TITLE

LEADERSHIP AND TEAMWORK

Presented To
Madam Sara Hafeez
Organization Behavior
Roots Ivy University

By
Imran Farooq Malik
HND-1

2.1 COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT LEADERSHIP

STYLES IN DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS
Leadership has a great impact on the performance on the company. It can be
one of the main reasons for the success or the downfall of the company.
From Winston Churchill to Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs and Jack Welch
there can be as many ways of leading an organization as there are leaders.
But a number of frameworks have been developed that describe the
important elements of successfully leading an organization or a team of
employees.
Shaping strategies that include their implementation and effectiveness,
leaders determine values, culture, and employee motivation. Successful
leaders have quality to influence those around them in order to reap
maximum benefit from the organizations resources, including its most vital
and expensive resource: its employees. With leadership potentially playing
such a vital role it is useful to consider the different types of leaders and
their potential impact on organizations (Ayman and Korabik 2010). Bringing
in a new CEO to reshape an organization would not always have a positive
impact on the organization; long-term success depends on the whole
leadership team as is shown in exhibit 1.

Source: Herb et al 2001

There are different leadership styles that are being followed in different
organizations which include autocratic, democratic, laissez faire and
charismatic. Different leaders have different attitudes towards their
employees and use different leadership styles which are explained below:

AUTOCRATIC
Also known as authoritarian leadership has the approach do as I say.
Leaders adopting such leadership style are generally less creative than other
leaders, but are quick in decision making with very less or no employee
involvement, because of which the staff may feel left out. Such leadership
style is usually seen in the armed forces. This can be useful when one needs
to make decisions quickly or when consensus of team on a certain issues is
not necessary for a successful outcome (Germano 2010) but its discouraging
for the creative employees who thrive in group functions (Johnson 2011).
In Brighthire Ltd, this type of style is demoralizing and discouraging
employees to a great extent as this kind of leadership style had not been
adopted by its senior management in the past. Secondly, less employee
involvement in the decision making is having negative impact on the morale
of its employees who have been working there for long time.

DEMOCRATIC
Being the opposite of autocratic leadership, this is usually considered best as
it includes staff participation which motivates them as well. Such leaders do
reserve the right to make final decisions but considering and keeping in mind
suggestions of the workforce. The workers under such leaders are innovative
themselves as they have to come up with feedback and new ideas, and are
often highly engaged in projects and decisions. This cannot be always a very
effective style unless there is a well thought out plan behind every project.
Brighthires employees are used to this kind of approach and this would also
suit its senior employees.

LAISSEZ FAIRE

Literally means let them do it, is also known as delegative leadership. The
leaders leave the decision making powers upon the trusted group members,
which may bring in some confusion among them and therefore it is also
considered as the least effective method (Germano 2010). Freedom is given
in how employees set their objectives and deadlines. Leaders provide its
staff with the required resources and advice if needed but do not get
involved into nitty-gritties which can be very damaging for an organization if
its employees do not manage their time and resources according to a well
thought out plan.
This leadership style is definitely not the right approach to be applied in
Brighthire Ltd as it would not encourage older employees to learn and use
new automated systems and data management strategies.

CHARISMATIC
Charismatic leadership style, being highly motivational as leaders provide
ground for creativity and innovation for the staff members. A charismatic
leader often has a vision and a personality that motivates the followers to
execute that vision. The leaders that use such leadership style are based
upon a strong personality but to immediately apply this style in an
organization adopting modern technology could be dangerous as charismatic
leaders might believe that they can do no wrong even when others warn
them about their strategies or approach toward different aspects of the
organization.
Such leadership style would possible work in Brighthire if leaders understand
the way of working with employees of different age groups and hierarchical
levels.

However, no one leadership style fits all situations. In Brighthire, a

combination of democratic and charismatic leadership style would work best
as it would encourage employees to see a greater vision and transform their
personalities and add to their skills by adopting new methods of working.

