Strategic leadership and Practice (Term Paper Sample)

Student’s Name: Class Project: Institution: Course Instructor: Course Code: Date: Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Introduction PAGEREF _Toc532678412 \h 3Anatomy of top management team PAGEREF _Toc532678413 \h 3Characteristics of top management PAGEREF _Toc532678414 \h 51.Promoting cross-level and cross functional interaction PAGEREF _Toc532678415 \h 52.Time consciousness PAGEREF _Toc532678416 \h 63.Communication PAGEREF _Toc532678417 \h 74.Trust and Delegation of duties PAGEREF _Toc532678418 \h 95.Visionary leadership PAGEREF _Toc532678419 \h 10Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc532678420 \h 11References PAGEREF _Toc532678421 \h 12 Introduction Leadership management styles differ from one organization to another, success or failure in an organization is largely dependent on the type of leadership management style engaged. While organizations are unique to the type of leadership management style utilized, many organizations employ more than one type of leadership management technique. However, the choice of the leadership management style in context is largely dependent on the organizational structure as well as the number of employees within the organization. It is prudent to appreciate the fact that most organizations require capacity building in the application of leadership’s management styles in order to improve managerial skills within the organization. According to (Conger, 1999), capacity building deepens skills, competences and perceptions of fellow employees towards their leaders. This is as published by Burke and Day (1986) that “the primary purpose of most leadership development interventions was to improve individual managerial skills and on-the-job performance”. Ultimately capacity building personnel within the organization largely contributes to improved and strategic decision making. Anatomy of top management team Top management personnel within most organizations are set up in a manner that the highest ranking officer reports to the management board. Within the local set up, organizations either have the managing director or the general manager taking lead of business strategy of the organization through the board of directors. The managing director in the context of top management, has personnel that report to his/her office being a technical coordination manager and the financial and administrative manager within the second tier of top management. Within the third tier of top management we have two deputy technical coordination managers under the technical coordination manager while the human resource manager and chief accountant reports to the financial and administrative manager. One of the deputy technical coordination manager within our organization, where I oversee technical dispensation by personnel within the various technical aspects of company engagement in the engineering and hydrology departments. These include but not limited to drafting technical proposal for tendering processes, undertaking hydrological survey for purposes of water resource conservation contracts as well as water resource infrastructural construction such as bridges. The other deputy technical manager is in charge of hydrogeology in charge of managing personnel who are mandated with technical dispensation of ground water exploration, borehole drilling, undertaking geophysical surveys for ground water development as well as technical proposal writing for tendering processes for within the ground water domain. As earlier mentioned, the human resource manager reports to the finance and administration manager. The human resource manager has other personnel under him with his office being in charge of personnel recruitment as well as disciplinary affairs of the personnel. Within this tier, we also have the chief accountant reporting to the finance and administration manager. The chief accountant office has other accounting personnel under the office. The accounting office is in-charge of controlling the company’s financial resources for day to day operations of the company. The organogram of the organization is as illustrated from figure 1 within the appendices section. Within the local set up, the managing director is appointed by the management board for a renewable term of five years. However, the managing director may be ejected from office by the management board if considered not to dispense his/her duties accordingly. All other personnel within the organization unlike the managing director are recruited and interviewed by the human resource department together with the technical department where the job opening is to be filled. Characteristics of top management There are various theories that define the characteristics of leadership management, the application of these characteristics are limited to how organizations are set up and ideologies from the top management leadership. These characteristics of top management leadership are as expounded based on the set up of the organization I work for; Promoting cross-level and cross functional interaction Based on the theory of team leadership, promoting cross-level and cross-functional collaboration within an organization is the key to rapid growth and development of the personnel. In so doing, this promotes the exchange of ideas for improved making of decisions besides increasing skills exchange critical for growth of potential leaders within an organization. (Collins, 2002) suggests that organizational reformation has changed decision-making powers downward from the old-fashioned approach to more self-managed teams, empowering them in new ways. Within the setup of our organization, cross-level and cross functional collaboration are implemented through gatherings known as “component meetings “organized once in two months. The component meeting are in most cases organized outside the normal working environment for instance in an hotel near a game reserve which makes all the employees a bit relaxed both in socialization as well as contributing to ideas. As team leadership focuses effectiveness of a team, providing an environment that supports exchange of ideas in a relaxed atmosphere. This in exchange encourages strategic decision making as the team is always welcome for any idea subject to discussion by the team that would later lead to strategic decision making. For instance, just recently an idea by one of the team within the lower tier of the team suggested for discouraging establishment of partnerships with some external stakeholders whom we were working with in a consortium as this has caused a delay in availing deliverables to the client. The suggestion implied that thorough research had not been undertaken while establishing a partnership through a consortium that had been formed to bid for a government tender. A solution was also suggested that provided for the dissolution of the consortium, as much as there was an implication on dissolution of the consortium, ultimately this prevented tainting of our organizations image as we were able to deliver objectives as bound by the contract. This was achieved through out-sourcing for the missing services within our organization. The decision also reduced further cost expenditure as would have been realized if the consortium went on with the other party not delivering the objectives assigned. Time consciousness Based on trait approach, management leadership may define the failure or success of an organization. According to (Collins, 2002), this approach focusses on personal attributes of leadership as may be exhibited by the top management leaders. The aspect of time consciousness is one of the personal attribute a leader should possess. For instance, for one to be promoted within our organization the consideration of such traits is quite important. A matrix is used in ranking personal traits whereby time consciousness is a major consideration for one to be promoted or rewarded either by provision of salary bonuses or promotion of individual’s job group. Time consciousness is the factor that I truly value and appreciate, were it not for this trait I would not have been promoted to the position of a deputy technical manager following an internal vacancy within the organization that arose then. This has in turn assisted the organization achieve its target within the department of engineering and hydrology department a factor that has seen the department of hydrogeology. A strategic decision that I have since introduced as the lead personnel within the department of engineering and hydrogeology is preparation of a revised work plan for every tender won. As much as the work plan is part of the technical proposal, revising work plan once we secure a tender helps ensure that we achieve projects deliverable months before deadline of the contract agreement. The work plan is structured in a manner that each of the personnel within my department has to develop their own work plan based on the cascaded deliverables at each level of my department’s structure. The overall benefit for time consciousness has assisted in winning trust from clients a factor that has also seen our organizations secure tenders through referrals by clients whom we have worked with. Communication This characteristic may be pegged to the 360 degree feedback approach, a theory that emphasizes on communication as a tool for the prosperity of an organization while enhancing employee’s performance. According to (Collins, 2002), communication entails a feedback process that includes gathering opinions regarding personal deeds and the effect of that deed from the person’s manager, direct reports, coworkers, associated project team members, and external stakeholders. Kuchinke (2000) defined communication as the processes whereby one the sender for instance a lower cadre employee sends a recipient who could be a deputy technical coordination manager a message regarding the recipient’s behavior. Based on this...