Proper and Dynamic Leadership

Interview Steps This brief report is the confluence of four different activities. The activities all center on a hypothetical scenario where the author is "shortlisted" and otherwise involved in the recruitment process for the position of Organizational Development Officer for a large organization in a large metropolitan area.

The first activity will be a preparation of a report that proves understanding of several important topics including an evaluation of leadership theories, the impact of managerial styles on organizational efficacy, the use of motivational theory and the use of work relationships and interaction. The second activity will come as a separate file in PowerPoint form. The presentation will include several important topics including different organizational structures and the importance of organizational culture theory. Aspects of a booklet are asked for and will be included as well.

That will be done in this file and will include how organizations can facilitate innovation and creativity, an assessment of the importance of learning in organizations, an evaluation of the effectiveness of teamwork and an analysis of the effective management of change in organizations. The third activity will be an information pack that includes a proof of understanding about how employees can be trained and fostered to respond to business opportunities.

Finally, the fourth activity asks the author of this response to include an analysis of different approaches to organizational decision making and an assessment of management approaches to risk and uncertainty when it comes to the decision making. An application of this will occur to wrap things up and will include an evaluation of the efficacy of organizational decisions in the organization of choice. While organizational theory can devolve into navel gazing at times, there are the right ways to proceed, think and react.

Activity One There are many leadership theories out there. One includes Theory X and Y. Theory X and Y is the study of two extremes. Theory X presumes that all employees will fall off and not get their work done properly if they are not closely monitored and controlled. Theory Y is the idea that employees will do the right thing without being hassled. Of course, the proper perspective is somewhere in between as some employees will need some prodding and some will not. However, neither extreme is acceptable (MindTools, 2016).

The approach must be individualized given the severity and details of a situation or dynamic. Common leadership theories include transformational, transactional and a few others. Generally speaking, a good leader will acclimate and adjust based on the situation because no single leadership style is going to be optimal or reasonable in all situations. As for motivational theory, what motivates each person can vary a little or a lot.

Some people really focus on having flexible work situations due to having children or other familial obligations while others are just concerned about the money and advancing up the corporate ladder. Just as with leadership styles, no single approach will work with all employees but some approaches will be more broad-based than others. Regardless, a monolithic approach across the board is less than wise (Gordeau, 2013). Finally, there is the idea of work relationships and interactions.

There are going to be different styles that exist when it comes to people on a team. Some will be introverts, some will be extroverts, some will love team-based work while others will seek out individual efforts. Teamwork at some level is always going to be required but the big thing is to get people into roles and positions that play to their strengths rather than work against them (HBR, 2015).

Activity Two -- Info Booklet A huge part of facilitating innovation and creativity is allowing good and innovative ideas to bubble up from within the company and from all levels of the organization. Using a top-down management approach where feedback or even push-back is actively discouraged is the antithesis of what should be done. Leading the company with authority is one thing but preventing the people with the best and most completely front-line perspectives is less than wise (Inc. Staff, 2010).

A major cornerstone of any organization is allowing and fostering the idea that learning never stops and that the development or learning of people in an organization make the organization better. Beyond that, those that are able to develop themselves and make progress as a result are more apt to be loyal to and stay with the company (Inc. Staff, 2010). Teamwork, as noted elsewhere in these responses, is a non-optional and important part of any organization. The concept of synergy is very real.

Meaning, people can accomplish more as a group working well together than they individuals in that group could do on their own (HBR, 2015). Change management is huge in organization. The managers of the company must buy in to the change and be the major proponent thereof that gain buy-in from employees and bring the change to reality. If there is no buy-in, the implementation of the change will be delayed or it will fail outright (Liopsis, 2012). Activity Three The culture and structure of a given organization is key.

There will be differences from company to company depending on the goals of the organization and what is called for from each employee. Regardless of the structure and culture of an organization, there needs to be an alignment between that structure and culture and the strategic management of the firm. If there is a disunity present, it will undermine the ability to complete the goals of the organization.

For example, a company that is centralized will have groups of people that all feed into the common core in terms of teamwork and unity. A more decentralized company will have autonomous groups that are all basically doing the same thing but operate separately. Neither one is better than the other. It really depends on the nature of the business and what is best for both the company and its customers (Kokemuller, 2016).

Activity Four When it comes to the different approaches to corporate decision-making, it is always better to operate from a position of strength and with as much knowledge as possible. However, there are many instances where forecasting and predicting the future can be difficult to impossible. Other times, there are usually proper patterns.