Organisational Dialogue: Theory and Practice – Week 4 Leadership Communication

1. Organisational Dialogue: Theory and Practice –Week 4 Leadership Communication Dr. Helena Heizmann University of Technology School of Business Management Discipline Group

2. What frustrates you in leaders?

3. Leadership theories increasingly recognise the important & complex role of communication • Full-range leadership model: Transactional – Transformational (Bass & Avolio 2000, 2003) • Authentic Leadership theory (Luthans & Avolio 2003)

4. Full-range leadership model Transformational Passive avoidant Transactional Source: Adapted from Kirkbride (2006), based on Bass & Avolio (2000, 2003)

5. Transactional leaders • Task requirements • Roles & responsibilities • Timelines • Performance measures & rewards • Technical facts • Issues arising • … • Clear & regular communication needed

6. Leaders as coaches and mentors • Individualised consideration: Supportive, sensitive to members concerns, hi EQ • Intellectual stimulation: encourages innovative thinking & questioning of old ways of doing things

7. Leaders as coaches and mentors • Empathy: Demonstrates an ability to take the perspective of the other person and put oneself in their shoes • Active listening: Allowing the other person to speak freely, listening intently; the good coach speaks 20% of the time and listens 80% of the time. • Feedback: ensure feedback is specific, constructive, and frequent Source: Dubrin (2005)

8. Leaders as inspiring transformers • Inspirational motivation: envisions change, articulates visions, hopes and desires • Idealised influence: perceived by others as optimistic, open and energetic • Strategic use of communication needed: powerful metaphors, symbols, rhetoric

10. Rotherham Case Study • 4:38-11:07 • How would you describe Brian’s original approach to leadership? • What do you see as the key learning points about leadership communication from this example?

11. Transformational leadership?

12. Authentic leadership

13. Dialogic qualities of authentic leaders • Becoming aware of your own values, beliefs=> voice • Paying attention to feedback (positive and negative) • Being transparent about intentions, values & beliefs • Aligning espoused values with actions

14. Walking the talk • Leaders who fail to act upon espoused values lose trust among their followers

15. Encouraging critical thinking • What do we know so far? • Have we explored all possible options? • What’s missing from the picture that has emerged so far? • Who hasn’t had a chance to contribute? • How might other stakeholders view the situation? • If we had all the money/time/resources we needed, how would this change our thinking? • What opportunities can we see in this issue? • What challenges might come our way and how might we meet them? • What’s been our major learning/insight/discovery so far? • What might we be assuming that is limiting our thinking on this issue?

16. Addressing the elephant in the room • Leaders who avoid tackling critical issues hinder organisational learning

17. Encouraging upward feedback • Leaders who do not solicit critical feedback from staff are prone to poor decision-making

18. Time to reflect • In groups of 2-3, discuss Bill George’s call for authentic leadership. • Where do you see the benefits of authentic leadership? • What are the challenges?

19. Review • Leadership theories increasingly recognise the relevance of motivating, coaching & inspiring people as opposed to pure task-management • Authentic leadership as a new leadership theory that addresses the need for balancing task-management, motivational aspects AND ethical integrity • Authentic leaders embrace dialogue. They show a concern for: • Developing a shared understanding of the bigger picture • Collective critical thinking • Fostering a trusting feedback culture • Congruence between values and actions

20. Terry Pearce – employee cynicism and the communication task of leaders • http://www.blessingwhite.com/Content/video_terry/terry_v9.asp

21. References • Bass, B.M. 1985, 'Leadership: Good, Better, Best', Organizational Dynamics, vol. 13, pp. 26-40. • Bass, B.M. & Avolio, B. 2000, Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, Mind Garden, Redwood City, CA. • Bass, B.M. & Avolio, B. 2003, Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire: Feedback Report, Mind Garden, Redwood City, CA. • Burns, J.M. 1978, Leadership, Harper & Row, New York. • Dubrin, A.J. 2005, Coaching and Mentoring Skills, Pearson Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. • Fairhurst, G.T. 2007, Discursive Leadership, Sage, Thousand Oaks. • Hitt, J. 2009, 'Creating Meaningful Dialogue at Work', in M. Wright (ed.), Gower Handbook of Internal Communication, 2nd edn, Gower Publishing, Surrey, pp. 373-85. • Isaacs, W.N. 1999, 'Dialogic Leadership', Systems Thinker, vol. 10, no. 1,pp. 1-5. • Luthans, F. & Avolio, B. 2003, 'Authentic Leadership Development', in K.S. Cameron, J.E. Dutton & R.E. Quinn (eds), Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New Discipline, Berret-Koehler, San-Francisco. • Mazutis, D. & Slawinski, N. 2008, 'Leading Organizational Learning Through Authentic Dialogue', Management Learning, vol. 39, no. 4,pp. 437-56. • Tourish, D. & Hargie, O. 2004, 'Motivating Critical Upward Communication: A Key Challenge for Management Decision-Making', in, Key Issues in Organizational Communication, Routledge, London, pp. 188-204.