Dr. Hilary Duckett

Organisational Leadership

White House, Copyright waived by US Government

To define power To identify sources of power To explore destructive power To explore power and charisma To draw conclusions

‘To manage with power means recognizing that in almost every organisation there are varying interests. It means figuring out what point of view those various individuals and subunits have on issues of concern to you .. And thus it is imperative to understand where power comes from and how sources of power can be developed.’

Jeffrey Pfeffer interviewed in Business Magazine, November 1993 in Thompson et al 2009

Reward – use of resources as rewards e.g. promotion, bonuses etc

Coercive – the ability to punish and discipline based on a fear of loss (of money, bonuses, status, reputation etc)

Referent – when the personal characteristics or attributes of a leader are attractive to subordinates e.g. charisma

Legitimate - power is accepted because subordinates accept positional or hierarchical structures

Expert – expertise, knowledge or specialist skills are held by the leader which others accept

French, J.R.P and Raven B.H., (1959)

Emphasises individualism - the exercise of power by individuals

Oversimplifies the complex relationship between realised and symbolic power

Organisational reality is pluralistic and relational. They involve networks and coalitions and form a competitive arena for resources. Leaders need to work within and through coalitions

Presents traditional hierarchical model of organizations – increasing flatter looser forms of structure and therefore power.

Organisations are seen as political systems See Foucault’s work on panopticon power –

organisations seeking to control and acquire conformity to organisational values and systems

Adapted from Thompson and McHugh (2009); Watson (1994) ; Foucault (1977) ; and Western, (2008)

“President Barack Obama admitted he had been"humbled" today by the worst Democratic midterm election defeat in 70 years, and promised to work alongside the revitalised Republican party in Congress.

Obama admitted that the Republicans had given his party a severe beating – or as he termed it, a "shellacking" – and said it had given him a late and uncomfortable night. "Some election nights are more fun than others," he said. "Some are exhilarating. Some are humbling." Ewen MacAskill, Guardian 4th November 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/03/barack-obama-midterms-better-job Accessed 26th July 2011

“Barack Obama admits he needs 'to do a better job' after midterms defeat”

‘A useful way to consider the all too easily overlooked role of followers in the construction of a leader’s power is to envisage the difference between a domino-run and a Mexican wave. In the former all the power resides with the first movement that stimulates the dominoes to fall in sequence … Thus power resides with the pusher, the leader. But a Mexican wave that runs around a sports stadium does not depend on an individual leader to make it work; it works without apparent leadership and it ‘dies’ when the collective decide not to engage in further ‘waves’.

Grint, 2005:p46

‘At the moment of action, in the midst of the struggle, there is a natural division of roles according to the aptitude of each, assessed and judged by the collective whole: some direct and command, others execute orders. But no function must be allowed to petrify or become fixed and it will not remain irrevocably attached to any one person. Hierarchical order and promotion do not exist, so the commander of yesterday can become a subordinate tomorrow. No one rises above others, or if he does rise it is only to fall back a moment later, like the waves of the sea forever returning to the salutary level of equality’.

Joll, 1979:92

Leaderless groups mask leadership structures

Leaderless groups perpetuate ‘in-groups’ and ‘out-groups’

Real question is ‘what kind of leadership exists?’

Useful aspect of anarchist critique is the search for leadership without oppression

Writers in Human Relations school emphasise that a democratic leader should seek to empower employees

Assuming authority different to authoritarianism

“Destructive leadership behaviour is defined as the systematic and repeated behaviour by a leader, supervisor or manager that violates the legitimate interest of the organisation by undermining and/or sabotaging the organisation’s goals, tasks, resources, and effectiveness and/or the motivation, well-being or job satisfaction of his/her subordinates.”

Einarsen, S., Aasland, M.S., and Skogstad, A. (2007)

Need to account for historical and social context of behaviour in analysing legitimacy.

