Leadership Styles and Transformational Theory in Student Services

Introduction

Organizations that are not focused on change management will inevitably fall into a static or stagnant spell — a period of inertia in which the energy, morale, and stamina of the workforce flags, or at least appears to lack the original zest and sense of urgency that existed at the outset. Change is important to pursue because the world itself is always changing, and the culture of an organization should reflect the world and the people it serves — their values and their aspirations — so that it can effectively meet their needs. In order to achieve this constant state of becoming, the organization will need to rely on leaders who have the appropriate leadership styles needed for overcoming periods of inertia.

This paper discusses leadership styles within a student services office, including describing and applying the styles of pragmatic, idealist, steward, and diplomatic to the office. It also discusses why organizations fall into patterns of inertia and details what critical pragmatic leadership skills leaders need to regain organizational momentum. Finally, it applies and discusses the best leadership theory for a standard student services office and identifies the leadership styles to avoid.

Leadership Styles

Pragmatic

The pragmatic leader is practical in style. He has a utilitarian philosophy, which means he is interested in helping all stakeholders to achieve the greatest common good. The pragmatic leadership style focuses on the processes involved in accomplishing tasks. The leader who adheres to this style often looks for the best and most effective ways of achieving an objective and then concentrates all his energy on implementing that process. It is not always associated with the most humane of leadership styles, as the pragmatic leader can become more consumed with processes and tasks and fail to take the time required to commiserate with staff. In an office trying to work its way out of inertia and ennui, a leader may need to adopt a style somewhat more invigorating than the purely pragmatic.

Idealist

Idealist leaders are like Jeff Bezos, former CEO of Amazon. He has charisma and vision; he also professes to believe in the best in people and sees only the positive potential in others. The idealist leader is one who holds an ideal of the way things should be and then dedicates himself to achieving that ideal. He inspires with his vision and, in some respects, resembles a transformational leader because his approach is supportive, positive, and encouraging (Nawaz & Khan, 2016). The drawback of the idealist leader is that he does not always see the reality of a situation. Sometimes there are real negatives that must be considered. The idealist believes that by focusing exclusively on the positive and on the ideal, those negatives can be pushed out. However, as servant leaders will testify, negatives can sometimes be turned to positives through a little care and attention — something a servant leader is an expert at providing.

Steward

The steward leadership style is one in which the leader acts as the servant of the worker. The steward leadership style demands that the leader possess humility, making it the exact opposite of the autocratic leadership style, which is essentially founded on ego. The steward takes care of all the things that make the office run well, putting the cares and concerns of the office before all else. The steward has no concern for self: his actions are not oriented toward benefiting himself but only toward benefiting the office and getting it moving. His method is to identify the needs of the members of the office and to make sure those needs are fulfilled. In many ways, the steward leadership style is complementary to the transformational leadership style, as both focus on transforming the office by lifting it up through attentive devotion to the personnel working there.

Diplomatic

The diplomatic leadership style focuses on representing all sides fairly and evenly. It is a style useful when there is conflict in the office. In a situation where the office is suffering from inertia and is not really growing or developing, diplomatic leadership is probably not going to be a great fit. In that type of environment, workers need a leader who can inspire with a vision and provide them with support. Diplomatic leaders tend to be most helpful in situations in which there are various stakeholders, all of whom have opinions on what needs to be done regarding a certain issue. This style could be effective in a stagnant office if there are a variety of different views about how to improve things, but at the end of the day the leader has to make the call. The diplomatic leader can ease tensions and resolve issues through careful negotiation.

The Problem of Inertia

Inertia occurs when an organization stops looking forward, stops examining itself and its culture, and becomes comfortable with the status quo. This occurs frequently in organizations that have found a degree of success and want to maintain it for as long as possible. They become stuck in their ways, and gradually things begin to fall off: workers begin to lose enthusiasm, and the desire for growth and for reaching still higher goals begins to dissipate. Everyone seems to come and go as though they were not moving along of their own volition but were rather still being carried forward by the forces that motivated them long ago at the beginning. Gradually, however, that momentum too fades and the organization is left with a stagnant culture that is empty and void of purpose and meaning.

Best Leadership Theory for a Student Services Office

The best leadership theory for the office is transformational theory, as it is one that combines servant leadership with transformational leadership (Nawaz & Khan, 2016). The best leaders have always combined these leadership styles — whether it was Herb Kelleher at Southwest Airlines or Sir Richard Branson at Virgin Group. They knew enough to have and communicate a vision, to transform their industries, and to motivate and inspire their workers to buy into that vision. They were also supportive and eager to provide their workers with whatever they needed so that they could do their jobs. They put the right people in the right places and then got out of the way. They led by example and then trusted that their followers would pass it on.

To bring an office out of its stagnant, status quo existence, a leader has to have a vision, has to have enthusiasm for that vision, has to be able to communicate it, and has to be able to provide his workers with the social and emotional support they require so that resistance to whatever change is being implemented can be broken down and overcome — this is the essence of transformational theory and transformational leadership (Nguyen, Mia, Winata, & Chong, 2017). The leader has to educate, use reason and logic to explain the vision, and provide workers with an opportunity to benefit themselves and grow by buying into the vision. The leader must be willing and able to both serve and transform his workers.

Conclusion

Leadership styles can vary. Leaders can be practical, idealists, servants, and diplomats. They can try to lead through micromanagement or autocratic authority; they might see themselves as maximally friendly or as wanting to remain as distant as possible. At the end of the day, the leader needs to be engaged with his workers, while also recognizing that he is the leader. On an NBA basketball team, there is always going to be a leader on the floor showing the way forward. That leader does not take away from anyone else's role — everyone on the floor has a part to play, and each role is important. The same is true for the office. Every person plays an important role, and the leader has to recognize and acknowledge that fact.

The leader should be inclusive, be supportive, and have a vision that he can clearly articulate. It is that vision of where to go from here — grounded in an understanding of leadership theory and responsive to the needs of the people being served — that will help move the office out of its funk and into growth mode, firing once more on all cylinders.

References

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Nguyen, T. T., Mia, L., Winata, L., & Chong, V. K. (2017). Effect of transformational-leadership style and management control system on managerial performance. Journal of Business Research, 70, 202–213.