Understand The Importance Of Leadership Styles And Behaviour Management Essay

Understand The Importance Of Leadership Styles And Behaviour Management Essay Hersey and Blanchard developed a Situational Leadership Model of management and leadership styles in order to present the ideal progression of a team from immaturity (stage 1) through to maturity (stage 4) during which management and leadership style progresses from directing(1), through the stages of increased management involvement of coaching (2) and supporting(3) to the final stage where the manager becomes relatively removed delegating (4). This is the point at which the team is almost self-sufficient and possibly contains at least one managerial/leadership successor. I have applied a Hersey-Blanchard type questionnaire to determine my own leadership style. The analysis of the responses showed that I have a slight tendency to be directing above supporting and delegating with a lesser inclination towards a coaching style of management. Four situations where different leadership styles would be appropriate for your team Directing style this is generally applied when staff in the team are highly motivated to do their work but do not have much experience. It is characterised by the manager providing close supervision and giving specific instructions on what needs to be done. This style would be suited, for example, to a new starter to the team who may need considerable guidance relating to the processes and procedures which the team applies in the first instance. Coaching style this is most appropriate when staff have begun to develop in their roles and hence have grown in confidence which has possibly lowered their level of motivation. In this instance the manager takes on a more consultative persona, asking for questions and ideas, but ultimately makes the final decision. I would expect to apply this leadership style to staff who have perhaps been in their role around 6 months, trying to draw thoughts and ideas from people to show that their opinions make sense and are valid. Supporting style applied when staff have progressed to a higher level of competence and also have key ideas and input which they like to be heard. However, these staff may still lack confidence with respect to taking making decisions. This style is represented by a reduced level of supervision and the manager becoming more participative, forming part of the group and allowing the group to reach its own decisions and implement them. I would apply this leadership style when staff have progressed to being fully competent in their role, but perhaps there is still some self-doubt to take the final step to make a key decision i.e. they still require a level of re-assurance that the actions they are taking are the correct ones. Delegating style this is used where staff are highly competent and are also solid performers, where the team is self-managing, i.e. it can plan its own work, work through its own problems and take its own decisions. This style is appropriate when the team have reached the stage of being high-performers. This would be the point where I could step-back from day-to-day management of them, considering strategic management instead, and even think about progression to the next step in their/my own careers. Feedback from others using appropriate leadership model As I currently do not have any direct reports (vacancy being progressed). I requested 3 of my colleagues to complete a similar questionnaire (responses were anonymous). The analysis of the responses was quite varied as follows: First respondent suggested a balanced use of all of the 4 styles; Second respondent suggested directing was my least-preferred style and that I predominantly preferred a supporting leadership style; Analysis of the third respondents questionnaire showed a strong preference towards directing and coaching styles with the others to a much lesser extent. Possibly, these responses are not straightforward to analyse, as these individuals are not my direct-reports and had to use only their knowledge of my behaviour from working alongside me to determine how I would react in different situations suggested in the questionnaire. I suggest that my own hypothesis of a directing leadership style is (semi-) supported by the analysis of my collegues responses. Certainly, it has been an approach I have used when conducting Management System audits in the past. How leadership behaviour can be improved in the context of the model One area I need to develop is an appreciation of the benefits to be gained from being able to switch from one management style to another depending upon the situation (i.e. a particular task, project or challenge). A directing approach, if applied too frequently can be demotivating in that staff may feel that they are unable to be left alone to get on with their work, and also that they are also not asked to come up with their own ideas. My own leadership behaviour could be enhanced if, where the situation merited it, I took a more consultative or coaching approach to try to draw ideas out of the team and make them feel as if they are making a positive contribution. Eventually, I would like to reach the point where I am applying a participative or supporting approach i.e. still being the leader of the team but with a greater degree of integration so that planning and decisions are made collectively. The biggest shift that I need to make is away from a mindset which says no-one can do the job as well as I can and micro-managing people so that they deliver products to my exact specification and towards a philosophy where I give staff more freedom to think for themselves and come up with their own (possibly better) solutions. Understand how