For example - Ironside and Seifert (2003) describe leadership at the beginning of the industrial revolution as follows: ‘Their need to secure the adaptation of workers from the rhythms of agricultural and domestic work to the discipline of factory production resulted in management regimes in which fines, beatings, sackings and all forms of harassment and abuse were a daily experience of the majority’ (p383)

Is this justifiable ?

Anti-organisation

behaviour

Pro-organisation

behaviour

Anti- subordinatebehaviour

Pro-subordinatebehaviour

Supportive-Disloyalleadership

Constructive Leadership

Derailed Leadership

TyrannicalLeadership

Tyrannical – ‘behaviours undermine the motivation, well being or job satisfaction of subordinates, without necessarily being clearly destructive to the organisation’s goals’ – p212 (Einarsen et al, 2007).

Behaviours – humiliating, manipulating, belittling, shouting. Example – Sir Simon Marks

Derailed Supportive-disloyal??

Derailed – neither subordinate nor employee behaviours. Engage in anti-subordinate behaviour such as harassment, bullying while simultaneously exhibiting anti-organisational behaviour such as fraud, absenteeism or theft. Examples: Sir Robert Maxwell (Mirror Group), Lay and Skilling (Enron)

Supportive-Disloyal – show consideration for welfare of subordinates but to the disadvantage of the organisation. For example enabling employees to ‘loaf’, steal, gain more benefits than their entitlement.

Constructive Leadership – act in the legitimate interests of the organisation in the allocation of resources and effort whilst simultaneously ensuring the well-being of employees.

Kakabadse et al (2007) define temptation as: 1) Being tempted – a state of awareness of one’s desires2) Entering into Temptation - contemplation of fulfilling desires3) Falling into temptation – fulfilling desires

Paper also discusses concept of free will (Aristotle, Kant and Bentham) and nature vs nurture (actions result from genetics and social stimuli)

Hedonism (pleasure) – seeking personal gratification the absolute pursuit of wealth and other vices (Bill Clinton, Kennedy ?) See Case??

Power – single minded pursuit of power and influence – often such leaders possess charisma and large personal wealth that attracts devotion (Robert Maxwell, Hitler, Bush Junior, Lay and Skilling ?)

Posterity and Narcissism – focus on empire building and legacy often highly dependent personalities (Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Anita Roddick ?)

“City boss Jerry Lees accused over affairs and bonuses”

Cognitive/Perceptual style – nature of thinking and personality type

Sensations – seeing, hearing, touching Deep-seated feelings – e.g. confidence,

lust, respect, affection, compassion etc Interpersonal state – energy level, health

which affect decision process Group relations – sense of belonging,

participation patterns Social context – societal structure and

norms

Charisma -/krizm/

noun 1 compelling attractiveness or charm. 2 (pl. charismata /krizmt/) Christian Theology a divinely conferred talent.

Oxford English Dictionary (2009)

How is this talent applied?

A unitary perspective that centres leadership on an individuals rather than a collective – e.g Mayor Guliani

Danger of instilling sense of infallibility in the leader

Ultimate position is totalitarianism Simplistic framing of complex decisions,

behaviours and actions e.g. contrasting images of Rudy Guliani

 

Planes Strike the Twin TowersOn Tuesday, September 11, the two tallest buildings in New York — 110

stories each, a major tourist attraction, and crowded with men and women working for financial powerhouses, government agencies, restaurants, and

shops — were destroyed.

Hijacked Jets Destroy Twin Towers and Hit Pentagon“Hijackers rammed jetliners into each of New York's World Trade Center towers yesterday, toppling both in a hellish storm of ash, glass, smoke and leaping victims, while a third jetliner crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia. There was no official count, but President Bush said thousands had perished …”

New York Times, September 12th 2001(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/national/12PLAN.html Accessed 26/7/11)

Thank You, Mr. Mayor“We desperately needed a leader -- and Rudy was there. Brave, focused, never far from the front lines, and clearly suffering with us, Rudy was one of the many reasons we were proud to be New Yorkers that week”.

