THE ROLE OF THE LEADER
LEADERSHIP STYLES
Autocratic/Authoritarian
Explanation: This style of leadership is very straight forward and gets to the point immediately. A leader who is autocratic tends to be very distant, in terms of having a relationship, with the rest of the team. They a very strict with the team and there is no negotiation wanted from the rest of the team, in other words they do as they are told and no complaining. This form of leadership gives you all the information you need for the task and this also helps you get the work done faster.
Scenario: An American general getting his troops ready to deploy in the battlefield of Iraq to support the evacuation of the civilians. The general only has 15 minutes before deployment. The army leader will not have time to take in every opinion of the plan, instead he will assign orders and what goes, goes. If the leader was to take in everyones ideas they would all have to sit there and discuss the ideas, which would waste a lot of time and in a situation like this with such a time restriction you cannot afford it or it could affect your performance. Finally if the leader starts making changes to adjust to someones request he would then have to change other orders as it could affect other areas of the plan, which yet again would waste too much time.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Explanation: This style of leadership is very straight forward and gets to the point immediately. A leader who is autocratic tends to be very distant, in terms of having a relationship, with the rest of the team. They a very strict with the team and there is no negotiation wanted from the rest of the team, in other words they do as they are told and no complaining. This form of leadership gives you all the information you need for the task and this also helps you get the work done faster.
Scenario: An American general getting his troops ready to deploy in the battlefield of Iraq to support the evacuation of the civilians. The general only has 15 minutes before deployment. The army leader will not have time to take in every opinion of the plan, instead he will assign orders and what goes, goes. If the leader was to take in everyones ideas they would all have to sit there and discuss the ideas, which would waste a lot of time and in a situation like this with such a time restriction you cannot afford it or it could affect your performance. Finally if the leader starts making changes to adjust to someones request he would then have to change other orders as it could affect other areas of the plan, which yet again would waste too much time.
Advantages:
- Everyone knows exactly what to do and how to do it.
- Keeps everyone organised.
- Allows much easier control of a large team.
- Decisions are made fast.
Disadvantages:
- The leader takes most of the responsibility if anything goes wrong.
- Team members do not take any initiative.
- Team members may disagree and become demotivated which could end up in a high staff turnover.
- Members may be scared of the consequences if something goes wrong adding to their stress, which could affect ones performance.
Democratic
Explanation: In this form of leadership every team member is very much involved in the decision making, however the leader still has the final word. Every team member is allowed to have a voice and bring forward there thoughts on the idea and the leader can then consider wether or not to use the idea. Therefore unlike an autocratic leader a democratic leader is much closer to the rest of the team as they actually engage in conversations with the members.
Scenario: A fire department in Zamboanga have decided to give out more money to each unit the firefighters. This is because the government decided to give an increased budget after several appeals from the leader due to lack of equipment. Therefore the leader has decided to have a meeting with the representatives of all the units. He presents the situation to everyone and gives out details on the rise. He then starts an open discussion to decide who should get what sums of money and why. Some units may argue they have more workers so they need more equipment. Some units may argue that that they need more advanced equipment, which requires more money. The leader then takes a break to make a rough decision, which he then feeds back to the group. He then listens again to see what everyone thinks about the idea and may make few adjustments on the final decision depending on what is said.
Advantages:
Dis-advantages:
Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_The_U.S._Army_-_Meeting_with_Iraqis.jpg
Explanation: In this form of leadership every team member is very much involved in the decision making, however the leader still has the final word. Every team member is allowed to have a voice and bring forward there thoughts on the idea and the leader can then consider wether or not to use the idea. Therefore unlike an autocratic leader a democratic leader is much closer to the rest of the team as they actually engage in conversations with the members.
