Leading in a Complex World (ANSWERED)

QUESTION

Individual Assignment Instructions (Leading In a Complex World)

Drawing on theories and concepts learned in the module, critically reflect on what kind of leader you want to become in the future and how can you further develop your leadership skills. Consider how can you impact others in society through your leadership.

Word Count: 2500 Words

Assessment Criteria

1.An effective introduction and a clear structure. (Academic writing)

2.Synthesis and critical elaboration of a selected set of relevant theories and concepts (covered in the module), showing high command of the subject matter. (Comprehension)

3.Demonstration of critical thinking skills. (Critical evaluation)

4.Critically reflect what kind of leader you want to become and what skills are necessary to be further developed. (Emphasis on “I”) (Reflection)

5.Critically reflect how can you impact others in the society through your leadership in a complex world. (Emphasis on “you”) (Reflection)

6.Development of original thinking and voice of different perspectives creatively. (Critical evaluation)

7.Presentation of well-focused and logical answer with accurate portrayal of theories and concepts. Logical connection among the theories and concepts. (Analysis)

8.Capacity to identify further relevant sources and evidence (academic and media). (Analysis)

9.A conclusion that addresses the question directly and critically. (Academic writing)

10.Appropriate citing and referencing of all the material used in the assignment. (Academic writing)

ANSWER

Leading in a Complex World

Globalization, technological advancements, and the fast-paced nature of the business environment create new challenges for organizational leaders. In almost all organizations, leaders must improve organizational efficiency and performance while maintaining operational success (Gundersen et al., 2012). Currently, operating in a disruptive business environment is the new normal. Time-oriented competitive advantage has become a prerequisite for business survival, meaning organizations must adapt and respond quickly to meet evolving customer needs (Gundersen et al., 2012). These business challenges point to one thing: organizations need continuous change to meet market demands and enhance their performance. As a transformational leader, I can help organizations to effectively go through these disruptive changes and improve their organizational outcomes.

The value of transformational leadership in such dynamism has been demonstrated by empirical research. Gundersen et al. (2012) posit that transformational leadership is ideal for unstable, turbulent, and uncertain business environments. According to the authors, expectations regarding the appropriate response patterns are often unclear when organizations constantly change. Therefore, employees often look up to leaders to guide them. According to Gundersen et al. (2012), transformational leaders are better positioned to sway and guide people with their inspiring drive, charisma, and vision in these situations. Due to the ever-changing business environment, working conditions and practices will frequently change, and employees need leaders to guide them through these disruptive changes.

For these reasons, I want to become a transformational leader. Transformational leaders have the traits and capabilities to lead employees through these volatile organizational changes (Gundersen et al., 2012). They typically have four common identifying features: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. Idealized influence refers to being a strong role model for your followers (Northouse, 2014). This concept aligns well with my beliefs. I believe leaders must lead by example and have high standards of ethical conduct. My followers and colleagues must be able to count on me to do the right thing. I want to become a leader who sets an example for exemplary moral behavior for my followers. I want my work environments to be characterized by honesty and fairness. I will listen to my followers and tolerate opposing viewpoints. By setting high standards of ethical behavior, my followers will learn to trust me and believe in my vision.

Inspirational motivation is another feature of transformational leaders (TL). It refers to the ability of a TL to communicate their expectations to followers and inspire them through motivation, symbols, and emotional appeals to commit to a shared organizational vision (Northouse, 2013). To this end, I want to become the social architect of my organization. In the future, I want to create a compelling vision and inspire people to share that vision. I aspire to be an exemplary leader, a pioneer who is not afraid of changing the status quo and experimenting. According to Northouse (2013), TLs are always willing to improve, grow, and innovate. Likewise, in the future, I would like to be a social architect forging new organizational practices and guiding people through these changes.

One of my career goals is to create an autonomous work environment. Johannsen and Zak (2020) indicate that autonomous work environments can enhance productivity, employee innovativeness, and job satisfaction. Individuals with a high control locus can question organizational practices and the status quo without repercussions. This freedom builds organizational trust and helps firms to innovate as they continuously improve their existing practices (Johannsen and Zak, 2020). Also, staff with high autonomy are intrinsically motivated to overcome problems for the projects they control, increasing discretionary effort and firm innovativeness.

