MODULE3

TOPICS:
► Organizational Leadership
► Theories of leadership
► Leader v/s manager
► Effective organizational communication
► Problem-solving and Decision making in organizations

A leader is one who

➔ Initiate first
➔ Inspires the followers
➔ Develops the follower
➔ Shows how to do the job
➔ Assumes obligations and
➔ Overcome various obstacles in attaining the goal
➔ Accomplishes work
Leadership
➔ Leadership is lifting a person 's performance to a higher standard, the
building of a personality beyond his normal limitations
➔ Leadership is the process of influencing the !behavior of others towards
the accomplishment of goals in a given situation.
➔ The process by which a person motivates and guides the group towards a
visualized goal
➔ Leadership is "the process of encouraging and helping others to wo:rk
enthusiastically towards objective''.
➔ Leadership is '"the behavior of an individual when he is directing the
activates of a group towards a shared goal".
➔ Leadership is "the relationship in which one person (the leader)
influences others to work together willingly on related task to attain goal
desired by the leader and or group".
➔ Management is a process of planning, organizing, coordinating, directing,
and controlling the activities of others.
➔ Managership is the authority to carry out these functions.

[Link] Vs Leaders
Managers Leaders

Focus on things Focus on people

Do things right Do the right things

Plan Inspire

Organize Influence

Direct Motivate

Control Build

Follow rules Shape entities

Importance of Leadership
Without leadership, an organization would be what the sage Valmiki wrote in
the Ramayana:
➔ Like an army without a general
➔ Like a night without moon
➔ Like a group of cows without a bull
Leadership not only commits his followers to organizational goals, but can
confuse also pool needed resources, guides, and motivates subordinates to reach
the goals.

Forward
Shared Looking
Competent
Vision

L ead
Honest
Change

Set Empower
Example Inspire People
People

l)'pes of Leadership Styles

1. Democratic LeadersbJp: Democratic leaders are all about collaboration

and the sharing of ideas. They make decisions based on the input of
others that may or may not be on the same hierarchal level. They
naturally drive engagement because employees are alJowed to be a part of
the decision-making process. Leadershjp is decentralized, and choices
 have to go through a lot of people before a final decision can be made by
the leader. Workers are encouraged to be innovative, creative, and
independent in their thoughts.
Importance of Democratic Leadership
• Democratic leaders are great for organizations that serve a clientele who
also want to be a part of the decision-making process. For instance:
➔ a school board that seeks insights from parents,
➔ governmental leaders who seek input from representatives of various
districts to find out what the people want,
➔ forward-thinking companies who do not want a rigid managerial style and
want balanced information from employees.
• Creative industries usually benefit from this leadership style.

2. Autocratic Leadership; Autocratic leaders mostly rely on their opinion

and are not keen on seeking input from others. Autocratic leaders make
all of the decisions and decide how work will be done.
Importance of Autocratic Leadership
➔ This leadership style works well for organizations that need decisions to
be made quickly and efficiently, as only one person is responsible for
decision-making.
➔ Autocratic leaders may also do well in small organizations where many of
the workers are not knowledgeable about a particular topic or practice
and need someone to hold the reins.
➔ The military and construction sectors employ this style as authoritarian
leaders are useful for making quick, decisive choices.

3. Laissez-FaJre Leadership: It is a component of the democratic

leadership style. However, it is to the extreme of leaving employees to
their own devices. Leaders who subscribe to this method intervene as
little as possible in how employees work or regulate themselves.
Laissez-Faire leaders are there to offer resources that workers might need,
but they do not concern themselves with the nuts and bolts of employee
tasks. Workers are trusted to get the job done. This style of leadership
involves a lot of trust and confidence in the employee level of
competency on the part of the leader.
Importance of Laissez-Faire Leadership
 ➔ Laissez-Fair leadership is best to use in short-term situations: if a new
manager is coming into a company and wants to gauge how workers are
doing, it would benefit them to take a hands-off approach to see how the
teams work uninterrupted.
➔ It is also beneficial to companies when working with high-skilled
independent contractors or freelancers that are self-guided and directed to
accomplish the tasks they need to.
➔ The larger the department or group that needs to be managed, the more
difficult a leadership style like this one becomes.