Scenario: A fire department in Zamboanga have decided to give out more money to each unit the firefighters. This is because the government decided to give an increased budget after several appeals from the leader due to lack of equipment. Therefore the leader has decided to have a meeting with the representatives of all the units. He presents the situation to everyone and gives out details on the rise. He then starts an open discussion to decide who should get what sums of money and why. Some units may argue they have more workers so they need more equipment. Some units may argue that that they need more advanced equipment, which requires more money. The leader then takes a break to make a rough decision, which he then feeds back to the group. He then listens again to see what everyone thinks about the idea and may make few adjustments on the final decision depending on what is said.
Advantages:
- Everyone is more involved and feels part of the team.
- One may be more motivated to preform well as everyone has a bit of responsibility.
- Respect towards the leader may be developed.
- Members are able to take initiative.
- Expertise are shared.
Dis-advantages:
- Takes a lot of time and not appropriate for many situation in public services as normally they need to get a job done fast and efficiently.
- Everyone is required to work for longer, therefore need to get paid more which is not economically convenient.
- Not appropriate for safety matters. Safety should not be discussed but just followed.
Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_The_U.S._Army_-_Meeting_with_Iraqis.jpg
Laissez-faire
Explanation: The Laissez-faire style is also know as a very "hands off" type of leadership. They tend to give orders and roles and then the member of the team have to carry out that task without anymore guidance. Team members are then given the responsibility to complete the task with their own initiative. to use theThis is a difficult leadership to adopt for the leader as he is giving authority and plenty of freedom to the rest of the team. This approach is very effective when a team is well trained and the individuals are motivated.
Scenario: Two police officers are on duty in the are of Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Someone has reported a suspicious looking man in front of a store. The police have only been told the area to go to and a brief description of the situation from the dispatch clerk. They approach the man and start to ask some questions about his identity and what his plans where for the day. After gathering the information THEY have to decide if the man is suspicious or not and if it is necessary to have a bag and body check or not. This is up to them to decide and they are given no order from a superior. If they find any contraband on the man they will do as trained and simply arrest the man and call in a police van.
Advantages:
Explanation: The Laissez-faire style is also know as a very "hands off" type of leadership. They tend to give orders and roles and then the member of the team have to carry out that task without anymore guidance. Team members are then given the responsibility to complete the task with their own initiative. to use theThis is a difficult leadership to adopt for the leader as he is giving authority and plenty of freedom to the rest of the team. This approach is very effective when a team is well trained and the individuals are motivated.
Scenario: Two police officers are on duty in the are of Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Someone has reported a suspicious looking man in front of a store. The police have only been told the area to go to and a brief description of the situation from the dispatch clerk. They approach the man and start to ask some questions about his identity and what his plans where for the day. After gathering the information THEY have to decide if the man is suspicious or not and if it is necessary to have a bag and body check or not. This is up to them to decide and they are given no order from a superior. If they find any contraband on the man they will do as trained and simply arrest the man and call in a police van.
Advantages:
- The leader does not need to take much responsibility and the work load is much less.
- Motivated members preform well.
- Allows members to take plenty of initiative.
- Leader does not have much control over the group.
- New members may find it very hard to adopt as there is no guidance.
- The leader may end up having a very small role and contribution to the team.
Transactional - This is where a leader motivates his team by giving them rewards and also establishes punishments if the task is done incorrectly. Rewards are used to motivate the team to preform better and punishments are used to almost scare the members. It is very similar to the autocratic leadership only it is less strict. A leader who is transactional gets to the point and gives a clear structure on what he wants and how he wants it done. An example would be a leader telling a police officer under training that the course needs to be completed under 20 minutes. If he completes it he will be promoted to a higher ranking if not he will have to do a physical penalty, such as push ups, and then will be able to re-take the training test in half a year.
Advantages:
This in someways is a good type of leadership as the members are very motivated. Also it gets the instructions over to the team very clearly. Finally the leader can monitor everyones individual progress and then work from there to improve them.
Disadvantage:
The disadvantages are that the team members may find it really hard as they might not be able to carry out the task due to either a lack of knowledge or resources, however the leader does not take this into consideration. Also it does not allow team members to use much creativity in achieving the task. To conclude there is not much job satisfaction as the individual only aims for the next available reward and everyone is just motivated by money.
