Table of Contents
TOC o “1-3” h z u 1.0 Introduction PAGEREF _Toc86668858 h 12.0 Challenges Leaders Face Due to Ongoing Remote Working PAGEREF _Toc86668859 h 22.1 Time management PAGEREF _Toc86668860 h 22.2 Fragmented communication and Coordination amongst Teams and Departments PAGEREF _Toc86668861 h 22.3 Blurred Performance Metrics PAGEREF _Toc86668862 h 23.0 Evaluate Traditional Leadership Traits and Practices PAGEREF _Toc86668863 h 23.1 Situational Leadership PAGEREF _Toc86668864 h 23.1.1 Advantages of the Approach PAGEREF _Toc86668865 h 33.1.2 Disadvantages of the Approach PAGEREF _Toc86668866 h 33.2 The Trait-Based Leadership Approach PAGEREF _Toc86668867 h 33.2.1 Advantages of the Approach PAGEREF _Toc86668868 h 33.2.2 Disadvantages of the Approach PAGEREF _Toc86668869 h 34.0 Traditional versus Contemporary Leadership Styles and Traits PAGEREF _Toc86668870 h 34.1 Transformational Leadership PAGEREF _Toc86668871 h 34.2 Transactional Leadership PAGEREF _Toc86668872 h 44.3 Laissez-Faire Leadership PAGEREF _Toc86668873 h 54.4 Leader Follower Exchange PAGEREF _Toc86668874 h 65.0 Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc86668875 h 7References PAGEREF _Toc86668876 h 8
1.0 IntroductionThe present study will evaluate the challenges leaders at Toyota face due to the ongoing remote working in an organisational setting. Traditional leadership traits at Toyota will be evaluated mentioning the pros and cons in remote project management. The study will conclude with a comparison of the findings against more contemporary leadership approaches.
2.0 Challenges Leaders Face Due to Ongoing Remote Working2.1 Time managementOf all the challenges, time management has been particularly difficult for the organization since people are working from their homes. This is particularly true since they have to adhere to the work-life balance to avoid overworking their employees.
2.2 Fragmented communication and Coordination amongst Teams and DepartmentsFollowing different time zones, among the most challenging aspects of remote working for international groups is organizing a conference either phone or video. This is made worse by independent contractors having erratic work patterns. This requires the management to be aware of where participants reside and their regular routines in order to find a time that is convenient for everybody and this is sometimes problematic.
2.3 Blurred Performance MetricsIt is apparent that traditional metrics are no more appropriate for evaluating remote personnel. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will have to be re-calibrated to accommodate an environment that is naturally more dynamic, with the lines between professional and personal life blurring in ways they have never been before. Even if the technologies exist, technological invasion of the household is not the best option since it undermines the transparency and trust that are so important in a just working place. As such, it has become more difficult for managers to tell which among their employees is underutilized in the remote setting.
3.0 Evaluate Traditional Leadership Traits and Practices3.1 Situational LeadershipSituational leadership is a style of leadership in whereby a firm’s leader must adapt his approach in order to match or fit the subordinates he is seeking to influence. It the duty of the leader to modify his approach in situational leadership, but not the subordinate, to suit the leader’s approach (Thompson & Glasø, 2018). Depending on the situation, the approach may alter several times to accommodate the needs of others in the company. Among the traits of a situational leader include; clear vision, modesty, determination, delegation, supervising, coaching and taking part.
3.1.1 Advantages of the ApproachSituational leadership is based on the particular circumstance at the moment and the degree of development of the persons involved (Ghazzawi, Shoughari & Osta, 2017). The following are some of the benefits of situational leadership: it acknowledges necessity for flexibility, it produces a pleasant environment for the employees, it considers different developmental periods, it raises the leader’s awareness, and it aids a team’s ability to work collaboratively better.
3.1.2 Disadvantages of the ApproachDespite the fact that leadership provides various benefits, it also has certain inherent drawbacks. It can be inefficient in task-oriented settings, it can be difficult to define development, it does not provide sufficient knowledge for certain leaders, it is dependent on the level of skill of the leader, it promotes corporate reliance, and it may cause misunderstanding inside the firm, to name a few.