4. Strategic Leadership: Strategic leaders come into a company with a "big

picture" mindset. Their approach is to tum the organizational structure
into a mechanism that helps the company meet the strategic vision
attached to it. Their ultimate goal is to spur effective productivity and
performance. A strategy is a part of everything they do: encouraging
worker creativity, a generalist mindset, self-control, and a tendency to
delegate.
Importance of Strategic Leadership
➔ Strategic leaders are excellent for any organization that needs someone to
pull all the pieces together.
➔ If companies are having a problem getting one department in sync with
another, managing an unbalanced budget, or being concerned about high
turnover; strategic leaders can come in and create a strategic plan for all
of these problems to work toward a solution eventually.
➔ To the strategic leader, everything is connected. Therefore, companies
that have not figured out how to get all the pieces attached would benefit
from a strategic leader.

5. Charismatic Leadership: If two words could be used to describe these

individuals, it is "excellent communicators." Charismatic leaders can
inspire loyalty and respect with their words. They know how to make
people feel that they are speaking directly to them even if they are giving
a speech to a group. Their confidence and oratory skills provide them
with a level of influence over employees. Charismatic leaders share
common traits with transformational ones such as idealized influence and
inspirational motivation.
Importance of Charismatic Leadership
 ➔ Charismatic leaders are great for organizations whose employees might
need to be talked through a difficult time.
➔ Cause-driven organizations like nonprofits, political campaigns, and
newly formed organizations would benefit from a charismatic leader.
➔ The relational aspect they bring to the business will help people feel at
ease and inspired to move through a difficult transition or mission.

6. Transformational Leadership: Transformational leaders seek to inspire

individuals to achieve their very best. They encourage employees to do
high-quality work and make them feel that the talents they are bringing to
the table matter. These individuals understand the human element of
employees and want to be empathetic to their needs while also propelling
them forward. They are primarily coaches who lead by example.

Importance of Transformational Leadership

➔ Transformational leaders are great for companies who have an outdated
approach and who need someone to come in to redefine the internal
structure.
➔ They are also great for businesses that have a new direction or strategy
that they need a leader to "sell" to the employees.
➔ These leaders do well in small organizations with big dreams and
aspirations and established and larger groups who want to raise morale
and motivate employees again.

7. Transactional Leadership: While transfom1ational, charismatic, and

visionary leaders motivate employees by developing some relational
bond, transactional leaders are not driven to do this. Their primary goal is
to increase employee productivity and performance. Transactional leaders
use policies and procedures to keep employees on task and in line.
Instead of facilitating relationships, transactional leaders motivate
employees to do their best with money and benefits. Thes,e individuals
only intervene when goals are not being met, and are adept at installing
short-term goals they want workers to reach.

Importance of Transactional Leadership

➔ Transactional leaders are useful for companies who need. incremental
goals met in a short amount of time.
 ➔ Large or small organizations who know they need to achieve quarterly
and annual goals even if the cost is decreased quality/creativity would
benefit from a transactional leader.
➔ Retail companies, and organizations that depend on a sales representative
to close deals often use transactional leaders.

4 Key Leader Behaviours

High High-relationship & High-task &

Low-Task (Supporting High-Relationship
i Style) (Participative Style)
People emphasis
Low-Task & High-Task &
! Low-Relationship Low-Relationship
Low (Free-Rein Style) (Autocratic Style)

Low - Task Emphasis - High

8. Situational leadership: Situational leadership is a leadership style in

which a leader adapts their style of leading to suit the current work
environment and/or needs of a team. This style of leadership is not
dependent on the skills of a leader; rather it is based on a leader's ability
to adjust to the requirements of a team or organization to be a better and
more effective leader. This leadership style may also be referred to as
"Situational Leadership Theory" or the "Situational Leadership Model"
and was originated by Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey during the
development of the book, Management of Organizational Behavior.

Advantages of Situational leadership

➔ Leaders can use whichever leadership style they believe is best in a given
situation.
➔ A situational leadership style can be more comfortable for good leaders
who know how to use it.
➔ This type of leadership style is fairly simple, as all that is needed is the
ability to assess a situation and adjust to it.
➔ Situational leadership can create a more comfortable environment for
employees as the leadership style implemented will typically match their
needs.

