To what extent, if at all, can leadership style affect employee work Essay

To what extent, if at all, can leadership style affect employee work motivation - Essay Example Competent leaders are able to propel an organization ahead through effective management of resources, maintenance of a favorable working environment as well as employee motivation. This paper evaluates the extent, if at all, can leadership style affect employee work motivation. It highlights various motivational strategies applied by leaders to generate contentment and competence among employees. Leadership Style and Employee Motivation Bureaucratic leadership is one of the styles that affect employee motivation. The entire organizational processes are accomplished according to the predetermined procedures, and all employees understand their roles in the process. None of them has a right to change any of the steps involved. Decision making is centralized, with no room for employees to apply their judgment in undertaking the tasks. This leadership style lowers employee motivation and hinders inventiveness. The workers suffer from inferiority complex as they feel that the leader is the only person who can make the right decision. The style leads to dissatisfaction of staff due to monotony and rigidity of leadership (Khurana, 2002). In Laissez-Faire leadership style, the leader focuses on maintaining interest among the workers due to the understanding that they need to be enthusiastic about their work for them to relate effectively with clients. The leader generates employee satisfaction through appreciating workers’ contribution to the accomplishment of organizational goals. Employees appreciate being trusted by the leader. They are allowed to complete various tasks on their own, especially in situations where the leader possesses confidence in their competence. Laissez-Faire leadership is a significant factor for an organization’s success since the leader has the capacity to develop strong working teams among the employees. Such leaders encourage flexible work practices such as developing their own work plan and engaging in activities outside the o rganization where they organize meetings with clients without supervision among other aspects of organizational flexibility. This leadership style allows the employees to own the organizational goals (Gemmill and Oakley, 1992). Charismatic leadership is significant in a leader’s ability to motivate employees. Such leaders possess allure and elegance, which are admired by many people. They have self-belief and confidence that are a major factor for success in leading workers to accomplish tasks. The Charismatic Leader gathers followers through personality and charm, rather than any form of external power or authority. As Conger & Kanungo (1998) observe, charismatic leaders are encouraging to their subordinates and try to pay attention to all. They try to make each person to feel important and appreciated. Reynolds (2000) observes that charismatic leaders encourage employees to feel relaxed when airing their views regarding their work. This is an important strategy that helps i n motivating employees to be inventive and has been core to the success of many organizations. A charismatic leader can be placed at level 5 of Jim Collins leadership hierarchy (Collins, 2001). He/she is determined to promote and accomplish his vision while on the other hand remains modest in his relationship with the subordinates. He/she regards his success as the success of the organization. The leader’s self esteem helps in maintaining confidence to utilize emerging