Reviewing People/Task, Theory X/Y, and Leadership Styles
People/Task I believe the people/task leadership style is a unique way of defining your leadership behaviors. Of course, it is never 100% accurate, it gives you sense of direction towards which action you lean more towards; accomplishing tasks or building relationships with people. One thing I did not like about the people/task leadership style was that you are categorized based on your behaviors only. I think to truly understand and develop an accurate leadership style, it must be based off multiple factors, not just your actions towards tasks and people. Theory X/Y I don't believe the Theory X/Y Leadership style is an accurate description of how you will lead your team either. As discussed in class, Theory X/Y is about how you view people, not necessarily how you treat them or lead them. Yes, how you view people can definitely have an impact on how you treat them, however, I do not believe it is an accurate assumption to follow when it comes to leadership. The Theory X/Y leadership style only gives you two ways of thinking, you can either believe people are on your team for the right reasons and want to help out and grow, or you can think they aren't there for the right reasons and don't want to help out or grow. With this theory, there is no in between, or what if, or exceptions. When it comes to being a leader, I believe this theory does not depict an accurate estimation of leadership characteristics. Leadership Styles I believe certain types of decision making leadership styles are necessary in certain types of situations. In my opinion, there is no, one, leadership style that will work in every given situation and with every given subordinate. In terms of the authoritarian leadership style, I think it is best used in situations where you need a very high control on the team. An example of this is when deadlines are strict or coming quick and and need to be handled with urgency. This is a very different situation than one in which you have plenty of time to work on a project, allow creative to be lose and expand on a variety of different pathways to accomplish the goal, and receive input from a leader. This situation would better be led by someone with a participative leadership style, who isn't afraid to jump in and help whenever needed and allow their team to get creative. |
LOST
Leadership Examples in Episode 1. Examples of People/Task Leadership I watched the first episode of LOST which was the pilot episode for the series. In this episode, the main character, Jack, demonstrated both factors of the People/Task theory. At the very beginning of the episode, he exemplified task oriented theory by immediately accessing the situation and focussing on tasks that needed to be done at hand, such as saving various people from dying. Later on in the episode, he demonstrated the people part of the theory by opening up to one of the other people stranded on the island, Kate, and starting to build trust with her. They then teamed up to find a signal to reach out to someone for help. Examples of Theory X/Y Leadership Jack also demonstrated Theory Y by placing responsibility on the people who he believed wanted to help out. He left a man in charge of the group while he traveled to find a receiver. The man he left in charge was one who had helped him earlier when he was trying to save people. Although the man too late with finding pens, that Jack had asked him to bring, Jack still saw the desire to help and lead and therefore, confidently left him in charge the group. Jack also demonstrated Theory X by at first not wanting another character, Charlie, to join him and Kate in finding a signal to reach out for help. He gives in and allows him to join but doesn't pay much attention to him while on the hunt for the signal and only helps Kate up into the plane, not worrying about Charlie or where he disappeared to. Examples of Different Leadership Styles In the first episode of Lost, Jack, the main character exemplifies the role of a Delegative leader when he calls for random people to assist him when he tries to save people's lives and when he gives them specific tasks to do. He also assumes this role when he leaves someone in charge and tells him what needs to be done while he is away. He also exemplifies participative leadership when he helps out others when trying to save their lives, and assists whenever he sees someone in need. Jack was able to encompass both leadership roles as he led the team of stranded people on the island. |
Yukl Summary
A behavioral aspect that I found compelling was the supportive behavior aspect in leadership. This leadership behavior stood out to me because it's one that I strive to implement and maintain throughout my leadership. Being someone who loves teamwork and wants to be a leader who provides support, assistance, and guidance for my team, I resonated strongly with this leadership behavior. As emphasized in the Yukl Summary, being a supportive leader is about showing consideration, acceptance, and concern for others. This leadership style can have positive affects such as increasing your subordinate's self-confidence and reducing the amount of stress in the workplace. I feel as though this leadership style has a correlation with Level 5 leadership because in order to maintain a Level 5 leadership style, you do need to be supportive if your team. Often times, Level 5 leaders show support through their humility and their behavior of owning up to their own mistakes and allowing their team to take credit for their success. Overall, this leadership style can ultimately improve your subordinate's satisfaction within the team and improve their performance at work.
Another leadership behavior that I admire from the Yukl Summary is one in which you encourage innovative thinking. As I do not consider myself a very creative or innovation thinker, I strive to gain the ability to be a leader who encourages it within my team. I believe this style has a relationship to people/task theory as it allows your team to be themselves and inspires them to think creatively and in their own ways. This is a strong action in increasing the people oriented side of the theory as you can gain your team's trust and acceptance, allowing them to feel free to express themselves in their work and building a strong relationship by getting to know them for who they really are. Overall, encouraging innovative thinking can not only add creativity and diversity among your work but also help you build strong relationships and learn about your team members on a personal and caring level.