Disadvantages of Situational leadership

 ➔ Situational leadership could confuse within an organization, as a
situational leader may constantly change their approach to addressing
each team or individual's needs.
➔ Situational leadership tends to only focus on short-term goals and as a
result, may overlook long-term goals.
➔ Situational leadership depends on the leader's ability to judge an
employee's maturity level. Some leaders are unable to do this effectively
and may, therefore, provide a style of leadership that does not suit a
particular employee or team.
Theories of Leadership
I. Trait Theory; The trait theories of leadership focus on the individual
characteristics of successful leaders. According to theory, leaders possess
a set trait that makes them distinct from followers. Therefore an attempt
must be made to identify and measure these traits. Ralph Stogdill,
surveyed more than 5000 leadership studies and concluded that
successful leaders tend to have the following qualities:
➔ A strong desire for accomplishment
➔ Persistent pursuit of goals
➔ Creativity and Intelligence
➔ Self-assumed personality
➔ Willingness to accept behavioral consequences
➔ Ability to influence other people
➔ Capacity to motivate people
➔ Perseverance
➔ Self-Confidence
➔ Emotional stability

Advantages of 'Jralt Theory

➔ This is a naturally pleasing theory.
➔ A lot of research has validated the foundation and basis of the theory.
➔ It gives a detailed knowledge and understanding of the leader element in
the leadership process.
Limitations of 'Jralt Theory
➔ There is some subjective judgment in determining who is regarded as a
good or successful leader.
 ➔ The list of possible traits tends to be very long. So it is a very complex
theory.
2. Behavioral Theories: Beginning in the late 1940s and continuing
through the early t 960's researchers moved away from an emphasis on
traits and towards the study of leader behaviors. Behavioral theories of
leadership are focused on the study of specific behaviors of a leader. For
behavioral theorists, a leader's behavior is the best predictor of his
leadership influences and as a result. So it is the best way to determine his
or her leadership success.
Ohio State University
The Bureau of Research at Ohio State University conducted these studies. The
main objective of the studies was to identify the major dimensions of leadership
and to investigate the effect of a leader 's behavior on employee behavior and
satisfaction. These studies narrowed the description of leader behavior to two
dimensions:
• Initiating Structure: It refers to the leader's behavior in defining and
organizing the relationship between himself and members of the group.
The purpose of initiating structure is to:
D Establish well-defined patterns of organization.
D Develop channels of communications and methods or procedures.
D To supervise the activities of employees.
• Consideration: The basic feature of this theory is that leadership behavior
is plotted on two axes rather than on a single continuum. Consideration
refers to the behavior which can be characterized by:
D Friendliness
D Mutual trust
D Respect
D Supportiveness
D Openness
D Concern for the welfare of employees

Human relation Democratic

Low concern for production & High High concern for production & High
concern for people concern for people
 (low)- !(low) (high)t -+ (high)

Low concern for production & Low HJgh concern for production & Low
concern for people concern for people

Laissez Faire Autocratic

- Initiating Structure ! Consideration

The findings of these studies are:
➔ There is a positive relationship between consideration and regularity of
employees and low grievances. But consideration is negatively related to
performance.
➔ There is a positive relationship between initiating structure and employee
performance. But initiating structure is also associated with absenteeism
and grievances.
➔ When both these dimensions are high, performance and satisfaction
tended to be high.
Michigan Studies
These empirical studies were conducted slightly after World War II by the
Institute of Social Research at the University of Michigan. The purpose of these
studies was to identify styles of leadership behavior that result in higher
performance and satisfaction of a group. These studies distinguished between
two distinct styles of leadership:
• Production Centered Leadership: This leadership is also known as
task-oriented leadership. The [Link] leadership stressed
certain points:
□ Rigid work standards, procedures, and rules
D Close supervision of the subordinates
D The technical aspect of the job
D Employees were not to be considered as human beings but as tools
to accomplish the goals of the organizations.
• Employee Centered Leadership: This style is also known as
relation-oriented leadership because it emphasizes human relations. The
main parts which are concentrated upon in this approach are:
D To treat subordinates as human beings.
 D To show concern for the employees' needs, welfare, advancement,
etc.
D To encourage employee participation in goal setting and other
work-related decisions.
D To help ensure high performance by inspiring respect and trust.
The findings of Michigan studies
➔ These studies found that both styles of leadership led to an increase in
production, but it was slightly more in the case of production-oriented
style.
➔ On the other hand, a production-oriented style led to decreased
satisfaction and increased turnover and absenteeism.
➔ The employee-centered approach led to improved workflow procedures
and more cohesions in interactions resulting in increased satisfaction and
decreased turnover and absenteeism.
The behavioral approach dlffers from the traits approach ln that:
➔ The traits approach emphasizes some particular trait to be possessed by a
leader whereas this theory emphasized particular behavior by him.
➔ The purpose of trait theory was to separate leaders from non-leaders
based on traits, whereas the purpose of behavioral theory is to determine
how various kinds of specific behavior affect the performance and
satisfaction of subordinates.
Criticism of the Behavioral Approach
➔ This approach does not take into consideration the situational variables. A
particular leadership style may be effective in one situation, but it may
not be so effective or ineffective in another situation. The situation
determines the effectiveness of a particular leadership style.
➔ This approach does not consider the time factor also. A particular
behavior or action of the leader may be effective at one point in time
while the same may be ineffective at some other point in tEme.
➔ The leadership style suggested by these studies is extreme. A leader is
supposed to follow either of the two styles.
➔ But in practice, these two extremes cannot be followed rigidly, because
leaders cannot restrict themselves to a particular style. They adopt both
styles in varying degrees to suit the particular situation.
 3. The Blake Mouton Managerial Grid: Managerial Grid, or Leadership
Grid, was developed in the early 1960s by management theorists Robert
Blake and Jane Mouton. It plots a manager's or leader's degree of
task-centeredness versus her person-centeredness and identifies five
different combinations of the two and the leadership styles they produce.