3.2 The Trait-Based Leadership ApproachTrait leadership is described as interwoven patterns of personal qualities that represent a spectrum of individual diversity and generate consistent leader success across a number of team or organizational contexts (Allen, 2018). It is the oldest style of thought regarding leadership effectiveness. The assumption that great leaders have particular personal qualities is combined with the outdated belief that all excellent leaders are born leaders in trait-based theoretical theories of successful leaders. As per this theory, leaders’ success is primarily predetermined by a set of personality attributes.
3.2.1 Advantages of the ApproachThis leadership theory has some pros. It is credible because a wealth of studies has proven the theory’s basis and premise; it acts as a standard against which a person’s leadership attributes can be measured; and it provides a detailed knowledge and comprehension of the leader factor in the leadership process.
3.2.2 Disadvantages of the ApproachThere are some drawbacks to trait theory leadership. There is destined to be certain personal judgement in establishing who is considered as a ‘great’ or ‘effective’ leader; the range of potential traits is often very lengthy, and these characterizations are merely generalisations; there also is conflict over which characteristics are the most significant for an excellent leader; the model tries to associate physical features like height and weight to successful leaders. These are not the qualifications for being a good leader in corporate groups, and the idea is extremely complex.
4.0 Traditional versus Contemporary Leadership Styles and Traits4.1 Transformational LeadershipThe phrase transformational leadership implies to an approach of leadership that impacts both the social systems and the people within. It enhances meaningful and good change in subordinates in its ideal environment, with the ultimate aim of developing subordinates into effective leaders (Liu & Li, 2018). This type of leadership enhances the followers’ enthusiasm, confidence, as well as productivity via several approaches. This may entail trying to connect a subordinate’s self-sense to the company’s objectives and common culture; inspiring employees by being a role model to them; challenging subordinates to assume additional obligation and ownership; and acknowledging subordinates’ strengths and limitations so the supervisor can match them to duties that optimize their effectiveness. Employees are afforded the opportunity to engage fully in the generation of ideas, resulting in a vision of the company’s future state with fully transparent objectives (Lai et al., 2020). Transformational leaders make use of direct interaction to impact their followers by emphasising the significance of principles, preconceptions, commitments, and attitudes, as well as possessing the drive to attain goals by continually evaluating the ethical and moral ramifications of every action made. By pondering and finding for new methods to tackle challenges, transformational leaders inspire their followers to be imaginative and creative in coping with them. Followers can come up with innovative ideas and come up with inventive solutions to challenges. Followers are constantly challenged to try new things. When it comes to performing their jobs, transformational leaders pay particular attention to the demands of their followers. The leader serves as a coach or mentor to his or her followers, assisting them in reaching their full potential.
4.2 Transactional LeadershipA transactional leader is an individual who puts values and structure at the fore. Contingent incentive and management-by-exception are two aspects of transactional type of leadership. Contingent reward acknowledges and rewards good performance while also rewarding employee efforts (Xenikou, 2017). Management-by-exception has an objective of preserving the status quo, gets involved when employees do not attain the desirable performance thresholds, and takes corrective measures to improve performance. Max Weber originally presented the transactional approach to leadership in 1947, tailed by Bernard Bass in 1981. Managers presents the group of individuals who utilize this style of leadership the most. It emphasizes on the governance, organization, and short-term planning procedure which are the basis of management. They may be utilized in managing military operations, big enterprises, or worldwide initiatives that demand laws and regulations to accomplish a deadline or spontaneously arrange public and supply using Transactional Leadership traits. Transactional leaders are not really a better match for environments that value creativity and innovation. Variable style of leadership is often compared to transactional leadership. Self-reliant individuals who perform efficiently in a regulated, guided setting are necessary for transactional leadership. Transformed leadership, on the flip side, seeks to motivate and inspire followers to choose to impact others. Transactional leadership focuses on the end goal, maintains a firm’s existing systems, and attains success based on the firm’s rewards and punishments.
The official power and structure within organizations remain in the hands of transactional leadership traits. And is in charge of controlling performance outcomes as well as establishing a routine that helps the employees perform much better (Hussain et al., 2017). The requirements for employees are set by transactional, or manager, leaders, and the most typical technique to measure worker performance is through reviewing performance. Inspiring and guiding subordinates via transactional approach to leadership basically needs appealing to their own self-interest. These types of leaders have authority and obligation in the company, which provides them power. The main objective of the subordinate is following the directives coming from the leader. The person in charge has a notion that rewards and punishments are effective methods that can be used in motivation of employees. If a follower accomplishes what is expected, he or she will get rewards; if he does not fulfil the desires set forth by the leader, he will be punished.
