Gaining and Using Power and Influence to lead in the Organization
Gaining and Using Power and Influence to lead in the Organization
Make an effort to make sense of the problem and issue statement provided and connecting it with the concepts of Gaining and Using Power and Influence to lead in the Organization. Use the concepts from Chapter 5: Gaining Power and Influence (p.279-321) from the Developing Management Skills 8th Ed Book (PDF Provided) to Analysis, detail a Plan and create a conclusion.
You can take the approach of power, influence, and networks (or structural power if you wish) within the organization. Use the career-defining experiences stemming from influence and the lack of it within the organization. Put these two contrast experiences provided in a comprehensible, relevant, and structured form to draw some lessons. The content should be more than a simple example of a theory. Power and its exercise are for the most part subjective processes. Your view of what was happening is important then. Do connect it to concepts.
Importantly, the paper you must conclude with
1. What do we learn from all this?
2. What do we take away for the future?
It is here you need to be more objective, take a hard look at the situation, and see what contributed to your (or the other party’s) success/ advantage, or mistakes/ disadvantage.
Guidelines on form and format:
(a) Analysis or Other, and Detailing the Plan – as Applicable Present a good diagnosis
(b) Conclusions/ Inferences – Present a well-reasoned/ thought out solution and/ or lessons learnt.
(c)Closure Summary with a Highlight of Salient Points
Problem/ Issue Statement
Through power and influence, leaders motivate their subordinates to carry out tasks in a more effective manner. This report aims to compare and contrast the power and influence of two Army Ranger Battalion Team Leaders. The Team Leaders were both Junior Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) personnel. This report intends to discover how different leadership styles and approaches promote specific aspects of management power and influence on their subordinates. This work first examines the two leaders’ roles, establishing the similarities and differences in their leadership styles towards their team members.
A brand-new individual arrives at a cohesive and tight nit unit as a young 18-year-old private. The new team member (Joe) experiences autocratic leadership from his first supervisor (Tom) and feels as though his experience, and that of his fellow team members, was harsher than his fellow unit members. Upon gaining a new supervisor (Jerry), Joe and his team members begin to excel and feel more comfortable within the unit. The new supervisor held a more laissez-faire leadership style in comparison to the previous micromanaging leadership.
Both supervisors/team leaders were single males with no dependents and were between the ages of 22-24 years old. They had the same amount of time in the Army and the position of team leader was each their first as a junior NCO. As a Team Leader, they were both responsible for making sure subordinates were accounted for and trained. Both Team Leaders executed tasks to completion and invested the required amount of time during working hours to their subordinates training, but were different in how they went about doing so. Both Team Leaders accounted for the care of the subordinates’ standard issues (health, family, personal issues) that were part of their expected duties as a supervisor. Jerry on the other hand, went above expectations for taking care of his team. For example, Jerry would help motivate a subordinate to improve their run time by running with them.
Differences in their care for morale were noticed between the two leaders. Tom showed no interest in boosting his subordinates’ morale. In contrast, Jerry showed a vested interest in team members by spending time with subordinates outside of working hours and treating them with a friendly attitude. Tom prominently conducted hazing on his subordinates, while Jerry did not. Jerry clearly communicates his vision by empathetically connecting with his team and getting his message and agenda across.
Gaining and Using Power and Influence to lead in the Organization
