Leadership versus management in organizational contexts

Management Concept Application

Leadership is a concept to which considerable academic focus is devoted within contemporary business management education and training programs. In theory and in some contexts, leadership is distinct from management and entails different responsibilities and roles. However, there is also reason to believe that contemporary teaching about leadership provides an excessive focus on personality and style apart from substance (McCormack, 2009). More specifically, it suggests that everyone should strive to become a leader and that team and organizational success are more tied to leadership than to other foundational elements of important variables and business practices.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that leadership style (and organizational culture more generally) do greatly affect the motivation, productivity, and long-term vocational and professional satisfaction of employees within organizations (Ismail, Zainuddin, & Ibrahim, 2010). In that regard, leadership style is important to the success in that it can be the source of employee satisfaction and empowerment in optimal circumstances or, alternatively, contribute to the failure of the organization in less than optimal circumstances.

Meanwhile, leadership styles and management approaches cannot be optimized in a vacuum, such as outside of the context of the real-world external environment in which organizations operate (Melville-Ross, 2010). In general, the nature of the industry and the external factors and potential barriers to success that face organizations must always play a role in identifying the types of leaders who are most appropriate choices for those organizations, as well as the specific management practices and leadership styles relied upon within those organizations (Melville-Ross, 2010).

Three Most Important Concepts

The three most important topics outlined in the readings are: (1) the extent to which leadership can be overvalued in relation to and as an entity distinct from management (McCormack, 2009); (2) the significance of organizational leadership culture to employee satisfaction, motivation, and achievement (Ismail, Zainuddin, & Ibrahim, 2010); and (3) the manner in which external circumstances and the dynamic needs of organizations dictate the appropriate type and role of leadership within organizations (Melville-Ross, 2010).

Application to the Specified Measurable Learning Outcomes from Course Syllabus