2.2 EXPLAIN HOW ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY UNDERPINS THE

PRACTICE OF MANAGEMENT
Theory as defined by Oxford English Dictionary is the sphere of abstract
knowledge and through application theory offers practical guidance.
According to this definition we already use theory and we use it everyday.
Kurt Lewin, a founder of social psychology suggested there is nothing so
practical as a good theory and many people realized that putting
organizational theory to practice improves their chances of becoming better
business managers (Hatch and Cunliffe 2013).
Organizations are social arrangements for the controlled performance of
collective goals, and organizational theory describes, explains and
influences how and what happens in organizations. It has become an
important element to explore and develop management and leadership
theory (McAuley et al 2007)
Currently, organizational theory as well as management theory is commonly
used to understand many aspects of working in an organization. Many
people make use of theory to help them become better at their jobs or
managing their own businesses which may lead them having to sacrifice
their personal goals in order to succeed professionally.
One example of following organizational theory in the field of marketing
would be to understand what an organization stands for and that it must
deliver what it promises to its customers. It would help the marketer to align
his strategy with the strategy of that specific brand. Table 1.1 below
describes how organization theory is applied to various management
specialties.

(Source: Hatch and Cunliffe 2013)

In some way, management theory may also underpins the personal values of
some individuals. For instance, they may disagree with a particular rule or
regulation that has been introduced by the company, however in order to
carry out their job as a manager effectively and professionally, they need to
move away from their principles and execute the job
McAuley et al (2007) suggests that since organizations influences many
aspects of our lives, organizational theory is important to us in two key
aspects. Firstly, it helps us to realize and understand who we are and why we
are who we are. Secondly, organizational theory is about each individual
person and his/her encounters with other entities in social contexts.
In case of Brighthire, organization theory can help its employees understand
what they stand for in an organization and how can they add value to their
organization in an effective and efficient manner. Old employees who are
reluctant to use new methods of data management and automated systems
5

would understand through organization theory how important it is for them

as well as for the organization to adopt to the newer and better ways of
working in this constantly changing environment and how adapting would
help them not to become an obsolete resource for an organization.
Understanding organization theory and putting it to practice would enable
employees to improve their personalities professionally as well as broaden
their horizons which would make them a better manager in their respective
fields.

2.3 EVALUATE THE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO MANAGEMENT USED

BY DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS
Organizations exist for various purposes but the basic elements of
organizations have remained the same in the past. An organizations basic
purpose (be it explicit or implicit) is to attract people, acquire and use
resources to achieve the objectives using some form of structure to divide
(division of labor) and coordinate activities, and rely on certain
positions/people to lead or manage others. The basic elements of the
organizations remain the same but the structures of the organizations, ways
of carrying out tasks, coordination and control strategies have always varied
widely over the years and even at the same time amongst different
organizations (Crainer 1998). The critical element is how an organizations
adapts itself to a certain environment to achieve its objectives as an
organization affects and is affected by the social, economic, technical, legal
and political situations of the environment it exists in.
Organizational theories reflect on what goes on in organizations which is
important to understand as organizational behavior and human behavior in
the organizations is influenced by the people who work in those
organizations. Organization theories are sets of explanations which predict or
explain how individuals and groups behave in different organizations
structures and environment.
Basically we have the three types of approaches to organization:
1. Classical
2. Neoclassical
6

3. Modern

Source: Docherty et al (2001)

CLASSICAL VIEWPOINT
Classical concepts which emphasize to the structure of the organization have
come to be popularly known as classical concepts or classical theories of
organization. According to the classical view, An organization is the
structure of the relationships, power, objectives, roles, activities,
communications and other factors that exist when persons work together.
Classical concepts have been further categorized into three streams which
are based on the same assumptions, but are developed rather
independently. Bureaucracy as a concept, first developed by Max Weber,
presents a descriptive, detached, scholarly point of view. Secondly,
administrative theories described macro aspects of organizations with a
focus on principles and practice for better performance whereas scientific
management thought focused on micro aspects such as individual worker or
work process.
According to Shafritz et al (2011) and Docherty et al (2001), it is based on:

Organizations exist to accomplish production related and economic

goals
Production is maximized through specialization and division of labor

NEOCLASSICAL VIEWPOINT
A modified and improved version of classical theories is the neoclassical
theory which emphasizes on human relations in social context. Classical
theories focused more on structure of the organizations and way of working
in an organization whereas neoclassical theory recognizes the role played by
the psychological and social aspects of an individual and his relations within
and among groups and the organization.
Neoclassical approach thus introduced the concept of participative
management and supported the idea of democratizations of organizational
power structures. Though it seems to be an improved version of classical
concepts but it does not in any way replace classical concepts as it does
highlight the need for rationale, structure and order but in a less rigid
structures and paying attention to an individuals feelings and social
influences.

