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Effective leader-managers understand that their duty is twofold. First, they are entrusted with the accomplishment of organizational objectives. Through these performances, they enable their organizations to deliver useful results to internal and external stakeholders alike. However, the second charge of the leader-managers rarely appears on their job descriptions: the development of unity among those subordinates whose work they oversee. Without this, even the most well planned undertakings are likely to yield less than optimal results. Even in the rare instances in which objectives do happen to be accomplished despite a work environment unfavorable to effective collaboration, those results are often achieved at a much slower pace, require costly rework, and do little to increase employees’ morale. The breakneck speed of today’s organizations, coupled with the quality expectations of customers and service recipients, make such allowances unacceptable.
Customers and other stakeholders vote with their feet- if they don’t receive that which they were promised, they’ll find it elsewhere. By developing the six characteristics described below, leader-managers can increase their ability to deliver useful organizational results through fostering increased collaboration among their subordinates, Dough Leigh (2003).
Teaming
The first characteristic of effective leader-managers is the ability to form and maintain teams to achieve organizational objectives. Hersey & Blanchard (1982) suggest that tasks should be delegated to followers at the highest “maturity” (or readiness) level, when they are both able and willing to carry out the job at hand. Thus, it is important that teams be formed only when appropriate. When teams are formed, organizational politics often require that leader-managers “go to bat” for subordinates to secure resources necessary for their success, Bolman & Deal (1997). Fostering active participation in teams has been found to have the capacity to simultaneously increase both productivity and morale. Levine & Tyson (1990). However, promoting participation in itself will not necessarily yield desired results unless leader-managers trust subordinates to work independently. Similarly, while performance feedback is critical to team success, the feedback subordinates receive must not be too general, but be specific to the tasks to be accomplished, Kluger & DeNisi, (1998). Last, effective leader-managers must also grant subordinates the authority to carry out the tasks assigned to them, Bennis & Nanus (1985). Zander & Zander (2000) liken this act of empowerment to that of the symphony conductor whose own power comes from bringing out the power of other musicians.
Motivating Subordinates
The second essential characteristic of the leader-manager is motivating subordinates’ to make useful contributions toward departmental objectives. Of the multitude of approaches to motivation, perhaps the most promising means by which to influence goal-directed to behavior is through managing subordinates’ expectations of successful goal accomplishment as well as the perceived value of those goals, Weiner, (1992). To this end, the first job of motivating subordinates is to inform them of the purpose of tasks assigned to them, Bridges (1991). Second, leader-managers must ensure subordinates perceive the accomplishment of organizational goals as being valuable and worthwhile.