However, autonomous work environments can only yield the above benefits if employees have the appropriate skills. Shin and Bolkan’s (2020) study found a positive correlation between intellectual stimulation and affective experiences, intrinsic motivation, and empowerment. According to the authors, intellectually stimulating behaviors promote engagement, competency, and autonomy (Shin & Bolkan, 2020). Intellectual stimulation, a behavior of transformational leaders, involves stimulating followers to be creative and challenge their own beliefs for the sake of the organization. It encourages employees to be innovative and solve problems on their own.

As a transformational leader, I can intellectually stimulate my followers to think outside the box and develop innovative ways to help the organization gain a competitive advantage. This innovativeness is crucial in a world characterized by disruptive business changes. In the future, I will intellectually stimulate my followers by encouraging independent thought, promoting risk-taking behaviors, and using interactive teaching styles. This transformational behavior is crucial, given my preference for job autonomy. By intellectually stimulating my followers, there will be no need for micro-management. My followers will have the dynamic capabilities to perform their jobs effectively, making micro-management obsolete (Murschetz et al., 2020). Once I have nurtured my followers’ abilities through intellectual stimulation, I can use inspirational motivation and individualized consideration to further improve the team and organizational outcomes.

The self-determination theory (SDT) supports this notion. SDT posits that an individual’s psychological well-being and motivation are influenced by the extent to which their work contexts support their psychological needs. The theory states that people have three psychological needs: competency, relatedness, and autonomy (Hocine & Zhang, 2014). Intellectual stimulation will empower my followers to solve problems independently, enhancing their self-efficacy. Intellectual stimulation also requires that I engage my learners in the learning process. This engagement may tend to the employees’ need for relatedness or a sense of belonging. When there is managerial support for autonomy, all three employees’ psychological needs will likely be met and their performance enhanced (Hocine & Zhang, 2014). When they have freedom, employees feel more connected to an organization (relatedness).

Furthermore, the goal of intellectual stimulation is to enhance independent thinking and enable employees to solve problems on their own. Their ability to independently solve problems will tend to their self-efficacy or competency needs. The SDT posits that employees will succeed in the workplace once all three psychological needs have been satisfied (Hocine & Zhang, 2014). Intellectual stimulation will help me tend to my employees’ three basic psychological needs.

Individualized consideration means considering the individual needs of followers. One of my personality traits is that I derive satisfaction from nurturing other people’s potential. I am exceptionally gifted in engaging in small talk and building trusting relationships. These conversational abilities often help me to note people’s potential. As a leader, I want to work effectively with my followers. I value teamwork and cooperation and want to create trusting relationships and promote collaboration in the future. Driven by my talents, I can help people realize their potential through coaching and individualized consideration. I can inspire and motivate my followers through intellectual stimulation or inspirational motivation to overcome personal challenges and become fully actualized.

As a transformational leader, I must communicate my voice to others. Creating a compelling vision and inspiring people to share this vision will be part of my job. I must improve my communication skills, confidence, and assertiveness to perform these jobs effectively. Being assertive and confident will help get people to transcend their self-interests for the sake of a shared vision. My verbal skills are ineffective, yet good communication skills are essential for every leader.

I can improve these skills through mentorship, action learning, professional development programs, and peer-to-peer learning. According to the social change theory, mentorship is a transactional process whereby expertise, knowledge, and advice flow from an experienced to a less-experienced person. Although the mentor is more senior than the mentee, they have a mutual relationship. The relationship is non-hierarchical and collaborative and embraces contribution as part of the learning process (Shalka et al., 2019). Mentees interact with their mentors and familiarize themselves with the traits, personalities, and attributes contributing to effective leadership skills through reflective learning.

Faculty members can offer valuable guidance on my communication skills. Various studies have endorsed faculty-student interactions as an effective way of developing leadership skills (Hafsteinsdóttir et al., 2020 & Shalka et al., 2019). To this end, I can create my leadership skills by interacting with my faculty members. The faculty members can nurture my competence and self-efficacy by providing emotional and psychological support. They can also hone my communication skills, confidence, and assertiveness through role modeling. By interacting with my mentors, I can familiarize myself with the traits, personalities, and attributes that make them effective leaders. I can emulate these traits, and my mentors can give me constructive feedback about what I need to improve. This way, I can adjust accordingly and enhance my leadership skills. By having a more experienced mentor, I can gain valuable leadership insights and experiences.