to build the Team Recognised model to explain how groups are formed Tuckman (1965) devised a model to explain the behaviour of groups of individuals in a variety of environments. The model suggests 4 unique stages that all groups experience and furthermore Tuckman states that a group has to experience all 4 phases to operate at their maximum potential. The progression is Forming; Storming; Norming and Performing. As a team matures in terms of its development and ability, the team dynamics change as do the inter-personal relationships between the team members. The leadership style of the team leader also modifies to suit, this has close parallels with the Hersey Blanchard model discussed earlier. I will relate examples of the formation of Central Assurance Team for Investment Projects to each stage of the Tuckman Model, as an illustration The team was formed as a consequence of a re-organisation of the whole of the Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (HSQE) function within Infrastructure Investment (now called Investment Projects), approximately 18 months ago. It is a combination of four sub-teams Audit, Systems, Reporting and Licensing. Forming stage- Team places high level of dependence on its leader for both guidance and direction, including the aims and objectives of the team. The roles and responsibilities of the team members at this stage are unclear. The leader may be frequently questioned on what the teams purpose is and its relationships with key stakeholders. The team members often test the tolerance level of the leader and they may also ignore process. As is suggested in the Hersey-Blanchard model, the leader applies a directive management approach. The forming stage for the Central Assurance Team (CAT) can be related to a four-day team building exercise which took place off-site, the purpose of which was for everyone to get to know each other and to understand what the role of the team was going forward. At this time, there was a certain amount of wariness between team members with respect to which role each individual was in the team for and indeed, as time progressed, some of these roles actually changed. Storming stage- The team members try to establish a pecking order within the group with respect to each other and the team leader, they may even challenge the leadership of the group. The teams purpose becomes clearer, however there is still underlying uncertainty. The team may split into cliques and power struggles ensue. The leader will adopt a coaching style of management to focus the team on its goal and avoid unproductive distractions. Very often progress may require compromises. The CAT at this point, was trying to understand a strategy of how they would deliver what was expected of them from the Investment Projects Programmes. The four sub-teams spent time drafting up strategy and functional-plan type documents to clarify their own roles and objectives. People were keen to get started on the day-job. Norming stage-The leader adopts a more participative style at this stage, and his/her main task are to facilitate and enable. The team starts to experience both agreement and concensus and their roles and responsibilities become clear. Big decisions are made by agreement between the group, smaller ones are delegated to sub-groups within the team. The team is highly committed and there is a sense of togetherness, processes are developed as well as a way of working. The leader is generally well respected at this point and some of his responsibilities are shared by the team. For the CAT, this was doing business as usual. As part of the audit team, this meant drawing up an audit plan (in-line with the strategy), producing a briefing pack, designing audit protocols and the forms and templates which form part of our day-to-day work. Then there was the actual auditing activity itself, working with the Programmes to ensure that the activity was adding value and learning lessons from each audit so that the process was improved each time. Performing stage- At this stage the team has strategic awareness, i.e. it understands not only what it is there for but why. The team has a shared vision and is independent of its leader. The team take most of its decisions in line with the criteria set by its leader, they also focus on over-achieving on their goals. The team is highly autonomous and disagreements are dealt with in a positive manner, often resulting in changes to processes and structure. The team works towards achieving its goal but also concentrates on style and process issues whilst doing so. The leaders role is to delegate and oversee tasks rather than instructing and assisting directly. With only 18 months of experience behind it, it is difficult to say whether the CAT has actually reached the performing stage in its development. As far as the audit team goes, we are still developing a long-term vision and assessing how the audit plan will be adapted to the customer/stakeholder requirements year on year. Without doubt, each member of the team is committed to producing high-quality work, it is a question of harnessing this towards a common direction. The benefits of understanding preferred team roles This was an area explored by Belbin in the late 1970s. He demonstrated that a balanced team, consisting of members of differing capabilities would consistently perform better than a less-balanced team. Belbin identified 9 roles, which, if they are all present in a team, provide good balance and increase the likelihood of success. An individuals team role(s) can be determined by the use of a Belbin-style questionnaire, examples of which are available via the internet. It is not necessary for the team to consist of 9 people, each one filling