MODERN (SYSTEMS) VIEWPOINT

New organizational theories have been developed to generate new models to
cope with the ever changing environment in which an organization operates.
Modern theories of organization and management have been developed
largely since the 1930s.
This viewpoint supports the concepts that:
-

Objectives are established through control and coordination

There is a best structure for any organization in light of objectives,
environment, products or services and the technology of the
production process (Shafritz et al 2011).
Low specialization and division of labor increase the quality and
quantity of production.
Organic More participation, more reliance on workers and best in
dynamic conditions (Ratha).

Table 2.1 identifies the key elements of all the three approaches
Table 2.1: Components of division of labor
THEORY

SPECIALIZATIO
N

HEIRARCHY OF
AUTHORITY

CENTRALIZATI
ON VS

SPAN OF
CONTROL

Classical
Neoclassical
Contemporary

High
High/Low
Low

DECENTRALIZA
TION
Rigid
Centralized
Loose
Decentralized
Loose
Decentralized
Source: Docherty et al (2001)

Narrow
Wide
Wide

Senior management of Brighthire was working on Neoclassical approach

which is a combination of both classical and more of contemporary approach.
Current management thinks of classical approach to be the suitable answer
for the better performance of the organization whereas the combination of
classical and neoclassical approach would suit best in this environment as
classical approach would provide the senior management the authority. Also
centralized decision making would help senior management to have more
control over organizations processes and its functions. Neoclassical on the
other hand would help senior management understand the employees
behavior in social context.

4.1 EXPLAIN THE NATURE OF GROUPS AND GROUP BEHAVIOR

WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS
Group is a sum of individuals, that come from different backgrounds and
views, which accepts a common task and interact with one another to
perform on the given task and accomplish it (Schermerhorn et al 2012).
In case of forming a group, most importantly, there should be considerable
reliance on the leader, individuals have to get to know each other, the tasks
should be clearly conveyed and understood and the right information and
resources should be used.
But within the groups, there is sometimes a difference of opinion or other
such conflicts, but working together in the interest of the organization may
bring out a reasonable solution.
Effective groups achieve high level of task performance in terms of quantity,
quality and time taken to carry out a certain task and are sufficiently
satisfied to continue working together on an ongoing basis. Synergy within
groups is necessary for organizations to achieve long-term goals efficiently.
9

The internal groups formed within an organization include:

Formal groups Being formed by the organization, formal groups are
formally structured and arranged to carry out a specific task, and have a
sense of identity and loyalty to the group.
Informal groups Unlike formal groups, informal groups are not formally
structured by the organization, rather formed by the employees themselves.
Informal groups are further categorized into friendship groups and interest
groups. Such groups can benefit its members to speed up work flow and can
provide its members with a sense of belonging and social security
(Schermerhorn et al 2012).

KEY ISSUES IN GROUP BEHAVIOR

1. Group size - Size of the groups play an important part on how they
perform on a particular task. Unlike the smaller groups, large ones needs to
be properly, formally organized and need much effective communication,
and this can only be done if all members of the group feel comfortable in
asking questions regarding classifications of jobs and responsibilities.
2. Purpose of group - Groups are assigned definite purpose within the
organizational structure. Each individual member should be well focused and
motivated towards a common aim given by the organization rather than
focusing their personal interests, so no such conflicts are caused.
3. Nature of task- The nature of the task is broadly decided in terms of the
group's purpose and objectives.
4. Social Loafing The tendency of people to work less harder in a group
than they would do individually is a critical issue to look for in groups as
individual contributions are less visible in a group (Schermerhorn et al 2012).
5. Social Facilitation The tendency of a person to be affected by others in
a group is social facilitation which affects positively when the person knows
his job well and vice versa.
Senior management of Brighthire needs to formalize formal groups of its
employees each comprising of old and young employees to support each
other in carrying out different tasks. Older and more experienced employees
could help new staff to learn from their experience and young people would
10

be able to help older employees to understand and make use of modern

technology to carry out tasks efficiently.
Also senior management could increase a groups effectiveness by putting
employees with various strengths in a group which would complement each
others strengths.

