Organizational Culture, Leadership Models, and Transformation

Introduction to Organizational Culture and Schein's Model

Organizational culture can be a rather difficult concept to comprehend. This is especially true given that it concerns the interactions between individuals in an organizational setting and how those interactions and behaviors are governed by prevailing beliefs, values, and shared assumptions. In an attempt to help evaluate and assess the relevant elements of organizational culture, Edgar Schein developed a model that can be used to assess organizational leadership effectiveness.

According to Schein, the culture's visible elements are its artifacts. These include, but are not limited to, workplace processes, art, dress codes, and structures. Individuals who are not necessarily part of the culture can still recognize artifacts (Elisabeth, 2010). Because these are the visible organizational elements, it is possible to assess organizational leadership effectiveness by, among other things, evaluating how well the organization allocates tasks and coordinates activities in order to achieve its aims.

Espoused values, on the other hand, include "the values of the organization such as annual goals, vision statements, and accepted norms" (Elisabeth, 2010, p. 208). In that regard, espoused values can in some instances be represented by the plans and strategies put in place to accomplish organizational goals. Organizational leadership effectiveness on this front could be assessed by determining whether top leadership properly expresses and advances the various philosophies and strategies critical to organizational success.

Finally, basic underlying assumptions are representative of "the underlying values in the organization which, while not expressly stated, set the guiding tone for how organizational members take action" (Elisabeth, 2010, p. 208). These values may not be obvious even to members of the culture itself. Organizational leadership effectiveness at this level could therefore be assessed by evaluating not only the efficiency of employees, but also their morale.

Peter Senge's Five Disciplines of Learning Organizations

The five disciplines of learning organizations, as formulated by Peter Senge, include "personal mastery, mental models, building shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking" (Wilkinson, 2015, p. 117). Each discipline warrants assessment in order to describe the leadership efforts that would be most useful in fostering a learning organization.

When it comes to building a shared vision, fostering meaningful interaction with organizational employees is essential. Leaders must ensure that their personal visions are communicated and shared appropriately throughout the organization. With regard to systems thinking, leaders need to embrace the fact that actions and consequences are correlated. Rather than focusing on specific actions in isolation, leaders must see the bigger picture.

Concerning mental models, employees ought to be aware of what the company values and should have a good understanding of the operational aspects of the business (Wilkinson, 2015). Because businesses operate in a truly dynamic environment, organizational leaders must be ready to embrace change and adapt to new models. When it comes to team learning, "thinking together" is a concept of great relevance in promoting shared knowledge, insights, and experiences (Wilkinson, 2015). Organizational leadership should ensure that team members regard their colleagues as collaborators rather than competitors. An environment in which continuous learning is promoted—where mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities—should be deliberately cultivated.

Finally, personal mastery requires that deliberate strategies be put in place to bridge the gap between reality and vision. This can be achieved by promoting the open sharing of information and developing the relevant competencies across the organization.

Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership

Different managers hold distinct approaches to leadership. While some are largely hands-on, others adopt a laissez-faire approach and leave employees to figure out how to execute tasks on their own. Transactional leadership concerns the promotion of compliance with organizational objectives and goals through close supervision and through the use of a system of punishments and rewards. This stands in contrast to transformational leadership, where the focus is on motivating employees in a way that unites organizational objectives with employee values and belief systems.

In the transformational model, leaders lead by example, and employees tend to embrace the leader's values and vision. Transactional leaders, by contrast, are oriented toward tasks and outcomes, which means they must closely observe employees and monitor how assigned tasks are being performed. Transformational leaders, meanwhile, seek to enhance the abilities and capabilities of employees by assessing and evaluating their individual strengths and weaknesses.

It is important to note that no single leadership style is effective under all circumstances. Transformational leadership may be highly effective in some contexts while being less so in others. Understanding the conditions under which each approach is most appropriate is itself a hallmark of effective organizational leadership.

References

Addison, J. (2016). Real leadership: 9 simple practices for leading and living with purpose. McGraw Hill Professional.

Elisabeth, P. (2010). Recruitment, development, and retention of information professionals: Trends in human resources and knowledge management. IGI Global.

Larson, C. E., & LaFasto, F. M. (1989). Teamwork: What must go right/what can go wrong. SAGE.

Wilkinson, P. (2015). The dependent organization. Brown Dog.

Zaccaro, S. J., & Klimoski, R. J. (2002). The nature of organizational leadership: Understanding the performance imperatives confronting today's leaders. John Wiley & Sons.