a single role, but for all of the roles to be represented by the team. When looking at the Central Assurance (Audit) team, it can be seen that, among 5 people, all 9 roles are in existence, although some are bought-in from outside of the team to provide the full complement. For example, we utilise specialists from outside of the team where we do not have an in-depth knowledge of a particular subject. The plant is seen as the senior manager who has responsibility for all four legs of the Central Assurance function as a whole. The team has a very strong completer-finisher bias. This is because the job dictates a great attention to detail and the closure of issues once identified. Additionally, the implementer role is in strong evidence as the team must convert an audit plan into reality and one senior member of staff within the team acts as the co-ordinator. Belbins study concluded that individuals are more motivated and perform more effectively when they are working in accordance with their own natural style. Hence it is a benefit to the manager to allow individuals to work to these strengths to improve team productivity and the cohesion between the team members. Know how to handle conflict What may have caused the conflict One conflict situation I was directly involved in was during my time on the Network Rail West Coast Route Modernisation Programme on the Lichfield Trent Valley 4-Tracking project (TV4). The project management team were concerned about whether the Network Rail Field Engineers were signing off a sufficient quantity of Inspection and Test data sheets. The Inspection and Test plan document is effectively proof that Network Rail has accepted the construction contractors work as being of sufficient quality and acts as a sign-off document for a particular section of work. As the Quality Engineer on the TV 4 project, I was responsible for providing assurances that these sign-offs were taking place (or that a sufficient proportion were being completed). In one particular geographical area of the works, it was discovered that very few of the Inspection and Test sheets had been completed by the Field Engineers. One of the reasons for this was that the work was spread over a 2-mile stretch of track and it was very difficult for such a small team of Field Engineers to be in place and witness the works and sign it off before the next section of works began. I reported the data to the TV4 Management Team and, unfortunately, this caused a conflict between myself and the Network Rail Field Engineers for that area as they saw the exercise that I had undertaken as something of a witch hunt resulting in a great deal of criticism of them from senior management. Effects of the conflict on individual and team performance The effect that this had was to make me very unpopular amongst the Field Engineering team and also to limit the degree to which they were prepared to assist me in future. They were also quick to make the news known to other staff working on the project! However, the exercise did highlight to management that there were resource problems if they were to provide anywhere near a significant proportion of signed Inspection and Test documents going forward. Recognised techniques to minimise and resolve conflicts In a paper called Resolving Conflict in Work Teams by the Team Building Directory, the authors state that conflict can arise from numerous sources within an team setting and generally fall into 3 categories: Communication Factors; Structural Factors and Personal Factors (source: Varney 1989). Barriers to communication are some of the most important factors and can be major sources of misunderstanding as in the example I have given. The communication barrier that has been noted here is a difference between interpretation and perception i.e. the team are not producing the required output and are therefore lazy and need to be warned to improve their performance. When perhaps the more likely conclusion was that they were drastically under-resourced to achieve the task required. The approach taken was to enforce the rules and this typically brings about hard feelings towards those who instigate it. When negative conflict occurs, there a 5 accepted methods for handling it: Compete; Collaborate; Avoid; Accommodate or Compromise (Thomas and Kilman). Each can be used effectively in different circumstances. For the particular example cited, possibly the best technique to apply was a compromise approach where a bargaining position could have been sought between two parties who had differing ideas on a solution but could not find a common ground (i.e. and agreed target for signing the documentation until the resourcing issue could be resolved). Creating a positive atmosphere and minimising the effect of conflict Negative conflict can be avoided by examining the 6 potential areas described by Nelson in the paper Interpersonal Team Leadership Skills (Hospital Management Quarterly, 1995). Administrative procedures a good groundwork for the effective coordination of work People resources adequate resources to do the job to avoid some carrying too heavy a load. Process for cost overruns proper resources in place so that the team knows what to do when cost becomes a problem and additional funding needs to be sought. This way the problem is resolved before it becomes a problem for management. Schedules the project schedule should be visible. The team should work together so that everyone achieves their deadline. Responsibilties what areas are assigned and who is responsible for them? Wish lists stick to the project in hand, avoid being side-tracked to try to fit other things into it. Do the other things youd like to after the original project is successfully completed.

