Servant Leadership and Partnership Working

An additional organisational structure within our Trust that influences management and leadership is “Partnership Working”. This is an organisation which consists of Chief Executive, Management Board, Director of HR & Staff Side (staff side consists of members from professional bodies such as RCN, Radiographers, Unison, etc). They come together to discuss operational issues and negotiate fairer policies. It’s a chance for all concerned to hear from the various teams within the organisation enabling them to make joint decisions that benefit both management and employees.

An example of successful partnership is seen with the overhaul of the Trust sickness policy and bringing about a fairer policy that focuses more on the individual rather than a generic policy for all. The aim is to support the individual as much as possible to enable them to remain at work for as long as possible and give more flexibility. This has resulted in a lower sickness rate, a drop in the amount of staff off long term sick, and most importantly it makes the individual feel that they are being supported and are able to remain at work.

1.1 Analyse how theories of motivation may be applied in the practice of leadership

There are numerous motivational theories, one of which is Maslow’s theory. Maslow believed that the needs of an individual could be expressed in the form of a hierarchy of needs or a pyramid. This theory of motivation can be applied to the workplace as well as other scenarios.

Maslow felt that the most basic needs were physiological. Unless an individual has food and shelter, Maslow believed it was pointless trying to motivate them at a higher level. The same applies in the workplace; if employees are not comfortable in their work environment, then motivation at a higher level will be difficult.

Once this need is met, the employee is then motivated to gain a sense of security. In a difficult economic climate, do you as a manager keep your employees sufficiently informed of their job prospects, or is there a heavy reliance on the grapevine?

When a job is felt to be reasonably secure, the employee is next motivated by social aspects. Do you foster a good working atmosphere in your workplace? Is there a strong sense of teamwork? Do employees communicate in lots of different ways?

When a good social network is in place, the employee then looks for a feeling of self-esteem. When your employees do a good job, is it recognised? Are reward systems in place? Is positive feedback given?

When all of the above are in place, the employee next looks for self-fulfilment. Do employees have opportunities to learn and progress at work? Are training opportunities provided?

Employees can be at different stages of the pyramid so be aware so that you can promote motivation at the correct level.

[image: Image result for maslow's hierarchy of needs]

Source; www.allthingsworkplace.com (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs)

Another theory is Herzberg. He felt that certain conditions, or “hygiene factors”, had to be in place for employees to be satisfied, but these did not necessarily motivate employees.

• Hygiene Factors Motivators
• Status Being able to achieve
• Security Being recognised
• Work conditions
• Given responsibility
• Work relationships
• Growing and learning in the job
• Pay
• Bureaucracy

Motivators work better than hygiene factors. Herzberg suggests that once the hygiene factors were achieved, employers should focus on recognising the achievements of the employee and provide learning and progression opportunities. Herzberg and Maslow were similar in this regard.

Emmet is another motivational theorist. Emmet believed that in order to motivate employees, they would need the following; to be proud of their organisation, to do their best, to learn, to be recognised and respected, and to enjoy their work.

If you think about what motivates you at work, it is likely that your staff are motivated in similar ways.

1.2 Evaluate the role of stakeholder engagement in leadership and management

Stakeholders by definition are people who have a “stake” in a situation. Stakeholders can be described in organisation terms as those who are maybe “internal” e.g. employees and management, and those “external”, e.g. investors, customers etc.

Stakeholder engagement is relevant to any type of organisation. Stakeholder engagement is crucially different from stakeholder management. Stakeholder engagement implies a willingness to listen, to discuss issues of interest to stakeholders of the organisation, and critically the organisation has to be prepared to consider changing what it aims to achieve and how it operates, as a result of stakeholder engagement. The leadership of the organisation still needs to set the direction for the growth of the organisation but does so in the knowledge of stakeholders wants and needs as well as the organisations wants and needs. Successful management thus becomes the art of optimising long-term benefits for the organisation based on reconciling sometimes disparate stakeholders wants and needs.

1.3 Assess the suitability of a range of leadership styles and management practices to the culture of an organisation

Leadership and management has a direct cause-and-effect relationship on organisation performance. The saying “an organisation is only as good as the person running it”, in other words if a leader/manager employs the best style, the organisation will achieve high performance from all its resources and vice versa.

There are a variety of leadership styles, some I have listed below;

Bureaucratic leadership – follows rules rigorously and ensures employees follow procedures precisely.

This is appropriate for work involving serious safety risks or with large sums of money. Its also useful for managing employees who perform routine tasks. It is less effective in teams and organisations that rely on flexibility, creativity and innovation.

Charismatic leadership – this resembles transformational leadership, both types of leaders inspire and motivate their team members. The difference lies in their intent. Leaders who rely on charisma often focus on themselves and their own ambitions, and they may not want to change anything. This feeling of invincibility can severely damage a team or an organisation.

Servant leadership – someone, regardless of position, who leads simply by meeting the needs of the team. They often lead by example, have high integrity and lead with generosity. Their approach can create a positive organisational culture, and can lead to high morale among team members. Supporters of this believe that it’s a good way to move forward in a world where values are important, others believe that leaders such as this could find themselves left behind by other leaders, particularly in competitive situations. This style is ill-suited in situations where you have to make decisions quickly or meet tight deadlines.

Transactional leadership – this style starts with the idea that team members agree to obey their leader when they accept a job. They have the right to reprimand team members if their work does not meet the standard required. This is present in many business leadership situations, and it does offer some benefits e.g. clarifies everyone’s roles and responsibilities. The downside is that, on its own, it can be amoral, and it can lead to high staff turnover.

Management Practices of Effective Leaders

• Select the right people – you need to select the right people for the right jobs, align your people with your organisational goals and culture.
• Show empathy – Empathy is the ability to listen, relate to emotional experience and let them know that you are doing so. Empathic managers can build rapport with and between people, leading to greater trust and transparency in the team.
• Communicate clearly – Communication is the key to transparency and building relationships built on openness, trust and honesty with your team. It is important to clearly communicate goals and expectations, and define people’s roles and responsibilities in line with these.
• Lead by example – leaders need to take responsibility for the atmosphere they create and shape it with their own behaviour.
• Delegate – its important to recognise there are only so many hours in a day and to use time efficiently delegate meaningful tasks to your team members which in turn will build on their skills and help them reach their potential.
• Be positive and constructive – its important to let your staff know what they are doing right as well as what areas need improving.
• Thank and reward – it’s important to thank and reward your staff.
• Train and develop – important to focus on staff’s development

Encourage innovation – by giving people the freedom to work through problems and solutions themselves, you will encourage innovation, creativity and resourcefulness.

Be flexible – have a flexible approach and adapt to individual employees, allowing them to work according to their own style. Flexible working practices have emerged as an increasingly important priority for employees.

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