Leaders have a significant impact on the success of an organization. People use different techniques to manage organizations based on their leadership styles. Different leadership styles are suitable for varied situation in an organization. For instance, the authoritarian leadership style is ideal when organizations are going through a transformation process. Authoritarian leadership style enables people to focus on a single goal.
However, the authoritarian kind of leadership is not ideal for growing a company (Bruce & Robert, 2004). The use of power and authority to influence subordinates only works for a short time. Continual use of power and authority to influence employee behavior results in rebellion, which further leads to organizational failure.
Participative leadership, on the other hand, is an ideal approach for organizational growth. However, in times of change, the use of the democratic leadership style tends to slow down progress. As such, it is wise to use different leadership styles in an organization while handling different matters.
Situational leadership and transformational leadership are the two main leadership theories that incorporate all leadership styles. Transformational leaders employ the use of power and authority to bring change and transformation in an organization. On the other hand, situational leaders use different leadership mechanism to handle different groups of people within the organization. Each of these models has certain advantages and disadvantages.
Transformational leadership theory goes against the principles of democratic leadership. In transformational leadership, the manager has the entire control of every situation in the organization. Leaders employing the use of transformational leadership coerce employees to do their will. According to Bruce & Robert (2004), transformational leaders treat employees as followers rather than partners. The use of power and authority to lead makes it hard for Democratic leaders to fit into the transformational leadership theory of management.
Democratic leaders value relationship and teamwork. Democratic leaders encourage employee participation in decision-making and responsibility sharing. Both transformational leaders and democratic leaders encourage the growth and development of employees, but they use different mechanisms to achieve the goal.
On the other hand, situational leadership theory goes hand in hand with the principles of democratic leadership. Situational leadership allows the participation of subordinates in decision-making processes. Democratic leaders retain the final opinion concerning decisions, but they allow all the involved parties to contribute their ideas. Teamwork and participation of all people in an organization are essential elements of democratic leadership.
According to May (2013), Situational leadership is accommodative. Democratic leaders apply this principle in their leadership process to ensure that all people feel appreciated and accommodated in the organization. Involvement in day-to-day operations allows democratic leaders an opportunity to interact with different people within the organization (May 2013). Frequent interaction gives the manager a better idea of how to manage different groups of people in the firm.
Situational leadership uses four principles of leadership, including telling, selling, delegating, and participation (May 2013). Democratic leadership employs three of these principles in business management, including participation, delegating, and selling. For instance, as a democratic leader, I delegate the day-to-day duties to different people.
Delegating duties allows me to manage a wide range of people with ease as well as participate in almost all activities in the organization. For this reason, situational leadership theory fits well with the democratic leadership style.
Strategies Employed At Bay Area Medical Centre
The main challenge at the medical center was mistrust among the stakeholders. The community and the county government did not have a chance to share their opinions concerning the running of the facility yet they were the major beneficiaries. The leadership of the institution kept the members of the press away, which bred enmity between the press and the medical center. As such, the new management team had to bring unity in the organization before establishing operation.
The first strategy was to allow open communication between and among stakeholders. The manager delivered monthly publications to the county government detailing the operations of the institution (Stephanie, 2009). In addition, the manager had frequent communication with the press and the public to allow free participation on issues affecting the medical center (Olson, 2009).
As a result, the press began publishing affirmative things about the medical center, which influenced the public positively. To maintain internal trust and loyalty, the manager established a communication mechanism where all the members of staff could freely contribute towards organizational change.
Sustainability is the backbone of organizational success. Sustainable development entails the effective use of resources without degrading the abilities of the future generation to enjoy the same. The management team of bay area medical center had to come up with strategies that allowed the facility to serve the community effectively for an extensive period. One of the major causes of failure at the medical center was an outdated plan.
For this reason, the organization needed a new strategic plan. The organization conducted interviews from the public and the staff on various issues. The management team also involved the county government and the press in the development of the strategic plan. Involving all the stakeholders in the planning process was an ideal move because it helped build trust and unity between the medical center and the different groups.
Organizations exist within communities, and the societal acceptance of an organization determines the sustainability of that institution (Stephanie, 2009). To improve societal approval, the leadership of the institution provided monthly reports to the public detailing the progress of the plan. The implementation of the plan required the team effort of all the stakeholders, which opened up communication between the organization and the stakeholders.
The strategies used in the case mentioned above apply to any organization, especially in the 21st century. Communication is vital to the growth and development of any organization. Statistics indicate that organizations with poor internal communication channels fail more often in comparison with their counterparts. Managers must ensure effective communication with their subordinates for effective organizational development.
Community involvement is essential to the success of an organization (Olson, 2009). Every business exists within a community, for this reason, the organization must maintain harmony with the society for better business results. The community provides the business with customers and moral support.
Poor communication between the organization and the community results in lower profitability levels, which is detrimental to an organization. Additionally, every organization needs a strategic plan to offer guidance to everyday operations. Failure to plan for business operations results in failure or ultimate closure of the organization. For this reason, the strategies used in the bay area medical center are applicable to any organization in the current world.
References
Bruce, T. & Robert, R. (2004). The influence of the transformational leader. Journal of leadership and organizational studies, 10 (4), 103-111.
May, R. (2013). Basics of situational leadership model. [Business dictionary]. Web.
Olson, D. (2009). Are great leaders born or made? Frontiers of health services management, 26 (2), 27-30.
Stephanie, M. (2009). Leading change: progression to the future of hospital sisters’ health system. Frontiers of health services management, 26 (2), 9-19.