Another method for developing my leadership skills is through action learning, a program designed to improve practicing leaders’ leadership skills and performance. Action learning is an educational program by which organizational leaders learn by doing. Instead of learning the theoretical aspect of leadership, these programs emphasize its practical aspects (Belet, 2016). One version of action learning involves team learning. A small group of five to eight people meets regularly for a given timeframe to work on work-based programs or programs (Belet, 2016). A coach facilitates these sessions and creates supportive but challenging questions for the team to resolve collectively.

Another version of action learning involves working on real-life projects. This version often includes workshops and face-to-face meetings where participants meet and participate in training and evaluating their leadership skills (Belet, 2016). The program can focus on group training or individualized self-study. Regardless of the learning mode, learners are assigned mentors who create individualized leadership plans for the participants. The participants’ leadership skills are assessed before and after the work-based program. The work-based program might entail various leadership aspects, including negotiation, real-life problem-solving, communication, networking, etc. (Belet, 2016). To complete the program, the participants must demonstrate competency in the chosen leadership area.

According to Belet (2016), action learning can enhance leadership skills such as one’s ability to solve complex problems, create a safe and collaborative environment, value the contribution of others, and foster team and individual creativity. I can also learn soft skills such as emotional intelligence and active listening from action learning (Belet, 2016). Emotional intelligence will be particularly helpful for intellectual stimulation. The experiential learning theory provides the framework for understanding how individuals learn through experience. According to Quew-Jones (2022), apprenticeships offer massive opportunities to encourage experiential learning and promote creativity, risk-taking, and new ideas.

This notion is supported by social learning theories that claim individuals learn by observing others and their behaviors’ outcomes. I can enroll in these programs and develop leadership skills through experiential learning. The group interactions will allow me to reflect on my learning experiences. These reflections can then be assimilated into abstract concepts from which I can draw new implications for effective leadership action. Action learning is also offered as on-the-job training opportunities or by professional organizations that provide leadership development programs.

Professional development programs are also another method for developing my leadership skills. It involves attending seminars, conferences, workshops, and leadership training. Kirchner and Akdere (2014) state that ongoing professional development is crucial for leadership effectiveness. Professional development allows leaders to stay updated on the latest trends. It also allows them to develop and evolve their leadership skills (Kirchner & Akdere, 2014). There are many professional development programs that I can enroll in to improve my leadership skills. These include classroom training, retreats, seminars, assessment centers, and experiential coursework, e.g., the action learning programs mentioned above.

Self-development is another professional development variant (Kirchner & Akdere, 2014). In this method, I must be responsible for developing my leadership capacities. I must self-reflect and decide what knowledge and skills I need to improve my leadership. I can then improve my leadership skills through one of the professional development programs above. I can also actively seek feedback from peers and the team to identify areas of improvement. DeRue and Ashford (2010) pointed out that feedback is a crucial aspect of leadership development, as it gives leaders information on how others perceive them and what areas they can improve. By actively seeking feedback from peers, I can obtain valuable insights into my leadership style and where to improve.

Kirchner and Akdere (2014) indicate that enrolling in a leadership development program does not guarantee one will improve their leadership skills. The weakness of mentorship or coaching programs is that their effectiveness depends on the mentor and mentee. Also, it is implausible for a mentee to achieve desired outcomes if their relationship with their mentor is poor. The mentor or coach must also be able to recognize opportunities for improvement and verbalize them. Additionally, this method is time-consuming and requires consistent dedication and commitment from both parties.

There are many strategies I can implement to overcome these problems. First, I will establish trust and rapport with my mentor or coach by openly and honestly communicating with them. I will express my expectations to my mentor and actively listen to their feedback. I will be open to change and ensure I do whatever my mentor expects of me. Secondly, regular communication is essential for maintaining a positive mentorship relationship. I will regularly communicate with my mentor about my performance to motivate and engage them. This two-way communication will help my mentor know whether the mentorship program is achieving the desired outcomes. I will be patient, committed, and willing to work extra to achieve my goals. These efforts will help me achieve my leadership development goals.