Transformational - A leader who gives his team members a vision of where they will be and identifies there potential, therefore looking at the long-term goals rather than the short-term goals. The team leader encourages the member to succeed as a team and not as an individual. So instead of achieving personal goals he motivates the team to achieve the common goals altogether. A transformational leader is all in all like a mentor and tends to be enthusiastic about his ideas as he tries to inspire his team. This is done through a lot of talking and other forms of communication. They do listen to their teams and sort out individual responsibilities but when it comes to the task they are rather Laissez-faire as in they trust the team to work out the problems and achieve the goals themselves. An example of this would be the team leader of a SWAT team before entering a building. He will try to motivate the team and inspire them to be "heroes" and might mention long-term goals like how they will be able to go home and see their family after the mission or that if it all goes well they might be able to get a promotion.
Advantages: A transformation leader is very inspiring, encouraging and motivational therefore the team will like him/her very much and therefore the team members will be putting in more effort into the team as they want to preform better. This is because a happy team is a productive team. Also the team members will be less stressed and will generally feel better about themselves again increasing productivity and also will reduce staff turnover.
Disadvantages: The leaders beliefs in an individual is not always right so it could lead a team member in the wrong direction. Secondly a transformational leader may have a vision for a team member but not the details on what to do and how to do it. Another disadvantage is that sometimes a team member might not trust or believe that what the leader is saying is actually true, which means he/she will be put off and not work as well, eventually even quitting. Last but not least if the leader is putting to much enthusiasm into the team the members will get tired of it.
Task Orientated - This type of leadership is very hated by team members. The leader is only focused on achieving the task and does not look into the personal needs of the individuals and the needs of the team. The leader will give roles, instructions and deadlines and what goes, goes. It is the complete opposite of a people orientated leader. An example would be paramedics arriving at a scene and the leader giving bold and clear instructions on how to take the patient into the car without asking any feedback as time is critical.
Advantages: The task is completed in a very fast manner. Everything is more organised and systematic as the instructions are very clear giving the team members a clear idea of what the task is and how to cary out the task correctly.
Disadvantages: An individual of the team may feel very ignored and alienated from the team, which can increase the staff turnover. This leadership does not encourage members to use much initiative, which can decrease ones motivation to preform well. Finally in a dangerous situation focusing on the task too much could put the lives of your team members in serious risk and may result in injuries and even deaths.
People Orientated - One of the most appreciated styles of leadership. The leader cares about developing a team relationship. This leader works on developing the skills of an individual and brining out ones potential so that they can then contribute better to the team. For example some mountain rescuers are going to save a patient stuck in a snow storm. The leader may ask if the team members feel comfortable going and if they feel they will be able to carry out the task safely. This shows a people orientated leader as he makes sure his team will be safe.
Advantages: The team members will respect the leader very much as they are respected in return by the leader. The team will be more productive because of their positive attitude. They will have a more positive attitude because they feel cared about and they feel as if their safety and well being is taken into consideration at all times.
Disadvantages: Tasks take much longer to carry out as safety is a priority. Tasks may also not be carried out if the leader is too worried for the teams safety. Finally the leader needs to take much more time with each member individually as he needs to work with everyone to try develop them and their skills.
Advantages:
This in someways is a good type of leadership as the members are very motivated. Also it gets the instructions over to the team very clearly. Finally the leader can monitor everyones individual progress and then work from there to improve them.
Disadvantage:
The disadvantages are that the team members may find it really hard as they might not be able to carry out the task due to either a lack of knowledge or resources, however the leader does not take this into consideration. Also it does not allow team members to use much creativity in achieving the task. To conclude there is not much job satisfaction as the individual only aims for the next available reward and everyone is just motivated by money.
