Value Based Leadership
– A Pathway to Human Resource and Organisational Excellence

By

Prof. Dileep Kumar M.
Ex-Professor
Symbiosis (SCMHRD, SCDL), IIIT, SCMLD, SBS
Pune
 

Introduction

Leadership is another factor that influence the behaviour of employees. Managers, who perform the role as a leader, should balance the business needs of the firm and the human resources. They should reconcile the needs of the top management and the needs of the followers. In the global scenario no leadership style can be absolutely followed by the organization. An affiliative coaching and target oriented have more positive impact on the member's behaviour than autocratic form, in order to ensure better human relationship and organizational development. Only when members in the organisation experiences culture of coaching and empowering style of support system they will reciprocate by performing in accordance with the supervisory preferences. The leadership culture, which involves empowering elements always viewed as fair by subordinates. It should consider that the leaders who are reluctant to share power and place trust in subordinates are less successful in developing a culture of teamwork and cooperation. A work culture, which ensures empowerment that inculcates the elements like empathy, communication, building relationships, team leaderships, self awareness, initiative, etc., contribute more towards development of high performance culture.

Literature Review

When the organization succeeds, the founders entire personality becomes embedded in the culture of the organization. The culture at Hyundai is largely a reflection of its founder Chung Ju Yung. Other contemporary examples include Bill Gates at Microsoft, Akio Morita at Sony, David Packard at Hewlett-Packard, Herb Kelleher at Southwest Airlines, Fred Smith at Federal Express, Mary Kay at Mary Kay Cosmetics, and Richard Branson at the Virgin Group. Literature related to leadership is providing strong support to effective leadership in organisation. A leadership style of empowerment and democratic style of management helped many organisations to rise up to competence and performance excellence.

Pfeiffer, (1994) argues that effective management of people including developing and empowering people, showing information, creating self managed teams, training people is a more important determiner of competitive advantage.

Deep Kapore, (2001) indicates that leaders need not be managers in these organizations. Any person who is capable enough can emerge as a leader to do something innovative. It is the leader only who highlight the mission, concretize it into clear objectives and evolve systems to realize them. The leader is a role model who initiates, guides, directs and inspires the subordinates.

Robbins, (1983), indicate that The leader is important because of his unique ability to influence a group of individuals into some deliberate some meaningful action that facilitates the achievements of the organization roles.

Bennis and Nanus, (1985), state that "the first core task of a leader is to create a vision of what the organization ought to be.  The next task is to articulate this vision to the followers.  The third task is to help, develop a strategy for the achievement of vision through structuring, selecting, training, motivating, managing information, team building and promoting change and innovation".

Dumblekar, V. (2001), indicate that effective leaders commonly had a high degree of emotional intelligence (EI) which would perhaps be the sine qua non of leadership".

Sinha A.K. and Chatterjee, (2000), stated that perception of peers and subordinates are quite important in gauging the effectiveness of leadership in an organizational contacts. He views that an effective leader convinces his subordinates that their role is important in meeting organizational objectives, provide them with challenging tasks and responsibilities focuses on personal as well as group achievements and recognizes good performance both for individual and team work. Possessing a high degree of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills is an essential requirement of an emotionally intelligent leader.

Biswajit Pattanayak, (2001), indicate that the leader who wishes to create a learning organization will need to adopt a change approach.  This will allow him or her to cultivate an environment of constant questioning and risk taking and frequent reinvention of business practices and products. 

Bandana Nayak, (1999), in his recent studies indicate towards the fact that organizations, its objectives, cultures and values shall to a large extent decide the type of leader behaviour that is supervisors shall learn and practice.

Vogt and Murral (1990), pointed out that leadership that excites, energizes, motivates, liberate others is the essence of empowerment.

Niehoff, Enz and Grover, (1990) strongly suggested that the over all management culture and management style, driven by top management actions, are strongly related to the degree of employee commitment and these effects vary for different organizational settings.

Ahuja, (1997) indicates in his study that A People Oriented Leader need not manipulate and still can bring out the best out of his people.  He will not mould his people contrary to their nature rather encourages the individual by creating a climate that allow them to grow and contribute according to their abilities and potential. He further indicates that  'Vested with Power', whose values are authoritarian can frustrate the other members and may disintegrate the team but on the other hand leader with the same power but with the achievement values can be a great asset to the team growth.

Srivasthava, (2001) right kind of leadership can encourage people to tap their differences for creative ideas, and make explicit use of cultural differences at work to fight all forms of dominance and subordination so that the tensions coming in the way of diversity management is resolved.

