of emotionally is probably too low. Leaders are more dynamic and charismatic to influence others and emotions play a lead role. I have to improve on being more expressive to others to make others believe in me. Another aspect that makes good leaders is the ability to communicate effectively. Through the self-assessment questionnaire, it is clear that I have to improve my ability to communicate my ideas to others. My ability to produce fresh ideas is well developed and has to be complemented with the good communication skills. Another thing that I have to improve on is based on the level of ethics. My score is average and may not be sufficient for a leader. Ethics behavior is crucial as it determines their trustworthiness, integrity and honesty. The followers have to believe that the leader has those qualities for them to follow these leaders. Four Leadership Traits that I Believe I have There are a number of leadership traits that I believe I possess. The first traits are enthusiasm and optimism. Through my enthusiasm, I can become an effective transformational leader. Optimism is an important quality that every leader should possess. Individuals in a team are motivated by the leader’s optimism and enthusiasm. The third trait I believe I have is extraversion. Extraversion is highlighted by my energy and sociability with other individuals. Through sociability, numerous resources are obtained that can be used to be a successful leader. As an individual, I can air my opinions more often that may get accepted or corrected, and that helps in my learning process. Lastly, I am authentic. Sometimes I can demonstrate imitativeness. I don’t wait to be told what to do and never let to fear hold me back. Read More