Good leaders need to be able to adapt
By Ann-Maree Moodie | smh.com.au | 30 August
Being a manager is like being an actor playing many different roles. One day you're jollying the troops for a job well done. The next day you're cracking the whip because the team is running off schedule with an important project.
It's generally considered leaders typically fall into categories. There are "transactional" leaders who guide and motivate their teams to established goals by clarifying the role and requirements to get there.
Then there's "transformational" leaders who pay attention to the individual needs of team members, helping them find solutions to problems and inspiring them to take charge. Two examples are the late Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, and Richard Branson of the Virgin Group. A third type is the charismatic leader like Amazon's Jeff Bezos, whose innate confidence, enthusiasm and energy inspires everyone in his orbit to do their very best. Such leaders are rare and therefore highly sought-after. No wonder many run their own businesses.
But there is a school of thought about leadership which says that no one style is consistently effective. Understanding this could enhance your own management methods.
"[Leaders] need to be chameleon-like, flexible to choose the right leadership style to initiate a transformation and change at different points in time in order to achieve set objectives," says a study of contemporary leadership styles in Australia by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The study, Insights Into Transformation, was based on 40 face-to-face interviews with CEOs and other executives of leading ASX-listed companies and large government departments which are undertaking, or have recently completed, a transformation program. Organisations participating in the study included Orica, Myer, Telstra, the Department of Main Roads Queensland, National Foods and AGL Energy.
The study concluded that the success of a major change program hinges on the leadership style and role played by the CEO. "We found there is no one right leadership style for success but it is critical that the CEO walks the talk," PricewaterhouseCoopers partner Steve Woolley says. The reason different leadership styles are important for different situations is because the group being led will experience four distinct stages in its development, commonly called forming, storming, norming and performing.
The first stage, forming, is when individuals create the group, define its purpose, structure and leadership. As the leader of a new group it's important to establish a foundation of trust and openness, while also clarifying the team's goals. This is also a good time to model the types of behaviour you'd expect from the team.
The second stage of a group's development is called storming, because this is the time when it is most likely to experience internal conflict. This is a time for patience on the leader's part. Play the mediator by helping to resolve problems, encourage team cohesion and recognise individual contributions. At all times focus the team on the purpose of its task and the outcomes required to get there.
As lovers say, the best part of fighting is making up afterwards and for a team this is the third stage, called norming. This is when the group is exhibiting close relationships and cohesiveness. It's also the easiest time for the leader because all you need to do is keep the group focused on results.
By the time the group has reached maturity, or the performing stage, the leader is likewise busy providing feedback, celebrating achievements, fostering innovative and creative behaviour and providing all the support and resources necessary for the team to do its job.
In all stages there will be periods of elation and great difficulty. Insightful leaders will anticipate these times and adjust their style accordingly. When the group is despondent about its progress, the leader should be optimistic as well as realistic.
In times of celebration it's important to remind the group that, while its achievement is admirable, there's more work to be done. Even if it is functioning well on its own it, will still look to the leader for support, guidance and affirmation so it can continue to operate at an optimal level. A typical example of a time when a group will experience these different stages of development is during a change of management process.
"But," Woolley says, "there is no one effective leadership style for the length of a complete change program. You need to be flexible and adapt to different styles at [various] points."
Breaking up
Groups being managed are commonly thought to progress through four stages, as described in the main story. However, some experts say there is a fifth and equally important stage - the time to say farewell. The disbandment of a group is a standard process for a taskforce or a project team.
Leadership is just as important when a group is dissolving, because team members will experience the gamut of emotions, from celebration to grief. A leader who appreciates the roller-coaster ride of emotions that a group can experience will be most effective in shepherding group members through this final phase.
First published by Smh.com.au on August 30 2008
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