A variety of theories support management expertise. The leadership role of management can also be substantiate through diverse theories.
The theory of behavioral leadership focuses on identifying the continuous connection between leadership behavior and group performance. The current theories emphasize the importance of contextual factors (such as stress levels, job structure, leadership ability to think, the traits of followers, and so on).
One of the theories of leadership includes:
Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid
The study of task orientation and people’s orientation as separate aspects was a significant advancement in the field of leadership studies. Many studies on the leadership of the 1950s by the University of Michigan and the Ohio State University focused on these two aspects.
Drawing on the work of researchers from those Universities, Robert Blake and Jane Mouton (1960s) proposed an illustration of the leadership style through a grid for managing (sometimes known as a grid for leadership). The grid depicted two aspects of behavior of a leader, care for the people (accommodating the needs of individuals and giving priority to them) on the y-axis and concern for the production (keeping strict schedules) on the x-axis. Each dimension has a range of high up to the highest. It creates 81 possible situations in which the leader’s personality could be.
The five styles of leadership that result are as the following:
Impoverished Management
Managements that follow this type of approach are lacking in both dimensions and exert little effort to get tasks completed by subordinates. The leader is not concern about employee satisfaction, deadlines for work, conflict and chaos prevails in the workplace. Leaders are ineffective because their actions solely gear towards preserving jobs and rank.
Task management
It is also known as perish or dictatorial style. The leaders here are more concerned about their work and less concern for the people. The way of doing business is base on the theory of McGregor. Employees need are not fulfil. They’re just a way to achieve a goal. The boss believes that efficiency will come only when there is a proper structure of working systems. Bringing efficiency by eliminating of individuals whenever it is feasible. This kind of approach can improve the productivity of the company in the short term. However due to the rigid rules and procedures, the high turnover of workers is inevitable.
Middle-of-the-Road
The Middle-of-the-Road is an approach to compromise wherein the leader attempts to keep an equilibrium between the goals of the company and the requirements of individuals. The leader doesn’t push the boundaries of accomplishment, which results in an average performance for the company. There is no way to ensure that production or employee demands are fully met.
Country Club
Country Club, informal style that is characterize by a low tasks and high affluence in which the leader pays careful consideration to the demands of the people which results in an environment that is welcoming and relaxing. The leader believes that this type of treatment for employees will result in motivation and self-motivation. You will also see employees doing their best in their own way. But, a lack of focus on the task can reduce productivity and result in unsatisfactory results.
Team Management
It is characterize by high-performance teams and a focus on task This method is built on the theories that Y is the name of McGregor and has been describe as the most effective in the opinion of Blake as well as Mouton. The leader believes that empowerment, dedication trust, respect, and empowerment are essential to creating a positive team environment that is a sure way to increase productivity and satisfaction of employees.
Advantages of Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid
The Grid for Managerial or Leadership Grid can help managers evaluate their management styles using a method known as grid-base training. This is achieve through the use of a questionnaire that allows managers to determine where they perform in their focus on production and for people. Training is designe to making leaders achieve the ideal level of 9.
Limitations of Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid
The model doesn’t consider the importance of limits both external and internal as well as the importance of matter and scenarios. There are additional elements of the leadership process that could be address.