I can impact others by creating an inclusive, diverse, and equitable culture. Transformational leaders are often passionate about social justice. According to Northouse (2013), the transformational leadership theory emphasizes a moral dimension whereby leaders inspire followers to look beyond their self-interests and work towards a common purpose. For example, various studies have demonstrated the integrity of transformational leaders are potential drivers of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Due to their ethical values, TL influences organizations to undertake sustainable business ventures that also benefit the local communities in which they operate.

Likewise, through idealized influence, I can inspire others to abandon their self-interests and pursue the common good. For example, I can encourage local businesses to engage in sustainable business practices that protect our environment. I can also use my ethical values to promote a culture of inclusivity and diversity in my community. I would also use my leadership skills to create opportunities for marginalized people and campaign for inclusive policies. I will strive to ensure work environments are not discriminative and that they respect and appreciate societal differences. By creating safe work environments for marginalized groups, I will promote inclusivity. I believe leaders need to give back to their community. Therefore, I will engage in volunteer work, advocacy, or philanthropy to make meaningful changes in my community. Engaging in these programs means I will pioneer programs to enhance society’s well-being. For example, I can conduct a community needs assessment and identify areas of improvement that need to be prioritized. Collaborating with other stakeholders, I will develop and implement evidence-based programs addressing my community’s needs. Alternatively, I can campaign for policy change through advocacy groups. I will use individualized consideration to identify the individual needs of my community and campaign to ensure its citizens are empowered.

Conclusion

The world today is characterized by dynamism and disruptive changes. These market conditions mean organizations must adapt and respond quickly to meet evolving customer needs. The value of transformational leadership in such dynamism has been demonstrated by empirical research. For this reason, I want to become a transformational leader. As a transformational leader, I must model the way, create and communicate a compelling vision to my followers, challenge the status quo, and enable others to meet their full potential through intellectual stimulation, idealized influence, individualized consideration, and inspirational motivation. Through mentorship, action learning, professional development programs, and personal experiences, I will improve my assertiveness, confidence, and communication skills. I can impact society through advocacy, philanthropy, and inspiration.

References

Belet, D. (2016). Enhancing leadership skills with action learning: a promising way to improve the effectiveness of leadership development. Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal, 30(6), 13–15. https://doi.org/10.1108/dlo-06-2016-0049

Gundersen, G., Hellesøy, B. T., & Raeder, S. (2012). Leading International Project Teams. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 19(1), 46–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051811429573

Hafsteinsdóttir, T. B., Schoonhoven, L., Hamers, J., & Schuurmans, M. J. (2020). The Leadership Mentoring in Nursing Research Program for Postdoctoral Nurses: A Development Paper. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 52(4), 435–445. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12565

Hocine, Z., & Zhang, J. (2014). Autonomy supportive leadership: a new framework for understanding effective leadership through self-determination theory. International Journal of Information Systems and Change Management, 7(2), 135-149

Johannsen, R., & Zak, P. J. (2020). Autonomy Raises Productivity: An Experiment Measuring Neurophysiology. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(963). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00963

Kirchner, M., & Akdere, M. (2014). Leadership Development Programs: An Integrated Review of Literature. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299491963_Leadership_Development_Programs_An_Integrated_Review_of_Literature

Murschetz, P. C., Omidi, A., Oliver, J. J., Kamali Saraji, M., & Javed, S. (2020). Dynamic capabilities in media management research: A literature review. Journal of Strategy and Management, 13(2), 278-296.

Shalka, T. R., Corcoran, C. S., & Magee, B. T. (2019). Mentors that Matter: International Student Leadership Development and Mentor Roles. Journal of International Students, 9(1), 97–110. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v9i1.261

Shin, M., & Bolkan, S. (2020). Intellectually stimulating students’ intrinsic motivation: the mediating influence of student engagement, self-efficacy, and student academic support. Communication Education, 70(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2020.1828959

Quew-Jones, R. (2022). Enhancing apprenticeships within the Higher Education curriculum–an Action Learning and Action Research study. Action Learning: Research and Practice, 19(2), 146-164.