Management Theory and Practice

Up until very recently, one would be hard pressed to find in the leadership literature a general model of leadership development (Luthans&Avolio2003).Even more difficult to find is evidence-based leadership development. Specifically, what evidence is there to support whether leaders or leadership can be developed using one or more specific theories of leadership? It appears that leading large-scale organizations is more complicated than most current leadership theories and practitioner books would suggest. Part of the reason some authors are able to identify a limited number of things to be successful, such as Collins (2001), is that the purpose of their research was to identify what was different between the research group and the control group. The problem with focusing on only what is different is that it fails to identify those things that are essential to success, but were common to both groups. The danger is that people might think they can do only the few different things and still succeed.

This paper will focus on the main question of why some leaders are able to inspire where others aren't. Bryman (1992) commented, “There was considerable disillusionment with leadership theory and research in the early 1980s. Part of the disillusionment was attributed to the fact that most models of leadership and measures accounted for a relatively small percentage of variance in performance outcomes such as productivity and effectiveness (Bryman, 1992). Unlike the traditional leadership models, which described leader behavior in terms of leader-follower exchange relationships, the new leadership models emphasize cognitive capabilities, assuming omnipotence. Even though research has taken a more holistic and well rounded approach the a...

... middle of paper ...

...itz, 2003). So, my research will firstly focus on what a manager can do on a day to day basis to develop their talent and that of their employees. First, I believe a leader needs to feed his/her people and let them grow. The leader must have an interest in what happens in the lives of people and have genuine interest in the individual employees: who they are and what they want. Ethics should be the bed from which you operate, first you have to give respect , in order to get it. High-quality management of people leads to longer employment , which leads to confidence , which leads to more work. A leader should thus provide a pleasant and friendly environment. I believe that the more fun you can make it for your employees to work, the more profit you will make. The real challenge is the willingness to bet on the long run and not get carried away by short-term pressure.