Some Impacts upon Leadership

Organizational relationships’ impact upon leadership

Donald G. Gardner, Randall B Dunham, .L. L. Cummings,, and Jon L Pierce in their study, Focus of Attention at Work and Leader – Follower Relationships, examines moderating effects of focus of attention at work on leader follower relations. Gardner and his associates found the following results:

Ø high focus on the supervisor while at work enhances a leader behavior-subordinate satisfaction and behavior relationships
Ø high focus on off-job factors while at work enhances leader behavior- subordinate satisfaction relationships
Ø high focus on off-job factors while at work weakens leader behavior-subordinate behavior relationships (p. 277)

What Gardner and his associated revealed is that organizational relationships do have an impact upon leadership and the inverse has an impact as well. The impact that is revealed with Gardner and associate’s study is that one can enhance leader behavior and subordinate satisfaction within an organizational structure (Gardner, Dunham, Cummings and Pierce


Networks/ Networking’s impact upon leadership:

In their article, Informal Networking and the African American Manager, Ancella Livers and Stepane Brutus define informal networking (IN) as relationships that are chosen rather than imposed by an organization. Additionally, Liver and Brutus assert that if managers are to be effective the presents of IN is needed. IN provides the manger with career guidance, development, opportunity and visibility (Livers & Brutus 2000). In concluding their article, Livers and Brutus state:

… that our research argues for a pluralist approach to networking . This brings to the networker a wider range of contacts, more exposure and better opportunities to exchange information at the organizational level. We would also argue that this study makes clear that developing all mangers in the same way may be inappropriate. …The cookie cutter leadership development needs to be replaced by a more sophisticated technique of allowing direct reports to follow different paths to the common goal of increased leadership effectiveness. …” (p.3)

As we can see Livers and Brutus assertion, networks/networking/IN can have a beneficial effect upon leadership by expanding competencies and keeping the leader informed on what is happening within his or her environment. And, networking can provide and fulfill a need/requirement for a leader to have a pulse or foresight of their environment.

References:

Gardner, D. G., Dunham, R. B., Cummings, L.L. and Pierce J. L. (1986). Focus of Attention at Work and Leader – Follower Relationships. Journal of Occupational Behavior. 8 (4), 277-294.

Livers, A. & Brutus, S. (2000). Informal Networking and the African American Manager. Leadership in Action, 20(1), 1- 3.