Organizational Behavior, Leadership Is One

¶ … organizational behavior, leadership is one of the most crucial aspects of the entire rubric of the organization. Scholars and philosophers alike have been trying to define leadership for centuries, albeit without much success. True, leadership is, in part, decision making at the nth level. Leaders and managers are not the same, just as leadership theory and managerial theory are similar but not synonymous. In general, a manager is someone who conducts and organizes affairs, projects, or people.

Managers are given the authority by their organization to lead employees, therefore, they have subordinates. So even though managers are in charge, they are not leaders in terms of the definition. Managers do as they are directed, and in turn direct their subordinates. Management requires planning, schedules, production, and time constraints; basically management is task oriented. I would prefer to be a leader, in that both people and organizations want leaders. People want leaders to assist them in accomplishing their goals.

Organizations want leaders to not only motivate, but to provide organizational direction for employees to follow. Question 2 -- in any organization or managerial structure, one of the basic functions is dealing with people as both individuals and groups. There are three basic functions in which a manager must act under interpersonal roles: a figurehead, a liaison, and true leader. The figurehead requires that the manager be the focus or representative of the organization; taking a client to dinner, making a speech to a service organization, etc.

As a liaison, the manager networks and represents the organization within other organizations or in negotiations with others. As a true leader, the manager must motivate, develop the skills of the subordinates, ensure that fair processes occur, and establish a basal set of structures for the organization to follow. These roles are both dependent and interdependent upon each other -- based on the situation, type of organization, and organizational needs of the time.

It is certainly not uncommon for all the roles to be necessary during a given period of time; and a good manager is able to act and interact seamlessly. Question 3 - in discussing ethics there are often two divergent viewpoints -- utilitarianism and deontology. Ethics is a philosophical concept that attempts to explain the moral organization within a given chronological time and cultural event. It is more concerned with understanding the way that ethnical ideas are presented, than judging those concepts within the construct of the society.

However, when one looks at the history of any philosophical subject, it is important to note that differing concepts of philosophy often arise "out of" that very historical and cultural fabric of the time -- and then evolve so that they become more acceptable to future generations rather than contemporaneous ones.

Individuals tend to justify unethical behavior based on these concepts; if the behavior results in what they perceive to be the best choice for everyone, or if they have self-interests and are able to find a reason for their action. A classic example is in the Victor Hugo book Les Miserables. The main character is imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving sister and seven children.

He is imprisoned for 19 years for the offense, even though in his mind he had no ethical choice but to try to feed starving family members. Within the individual mind, the ends justifying the means may certainly contribute to the intellectual and/or emotional justification of any action. Question 4 -- Locus of control, or the manner in which the individual believes they can control events that affect them, is an important managerial/leadership function. Often, it is the difference between the attitude of allowing the external to.