Free Custom «Leadership in Public Purpose Organizations» Essay Paper

Question 1

Organizations with a democratic style of leadership are more successful because members’ contribution is encouraged and they feel as part of the whole management process. Such an organization is the Women’s Global Empowerment Fund. The organization encourages input from members of the staff and its clients in ensuring that the goals of the organization are met because they are dealing with real people with real issues.

The organization has teams that are assigned projects, which they should complete within a given period. Such projects may include going to homes of abused women and finding out why they refuse to leave abusive relationships and offering them better solutions. A team leader encourages the members to contribute to the group project by use of effective motivational techniques. Group members are also given a comfortable atmosphere, which encourages them to speak freely and share their ideas. The team leader could also include an open discussion to make decisions based on consensus opinions. The team leader also interviews each member of the team to determine the skills and preference and, therefore, the type of work to assign everyone before a project begins. Creativity is encouraged among the group members by giving praise and positive feedback. This praise motivates members to be more creative and encourage the members of the team to complete the work assigned in time. The leader also supports and encourages the team to engage in more work assignments.

The leader of this organization, Kavita Ramdas, may be a successful leader in government because she listens and encourages self-determination among its members. Instead of making own decisions and warranting some backlash from the team, she encourages input from members of the public who will engage in projects they believe will help and sustain them.

Question 2

Different leaders have special characteristics. Some are dictates, untrustworthy; others encourage creativity while some do not make any input at all in their groups, therefore, leaving the members to determine their cause of action, on their own. Although some people are born with certain leadership characteristics, others acquire some leadership traits through education and training. Traits such as inspiration and transparency can be acquired through training and education. It can be by holding seminars for leaders where they are taught how to encourage and support their team members.

Democratic type of leadership proves to be the most effective in all organizations. It is open and ideas move freely among the group members. Organizations mostly benefit from it because of the rapidly changing environments and, therefore, new ideas have to be pumped in the organization each day to ensure its success (Salas, n.d). Democratic leadership also capitalizes on the skills of professional and experienced groups by letting them share their views instead of expecting them to conform to the rules already set. The participative theory suggests that an ideal leadership style is one that takes into consideration the input of its members. The leaders have to encourage participation and contribution from members of the group; thus, making the members relevant to a project. This ensures maximum productivity from the members because they believe that their input is valued by the top management levels (Salas, n.d).

PART II

The class discussion on leadership theories has helped tremendously because in the future, we will use the most appropriate leadership skills when heading projects assigned to us for completion in a given time. The class should use the participative type of leadership when discussing issues arising from class work. In this discipline, the instructor may encourage input from the class on course topics. He will encourage the class to give their views on leadership styles. The participation of all members of the class will ensure maximum comprehension of concepts and retention.