Effective Leadership Approaches To HR Managers

The studies related to leadership indicate that the managerial approaches of the leader influence the behaviour of employees. This led us to believe that the leadership style of the managers influence the performance excellence and contribution at work.  A supportive leadership style develops more trust and confidence among members to act with innovative ideas and team spirit towards target accomplishment. Managers should follow value oriented leadership approaches to control the human behaviour at work. This article suggests few leadership approaches that help the managers at all levels, specifically for Human Resource Managers, to develop a strong work culture. It can be detailed as follows.

1. Leading by examples
2. Never self promote.
3. Aware of changing facts
4. Pursuit for excellence.
5. Trust on subordinate.
6. Plan and priorities
7. Never self promote
8. Make people believe in themselves
9. Manage yourself in accordance with time
10. Be honest and sensitive
11. Encourage your people to grow and learn more.
12. Be always purpose driven
13. Full passion and commitment towards work/workers and organization
14. Employees satisfaction as first goal
15. Be clear about goal
16. Ask for people's views but be neutral and objective.
17. Use relationship as a medium to control human behaviour.
18. Concentrate on fair and balanced decisions.
19. Constantly work to achieve the vision and insight
20. Never afraid of barriers.
21. Be aware of each step.
22. Create an enabling environment.
23. Live by principle.
24. Bold, energetic, value oriented and punctual.
25. Be effective communicator.
26. Never afraid of barriers.
27. Take your worker/subordinates into confidence.
28. Realize the importance of change.
29. Self-aware, self-directive and self managed.
30. Have clear conscience.
31. Innovation and risk taking behaviour.
32. Flexible and adaptive.
33. Realistic and continuing leadership.
34. Zeal to learn more and new.
35. Calm and composed.
36. Positive frame of mind
37. Belief in professional excellence.
38. Belief in performance than hierarchy.
39. Believe people having strong legs and good heart.
40. Emphasis on learning culture.
41. Belief in transparent functional interaction.
42. Passion for competitiveness and continuous improvement.
43. Emotional maturity and courage.
44. Build up relationship outside organization to get competitive advantage.
45. Always lead from front even in bad time.
46. Humble in behaviour.
47. Align personal goal with organizational goal.
48. Never give up till last.
49. Strategic thinking.
50. Encourage genuine changes
51. Inspire and empower.
52. Dedication and persistence.
53. Take notes and keep good record.
54. Keep your promises.
55. Help people when they need.
56. No shouting and ranting and believe in diplomacy

Conclusion

To develop a culture of Performance Excel lane and Human Resource competency leadership style have dominant style. More the support extended by the supervisors and managers, more the trust and confidence upon employees in their work. There will be high involvement and commitment on the part of members towards work accomplishment and organisational objectives. The ultimate goal of business organisation viz., business surplus, is possible with the manager's effective leadership style.

Reference

1. Ahuja, K.K.  (1997), 'Organizational Behaviour', Second edition, Kalyani publishers, New Delhi - 110 060.

2. Bandana Nayak, (1999), "Leadership Style and Job Satisfaction among Supervisors", Indian Management, December, P: 63-69.

3. Bennis, W. & Nanus, B. (1985), 'Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge', Harper, and New York.

4. Biswajeet Pattanayak. (2001), 'Do you Know Your Employees', Indian Management, The Journal of Indian Management Association, Business India, February, P: 35-37.

5. Biswajeet Pattanayak. (2001), "The Learning Edge", Indian Management, The Journal of Indian Management Association, Business India, January. P: 39-43.

6. Deep Kapore. (2001), 'Organisational Culture', On line Research Report, IIM Kozhikod.

7. Keith Davis (1999) "Human Behaviour at Work" Tata McGraw Hill publishing company Limited. New Delhi.

8. Kahan, R. and Katz, D. (1960) 'Leadership Practices in relation to productivity and morale' D. Cartwright and A. Zander (eds.), Group Dynamics: Research and Theory, 2^nd ed. (Elmsford, NY0: Row, Paterson.)

9. Pfeffer, Jeffrey. (1994), New Directions for Organization Theory: Problems and Prospects. Oxford University Press.

10. Stephen P. Robbins (1998) Organisational Behaviour, 8^th (Edn.) Prentice Hall, New Delhi.

11. Sinha, A. K. (1983), Dimensions of organizational climate: A case of university departments. Indian Educational Review, 18 (4), 1 - 14.

12. Sreevastava M P (2001), 'HRD strategy to Balance People, Firms Needs', Indian Management, The Journal of Indian Management Association, Business India, January. 52-55.

13. Vogt J.F. and Murral K.C. (1990), Empowerment in Organization, how to spark expectational performance, University Associates, San Diago, C.A Vroom, V. H (1964), 'Work and Motivation,' New York: Wiley.
 

Prof. Dileep Kumar M.
Ex-Professor
Symbiosis (SCMHRD, SCDL), IIIT, SCMLD, SBS
Pune
 

Source: E-mail April 7, 2006

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