Mazzini’s Role in Uniting Italy

Explain and evaluate the role of Mazzini in the process of Italian unification to 1850 Giuseppe Mazzini was born in Genoa in June of 1805 into Napoleonic rule. He went on to play a vital role in the unification of Italy up until 1850. Although many of his endeavours failed, and he made mistakes that may even have backfired on his goal of Italian unification, he did play an important role. This was not so much directly, however, as through the influence he had, and the ideas he brought out of the shadows. Mazzini aimed to unite Italy, and made a lot of failed attempts to do so.He had a vision of an independent nation of ‘free men and equals’, and he also thought that all of the Italian speaking states should unite, not just the northern ones, as many people had previously considered. He was a strong believer in democracy, believing that it was necessary for the people’s voices and ideas to be heard. He did not, however, have any problem with the use of violence or revolution to bring about this united Italy, and in fact believed it would be necessary. In order to achieve this, he made a lot of endeavours, the majority of which were unsuccessful.In 1920 at the age of 15, he led a student demonstration, which was a failure and served only to get him into a lot of trouble – he was noticeably absent from the revolutions of 1820 and 1821 that followed soon after. He joined the Carbonari in the late 1820s, but was caught and arrested, and either exiled to France or set free and asked to leave the country (the exact nature of his departure is unknown), so he ended up in France by February of 1831. This was where he founded his first nationalist group – Young Italy.This was similar to a secret society, however had a slightly different philosophy, as it was founded on his personal beliefs of what a united Italy should be like, and what should be done to achieve it. He was soon expelled from France, so Young Italy did not get very far. He went to Switzerland and planned a revolt in Savoy, which also failed miserably. He then founded Young Europe, but was soon asked to leave Switzerland too. He went to England, where he founded the Second Young Italy, which also was not very successful.He then agreed to help the Bandiera brothers, two brothers who were planning a revolt in Italy, however this too failed, with less than 20 people turning up, and both of the brothers were shot. Clearly Mazzini’s career and direct role in the unification of Italy were not as significant as he had hoped they might be. One of Mazzini’s failures during this period was his alienation of the peasants. Although later on, in the 1960s, he brought the peasants very much into the action, at this point, he did little for them.Although he advocated freedom of speech and democracy, he had no plans to alleviate the stressful economic conditions for poor, or to make conditions better for the workers, who were the majority of the people in Italy. Instead his followers were mostly of the middle class, which was a significantly smaller group in number. Another failure was Mazzini’s noticeable absence in all of the main revolutions in Italy during this period. He took part neither in the revolutions of the early 1820s (although this was partly to do with his own negative experience) nor the revolutions occurring in the Papal States in 1831.While the most significant revolutions of the period –those in 1848 – were in some way influenced by him, he was not present here either. This brings to light a very important point – that while there were revolutions that were at least somewhat successful, Mazzini was not a part of them, leading one to consider that maybe he did not play an important role at all. It makes one consider that perhaps unification would have occurred just as readily without Mazzini, and question whether he was really that significant, however he did have some impact during th is time, in a less direct manner.One of the most important things that Mazzini did for the unification of Italy was to bring out a sense of national awareness. He created nationalist groups like Young Italy and Young Europe, which were aimed to appeal to the youth of Italy – the people who were not tied to the existing regime and were vulnerable to his propaganda. Despite being considered somewhat of a failure, he was well known throughout Europe (and especially in Italy), enough so that Metternich (the Austrian chancellor) once referred to him as ‘the most dangerous man in Europe’.This was not because he was particularly good at what he did, in fact most of his endeavours failed, as aforementioned, but because he was bringing ideas into the open, which had the potential to lead to revolutions and attempts to overthrow the existing forms of leadership. Many of his ideas had existed previously, but were unknown to the majority of the Italian people, and he made th em known throughout Italy. Whether people were interested in uniting