Transformational - A leader who gives his team members a vision of where they will be and identifies there potential, therefore looking at the long-term goals rather than the short-term goals. The team leader encourages the member to succeed as a team and not as an individual. So instead of achieving personal goals he motivates the team to achieve the common goals altogether. A transformational leader is all in all like a mentor and tends to be enthusiastic about his ideas as he tries to inspire his team. This is done through a lot of talking and other forms of communication. They do listen to their teams and sort out individual responsibilities but when it comes to the task they are rather Laissez-faire as in they trust the team to work out the problems and achieve the goals themselves. An example of this would be the team leader of a SWAT team before entering a building. He will try to motivate the team and inspire them to be "heroes" and might mention long-term goals like how they will be able to go home and see their family after the mission or that if it all goes well they might be able to get a promotion.
Advantages: A transformation leader is very inspiring, encouraging and motivational therefore the team will like him/her very much and therefore the team members will be putting in more effort into the team as they want to preform better. This is because a happy team is a productive team. Also the team members will be less stressed and will generally feel better about themselves again increasing productivity and also will reduce staff turnover.
Disadvantages: The leaders beliefs in an individual is not always right so it could lead a team member in the wrong direction. Secondly a transformational leader may have a vision for a team member but not the details on what to do and how to do it. Another disadvantage is that sometimes a team member might not trust or believe that what the leader is saying is actually true, which means he/she will be put off and not work as well, eventually even quitting. Last but not least if the leader is putting to much enthusiasm into the team the members will get tired of it.
Task Orientated - This type of leadership is very hated by team members. The leader is only focused on achieving the task and does not look into the personal needs of the individuals and the needs of the team. The leader will give roles, instructions and deadlines and what goes, goes. It is the complete opposite of a people orientated leader. An example would be paramedics arriving at a scene and the leader giving bold and clear instructions on how to take the patient into the car without asking any feedback as time is critical.
Advantages: The task is completed in a very fast manner. Everything is more organised and systematic as the instructions are very clear giving the team members a clear idea of what the task is and how to cary out the task correctly.
Disadvantages: An individual of the team may feel very ignored and alienated from the team, which can increase the staff turnover. This leadership does not encourage members to use much initiative, which can decrease ones motivation to preform well. Finally in a dangerous situation focusing on the task too much could put the lives of your team members in serious risk and may result in injuries and even deaths.
People Orientated - One of the most appreciated styles of leadership. The leader cares about developing a team relationship. This leader works on developing the skills of an individual and brining out ones potential so that they can then contribute better to the team. For example some mountain rescuers are going to save a patient stuck in a snow storm. The leader may ask if the team members feel comfortable going and if they feel they will be able to carry out the task safely. This shows a people orientated leader as he makes sure his team will be safe.
Advantages: The team members will respect the leader very much as they are respected in return by the leader. The team will be more productive because of their positive attitude. They will have a more positive attitude because they feel cared about and they feel as if their safety and well being is taken into consideration at all times.
Disadvantages: Tasks take much longer to carry out as safety is a priority. Tasks may also not be carried out if the leader is too worried for the teams safety. Finally the leader needs to take much more time with each member individually as he needs to work with everyone to try develop them and their skills.
Identifying the role of a team leader
SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AUTOCRATIC AND LAISSEZ-FAIRE LEADERSHIP
Similarities
Between the Autocratic style of leadership and the Laissez-faire leadership there are just a few similarities. First of all they both don't ask for feedback from the team and instead they give them a task that they need to complete. The team members in both types of leadership can't go to to the leader and ask for advice or give their own opinion. An autocratic leader will give the team instructions and without any questions they must complete the task. A laissez-faire leader very similarly will give the team a task to complete and then he will lay back and won't give any advice or listen to any of the team members issues.
Secondly in both style the decision making of the team members is very quick. This is because in the autocratic leadership style the leader will give a very clear instruction and the team members simply need to complete it. Very similarly a team members under the directions of a laissez-faire leader have a lot of freedom and can make decisions themselves to complete the task without having to consult the leader.
