Leadership can be defined as the ability to influence others to achieve specific goals (Warrick, 1981). In this paper, I will discuss leadership styles according to the German scientist Kurt Lewin (1890-1947) and the American scientist James MacGregor Burns (1918-2014). This is because of their fundamental contributions to the study of leadership styles. Subsequently, several branches of these styles were built upon them. Eventually, I will apply these methods to the organization I study.
Leadership according to Kurt Lewin
According to (Lewin, Lippitt & White, 1939), Lewin studied the behavior of group of children and recorded their leadership behaviors with their peers, he concluded that leadership styles can be divided into the following:
Autocratic Leadership:
Lewin found clear control over peers and centralized decision-making. In this type, productivity is high, and the ability to complete tasks is more remarkable, but one of. However,disaddisadvantagehod is that it does not encourage creativity within the group and usually consists of exclusive ideas for the leader, who is always characterized by tyranny.
Democratic Leadership:
Lewin argued that these leaders tend to share opinions and distribute decision-making responsibility to everyone, and this method is preferable. There is more creativity, and the group is motivated to achieve the final goals; however, i. However productive it is, as opposed to autocratic leadership and team me, members may give up their tasks if their opinions are not included in the baby (Warrick, 1981).
Laissez-faire leadership:
In this method, the leader delegates his powers to the group, the delegate. The person has complete freedom to make the appropriate decision regarding the tasks assigned to him/her through this method. Thisore suitable for people with experience in the group and who have the same goal as the leader, but this m. However, it is least productive, and group members can shirk responsibility if others make mistakes.
Leadership according to James MacGregor Burns
According (Burns, 1978), Burns grouped leadership and management systems together to be twofold:
Transactional Leadership:
In this style, the functional manager keeps the ship afloat; what a leader in this type cares about most is ensuring everything runs smoothly day by day, the leader. Theles small operational details while maintaining regular employee productivity, in this ty. Iness implement, their sensation of long-range strategies or thinking about future growth.
ExaMcDonaExaMcDonald'snald'snt branches managers are more interested in operational aspects than future strategy.
Transformational Leadership
In this genre, Burns argued that a leader places more emphasis on team building and motivating them to make change for the better, with which they achieve higher goals and higher levels of performance, implementing long-term strategies as well as career growth opportunities for each employee, yet this leader overlooks operational details and performance may be weaker in the short term (Burns, 2003).
Example: Sales & market managers in general,, in general teams, are always interested in developing customers and gaining their trust.
Application on Bechtel Corporation
Application according to Kurt Lewin
In the field of construction project management, leadership styles vary to include all its branches at the same time. For example, when talking about the implementation of the Hoover Dam project, the tasks of the executive management of the dam were assigned to the engineer Frank, who, at that time, for his Autocratic leadership, dictredidoesaanother heathered opinions (Denton, 2016). He distributed the business among the companies according to his personal estimation of the ability of these companies to achieve maximum efficiency for the business items, but the sa. Still, he used another leadership method, Laissez-faire leadership, when distributing the responsibilities of follow-up and supervision to his assistants from project managers, and they Theyecan yo manage their phases in their own way to achieve the common goals of the project.
The application according to James MacGregor Burns:
Founding Father (Warren Bechtel) falls under Transformational Leadership par excellence, he had a vision to put the company in the first rank of constructions companies, and he inspired everyone with him to help him achieve this goal, not only that, but he has formed his family group that was inspired by the same ideas in order for this group to maintain, generation after generation, the forefront of the construction business not only in America but all over the world. (Bechtel, 2020).
Conclusion
Leadership styles vary among managers. Between the conservative style in cases of emergencies and overdue schedules and the democratic style when things are more stable, the transformational leader and transactional leader highlight their role as suitable to lead a particular team under certain circumstances.
References
Bechtel. (2020). Warren-a-bechtel.
https://www.bechtel.com/about-us/warren-a-bechtel/
Burns, G. P. (1978). The Principles of Leadership.
Burns, J. M. (2003). Transforming leadership: A new pursuit of happiness. Grove Press.
Denton, S. (2016). The Profiteers: Bechtel and the Men Who Built the World. Simon and Schuster.
Lewin, K., Lippitt, R., & White, R. K. (1939). Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally cr" rated and"ial c""mates.”. "” Jo" fundamental of social psychology, 10(2), 269-299.
Warrick, D. D. (1981). Leadership styles and their consequences. Journal of Experiential Learning and Simulation, 3(4), 155-172.