Understanding the Model

• Concern for People: this is the degree to which a leader considers team
members' needs, interests, and areas of personal development when
deciding bow best to accomplish a task.
• Concern for production: this is the degree to which a leader emphasizes
concrete objectives, organizational efficiency, and high productivity when
deciding bow best to accomplish a task.
HIGH

Q) 9 - (1,9) (9,1)
c..
C)
s - Country [Link] Team
7 Management

-
Q)
c.. 6 -
(5,5): Mlddle
.p 5

-
C:
Q)
t..)
C:
C)
4
3
2
1
--
- ( 1,1 )
ofth• Road

(9,1)
~
LOW
. . .
lm pover-Js h e d
1 2 3 4' 5 6' 7' 8'
[Link]
9' HIGH

Concern for Production

In the figure, there are 81 possible categories where the leader~s style may
fall.
1) Impoverished Management (1,1): The managers with this leadership
style exert minimum effort to get the work done by the subordinates.
They have minimal concern for both the people and production and they
function merely to preserve their jobs and seniority. Therefore,
disharmony, dissatisfaction, disorganization arise within the organization.
2) Task Management (9,1): Here, the leader is more concerned with the
production and lays less emphasis on the personal needs of his
subordinates. This leadership style is also called a dictatorial or perish
style, where the subordinates are required to perform the task as directed
by the superiors. In this leadership style, the output in the short run may
 increase drastically, but due to tough rules and procedures, there could be
a high labor turnover.
3) Middle of the Road (5,5): The manager with this style tries to keep a
balance between the organizational goals and the personal needs of his
subordinates. Here, the leader focuses on adequate performance through a
balance between the work requirements and satisfactory morale. Both the
people and production needs are not completely met, and thus the
organization land up to an average performance.
4) Country Club (1,9): Here, the leader lays more emphasis on the personal
needs of the subordinates and gives less attention to the output. The
manager adopts this style of leadership with the intent to have a friendly
and comfortable working environment for the subordinates, who get
self-motivated and work harder on their own. However, less attention to
the production can adversely affect the work goals and may lead to
unsatisfactory results.
5) Team Management (9,9): According to Blake and Mouton, it is the most
effective leadership style wherein the leader takes both people and
production hand in hand. This style is based on McGregor's Theory Y,
where the employees are believed to be committed towards the goal
achievement and need not require the manager's intervention at every
step. The leader with this style feels that empowerment, trust, respect,
commitment helps in nurturing the team relationships, which ultimately
results in increased employee satisfaction and overall production of the
organization.
Blake Mouton Managerial Grid: 5 Leadership Styles
STYLE FEATURES CONCERN CONCERN
FOR PEOPLE FOR TASK
Impoverished Laissez-faire style; minimal effort 1 1
Management on management; hoping to avoid
blame for errors

Country Club Focus on creating a safe, 9 1

Management comfortable working environment;
minimal conflict

Task Autocratic style, consistent with 1 9

Management McGregor Theory X. workers have
to complete tasks- nothing else
Team Staff closely involved in 9 9
Management decision-making & feel valued;
consistent with McGregor Theory Y

Middle of the Comprises made to achieve 5 5

Road acceptable performance; thought to
Management be the less effective leadership style