Secondly in both style the decision making of the team members is very quick. This is because in the autocratic leadership style the leader will give a very clear instruction and the team members simply need to complete it. Very similarly a team members under the directions of a laissez-faire leader have a lot of freedom and can make decisions themselves to complete the task without having to consult the leader.
Differences
Since these two types of leaderships are quite the opposite of each other there are quite a few differences. One of the differences is that, unlike someone under the hands of an autocratic leadership who is given clear instruction on how to carry out a task, an individual under the hands of a laissez-faire leader might struggle to complete the task as you have to use your own initiative to make decisions. These are two very different approaches on how the team members tackle the work.
Another difference these two types of leadership styles have is that the work is completed much faster with an autocratic leader. This is because an autocratic leader would give out instructions with a deadline, for the team to work towards to. On the other hand a laissez-faire leader simply gives the task and as long as the task is completed correctly he/she does not mind how the task is carried out or how long it takes, increasing the duration of the task completion. Also if you have clear instructions on how to complete the task, given by an autocratic leader, you can complete the task faster than a member that needs to think and use his/her own initiative to decide what way is the best to carry out the task assigned, because a laissez-faire leader does not give any instructions on how to complete the task.
The third point is that with an autocratic leader he/she gives all the instructions and makes all the plans and decisions on how to carry out the task. This restricts the team members from using there initiative. On the other hand a laissez-faire leader does not make any decisions, he/she just sets out the task. The team members need to asses the situation themselves and need to create their own system on how to do the work and they need to make their own decisions.
Finally an autocratic leader may be seen as more powerful and strict compared to a laissez-faire leader. The reason behind this is an autocratic leader will give out more instructions and is much more involved, therefore having more control over the team and can spot any bad behaviour and mistakes. Alternatively a laissez-faire leader is behind the scenes, does not give any instructions and does not really spend much time with the team meaning that he/she will not have much control over what they are doing and will not see how the team are carrying out the tasks.
Another difference these two types of leadership styles have is that the work is completed much faster with an autocratic leader. This is because an autocratic leader would give out instructions with a deadline, for the team to work towards to. On the other hand a laissez-faire leader simply gives the task and as long as the task is completed correctly he/she does not mind how the task is carried out or how long it takes, increasing the duration of the task completion. Also if you have clear instructions on how to complete the task, given by an autocratic leader, you can complete the task faster than a member that needs to think and use his/her own initiative to decide what way is the best to carry out the task assigned, because a laissez-faire leader does not give any instructions on how to complete the task.
The third point is that with an autocratic leader he/she gives all the instructions and makes all the plans and decisions on how to carry out the task. This restricts the team members from using there initiative. On the other hand a laissez-faire leader does not make any decisions, he/she just sets out the task. The team members need to asses the situation themselves and need to create their own system on how to do the work and they need to make their own decisions.
Finally an autocratic leader may be seen as more powerful and strict compared to a laissez-faire leader. The reason behind this is an autocratic leader will give out more instructions and is much more involved, therefore having more control over the team and can spot any bad behaviour and mistakes. Alternatively a laissez-faire leader is behind the scenes, does not give any instructions and does not really spend much time with the team meaning that he/she will not have much control over what they are doing and will not see how the team are carrying out the tasks.
Swapping the roles around
In the first few minutes of this video we see an autocratic military leader. He is giving very strict orders and is not asking the team for any feedback or opinions on the tasks. Everything is done in a very systematic order. However if we swapped this leader with a laissez-faire style of leader a lot of problems would arise. First of all the leader would loose his amount of authority, which is very important to have in the military as the leader needs to keep everything in order. Second of all since it is such a large group it will be much more difficult to keep everything in order as everyone would be doing things their own way if they are given the freedom to use their own initiative. Finally since everyone is new they are very unexperienced so by giving them this freedom of making their own choices it is very likely for them to mess up as they do not know exactly what and how to do some tasks. So all in all by having a laissez-faire leader in this situation would be very ineffective as it would decrease productivity and decrease order within the team.