Pilgrims Cornerhttp://pilgrimsreview.blogspot.com/2009/09/our-911-tribute-pictures-and-articles.html Accessed 27/7/11

Photo: Robert D. Ward, US Office of the Secretary of Defence

9/11 workers outraged by new Rudy claim“Rudy Giuliani drew outrage and indignation from Sept. 11 first-responders yesterday by saying he spent as much time – or more - exposed to the site's dangers as workers who dug through the debris for the missing and the dead. Speaking to reporters at a Cincinnati Reds ballgame he caught between fund-raisers, the GOP front-runner said he helped 9/11 families and defended himself against critics of how he managed the attack's aftermath. "This is not a mayor or a governor or a President who's sitting in an ivory tower," Giuliani said. "I was at Ground Zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers. I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them. “His statement rang false to Queens paramedic Marvin Bethea, who said he suffered a stroke, posttraumatic stress disorder and breathing problems after responding to the attacks."I personally find that very, very insulting," he said. "Standing there doing a photo-op and telling the men, 'You're doing a good job,' I don't consider that to be working," said Bethea, 47”. Celeste Katz, New York Daily News.com, 10th August 2007

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/08/10/2007-08-10_911_workers_outraged_by_new_rudy_claim.html Accessed 27th July 2011

Giuliani’s Office Shifted Money Around? Yes. To Hide Hamptons Trips? Unlikely.

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/12/20/us/politics/20071221_GIULIANI_GRAPHIC.html?bl&ex=1198558800&en=f6a6bab7b149f46a&ei=5087%0A Accessed 27/7/11

“The headlines have dogged Rudolph Giuiiani’s presidential campaign for weeks. “Security costs for trysts draw attention,” said one. The articles questioned whether, as mayor, Mr Giuliani tried to hide his visits to Judith Nathan in the Hamptons by burying the associated security costs in the budget of obscure mayoral agencies like the Loft Board”.

Russ Buettner, New York Times December 20 2007

Leadership and power are inseparable Power is a problematic construction at an

extreme evoking totalitarian oppression Power can be explored across a number of

dimensions across a spectrum of constructive to destructive

Power is interlinked with the construct of charisma which again can engender a simplistic level of analysis

An analysis of power should be contextualised (e.g. economic, social, political)

Einarsen, S., Aasland, M.S., and Skogstad, A. (2007) Destructive Leadership Behavior: A Definition and Conceptual Model, The Leadership Quarterly, 18, p207-216

Foucault, M(1977) Discipline and Punish, The Birth of the Prison, Harmondsworth:Penguin;

French, J.R.P and Raven B.H., (1959) The Social Bases of Power in D. Cartwright (ed.), Studies in Social Power, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press

Grint, K. (2005) Leadership Limits and Possibilities, Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke

Ironside, M. and Seifert, R. (2003) Tackling bullying in the workplace; The collective dimension. In S.Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf and C.L. Cooper (eds) Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace. International perspectives in research and practice (pp 383-398) London:Taylor and Francis

Joll, J. (1979) The Anarchists. London:Methuen in Western, S., (2008) Leadership a Critical Text, London:Sage

Kakabadse, A.P. Kakabadse, N.K., and Lee-Davies, L. (2007) Leadership and Organizationa Development Journal, Vol 28, No 3, pp196-208

Oxford English Dictionary (2009)

Thompson, P and McHugh, D 2009 Organisations A critical Approach , Palgrave MacMillan:Basingstoke

Thompson and McHugh (2009)??? Watson, T (1994) In Search of Management: Culture, Chaos and Control in Managerial Work, London: Routledge; Western, S., (2008) Leadership a Critical Text, London: Sage

ReferencesReferences

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Author Dr. Hilary Duckett

Institute University of Plymouth

Title Leadership and Power

Description Presentation

Date Created 18th November 2010

Educational Level 6

Keywords UKOER, LFWOER, UOPCPDLM, Continuous Professional Development, CPD, Work-based Learning, WBL, Leadership, Power

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