Advantages of Blake and Mouton's Managerial Grid

The Managerial or Leadership Grid is used to help managers analyze their
leadership styles through a technique known as grid training. This is done by
administering a questionnaire that helps managers identify how they stand for
their concern for production and people. The training is aimed at basically
helping leaders reach the ideal state of 9, 9.
LlmJtattons of Blake and Mouton's Managerial Grid
The model ignores the importance of internal and external limits, matter, and
scenarios. Also, some more aspects of leadership can be covered but are not.
4. The Great Man Theory: The great man theory of leadership became popular
during the 19th-century. The mythology behind some of the world's most
famous leaders such as Abraham Lincoln, Julius Caesar, Mahatma Gandhi and
Alexander the Great helped contribute to the notion that great leaders are born
and not made. Have you ever heard someone described as "born to lead?"
According to this point of view, great leaders are simply born with the necessary
internal characteristics such as charisma, confidence, intelligence, and social
skills that make them natural-born leaders. Great man theories assume that the
leadership capacity is inherent - that great leaders are born, not made. These
theories often portray great leaders as heroic, mythic, and destined to rise to
leadership when needed. The term "Great Man" was used because, at the time,
leadership was thought of primarily as a male quality, especially in terms of
military leadership. Such theories suggest that people cannot learn how to
become strong leaders.
Arguments Against the Great Man Theory
➔ It was a male-centric approach when women have proved to be great
leaders too.
➔ This theory explains that leadership cannot be learned or taught it's an
inherent trait.
 ➔ There is no scientific validation to support this theory.
➔ It neglected the environmental and situational factors which affect the
leadership process
Contingency Theory (Fiedler): Contingency theories of leadership state that
effective leadership comprises of all three factors, i.e. traits, behavior, and
situational. A leader's behavior varies as per the situation. To support this theory
of leadership various models were developed, and multiple studies were
conducted in this direction.
Fiedler model postulate that the effectiveness of a leader depends upon two
things:
1. Leaders Motivational Style
• Leaders are motivated by Interpersonal relationships OR
• Task-goal accomplishment
The motivational styles of la leader are measured by the LPC concept. A high
LPC score suggests that the leader has relation-orientation, while a low LPC is
Overall task-oriented.
2. Favorableness of the situation
• Leader-Member relation
• Task Structure
• Position Power
Overall, Situational favorableness is determined by the combination of these
three situational factors.
➔ Good Leader-member relation, highly structured and strong position
power leads to High control situation
➔ Poor Leader-member relation, unstructured task, and weak position
power leads to low control situation