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In this video we hear a dispatch officer call out any police officers in duty to complete a task. She gives him the information he needs for example the address and quick insight in the problem and the possible suspects and victims. The police officer has to then deal with the situation himself using his own initiative. If we swapped the dispatch officer to an autocratic leader things would be very different. To start off the dispatch officer would be giving all the instructions on how to do the task not allowing the officer to do things how he knows best. This is very ineffective as the dispatch is not at the scene and cannot adjust orders based on the situation and in the public services it is very common for the situation to change all of a sudden. The second point is that in such a nerve racking task you need motivation and if the officer does not agree with the orders he/she could loose their motivation and this would decrease the officers effectiveness in the task which could potentially put peoples lives at risk. One advantage would be that everything could be done faster as the officer does not have to think for himself and in the public service every second counts. Looking at the thing as a whole having a democratic dispatch officer would be very ineffective in this case and could put many things at risk such as the victims and officers live but also put at risk the task completion.
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My Leadership Style
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The graph shows that I am very clearly an autocratic leader and I could be democratic at times. I am most likely to not be very Laissez-faire. This means I am probably a very strict leader that gets to the point and is very bold with ideas. However sometimes I may be more caring towards my employees and ask for their thoughts and views on the task. I believe that this is a very accurate as I am very harsh when I want work done and it has to be done perfect. I don't really like when people start to disagree with me as I am very strong in my opinions. I do sometimes ask for opinions but very rarely. So overall this is very accurate.
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EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT LEADERSHIP STYLES IN A PUBLIC SERVICE
To achieve the distinction in this assignment I will analyse and then conclude how different styles of leadership would work in a public service. The service I will look at is the bomb disposal unit of the police force. In countries like the USA the bomb disposal unit is part of the army, however here in Hong Kong it is part of the police unit. I will not be looking at the police force overall because there are many departments within this public service and a leadership style may be efficient for one department but maybe not for another department.
Autocratic/Authoritarian Leader
An autocratic leadership approach to the bomb disposal unit is probably one of the most effective styles. This is because when diffusing a bomb you might have a time limit, therefore everything needs to be done fast and precisely. With this style of leadership there are clear instructions with no discussions so everything is completed much faster and much more accurately. By having clear instructions the team is also more concentrated and knows exactly what to do, minimising the risk of making mistakes from ones carelessness. However the leader may not always be right and mistakes are not an option. If the leader gives a wrong piece of instruction the bomb could be set off causing injuries and deaths. Secondly if there is a very un-experienced recruit who does not understand the instructions, he might fall under pressure, as he cannot as the leader for assistance, and again this might lead to a mistake. Finally the leader is responsible for any mistakes so this could also add to the leaders stress, yet again increasing the likeliness of making a mistake.
Democratic
Not particularly the best style of leadership for this particular department. This is because if you have a time restriction the last thing to do is discuss and argue the best solution. This will not only waste time but can create confusion. When carrying out such a dangerous task everything has to be organised and done efficiently. However everyone will be able to voice there own opinion on how to complete the task and this might help the leader find the best and safest solution. Another advantage of democratic leadership in the bomb disposal unit is the scenario may vary, not all bombs are the same. If you have discussions within the team everyone can share their expertise as the leader does not always know everything, this is very similar to the previous point.
Laissez-Faire
The least effective leadership for the bomb disposal department. The reason for this is that to carry out such a dangerous task everything has to be done accurately and with some sort of safety guideline. A laissez-faire leader would just give the task and expect the team members to carry it out themselves with their own ideas. This would be a major security breach. Secondly when diffusing a bomb it may have to be a team effort meaning that team work and collaboration needs to take place. With no leader giving any control it can very easily become disorganised as different individuals will have different ideas on how to carry out the task, which increases the risk of team members getting frustrated and stressed causing mistakes. There are not many advantages, however one may argue that with a laissez-faire leader the members might be more calm as the leader does not put as much stress since there are no strict instructions or any imposed consequences, therefore an individual is much calmer when working and can concentrate better.
