Organizational leadership is a term increasingly heard in business board meetings and college classrooms alike. Although organizational leaders don’t need college degrees, there are degree programs in the discipline. CEOs look for managers who can lead their corporations or organizations through periods of change and adjustment. What is this concept and why is it so important today?
Definition of the Term
Organizational leadership is the art of managing a company to give it direction. Such management involves an understanding of members of the organization and its goals. Its aim is to help those members adopt the goals as their own. This type of leadership has two areas of focus:
- what is best for the employee
- what is best for the organization.
Four Components of Organizational Leadership
There are four basic components, according to TDK Technology. The first is the worldview of the leader and of others involved. This includes:
- identity
- political and religious attitudes
- beliefs and values
Leadership involves reconciling all the different world views. Another component is each individual’s strength. This attribute has been defined as having a 95 percent success rate at any task. This is not the same as ability. Strength involves being content to perform the same task successfully again and again. It is a combination of:
- talent
- knowledge
- skills
Successful leaders know they must capitalize on strengths and manage through, or around, deficits.
Ethics is another component of organizational leadership. This involves balancing the truth and loyalty to an organization. Ethically sound people must be impartial, but present in each issue. The fourth component is communication. Successful leaders understand the people they lead, including their:
- values
- assumptions
- expectations
- beliefs
Leaders actively listen to employee concerns and ideas using these values and expectations as filters.
Where and How Used
This style of leadership is used principally in corporate environments. It is ideal for breaking through the bureaucracy of office politics and the rigidity of already-established goals. It is ideal for:
- HR departments
- events planning
- banking
- restaurant management
- any business that employs a number of people
It is generally most valuable to an organization in times of flux or transition. An article in Forbes Magazine says that the leadership is vital to businesses in these times because they usually fall short of their goals through lack of resources, but also because of:
- differences in priorities
- the need to learn new technologies
- fear and fatigue in management
At those times, the ability of a leader to unite and reinvigorate staff to support the common good is invaluable.
Related Resource: Top 10 Best Value Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership Degrees Online
Become an Organizational Leader
There are principles and tenets of this style of leadership that can be applied to different situations and settings. Because of this, many universities and colleges offer degree programs and certificates in the discipline. Courses in the curriculum concentrate on:
- business
- management
- psychology
- communication, among others.
The good thing about this leadership, however, is that it can come from any level of an organization- the top, middle or bottom. A degree is not necessary. People can get the training they need through:
- workshops
- seminars
- online programs
Employers sometimes seek new corporate employees who have specific talents and skills. People with training in organizational leadership have an edge in seeking employment in business or in other organizations.