Leadership Match:
l . High control situation = Task-Oriented Leadership
2. Moderate control situation= Relationship Oriented
3. Low control situation= Task-Oriented Leadership
Evaluation of Model
* Merits:
 ➔ It gives explicit attention to three important components: the leader, the
situation, and the subordinates.
➔ The second merit of the model is its flexibility
➔ Leader match is a programmed learning technique that train leaders to
modify situation to fit their personality.
*
➔
Demerits:
The meaning of some variables included in this model is not clear. For
example, it is difficult to classify structure and unstructured.
➔ It does not explain that why and how one particular leadership trait is
more desirable than the others in a particular situation
➔ It does not satisfactorily explain how and why leaders who describe least
preferred co-worker in negative terms are considered to be task-motivated
and those who describe them in positive terms are considered
relation-motivated.
➔ No attention is given to the actual technical competencies of leaders or
subordinates.
Situational Leadership Theory
Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard developed a situational model of
leadership. The theory states that the style of leadership depends upon the
maturity of the subordinates. Maturity in this context is understood not as age or
emotional stability but as achievement, wiUingness to accept responsibility, and
task-related ability and experiences.
Hersey Blanchard believed that the relationship between the leader and
subordinates moves through four phases a kind of life cycle as subordinates
develop and mature and that leaders need to vary their leadership styles with
each phase.
➔ Telling: When a new person enters the organization, he has to be told
everything, i.e. he is given training and orientation to make him
understand the task to be performed.
➔ Selling: The leader leads by [Link] social and emotional support to the
subordinates and convincing the groups to give maximum output.
➔ Participating: It is a democratic style where subordinates are allowed to
participate in the decision-making process. Here, the leader is less
focused on the achievement of objectives.
 ➔ Delegating: The leaders are least concerned about and hardly interfere
with the execution of the tasks. They are not even concerned about the
subordinates and their issues.
Evaluation
*
➔
Merits:
It is dynamic and flexible rather than static
➔ The subordinate must be assessed to determine which style of
combination would be most appropriate.
➔ It does not only motivate people but also helps them to move towards
maturity.
*
➔
Demerits:
Assessment of the maturity level is a difficult task.
➔ Is it possible to change leadership style as subordinates mature?
Practically it is difficult.
➔ This theory suggests that leaders should treat each employee in a slightly
different way. But in practice can leaders exhibit different leadership
styles when all members of the group perform the task together? This
question remains unanswered.
Evans and House Path-Goal Theory
• The Path-Goal Theory was proposed by Robert J. House and Martin
Evans in the 1970s. This theory pro-founded that leader's noticeable
behavior and the situation in which he is placed are inter-connected.
• To increase the organization's effectiveness, the managers should either
match the situation with the leader's behavior or change his behavior
according to the situation in which he is placed. This theory focused on
the need for flexibility while adopting different leadership styles in
different situations.
• The essence of the theory is that the leaders' job is to use structure,
support, and rewards to create a healthy work environment that helps
employees reach the organization's goals.
• This theory is called path-goal because its major concern is how the
leader influences the subordinates ' perceptions of their work goals,
personal goals, and path to goal attainment. This model emphasized four
different behaviors of a leader:
➔ Directive
➔ Supportive
 ➔ Participative
➔ Achievement-Oriented
• Path goal theory suggests that depending on the followers and the
situation, this different leader behavior can increase goal clarity of
followers, enhance their level of satisfaction, and raise their expectations
that effort will result in effective performance.
Vroom-Yelton-Jago Decision-Making Model
This model suggested that leadership style varies based on the decision-making
ability of the leaders in different situations. one of the tasks of a leader is to
make decisions. Leaders who make good decisions will be more effective in the
long run than leaders who make bad ones.
Following are the five decision making Styles derived out of this model:
l. Autocratic <AD: The leader solely decides with the available information.
2. Autocratic (All): This is an autocratic leadership style where the leader
takes the opinion of group members to gather more information but may
or may not share the final decision with the group members.
3. Consultative (CD: The leaders consult with the group members to explore
opinions but solely take the decision.
4. Consultative (Cl(}: The leaders consult with the group members to
explore opinions and also invite suggestions but solely take the decision.
5. Collaborative (GIi}: The leader allows the group to take their own
decisions collectively and plays a supportive role in the process.

• Cognitive Resource Theory: This theory explains that if the leader is

experienced he will be able to perform effectively even under stressful
situations whereas an intelligent leader performs well in less stressful
situations.
• Strategic Contingencies Theory: This theory says that the effectiveness
of a leader depends upon his problem-solving skills and ability to handle
critical situations and make decisions wisely. A person with better
problem-solving skills can secure his position and cannot be easily
replaced.
Problem: A perceived gap between the existing state and the desired state, or a
deviation from a norm, standard, or status quo.
Barriers to Problem-Solving
 • Confirmation bias
• Mental set
• Functional fixedness
• Unnecessary constraints
• Irrelevant information
Causes of Problem-Solving Barriers

• Perspective
• Emotion
• Intellectual
• Expression
• Environment
• Cultural
Divergent Thinking
Divergent thinking talks about considering several solutions to a certain
problem. It is sometimes referred to as " lateral thinking" which is a term
credited to Edward De Bono, a Maltese psychologist, physician, author, and
inventor.
Convergent Thinking
Joy Paul Guilford, an American psychologist, coined the term "convergent
thinking". It refers to figuring out a certain established solution to a problem.
This is often employed in structured assessments such as multiple-choice items,
identification, and arithmetic problems.
Convergent & . Divergent Questions
Convergent Questions Divergent Questions
Allow for only one correct response Allow for many correct responses

Based on concrete facts Call for opinions, hypotheses, or

evaluations

Require recall, analysis for Encourage broader responses

determining the single, correct answer prompting students to think
Eg: "What was the major cause of the Eg: "Why is it important that we
Great Depression" speak correctly?"