Task Orientated
When dealing with bombs and other explosives there is a major risk involved. If a team leader is only focused on the task, he might forget about the teams safety. A task orientated leader will not really access the safety issues in the task and will not only put the group at risk, but will also but the lives of anyone in the area at risk. On the other hand a task orientated leader is very organised and will keep everything systematic avoiding confusion. The work is also completed much faster as there is only the leader giving instructions and everyone simply following what the leader says. However if there is an inexperienced member on the team this type of leader will put a blind eye to his needs and will not assist him, which is adding to the risk factor of making mistakes.
Team Orientated
For a team orientated leader his number one priority is the teams safety and needs. This will definitely take more time as the leader will have to assess the task and see if it is suitable to send in a team to carry out the task or not. This means that unlike a task orientated leader, you cannot 100 percent rely that they will do the job if you dispatch the team to the site. This is because if the leader feels that the safety of his team members is at risk he/she will simply not send in the team. This prevents the team from getting injured or even die. Therefore the team members when entering the task will feel much safer and relaxed as they know that their leader has taken into consideration their safety. But if the task is not attempted due to safety issues the lives of many innocent civilians are at risk if the evacuation process is not effective. Also there may be quite a lot of damage to nearby structures.
Transformational
This will leader will improve the quality of work of an individual. He/she will give a member a target or a skill that he/she believes that they can develop. Therefore the individual will work hard to get to this goal meaning they will preform better. With this type of job the more career the better and by having a target you want to work to you might end up working very long on this particular job. However if one of the team members does not agree with the leaders objectives and beliefs, he/she will be put off and not preform as well. This may result in the team member quitting meaning that the department has to invest more money and time to train another recruit.
Transactional
A transactional leader is appropriate in some ways for this public service as he/she is very organised an he/she transmits the instructions to the team very clearly. Also with such a nerve racking job it is very easy to get stressed out and demotivated, however a transactional leader would help keep the team motivated and prevent them from slacking off by proposing awards and also proposing punishments. For example a leader might give a bonus to a team member for good performance and if they are preforming poorly they will be on toilet cleaning duties for a week. Flipping the coin this style of the leadership has quite a few flaws. First off the leader gives the team no authority meaning that if there is a problem that needs to be solved immediately a team member can't make such a decision on his own. This minimises there opportunities to take initiative and therefore cannot develop this skill, which may be needed at further stage in ones career.
My conclusion
In my opinion the best style of leadership for the bomb disposal unit is the autocratic style of leadership. For this particular department it is all about working efficiently and being organised and I think that by having an autocratic leader this is achieved the best. An autocratic leader will give instructions to keep the team on task and the ambient is discussion free so there is no arguing or distractions. Some attributes of a transactional leader would also be very beneficial. The attribute that would be very beneficial is the award and punishment system as that would really keep a team motivated and would encourage them to work hard so they have a better career.
Image source: http://www.china.org.cn/china/2014-02/07/content_31389771.htm
Autocratic/Authoritarian Leader
An autocratic leadership approach to the bomb disposal unit is probably one of the most effective styles. This is because when diffusing a bomb you might have a time limit, therefore everything needs to be done fast and precisely. With this style of leadership there are clear instructions with no discussions so everything is completed much faster and much more accurately. By having clear instructions the team is also more concentrated and knows exactly what to do, minimising the risk of making mistakes from ones carelessness. However the leader may not always be right and mistakes are not an option. If the leader gives a wrong piece of instruction the bomb could be set off causing injuries and deaths. Secondly if there is a very un-experienced recruit who does not understand the instructions, he might fall under pressure, as he cannot as the leader for assistance, and again this might lead to a mistake. Finally the leader is responsible for any mistakes so this could also add to the leaders stress, yet again increasing the likeliness of making a mistake.
