Leader Roles And Functions

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Video: Leader Roles And Functions

Video: Leader Roles And Functions
Video: Four Essential Roles Of Leadership 2024, March
Leader Roles And Functions
Leader Roles And Functions
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In this article, we will talk about the functions that a leader performs when managing a group. These functions will be derived from leadership roles, which will be discussed below.

J. Moreno, the developer of psychodrama (one of the systems of psychotherapy) and the sociometric method, discovered that the system of interpersonal relationships consists of the following status positions:

  1. Leader - a member of the group with the highest positive status, that is, enjoys authority and influences the group, determines the algorithm for solving the problems facing the group.
  2. A star is an emotionally attractive person for a group. A star may or may not have the organizational skills necessary for a leader, and, accordingly, may not be one.
  3. Accepted - members of the group who have an average positive status and who support the leader in his efforts to solve the group problem
  4. Isolated - members of a group who have zero status and have withdrawn themselves from participation in group interaction. Personal characteristics (for example, shyness, introversion, feelings of inferiority and self-doubt) may be the reasons for this self-elimination.
  5. Rejected - members of a group who have a negative status, consciously or unconsciously removed from participation in solving group problems.

R. Schindler (Raoul Schindler) identified five group roles.

  1. Alpha is the leader, motivates the group to take action, appeals to the group.
  2. Beta is an expert, has special knowledge, skills and abilities that are required by the group or that the group respects; his behavior is self-critical and rational.
  3. Gamma are passive and adaptable members who try to maintain their anonymity, most of them identify with the alpha.
  4. Omega is the "extreme" member that lags behind the group due to some difference or fear.
  5. Delta is an adversary, an oppositionist who actively opposes the leader.

In any organization, there is a dynamic distribution of business roles. This social phenomenon of group dynamics was first discovered by M. Belbin. It consists in the fact that each member of the group plays simultaneously two roles: the functional role follows from the formal structure of the organization; the second author called "a role in a group."

Through experimentation, he identified eight business roles that team members can play:

  1. Leader. Self-confident with developed self-control. Able to treat all proposals without prejudice. The desire to achieve is developed. Nothing more than ordinary intelligence, moderate creativity.
  2. Implementator. Dynamic, restless, inclined to get ahead of others, sociable. Assertiveness, willingness to fight inertia, complacency and self-deception. Tendency to succumb to provocations, irritability and impatience.
  3. Idea's generator. Individualistic, with a serious mindset. Developed intelligence and imagination, extensive knowledge, giftedness. A tendency to be in the clouds, lack of attention to practical matters and protocol.
  4. Objective critic. Sobriety, caution, little emotionality. Discretion, prudence, sound mind, practicality, persistence. Failure to get carried away and captivate others.
  5. Organizer, or chief of staff. A conservative with a strong sense of duty and predictable behavior. Organizational ability and practical intelligence, efficiency, discipline. Not flexible enough, immune to unsaid ideas.
  6. Supplier. Propensity for enthusiasm, curiosity and sociability. Easily contacts people, quickly learns about new things, easily solves difficulties. Tends to quickly lose interest in business.
  7. The soul of the group. Gentle, sensitive, communication oriented. It responds to the needs of people and the requirements of the situation, creates an atmosphere of friendly work. Indecisive at critical moments.
  8. Finisher, or controller. Conscientiousness, diligence, love of order, a tendency to be afraid of everything. The ability to bring things to the end, pedantry, exactingness. Anxiety over trifles can limit the freedom of action of colleagues.

Not every group must necessarily have eight members, according to the number of roles. It is desirable that the person in the group play more than one role.

Henry Mintzberg identifies 10 roles that managers take on. These roles are classified into three broad categories:

Interpersonal roles stem from the authority and status of the leader and cover his sphere of interaction with people.

  1. The role of the chief executive, which traditionally fulfills duties of a legal and social nature.
  2. The role of a leader implies responsibility for the motivation of subordinates, as well as for recruitment, training and related issues.
  3. The manager acts as a liaison, ensuring the operation of a network of external contacts and information sources that provide information and provide services.

Informational roles it is assumed that the manager is turning into a center for information processing.

  1. The role of the receiver of information involves the collection of information for their work.
  2. The role of the information distributor is realized in the transmission of the received and processed information.
  3. The role of the representative is to convey information to external contacts of the organization.

Decision-making roles:

  1. The entrepreneur looks for opportunities for improvement, improvement of activities and controls the development of certain projects.
  2. The resource allocator is responsible for the formulation and execution of programs and schedules related to the coordinated and utilization of resources.
  3. The Troubleshooter is responsible for corrective actions required in the event of a program malfunction.
  4. The negotiator is responsible for representing the organization in negotiations.