4.3 Laissez-Faire LeadershipLaissez-faire leadership, often known as “delegative leadership,” is a strategy of evaluating every worker’s individual talent and assign duties correspondingly. Autocratic leadership is the total opposite of democratic leadership (Norris, Ghahremani, & Lemoine, 2021). In other terms, provide the employee’s activities do not have a negative effect on the organization, they are free to make good use their own abilities and insights to fulfil their work as they deem fit. These work situations are great for individuals who are not just innovative and forward-thinking, but also clever, reliable, and confident in their abilities.
For sectors that value creativity and originality, this style of leadership can be quite beneficial. Supervisors allow their employees a great deal of leeway in terms of how they complete tasks and set timelines. They help with resources and advice, if necessary, although they will not become engaged otherwise. This independence can result in great employee satisfaction, but it can also be harmful if members of the team fail to manage their time efficiently, or if individuals lack the necessary knowledge, skills, or self-motivation to complete their tasks. When members in the group are highly talented, enthusiastic, and able to work independently, this leadership style is most effective. This type of leadership has been defined as the most efficient, particularly when subordinates are mature and highly driven.
A laissez-faire boss fails offer constant feedback to individuals under his direction and lacks direct oversight of workers. The laissez-faire approach to leadership style is applicable to highly experienced and skilled staff who require minimal oversight. Those attributes, nevertheless, are not shared by every worker. The productivity of personnel who require supervision is hindered by this approach (Gemeda & Lee, 2020). Managers that use a laissez-faire style do not exert any form of oversight, which can lead to poor output, a lack of control, and higher expenses. While laissez-faire executives think that this strategy will motivate staff to become their own bosses and take on any difficulties that fall their way, it frequently ends in failure. Staff working under such settings, on the whole, believe they have very little direction and thus are left stuck. While these workers usually regard their superiors as acquaintances, they often lack respect for their supervisors and will typically fail to follow directives when they are given. As a consequence, experts have discovered that of the four approaches to leadership, this approach produces the poorest production levels.
4.4 Leader Follower ExchangeA casual study of leadership behaviour indicates that certain actions of the people in charge are not consistently applied to all followers. Graen’s leader-member exchange model, also referred to as the vertical dyad linkage theory, asserts the significance of possible distinctions in this regard (Soeprapto, 2020). With regards to this notion, leadership is made up of a sequence of dyadic relations between the boss and subordinate. The level of trust and understanding, commitment, assistance, respect, and responsibility indicates the relationship quality. Leaders create several kinds of relations with different groups of followers, as per the belief. The manager favours particular team, often known as the in-group. In-group members will be given considerably more consideration from the boss and possess greater access to company resources.
Other employees, on the flip side, belong to the out-group. The boss does not like the individuals in this group. As a consequence, their managers give them with fewer resources. Managers make differences between the two group members on the basis of perceived resemblance in personal traits like age, gender, and character (Regts, Molleman, & van de Brake, 2019). If the supervisor considers that a subordinate is especially capable at completing his or her obligation, that person may be offered in-group membership. There exist three phases in the interaction between leaders and subordinates:
Role taking: Whenever a new recruit enters the company, the supervisor evaluates the individual’s skill and talents and offers a platform for them to exhibit their skills.
Making a role: An informal discourse on work-associated issues occurs between the supervisor and the individual. A follower who resembles the boss has increased likelihood of succeeding. If the individual betrays the unit at this point, he may be demoted to the out-group.
Routinization: Routines between members of the team and their supervisors are developed throughout this final phase.
In-Group team members struggle to keep their supervisors’ goodwill by exhibiting trust, respect, compassion, tolerance, and perseverance.
5.0 ConclusionThe discussion has shown the leadership used at Toyota in the management of remote working conditions. It has established that participative leadership style is essential for employee productivity. Through this, thinking ways of Toyota employees tend to become more innovative and hence the quality of work among the staff members improves.
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