Leadership Vs Management Research Paper

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Introduction

Leadership and management are two inescapable facts of our daily lives. Almost every entity – from political formations, to football clubs, to organizations and companies – has people at the helm who are supposed to provide strategic direction and guidance. The question that remains unanswered for most people is whether these individuals should be referred to as managers or leaders. It is important to note that the debate on whether there is any difference between leadership and management has been on for a long period of time. While there are those who believe that leadership and management are distinct, others hold the point of view that these two concepts overlap. Also, there are who are of the opinion that the two terms are in essence synonymous. Some of those who deem the two concepts as being distinct from each other are of the opinion that leadership and management are mutually exclusive, in that a competent manager cannot make a good leader, and vice versa.

It would be easy to refer to all managers as leaders. However, the question that one could ask is whether leadership is exercised by all managers. Also, it should be noted that there are individuals in positions of leadership despite having no management roles and duties. Given that the two terms continue to be used interchangeably in some settings, there is need to determine whether there exists any difference between leadership and management. This is more so the case given the need to better understand the nature of the two concepts with an aim of finding out how best leadership and/or management skills can be natured and further enhanced. In today’s dynamic world, and given the vigorous nature of modern workplaces, there is need to determine what exactly constitutes leadership and/or management and how exactly leaders and/or managers fit in the said settings. In that regard, therefore, the relevance of highlighting the differences (if any) between leadership and management cannot be overstated.

Research Question

Is there any difference between leadership and management? Over time, the terms leadership and management have been used synonymously. However, there are those who are of the opinion that the two are inherently distinct. There is need to determine whether the two concepts share roles, duties, and mandates. Also, in an attempt to find out whether (and how) the two concepts are connected, the unique functions as well as activities of both ought to be highlighted.

A Review of Literature

In seeking to highlight differences between leadership and management, there is need to define the terms separately so as to determine whether they converge or intersect by way of definition. Various definitions of leadership have been offered over time. As a matter of fact, it has often been said that the existing definitions of leadership out there are as many as the persons who have defined the term in the past. According to Kellerman (as cited in Rost, 1993), “leadership is the process by which one individual consistently exerts more impact than others on the nature and direction of group activity” (p. 72). This definition of leadership, as Rost (1993) points out is largely focused on the viewpoint of “do-as-the-leader’s-wishes” (p. 72). One key aspect of this particular definition is consistency.

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A person who influences the course and conduct of a given group for a short period of time and then loses that influence, cannot be regarded a true leader as per this definition. A group in this case could be made up of an infinite number of people and its mandate could vary widely. Those who fit the definition of leadership as per Kellerman’s definition include, but they are not limited to, religious leaders (such as the Pope – the leader of the Catholic Church) and political leaders (such as Vladimir Putin – the current president of Russia).

Yet another person who has attempted to define leadership is Gardner. According to Gardner (as cited in Rost, 1993), “leadership is the process of persuasion or example by which an individual (or leadership team) induces a group to pursue objectives held by the leader or shared by the leader and his or her followers” (p. 72). The defining aspect of this definition is that a leader need not necessarily be an individual. A ‘leader’ could comprise of a team of people exerting influence over an even larger group of people. The author also identifies two key ingredients of leadership – i.e. example and persuasion. What this, in essence, means is that a leader has to not only be persuasive so as to win the confidence of his or her followers, by he or she has to lead by example as well. This effectively means leaders should lead from the front. Also, as per Gardner’s definition, the objectives pursued could either be shared or held by the leader only, with the leader in the latter case persuading his followers to adopt the very same opinions or viewpoints.

Others who have attempted to give meaning to the term leader and/or leadership include, but that are not limited to Northouse (a university professor) and Nahavandi (a well-known author of leadership texts). A leader, according to Nahavandi (as cited in Ricketts and Ricketts, 2010), is “any person who influences individuals and groups within an organization, helps them in the establishment of goals, and guides them toward the achievement of those goals, thereby allowing them to be effective” (p. 5). Northouse (as cited in Ricketts and Ricketts. 2010), on the other hand, is of the opinion that leadership is a process occasioned by the influence of a group by an individual. The said influence could be towards the accomplishment of a specific objective.

A review of the various definitions of leadership that have been offered over time would not be complete without highlighting the definition of leadership as outlined in Stogdill’s leadership handbook. Bertocci (2009) points out that the said handbook is widely accepted as an authority on matters leadership. Leadership, according to Stogdill (as cited in Bertocci, 2009), “occurs when one group member modifies the motivation or competencies of others in the group” (p. 5). In that regard, therefore, leadership is not necessarily elective, i.e. a person could assume the position of leadership in a group setting without being expressly elected as group leader. Towards that end, Stogdill (as cited in….....

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