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Welcome
to Week 10, pals, as we’ve discussed last couple of weeks, contemporary
organisations are changing constantly, hence organisational communication
processes are therefore designed to fit in with this changing society. This
week, we are going to discover a very static component in the organisation –
leadership – which has not been changed as dramatic as other components such as
human resources management processes and decision-making processes.
Some
theorists propose that there are particular qualities that will tend to be
associated with leaders and that will result in success in leadership
activities (Miller 2012, p.188). Intelligence, self-confidence, determination,
integrity and sociability are the determinant traits that could identify a
person’s leadership. But in recent year, many scholars rejected that trait
approach to leadership, they turned to ideals that emphasised the “match” of the
style of the leader to the characteristics of the situation.
Scholars
suggest that models of leadership have moved from relatively simplistic ideas
about the traits and styles of effective leaders, through models that suggest
that different styles and skills are appropriate in different situations, to
models that see leadership as a process of building relationships through interaction
with followers and modelling desired values.
Likewise,
Fairhurst (2007, cited in Miller 2012, p.193) believes that leadership is
accomplished through interaction with others, is a process of meaning management,
and is grounded in the accomplishment of tasks. His view replaces simplified
concepts of leaders using the tool of communication to influence followers with
a consideration of the ways in which leading is constructed through the
discourse of a dispersed group of actors in an organisational context.
Schachter (2013) in
his media article discusses some essential skills for leaders in organisations.
As he points out, there are seven interaction sins need to be steered away:
l Going
straight to the problem
l Figuring
one size fits all
l Avoiding
tough issues
l Influencing
through facts only
l Forgetting
to engage others
l Neglecting
to coach in the moment
Schachter said there
are many things happening in every day’s conversation, but leaders need to
focus on two priorities during conversation:
l Dealing
with practical needs
l Recognising
personal needs
Please read Schachter’s
article carefully, see how he portrayed the processes of leadership in
organisational communication.
References:
Miller, K 2012, Organisational communication – approaches
and processes, 6th edn, Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Boston.
Schachter, H 2013, ‘Essential
conversation skills for leaders’, The
Global and Mail, 10 November, viewed 12 November 2013,
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