Italy or not, he had brought the ideas out into the open, and rooted them in people’s minds.Mazzini was also quite a charismatic man, and so his speeches were paid a lot of attention. When he spoke about the possibilities for a united Italy, it was well received by a lot of people, and made them believe that even rather unrealistic ways of uniting Italy might by possible. In this way, Mazzini played a very important rule in the unification of Italy. Part of Mazzini’s role in the unification of Italy came not from his direct actions, but indirectly, from the actions of his followers.One of his most famous followers was Giuseppe Garibaldi, who helped to lead the revolution in Piedmont in 1848, and is today considered one of the most important figures in the unification of Italy. Garibaldi was a loyal follower of Mazzini in the early 18th Century, and although later in the century he began to disagree wi th much of Mazzini’s philosophy, he got many of his early ideas from Mazzini. But it was not just Garibaldi. During the 1848 revolutions, which occurred all over Europe and began in Italy, it was followers of Mazzini who set the ball rolling.They desired his goals of democracy and an independent united state, and were influenced by his belief that the only way to achieve this was through revolution. Perhaps Mazzini’s most important role in the unification of Italy, however, was the inspiration he left. Even to those who were already aware of ideas like his, and perhaps even those who already believed and were passionate about them, he acted as an inspiration to act. While many people at the time were just talking, he proposed actual action, which led people to believe there was a real chance of success.He had many followers, and even more admirers, and people liked to act in his name. The role of Giuseppe Mazzini is hard to define – on paper, his career was a fa ilure, and one might say he did very little to achieve any sort of unification for Italy, and in fact all of the significant events towards unification during this time seem to have occurred without his presence. However through the ideas he brought out, the people he influenced, and the inspiration he was to many people in Italy, he played a very large and significant role indeed. He was a crucial part of the unification of Italy up to 1850.

College INC Essay

This film focuses on the ethics of for profit educational institutions. With most of the coverage revolving around what critics characterize as the unethical and disloyal failure to inform students of the huge debt burden they will incur. Also the low graduation and retention rates to which they may fall victim, and the struggle they will likely face to obtain employment after graduation. The Huffington Post reported, that students from for-profit schools are more likely to borrow and drop out than at nonprofit schools. The report also finds that the majority of enrolled students  leave without a degree, half of them within four months. Most of the schools’ money was spent on recruiting, marketing, profiting, and CEO salaries whereas less than 18 percent was spent on instruction. The schools’ chief executive officers made an average of $7. 3 million. Nonprofits, state governments, and the federal government have made various attempts to regulate these institutions more carefully. The Obama administration and the U. S. Department of Education are involved in an ongoing legal battle fighting to force more disclosure by for-profit colleges. Many state legislatures have proposed and passed  laws tightening the governments grip on these institutions. 1 Jordan Schulte 1btaining a higher education does not mean merely that one will be equipped with the skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace. Instead a student should also have the opportunity to learn for learning’s sake. College is a time when students have an opportunity to engross themselves in great texts, immerse themselves in topics that they may never encounter again in their professions, and to think critically about the world’s problems and what it means to be a good, ethical citizen in today’s global society. In fact, since the beginning of higher education in the United States, dating back to Harvard College in 1636, one of the stated purposes has been to prepare citizens for active involvement in community life. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson both pointed out the importance of creating informed and responsible citizens. In the early part of the twentieth century, John Dewey revolutionized the way we think about teaching and learning, arguing that educating is not just about filling receptors with tons of information. Rather, education is a combination of learning information and melding it with life experience. In my view, for-profit institutions are designed to ensure that the objectives of Franklin, Jefferson, and Dewey are not attained; and sometimes actively reversed. In for-profit colleges are taught and trained to follow strict rules, ingest textbooks tailor-made for the specific for-profit institution, complete uniform quizzes and essay 2 Jordan Schulte 2assignments, and remain quiet about the course material and presentation. What is the effect of this approach on the students? For the majority of students, there is tacit consent that they endure the regime simply to reach the end point: receiving a diploma. Some  demonstrate tacit consent by briefly showing up for class, perhaps for five minutes if the instructor is lucky, to ensure being marked present, and then dashing for the door. The strong complete the assignments with minimal effort to receive a grade and pass, whereas others may just give up at when faced with the challenge. THESE FOR-PROFIT COLLEGES MISLEAD THE GULLIBLE, WHO OFTEN CANNOT GET IN TO MORE ESTABLISHED SCHOOLS, INTO THINKING THAT A GLAMOROUS CAREER IN FASHION DESIGN, CULINARY ARTS OR RECORDING ENGINEERING IS JUST A FEW CLASSES AWAY. THERE IS NO COST TO THE STUDENT, AS HE BORROWS FROM THE GOVERNMENT. AND, BEFORE HE EVER GETS THE FIRST STATEMENT ON HIS LOAN, HE WILL RECEIVE A SUBSTANTIAL (SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLAR) REFUNDABLE TAX CREDIT FOR HIS â€Å"EXPENDITURES† ON HIGHER EDUCATION. EVERYONE DOES NOT NEED TO GO TO COLLEGE. PERHAPS THE EXISTENCE OF THESE SCHOOLS IS A REFLECTION OF THE LACK OF PUBLICLY FUNDED VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS OR THE CONSTANT MEDIA MANTRA THAT ONLY THOSE WITH COLLEGE DEGREES CAN ACHIEVE THE AMERICAN DREAM. I WOULD PROPOSE THAT THESE SCHOOLS SHOULD EITHER BE CUT 3 Jordan Schulte 3OFF FROM FEDERAL LOAN FUNDING, OR, BETTER YET, BE PUT OUT OF BUSINESS. 4 Jordan Schulte 4.

F. Lawrence University Jazz Workshop - 941 Words

On November 14th, the Lawrence University Jazz Workshop, under the direction of Josà © Encarnacià ³n, played a concert of five tunes in Harper Hall. This ensemble consisted of a full rhythm section, six saxophones, a trombone and a cello making up the trombone section, and four trumpets. The purpose of this concert was to demonstrate what the Jazz Workshop had been working on throughout fall term as well as function as a final exam. Over the course of about 40 minutes, they played five pieces of different styles that featured and challenged different parts of the ensemble. â€Å"Minor Mystery,† the first piece played by the group, was composed and arranged by Ellen Rowe. This song is a minor blues that is normally set to be played at a medium swing, however, this performance was taken at a slightly faster pace. This allowed for the piece to be played with more energy, rather than just standing still. â€Å"Minor Mystery† is a work that lets the ensemble demonstrate th eir stylistic technique. This piece is riddled with dynamic contrasts and notations such as marcatos, accents, and tenutos. This proved to be a challenge, due to the fact that not everyone has the same concept of how these notes should be played. While learning and rehearsing this song, stylistic concepts were probably what we spent the most time on. In order to really sound together and like one cohesive unit, the perfection of these articulations was crucial. The second song played was â€Å"Lines for Lions,† written byShow MoreRelatedProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 PagesModern Project Management Chapter 8 Scheduling resources and cost 1.2 Project defined 1.3 Project management defined 1.4 Projects and programs (.2) 2.1 The project life cycle (.2.3) App. G.1 The project manager App. G.7 Political and social environments F.1 Integration of project management processes [3.1] 6.5.2 Setting a schedule baseline [8.1.4] 6.5.3.1 Setting a resource schedule 6.5.2.4 Resource leveling 7.2 Setting a cost and time baseline schedule (1.3.5) [8.1.3] 6.5.2.3 Critical chain method Read MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesand Expanded Edition E SSAYS ON _ T WENTIETH- C ENTURY H ISTORY Edited by Michael Adas for the American Historical Association TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS PHILADELPHIA Temple University Press 1601 North Broad Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122 www.temple.edu/tempress Copyright  © 2010 by Temple University All rights reserved Published 2010 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Essays on twentieth century history / edited by Michael Peter Adas forRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesstudents (and indeed others who should know better) to trivialize this very problematic and challenging subject. This is not the case with the present book. This is a book that deserves to achieve a wide readership. Professor Stephen Ackroyd, Lancaster University, UK This new textbook usefully situates organization theory within the scholarly debates on modernism and postmodernism, and provides an advanced introduction to the heterogeneous study of organizations, including chapters on phenomenology, critical