4.2 DISCUSS FACTORS THAT MAY PROMOTE OR INHABIT THE

DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK IN ORGANIZATIONS
Effective teamwork plays a vital role in the success of any organization.
Although there are many distractions that may lead to slower work of failure,
but for that, it is important that every individual works on the common aim
or the task assigned by the organization. Any organization should be well
aware about the impact or the importance of teamwork in the performance
as a whole.

IMPORTANCE OF TEAMWORK
The factor that affects team work the most is the internal competition of
different groups within an organization. One group performing well than
another, would certainly motivate the team to work more effectively and
achieve or accomplish the task before anyone does. By this, the groups and
the firm will experience higher productivity as each member will work faster
and efficiently.
There are certain factors that lead to effective teamwork. All members
should be committed to the success of their teams and focus to deliver the
best. If all the group members think for a solution in the same way then it
would be far easier to reach up to any solution. Diversity can promote
creativity and innovation and raise awareness among the group. Each team
member should be mature enough to feel responsible and dedicated towards
a particular task they have been assigned. The members should have
interpersonal skill through which different personalities can be helpful in
coming up with different ideas according to their capabilities. The workers
should feel free to make suggestions and there should be open
communication and positive feedback. If any sort of challenge arises, then
with the help of effective communication, members should be able to
overcome it.
11

FACTORS INHIBITING TEAMWORK SUCCESS

Teamwork is not effective in a situation where members have a lack of
listening skills, lack of respect, sharing, helping and participating. The group
members should be well aware of their responsibilities in the groups and
they should be responsible enough to accomplish it efficiently.
As teams grow larger, the skills and methods that people require grow as
more ideas are expressed freely but the problem is other teams cannot keep
up with the rapid growth of teams and often experience the problems such
as the absence of trust where group members are not open and sincere with
each other to share the weaknesses or mistakes they make. Diversity can
also cause harmful effects among the teams by arising conflicts of opinions
and interests within them. Jealousy is another strong factor that may prevent
effective group work. One group working better than other, rather than
bringing a sense of motivation, might be a reason for jealousy, leading to an
ineffective group work.

FACTORS OF SUCCESSFUL TEAMWORK:

For a successful teamwork, it is very important that all the members
contribute, participate and work for a common goal, without any personal
interest on any individual, in order to promote and accomplish a successful
and effective teamwork.
Avoiding conflicts when challenges arise among the groups, can prove to be
helpful for the team, and instead focusing on overcoming those challenges.
All the team members should be fully responsibility and committed to the
goal and must provide clear expectations and directions keeping in mind the
resources for the particular task. Effective communication can play a vital
role in the success of group work, and being innovative, creative and coming
up with new ideas would lead to efficiency and success. The team members
should have strong personalities and they should interact, not only with their
group, as well as other teams so that new ideas are generated.
In Brighthire, teamwork would play a vital role in the organization for which
teams should be well-balanced; those should have people with all the
required set of skills. Teamwork would also be suitable for organizations like
Brighthire as it would give employees more authority and ownership over the
12

projects they would be working on, which would also be the encouraging
factor for older employees of Brighthire.
Using teams and teamwork Brighthire would also be able to create an
environment in which employees excel at creativity. For example, W.L. Gore
& Associates is an IT firm based on project based teams in which team
members are chosen to work on projects that best match their skills (Magloff
2013).

13

4.3 EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON TEAM FUNCTIONING

WITHIN A GIVEN ORGANIZATION
New technology is being seen as means to increase profit margins and
therefore has been used increasingly.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)
New technology, opening the doors of opportunities for companies, has
helped reduce absenteeism, employee turnover costs, real estate costs,
relocation costs and has benefitted in terms of productivity gains. Through
the use of new technology, virtual teams can be formed regardless of
location, and team working has been made easier by email, video
conferencing and better means of communication. Teams can now work and
collaborate across various geographical regions, countries and continents.
Also, in future increasing competitiveness and global shortage of skillful
emplyees is likely to increase the use of technology (Conti and Kleiner 1997).