All of these 10 roles, taken together, determine the scope and content of a manager's work.

L. I. Umansky identifies six types (roles) of a leader:

  1. organizer leader (carries out group integration);
  2. initiator leader (dominates in solving problems, puts forward ideas);
  3. leader-generator of emotional mood (forms the mood of the group);
  4. erudite leader (has extensive knowledge);
  5. the standard leader (is the center of emotional attraction, serves as a model and ideal);
  6. leader-master, craftsman (specialist in any kind of activity).

B. D. Prygin proposed to divide leadership roles according to three criteria:

The content is distinguished:

  1. inspiring leaders who develop and propose a program of behavior;
  2. leaders-executors, organizers of the implementation of a given program;
  3. leaders who are both inspirers and organizers.

They are distinguished by style:

  1. Authoritarian leadership style. The leader demands monopoly power, single-handedly determines the goals and ways to achieve them. Such a leader tries to influence with administrative methods. The style saves time and makes it possible to predict the result, but when using it, the initiative of the followers is suppressed.
  2. Democratic leadership style. The leader is respectful and objective in dealing with group members. He initiates the participation of everyone in the activities of the group, tries to distribute responsibility among the members of the team. The information is available to all members of the team.
  3. Passive leadership style. The leader shies away from responsibility, shifting it onto subordinates, while trying to avoid contact with them altogether.

By the nature of the activity, they are distinguished:

  1. A universal type, constantly showing the qualities of a leader;
  2. Situational, showing the qualities of a leader only in a certain situation.

In addition to the above, the classification of leaders is often used depending on their perception by the group:

  1. "One of us". The leader does not stand out among the group members. He is perceived as "the first among equals" in a certain area, by chance, found himself in a leadership position.
  2. The Best of Us. The leader stands out from the group in many ways and is perceived as a role model.
  3. "Good man". The leader is perceived and appreciated as the embodiment of the best moral qualities.
  4. "Minister". The leader is the spokesman for the interests of the group and individual followers, is guided by their opinion and acts on their behalf.

The types of perception of the leader by individual members of the group often do not coincide or overlap. Thus, one employee may evaluate a leader as “one of us,” while others perceive him simultaneously as “the best of us,” and as a “minister,” and so on.

Depending on the impact on the implementation of the goals of the organization, leadership is divided into:

  1. Constructive, contributing to the implementation of the goals of the group of the organization;
  2. Destructive, formed on the basis of aspirations that damage the organization;
  3. Neutral, not affecting performance.

R. Bales and P. Slater identified two leadership roles:

  1. The instrumental (business) leader takes actions aimed at solving the task assigned to the group
  2. The expressive leader carries out activities related to the internal integration of the group.

Eric Berne identified three main leadership roles:

  1. A responsible leader is in front and in sight, plays the role of a leader in the organizational structure; he is first called to account.
  2. An effective leader is one who actually makes decisions; he may or may not have a role in the organizational structure; he may be in the background, but he is the most important person in the group structure.
  3. The psychological leader has the greatest influence on the private structure of group members and occupies the niche of leadership in their group imagos (mental image of what the group is or what it should be).

He also divides leaders into primary and secondary:

  1. The primary leader is the founder of the group or a member of the group who changes its constitution, rules, and norms.
  2. The follower leader follows the path laid down by the primary leader.

We can say that leadership roles in various concepts are, for the most part, those functions that a leader can perform. Based on the analysis of the above classifications, it is necessary to highlight the functions that the leader should perform for the most effective organization of leadership processes. When compiling the classification of leadership functions, the author did not consider those leadership roles that assess the leader, as it were, from a meta-position. In particular, such classifications are as follows:

The division of leaders into formal and informal. We understand leadership as an informal and socio-psychological process of interaction between individuals. The formal type of interaction implies reliance on the social structure, therefore, it does not relate to leadership, but is leadership.

Division of leaders into: constructive, destructive and neutral. This classification implies an external subjective assessment of the activity that a particular leader generates. Actions can only be determined in relation to the goal set for the group. If the leader contributes to the achievement of goals by the group, then such actions can be called constructive, if they oppose, then they cannot. But this approach is acceptable only when we consider the actions of the leader in relation to organizational goals. Accordingly, such a classification is acceptable only for the management of the organization, since it allows you to reward leaders who contribute to the development of the company, and to punish those who, having leadership qualities, want to achieve their goals. However, when we talk about informal leadership interaction, we mean by it movement towards the goal that the leader sets for the group. If this goal satisfies the group, then people agree to follow the leader, and the opposite is also true. If people agree to a goal that does not meet their needs, then there was coercion, not leadership. If we consider the leadership process without regard to the organization, it turns out that it is impossible to single out a neutral leader, because it is the leader who sets goals and motivates them to achieve them, proposes solutions and distributes responsibility. If the leader does not fulfill these basic functions, he really does not have any effect on the performance of the group, but he cannot be called a leader either.