The Six-Step Problem Solving Model

r

• The Six Steps

➔ Define the Problem
➔ Determine the Root Cause(s) of the Problem
➔ Develop Alternative Solutions
➔ Select a Solution
➔ Implement the Solution
➔ Evaluate the Outcome

The 5 Most Common Problems of Organizations

• Absence of clear direction. Lack of direction is one of the most common
organizational problems.
• Difficulty blending multiple personalities into a cohesive and unified
team.
• Failure to develop key competencies and behaviors.
• Poor communication and feedback.
• Lack of awareness.
Communication
Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place,
person, or group to another.
Every communication involves (at least) one sender, a message, and a recipient.
This may sound simple, but communication is a very complex subject.
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

!-------iii+------

· t --· l --
4 Different 'fypes of Workplace Communication
➔ Verbal (In-Person) Communication
➔ Body Language & Facial Expressions
 ➔ Phone Conversations
➔ Written Communication
• Others:
➔ Interpersonal communication
➔ Intrapersonal Communication
➔ Impersonal Communication

Barriers to Effectlve Communication

• Sender Related Barrier:
➔ Communication Goals
➔ Communication Skills
➔ Interpersonal Sensitivity
➔ Improper Diction
➔ Inconsistent Non-verbal communication
➔ Fear
➔ Sender Credibility
• Receiver Related Barrier:
➔ Selective and Poor Listening
➔ Evaluating the Source
➔ Perception
➔ Lack of Responsive Feedback
• Situation Related Barrier:
➔ Jargon

➔ Information Overload
➔ Communication Climate
➔ Noise
➔ Distance

➔ Mechanical failure

Overcoming the Barriers

* Sender's ResponslblUty;
➔ Setting Communication Goals
➔ Using Appropriate Language
➔ Practicing Empathic Communication
➔ Improving Communicator's Credibility
➔ Encouraging Feedback
➔ Using face to face communication
➔ Developing trusting climate
 ➔ Using Picture
Barriers to Effective Listening
➔ Poor Listening
➔ inadequate background information
➔ Selective expectation
➔ Bias and being judgment
➔ Partial learning and distraction
➔ Selective perception
➔ Interference from emotions
➔ Responsive feedback
The 10 Principles of Listening
1. Stop Talking
2. Prepare Yourself to Listen
3. Put the Speaker at Ease
4. Remove Distractions
5. Empathies
6. Be Patient
7. Avoid Personal Prejudice
8. Listen to the Tone
9. Listen for Ideas - Not Just Words
10. Wait and Watch for Non-Verbal Communication
Communication Flows in an Organization
• Downward Flow of CommunJcatlon:
➔ Communication that flows from a higher level in an organization to a
lower level is downward communication. ln other words, communication
from superiors to subordinates in a chain of command is downward
communication.
➔ Providing feedback on employees performance
➔ Giving job instructions
➔ Communicating the organization 's mission and vision to the employees.
➔ Highlighting the areas of attention etc.

• Upward Flow of Communication:

➔ Communication that flows to a higher level in an organization is called
upward communication. It provides feedback on how well the
 organization is functioning. The subordinates use upward communication
to convey their problems and performances to their superiors.
➔ The subordinates also use upward communication to tell how well they
have understood the downward communication. It can [Link] be used by the
employees to share their views and ideas and to participate in the
decision-making process.
THE FLOW OF VERTICAL COMMUNICATION
Managing Director

! i
General Manager

! i
Assistant General Manager

! i
Divisional/Departmental Head

! i
Supervisor

! i
Employees/Workers
(!- Downward communication j- Upward communication)
• Lateral / Horizontal CommunJcatlon
➔ Communication that takes place at the same levels of hierarchy in an
organization is calJed lateral communication, i.e., communication
between peers, between managers at the same levels, or between any
horizontally equivalent organizational member. The advantages of
horizontal communication are as follows:
D It is time-saving.
D It facilitates the coordination of the task.
D It facilitates co-operation among team members.
D It provides emotional and social assistance to the organizational
members.
D It helps in solving various organizational problems.
D It is a means of information sharing
 HORIZONTAL COMMUNICATION
PRODUCTION SALES MANAGER PURCHASE
MANAGER MANAGER

-
-+

-
-+

-
-+

• Diagonal Communication: Communication that takes place between a

manager and emp,loyees of other workgroups is called diagonal
communication. It generally does not appear on the organizational chart.
For instance: To design a training module a training manager interacts
with Operations personnel to enquire about the way they perfonn their
task.
• External Communication: Communication that takes place between a
manager and external groups such as - suppliers, vendors, banks,
financial institutes, etc. For instance: To raise capital the Managing
director would interact with the Bank Manager.