Leadership and Management Are Related but Distinct

Leadership and management are related but distinct concepts; therefore, leaders and managers serve in differential roles within the organization. While all effective leaders have the potential to, and usually do, serve in managerial positions, not all effective managers have the capacity to be leaders. Recognizing leaders and differentiating them from managers is an important organizational strategy that can improve operations, productivity, and the quality of the organizational culture as a whole. The example of the Huffman Trucking Company shows also that the differences between leadership and management should be understood in order to improve communications and networking processes.

A memo from the Union Steward Ricardo Ailts shows that workers need to be heard; Ailts is clearly serving in a position of leadership by giving voice to the truckers and communicating their grievances in a way that might be heard. Interestingly, CEO and President Kristen Huffman agrees with the union steward. Huffman also establishes herself as a leader who can think independently and make requisite positive changes to the organization.

Recommendations include the following. First, maintain the positive communication that has been established between the union steward and the CEO. Second, hold regular meetings between members of senior management and union leaders. The leadership that the CEO exhibits will complement the managerial styles of members like Danilo Ratcliff. The organization is currently too fragmented, and its networking must be improved to avoid the miscommunications that have been arising. This may require the use of new technologies including mobile devices that can help keep members of the organization on the same page.

As Murray points out, "Leadership and management must go hand in hand." Therefore, the innovators in the company like Huffman need the assistance and cooperation of the managers on staff. Moreover, managers need to understand their roles better within the organization and communicate more effectively with subordinates. When managers are not delegating their tasks appropriately, confusions and miscommunications result.

A systems approach to organizational behavior shows that each department is linked inextricably from the next. Legal teams and operations teams might seem to be accomplishing different goals but both are ultimately reaching towards common, organizational values. Based on this interconnectedness, the networking of the Huffman Trucking Company is currently being underfunded and underdeveloped. An infusion of funds into the information systems budget would alleviate some of the problems that are currently arising within the company. Thus, the Huffman Trucking Company can become a learning organization.