Effective Management and Leadership. Key Functions of Leadership and Essay

Effective Management and Leadership. Key Functions of Leadership and Management, and Their Application - Essay Example Leadership can be described as a calling. For one to practice as an effective leader, they must tap into management skills. It is important to note that leadership and management are two different concepts that must go hand in hand for the successful operation of an organisation (Armstrong, 2012:15). Notably, effective management and leadership are important in guiding a particular team towards the attainment of its goals and objectives. Particularly, any leader requires effective management skills to direct any organisation efficiently. One must therefore adapt excellent managerial principles to be an efficient leader. Various Theories of Leadership and Management and Appreciate the Contemporary Issues Facing Leaders and Managers There are various theories that can be used to describe the issues of leadership and effective management. For one to be an effective leader they must understand how an efficient team works therefore it is important to look at John Adair’s action cen tred leadership framework. This model supports previous on motivation by Maslow (Janet, 2006:45). The model offers a well defined strategy for the effective management and leadership of any group, team or organisation. It is a basic leadership and management framework that can be easily adapted or applied to various business situations. Effective managers and leaders have command of the three areas stipulated by the model. These are task, individual and team. Effective managers and leaders are said to have command of the three areas and can balance them to improve productivity within a team, improve staff morale, develop teams and build and improve quality. According to Adair’s framework, there are three basic responsibilities for management. These include accomplishing a particular task, managing a team or a group and managing people. The framework stipulates the roles and duties of a manager in achieving a given task. Some of the important roles that have been identified in clude defining the activities to be achieved, coming up with a plan on how to attain these tasks, monitoring and evaluating performance of the group and reporting the progress to the relevant authorities. The framework spells out the responsibilities of a manager towards the group (Gray, 2010:34). These are to set up and communicate to the members of the group the culture, ethics and aims and objectives of the group. Finally, it spells out the responsibilities of managers for different team members. Managers should understand their team members in terms of skills, personality, strengths, weaknesses and goal. This model concludes that management and leadership are different. Furthermore, good leaders are not necessarily effective mangers but good leaders will have effective management skills. Secondly, there is the management theory of leadership that is commonly referred to as the transactional theory. This model pays close attention to the role of group performance, supervision and organisation. It is based on a system of rewards for outstanding performance and punishments for substandard performance. From the leadership perspective, the relationship between managers and employees is an exchange. Both parties have something to offer. Rules and regulations are important in leadership (Forssell, 2008:78). Employees are not required to be creative or come up with solutions to problems. This framework is application in entities where there are simple problems. This model is only effective in specific situations and it hinders managers and employees from realising their optimum potential. There is the contingency theory of leadership and management that states that no leadership or management style is suitable for all work environments. According to the model, there are various