Link Between Strategic Management and Leadership

AC 1.1 : explain the link between strategic management and leadership

Leadership and management skills and styles have been the most debatable topic in recent chronicle. Many people have devised new theories about leadership styles and accomplishments. There are many volumes written on this subject, but none of them has reached to a common style.

Research provides many examples of how management differs from leadership, but they both share many common things in this case the researcher is primarily fascinated with determining the link between leadership and management. These are discussed.

1. People – both leaders and managers work with people to achieve a goal.

 Leadership is comparatively similar to, and different from management. They both involve influencing people and working with people to fulfil a prevalent goal (Brindley and Buckley 2004). Nonetheless, for a leader, people are the reason, the cause for whom an endeavor is taken on, a vision procured or a project consummated. For a manager, people are primarily an expedient to achieve a paramount achievement, accomplished a consequential task or consummating a project (Brindley and Buckley 2004).

1. Reality – both managers and leaders understand that there is a collective condition, a reality, that’s unacceptable to a group of citizenzry.

Managers and leaders additionally understand that there is a collective condition, an authenticity, that’s unacceptable to a group of people (Brindley and Buckley 2004). This is because a leader’s intention, however, is to avail those people believe in the Vision of a solution to their authenticity, while the manager’s intention is to motivate them on a gradual path to the vision (Brindley and Buckley 2004).

1. Good leaders and managers provide a visionary inspiration, motivation, and direction for people.

According to Swansburg, and Swansburg (2002), Motivation of individuals is also a prevalent thing among leaders and managers, and in order to motivate others, they should give them responsibility, a vigorous relationship, motives and last but not least reward. The right leadership, like good managers, provides visionary inspiration, motivation and direction for people. Good managers, like good leaders, magnetize and inspire people. Therefore, in whatever way you take it people want to be led rather than manage. They optate to pursue goals and values they consider worthwhile (Swansburg , and Swansburg, 2002). Therefore, they optate leaders who respect the dignity, autonomy, and self-esteem of constituents

1. Organization vision – people often form a vision of how they desire things to be done, which is important for both leaders and managers.

People often form a vision of how they desire things to be done, which is consequential to both leaders and managers (Swansburg and Swansburg, 2002). Leader’s avail people forge a shared vision that they believe in and communicate it back to them to get their acquiescent. Manager help people make that vision actionable by breaking it down in incremental goals, projects and tasks and providing the indispensable resources for moving forward in the direction of the vision (Swansburg and Swansburg, 2002).

1. Cognitive dissonance – both managers and leaders use Cognitive dissonance to direct people on a path to achieve the organization’s vision, destination, etc.

The gap between the authenticity and the vision of the organization, additionally known as Cognitive dissonance in psychology, gives elevate to an endeavor (Barratt and Mottershead 2000). Both managers and leaders use Cognitive dissonance to direct people on a path to achieve the organization’s vision and goal. Leaders use Cognitive dissonance to help people carve out a path from the authenticity to the vision that they can believe in, while managers use Cognitive dissonance to help people take categorical steps on a specific path. Because both leaders and managers understand that people need to choose a common path to go from their authenticity of their vision (Barratt and Mottershead 2000). Once the path is decided upon, leaders make certain that people remain on the right path. Managers, however, ascertain that their progress on that path is pursued efficiently and as expeditiously as possible at the minimum expenditure of resources (Barratt and Mottershead 2000).

1. A higher purpose – people often share a sense of missionary or purpose that transcends the avoidance of reality and achievement of a vision. Both managers and leaders make use of higher purpose.

People often share a sense of missionary or purpose that transcends the avoidance of authenticity and achievement of a vision. Both managers and leaders make utilization of higher purpose, while, leaders bring out the best in people, their higher angel, so that they will give their whole beings to the achievement of the vision. Managers, however, tap into people’s higher purpose and transform it into an altruistic sense of sedulous assiduousness, endurance and perseverance (The Association of Business Executive, 2007).

1. Leadership and management both involve decision-making- Decision making is paramount for management and leadership. The leader often has to make challenging decisions, such as what direction to move the organization in or whether to keep an employee (Marcousé, 2008). Therefore, making good decisions is one of the many traits a leader must possess. On the other hand, managers must have the same quality. Managers have to make decisions in settings where they know more about the prospects of their firm than other parties. Nevertheless, decision making is a prodigiously paramount element of prosperously managing a company. According to Peter Drucker, “whatever a manager does, he or she goes through the decision making process. A manager has to take a decision before acting or before preparing a plan for execution. The effectiveness of management basically depends on decision making (Marcousé, 2008).

1. Leadership and management are both action systems- based on the following observation of John Kotter book “what leaders really do” he stated that “leadership and management are two distinctive and complementary system of action and both are necessary for the success of an organization in an increasingly complex and volatile business environment. In other words, this means that Leadership and management help organizations to improve and standardize their processes (Kotter, 2008).

Research was carried out from a variety of secondary sources which all gives merely the same information but in a different context. Base on some of these sources the researcher now has knowledge that both leadership and management go hand in hand and leadership is a very crucial role in any organization. Therefore, organizations should ensure that both are present for the effectiveness and growth of the business. However, vigorous leadership with impuissant management is no better and may be worse. Managers are needed to handle the complexity by instituting planning and budgeting, organizing and staffing, and controlling and problem solving. Leaders are needed to handle the change through setting a direction, aligning people, and motivating and inspiring people. Organizations need people who can do both they require a leader-managers. Organizations with vigorous management, but weak or no leadership will stifle creativity and innovation and be very bureaucratic.

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