The classification of leaders into primary and follower will also not be considered by us, since it evaluates leaders in relation to their contribution to the constitution of the group, rather than the functions they perform. Moreover, the primary leader and the follower leader are considered by Bern in different contexts: the primary leader may be the founder of the teaching (for example, Sigmund Freud), and the secondary one who follows this teaching. We are talking here about different groups: Freud himself can sit at home and have nothing to do with the group where his follower teaches, being, in fact, a source of material for this follower. In the latter case, of course, there can be a conflict between these two leaders, as in the case of Freud himself and Alfred Adler or Carl Jung, but then the students already have to choose whom and when to follow. Hence the follower leader either becomes the primary leader, or ceases to be any leader at all. Consequently, the selection of these categories makes sense only when the views of the follower leader correspond to the views of the primary leader and when they are not in a single social space (otherwise the primary leader will become the sole leader, and the follower leader will simply not be needed).

A number of classifications reflect only the comparative degrees of leadership ("one of us" and "the best of us", etc.) or the position of an individual in a group ("alpha" and "beta", etc.). Classifications reflecting the hierarchical and functional position in the group are acceptable, but they rather reflect the level at which certain leadership functions and the limits of this performance are performed, rather than their specificity.

The classification of leaders into universal and situational really seems to be relevant, since often certain individuals take a leadership position under the influence of a specific situation, getting the opportunity to displace the universal leader. However, functional specificity is not reflected here either, rather the possibility of situational leadership is determined by the specific filling of individual functions (for example, in a crisis situation, a person may be needed with a very specific set of knowledge that a universal leader does not possess, i.e. the function of an expert remains with each of the leaders, only the situational has a more specific content of this function).

The author's classification of these functions will be presented below:

  1. Motivation … The leader must be able to motivate the group and its members to achieve the goal. In essence, leadership itself is a constant and directed process of motivation. Tools for the implementation of motivation assume that the leader has: certain resources for the implementation of rewards and punishments and power (formal and / or informal); the skills of transferring expression, changing beliefs; well-developed emotional and social intelligence, etc.; the ability to describe the achievement of a goal in attractive terms, so as to address the needs of followers. For Belbin, this function is performed by the leader - the soul of the collective; for Umansky, the leader is a generator of emotional mood; Parygin has an inspiring leader.
  2. Organization … The leader must be able to distribute responsibilities in the group (organize horizontal ties), control the hierarchy of the group (organize vertical ties), and also have access to the necessary resources to carry out group activities. Such a resource can be knowledge itself, about how to get other necessary resources, it can be the knowledge and skills of a leader, his model of behavior, his ability to motivate, his ability to influence or set an example, as well as his ability to manage the emotional state of a person. To perform the function, the leader must: be able to delegate authority and exercise power; possess the skills of dominance (the use of non-verbal (gestures, facial expressions, distance, etc.) and verbal (value judgments, a competent description of their abilities, etc.) ways of establishing power). For Belbin and Umansky, this function is performed by a leader-organizer; for Mintzberg, this function is distributed over most of the roles allocated to him.
  3. Control (reward and punishment) … The leader should reward those who move the group towards the goal and punish those who get in the way. The leader must: be able to evaluate and reinforce the correct behavior; have certain resources to exercise control; have the ability and power to punish (otherwise he will simply lose control of the situation); be able to competently express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the results of the follower; be able to direct the group to encourage the individual or vice versa to persecute him. Ways to reward followers should be in line with their needs and contribution to the common cause. In the implementation of punishment, the principles of justice must also be respected. For Belbin, this function is performed by the controller.
  4. Planning … A leader must be able to set the right goals and outline ways to achieve them. The specificity of leadership planning is to take into account the needs of the followers: if we are not talking about formal structures, then the goal that does not correspond to the needs of the followers will simply not be accepted. For the implementation of the planning function, many methods have been developed in management. This can also include the skills of time management and the skills of setting goals in front of followers (including delegation skills). Ironically, planning roles are rarely highlighted.
  5. Influence … The leader must be able to make changes both in the inner world of the followers and in their behavior. To do this, he needs to have the skills of verbal (changing beliefs, speech manipulation, rational persuasion, etc.) and non-verbal (gestures of suggestion and power, personal example, etc.) impact. This function has also gone out of focus when considered by various authors in leadership roles, but is usually implied in roles aimed at inspiration and emotional impact.
  6. Development … A leader not only sets goals and helps to achieve them, he, in the process of achieving, develops his followers. People strive for those who are above them and from whom they can learn something. To carry out the function, a leader may need: analytical thinking (before explaining how an action takes place, it is necessary to sort it out on the shelves); basic skills of a teacher and coach. In general, a leader must have a wealth of knowledge and life experience in order for people to be willing to learn from him. With Belbin, this function can be performed by an objective critic; Umansky has an erudite leader, a standard leader, a master leader.
  7. Group dynamics control … The leader initiates the process of group interaction, determines its direction and completes it when necessary. The leader controls the emotional state of the group (managing the emotional state of the group can be distinguished as a separate subfunction), it can enhance interaction between group members, as well as provoke them to openly express hidden conflicts in order to remove intra-group aggression and quickly pass the stage of crisis. To carry out this function, a leader must have: initiative; sizing skills (to determine when there is a decline in group activity, and what is the emotional climate in the group at the moment); the skill of negotiating and resolving conflicts. For Belbin, the performance of such a function can be included in the role of the "soul of the company"; for Umansky, this is a leader-initiator, however, both of these roles imply only a separate aspect of the performance of the function we have identified.
  8. Execution … The leader himself is part of the group activity. If, within the framework of organizational or political leadership, it is possible to do without personal participation in it (in the first case, the activities of the group will be subject to official authority, in the second, as a rule, the inclusion of the leader in the activities is either impossible (in view of the vastness and long-term goals), or is limited to individual attempts show “closeness to the people”), then in informal leadership a leader who does not participate in activities will most likely not be perceived as such at all, or, on the contrary, will be perceived as a tyrant. However, a leader may not participate directly in group activities, provided that he carries out any other activity aimed at solving group problems (planning, thinking about ideas). At the same time, it is necessary that the group realizes the importance of this leader's activity. In fulfilling this function, the leader also sets a personal example, so he must have a high level of skills, knowledge and skills for the performed activity. Belbin expresses this function in the role of an implementer; with Umansky in the role of a standard leader, a master leader, an executor leader.
  9. Group presentation … The function assumes that the leader is the personification of group values, ideals and beliefs. This allows the leader to take up his leadership position and fit the beliefs of his followers. The leader is also the representative of the group in the external environment, he negotiates on behalf of the group and is responsible for its decisions. To correctly define values, beliefs and group norms, a leader must: have the skill of calibration and good attention; be able to note what is important to followers and what is not; be able to present yourself in the correct way, and, therefore, adjust to the group values of beliefs and norms. Ideally, the leader should become the best representative of the group and the direct personification of its ideal (although often leadership can be carried out at the expense of other qualities). Also, the leader may need negotiation and image building skills to properly represent the group in the external environment.

The leader can delegate these functions to individual members of the group (hence, in particular, separate leadership roles appear), however, in order to maintain the position of the leader, he should reserve the right to make decisions and set ultimate goals.

Allocating functions is an important topic, not only because it helps determine what a leader should do after all, but also because it is the performance of these functions that makes a leader a leader. Through the functions of a leader, we can understand how and in what directions leaders can be developed, both in a professional environment and in everyday life.

Bibliographic list

  1. J. Moreno. Psychodrama. - M.: Eksmo-press. 2001
  2. Schindler R. Dynamische Prozesse in der Gruppenpsychotherapie (Dynamic processes in group psychotherapy) / Gruppenpsychotherapie und Gruppendynamik, 2, 1968, 9-20
  3. P. M. Belbin. Types of roles in management teams. - M.: Hippo. 2003
  4. G. Mintzberg. Structure in a fist: building an effective organization. - SPb.: Peter. 2004
  5. Umansky L. I. Psychology of organizational skills: author. diss. … Dr. psychol. Sciences: 19.00.01. - M., 1968.
  6. Parygin B. D. Social psychology. Origins and prospects / BD Parygin. - SPb.: SPbGUP. 2010.
  7. Parygin B. D. Leadership and Leadership // Leadership and Leadership: Sat. - L.: LGPI. 1973.
  8. Bales R., Slater P. Role Differentiation in Small Decisionma-king Groups // T. Parsons & R. Bales (eds.). Family, Socialization and Interaction Process. - N. Y.: Free Press. 1955.
  9. E. Bern. Leader and group. On the structure and dynamics of organizations and groups. - M.: Eksmo. 2009

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