Democratic
Not particularly the best style of leadership for this particular department. This is because if you have a time restriction the last thing to do is discuss and argue the best solution. This will not only waste time but can create confusion. When carrying out such a dangerous task everything has to be organised and done efficiently. However everyone will be able to voice there own opinion on how to complete the task and this might help the leader find the best and safest solution. Another advantage of democratic leadership in the bomb disposal unit is the scenario may vary, not all bombs are the same. If you have discussions within the team everyone can share their expertise as the leader does not always know everything, this is very similar to the previous point.
Laissez-Faire
The least effective leadership for the bomb disposal department. The reason for this is that to carry out such a dangerous task everything has to be done accurately and with some sort of safety guideline. A laissez-faire leader would just give the task and expect the team members to carry it out themselves with their own ideas. This would be a major security breach. Secondly when diffusing a bomb it may have to be a team effort meaning that team work and collaboration needs to take place. With no leader giving any control it can very easily become disorganised as different individuals will have different ideas on how to carry out the task, which increases the risk of team members getting frustrated and stressed causing mistakes. There are not many advantages, however one may argue that with a laissez-faire leader the members might be more calm as the leader does not put as much stress since there are no strict instructions or any imposed consequences, therefore an individual is much calmer when working and can concentrate better.
Task Orientated
When dealing with bombs and other explosives there is a major risk involved. If a team leader is only focused on the task, he might forget about the teams safety. A task orientated leader will not really access the safety issues in the task and will not only put the group at risk, but will also but the lives of anyone in the area at risk. On the other hand a task orientated leader is very organised and will keep everything systematic avoiding confusion. The work is also completed much faster as there is only the leader giving instructions and everyone simply following what the leader says. However if there is an inexperienced member on the team this type of leader will put a blind eye to his needs and will not assist him, which is adding to the risk factor of making mistakes.
Team Orientated
For a team orientated leader his number one priority is the teams safety and needs. This will definitely take more time as the leader will have to assess the task and see if it is suitable to send in a team to carry out the task or not. This means that unlike a task orientated leader, you cannot 100 percent rely that they will do the job if you dispatch the team to the site. This is because if the leader feels that the safety of his team members is at risk he/she will simply not send in the team. This prevents the team from getting injured or even die. Therefore the team members when entering the task will feel much safer and relaxed as they know that their leader has taken into consideration their safety. But if the task is not attempted due to safety issues the lives of many innocent civilians are at risk if the evacuation process is not effective. Also there may be quite a lot of damage to nearby structures.
Transformational
This will leader will improve the quality of work of an individual. He/she will give a member a target or a skill that he/she believes that they can develop. Therefore the individual will work hard to get to this goal meaning they will preform better. With this type of job the more career the better and by having a target you want to work to you might end up working very long on this particular job. However if one of the team members does not agree with the leaders objectives and beliefs, he/she will be put off and not preform as well. This may result in the team member quitting meaning that the department has to invest more money and time to train another recruit.
Transactional
A transactional leader is appropriate in some ways for this public service as he/she is very organised an he/she transmits the instructions to the team very clearly. Also with such a nerve racking job it is very easy to get stressed out and demotivated, however a transactional leader would help keep the team motivated and prevent them from slacking off by proposing awards and also proposing punishments. For example a leader might give a bonus to a team member for good performance and if they are preforming poorly they will be on toilet cleaning duties for a week. Flipping the coin this style of the leadership has quite a few flaws. First off the leader gives the team no authority meaning that if there is a problem that needs to be solved immediately a team member can't make such a decision on his own. This minimises there opportunities to take initiative and therefore cannot develop this skill, which may be needed at further stage in ones career.
My conclusion
In my opinion the best style of leadership for the bomb disposal unit is the autocratic style of leadership. For this particular department it is all about working efficiently and being organised and I think that by having an autocratic leader this is achieved the best. An autocratic leader will give instructions to keep the team on task and the ambient is discussion free so there is no arguing or distractions. Some attributes of a transactional leader would also be very beneficial. The attribute that would be very beneficial is the award and punishment system as that would really keep a team motivated and would encourage them to work hard so they have a better career.
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