| dc.description.abstract | The distinction between management style and leadership style has been confirmed in this research
by examining the working relationships between leaders and followers in 6 separate sites of a
computer systems organisation. The relationships between 4 areas of organisational outcome,
(performance/effectiveness, job satisfaction, anxiety, and depression) and the perceptions of the
leadership styles of the follower's most significant manager and the organisational environments of
culture and climate were studied. A systemic model of these relationships has been constructed and
elaborated. From a follower perspective, 4 distinct leadership factors are articulated. One factor is
concerned with the future of the organisation (Visioning) while another factor is concerned with
managing within the organisations (Organising & Resourcing). The results highlight the weak
conceptual and structural distinctions between the facets of Transformational Leadership and
Transactional Leadership in the literature. e. g. Bass, Avolio & Jung (1995) and thus support Kotter
(1982,1990,2001) and House & Shamir (1993).
The leadership factors of managers deemed to be "most significant" and the organisational
environment are related. In particular, the factor of Organising & Resourcing is related to Teamwork in
the organisational environment while the leadership factor of Visioning is related to the organisational
culture in terms of the variables of Mission, and Communication, and the organisational climate
variables of Work Goals, Work Demands, and Work Supports. These results support the views that
one of the main purposes of leadership leadership is to form and maintain the organisation culture.
(Bennis, 1989; Bennis & Nanus, 1985; and Schein, 1985,1990,1997).
Also, significant managers with the style called People Orientation have a direct impact on the well-being
of their subordinates. In particular, People Orientation is negatively related to anxiety and
depression, while organisational culture, via the variable of Mission is also negatively related to
anxiety, and Teamwork, and Mission are both negatively related to depression. The results imply that
solutions to stress that do not address the leader/follower relationship and neglect the need for a
mission and teamwork ethos in the organisation culture are misdirected and prone to failure.
The results further show that leadership style is not related to the follower's cognitive style (adaption or
innovation) on the KAI.
Cognitive style is however related to Work Demands, thus it appears that follower's construe the tasks
and problems in line with their cognitive preferences confirming that the KAI is heavily associated with
ideation.
The practical implications are:
1) Followers see a distinct difference between the visionary elements of leadership and the organising
and resourcing components of management. Followers also identify a process of communication that
is common to both management and leadership as well another important factor labeled People
Orientation.
2) Managers with this style of people orientation have a direct link to the feelings and well-being of
followers as measured by anxiety. Increases in the style of People Orientation are likely to be linked to
reduced state anxiety and reduced depression in followers. Individual performance/effectiveness is
largely accounted for by Work Goals with the moderating effect of the combination of KAI and
teamwork rather than the direct impact of management.
3) Followers in this research seem to be in a developmental dilemma where their need for support and
encouragement from management can inhibit them from solving problems in line with their preferred
cognitive styles. In such circumstances, behavioural outcomes may be different from the norm and
thus paradigm breaking for both the relationship with the manager, and with the organisation. | en_US |