PITFALLS OF IT
Although new technology has brought in a lot of enhancement in the
processes, but there are areas of concern that must be considered
thoroughly by any organization before implementing a new technology.
Security is a primary concern inherent in a mobile and accessible IT system.
Companies implementing new technology must also take into account the
social impact. Studies have shown lower satisfaction levels for users of
virtual meeting tools in contrast with fact-to-face meetings. This effect may
be able to be mitigated with a hybrid virtual team, where members
occasionally meet in a traditional physical location.
If team cohesiveness is a primary concern with an organization, the lack of
interaction between peers could hinder this goal. Supervision of employees
working off-site is also problematic. Evaluating performance, distributing the
workload, and motivating employees is more difficult when they are not
physically present. Finally, how will customer service be affected by a
transition to a mobile workforce Customer acceptance is important.
The technology that has improved teamwork are e-mail, mobile phones,
BlackBerrys, groupware and computers. The team members, through the use
of emails can convey messages regardless of location, even from one
14

country to another which make the team work more effective. Mobile phones
allow the group members to contact each other even when they are not at
their offices or residences. Phone technologies such as blackberry and 3G
data cards allow team members to work and communicate remotely and this
out in the field or with clients.
Groupware enables teams to plan meetings, collaborate, delegate all within a
virtual environment which can often be accessed remotely from anywhere in
the world.
Laptops and computers allows group members, not only to communicate
with each other, but also complete their tasks that are assigned to them and
now laptops are more lighter, powerful and have a long battery life and are
easier to carry all the time.
Use of modern ways of working and latest information technology solutions is
important for Brighthire due to the increasing competitiveness in todays
marketplace. This would enable its employees to work efficiently and
compete with the growing companies in the industry. Though older
employees of Brighthire are reluctant to use automated systems and data
management tools, they need to be motivated and inspired to use the latest
technology by making them aware of how technology can help them become
better managers.

15

REFERENCES
Ayman, R. and Korabik, K. 2010. Leadership. American Psychologist, vol 65,
no. 3, pp. 157-170.
Conti, B. and Kleiner, B. 1997. How to increase teamwork in organizations.
Training for Quality, vol 5, no. 1.
Crainer, S. 1998. Key Management Ideas: Thinkers That Changed the
Management World, 3rd edition, Financial Times Prentice Hall.
Doherty, J. P., Surles, R. C. and Donovan, C. M. (2001) Organization Theory,
in Talbott, J. A. and Hales, R. E. (Eds) A Textbook of Administrative Psychiatry,
Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Publishing Inc, 40
Germano, M.A. 2010. Leadership Style and Organizational Impact. [Online].
(URL: http://ala-apa.org/newsletter/2010/06/08/spotlight/). (Accessed: 01
January 2014).
Hatch, M.J. and Cunliffe, A.L. 2013. Organization Theory Modern, Symbolic
and Postmodern Perspectives. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press.
Herb, E., Leslie, K. and Price, C. 2001. Teamwork at the top. [Online]. (URL:
http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/organization/teamwork_at_the_top).
(Accessed: 01 January 2014).
Johnson, R. 2011. 5 Different Types of Leadership Styles. [Online]. (URL:
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/5-different-types-leadership-styles17584.html). (Accessed: 01 January 2014).
Magloff, L. 2013. What are the benefits of teamwork in business? [Online].
(URL:
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/benefits-teamwork-business3250.html). (Accessed: 01 January 2014).
McAuley, J., Duberley, J. and Johnson, P. 2007. Organization Theory
Challenges and Perspectives. Essex: Prentice Hall.
Ratha,
B.
Organizational
Theory.
[Online].
(URL:
http://www.clib.dauniv.ac.in/E-Lecture/OT.pdf). (Accessed: 01 January 2014).
Schermerhorn, J.R., Hunt, J.G. and Osborn, R.N. 2012. Organizational
Behavior. 12th ed. USA: John Wiley & Sons.
Shafritz, J.M., Ott, J.S. and Jang, Y.S. 2011. Classics of Organization Theory.
7th ed. Wadsworth Publishing.
16