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Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Topic 5: Contingency Leadership Theory
Weekly Reflection
Week 6
21 November 2021
Assalamualaikum and bismillah. To begin my reflection on this week’s group presentation, I would like to start with a story of Walter Elias Disney. I believe everyone knows him. We even grew up with all his masterpieces. Walter Elias Disney is most famous for being the creator of the Walt Disney Company. Did you know he was also a visionary, an innovator, and a remarkable leader? Disney's adaptive leadership approach enabled the company to grow into one of the world's most profitable entertainment empires. Disney was a believer in involving his employees in decision-making. He would sometimes gather everyone in the studio and recreate scenes to show his ideas. He hoped that his staff share his enthusiasm as well. The leadership style used by Disney is a part of the larger
Contingency Leadership Theory.
Well today, I would like to discuss Contingency Theory in my blog. What the group presenters have discussed in their PPT slides was very clear cut. The definition and the types of Contingency Leadership Theory. So what are those?
From the above image, when it comes to identifying distinctive leadership styles, contingency theory emphasises three critical variables. They include the following: traits, behaviour, and situation. From my point of view, the efficacy of a leader is not contingent on their talents only. External elements such as the environment, culture, and interpersonal interactions all affect the leadership process. Regardless of how good leaders they are, there will be moments they certainly struggle to satisfy expectations at some level. As an example recently our country Malaysian was and is still hit by the pandemic of Covid 19. Many successful leaders of companies need to shut down their businesses no matter how established they were before. For example chains of hotels in Penang have been closed due to Covid 19 such as Hotel Equatorial Penang, Holiday Inn, etc. That is the contingency action taken by the manager/leader to cease the operations although it’s a difficult decision to make.
The other crucial part to discuss in Contingency Leadership Theory is the types of its theory. Back to the school context, I've seen several school principals in school apply the same type of leadership style to all scenarios, which is ineffective since all situations are unique and must be addressed individually. When they apply comparable styles to all scenarios, it may result in poor outcomes and performance from the teachers since a default style will not operate efficiently in all situations.
There are two types of Leadership Models in Contingency Leadership; prescriptive and descriptive. But I’m very much interested to reflect on the prescriptive type of leadership. ‘Prescriptive tells users exactly which style to use in a given situation. It guides or directs the activities and behaviours of others toward goals, opportunities’. Without reading attentively, you may conclude that prescriptive leadership functions by prescription, telling others what to do. That is just false. As you continue reading, you'll see that prescriptive leadership requires the leader to follow a prescription from the book when deciding how to consult with his or her team. I have encountered a few school principals who are ‘by the book’; by following the official rules very strictly and insist on doing everything by the book. The funny thing is, many teachers will run away screaming when they bump into the prescriptive type of leadership. They will imagine a nasty principal pointing finger giving instructions on what to do. But actually, it’s not that bad. It just means the leader is following the rules and deciding how to make it work with his team members that’s all.
Last but not least, another issue I would like to reflect on is about Normative Decision Model. It was talked over during the open discussion session. A normative decision-making model is a leadership approach that enables leaders to choose the extent to which their team members should engage in decision-making. Victor Vroom, in collaboration with Philip Yetton and Arthur G. Jago, developed this model, which is frequently referred to as the Vroom-Yetton-Jago model. My first reaction to this approach is that we make hundreds of choices every day. Some are little, such as what to prepare for lunch, while others are major, such as whether to purchase a new car or home. Often, before a choice can be made, we must first decide how the decision will be made. Are you the one who decides what to prepare or do you consult your family first? My decision is always decided by my children. Having three grown-up daughters makes me less decision-maker. The Normative Decision model defines five distinct management techniques characterised by differing degrees of leader and team members’ involvement. Imagine that I am the project leader, my family is my team members, and tonight's dinner is my ultimate project. Here are the decision-making styles I may use, ranging from the most autocratic, in which the management makes the choice, to the most democratic, in which the team makes the decision.
In conclusion, people are hard to be managed. Managing team members are even difficult. The leader has the same objective - to encourage and interact with team members - but not every team member responds to the same approach, type and style. However, if the leader treats each team member differently, this might be seen as partiality, resulting in conflict. Perhaps in the school context, a teacher gets special treatment compared to other teachers. probably the teacher has a problem adapting to a certain style of leadership approach. Thus, the issue is: How can a leader encourage and apply theories and styles successfully with his or her team members while simultaneously being and seeming fair?
Sunday, November 28, 2021
Topic 4: Influencing: Power, Politics, Networking, and Negotiation
Weekly Reflection
Week 5
14 November 2021
Assalamualaikum and bismillah. This week’s group presentation discussed Leadership with Influencing Power, Politics, Networking, and Negotiation. Having to sit and listen to the presenters talking about politics, influence, tactics, etc. chilled me to the bones. Well, everyone leads differently. The best leader will understand how to use their power to influence his team members and develop that connection power through politicking. First and foremost let’s look at some definitions.
„Influencing – The process of affecting others’ attitudes and behaviour to achieve an objective.
„Power - Leadership power is the influence that leaders have over their followers. It persuades others to support their efforts and do as they ask.
„Politics - The process of gaining and using power and it’s a fact of life in organizations.
After listening to the group presentation, I have gained knowledge of nine influencing tactics practised by the leaders in organizations, types of power in leadership, and behaviours that characterized politically skilled individuals as leaders. I was never brought up to think that employers/leaders could play major roles in influencing their employees. In the school context, when the school principal asks for a favour from the teacher to do something; let’s say becoming a coordinator to organize an event, then he promises you a reward (APC) but at the same time threaten to load you with more works if you fail to accomplish the mission. Would you do it? Maybe yes. But would you ‘be happy’ to do it? Maybe not! Now let’s look at another situation. Your principal persuades you to handle and become the coordinator for ‘Projek Taman Mini Rumah Hijau’ for an upcoming national level inter-school competition. Your principal somehow manages to change your attitude and beliefs about this little project. You could see the importance and the value of the task given to you. Now, not only you are willing to comply with your principal’s request, but you also be on board with his vision and feel so motivated to take action. So what is the difference between these two situations? Yes. One relies on power, and the other is mainly using influence tactics. In each given scenario, a competent leader knows which technique will be most effective. But, if we one day become a leader, how can we adapt to implement the influence strategies effectively?
What is an influence tactic?
‘Influence tactics are strategies that leaders can use to change their employees' attitudes, values, or behaviours’. These tactics can vary depending on the situation. For example in the school context, the middle leaders (Ketua Panitia) might use different tactics to influence their superiors (Ketua Bidang) and their subordinates (junior teachers). A very good and effective leader will know the best influence tactics to be used to achieve their desired mission. For example, a school principal may wish to influence his teachers to:
+ understand the importance of in-service training courses like coming to school on Saturday for LDP (Latihan Dalam Perkhidmatan)
+ recognize the significance of the SPM exam by staying back after school to organize ‘Teknik Menjawab Soalan SPM’ with all SPM candidates.
In terms of power, in a leadership context, I would suggest all leadership involves power. Leaders who fully utilize their power would be able to influence and engage their employees and motivate them to accomplish their mission. For example, the legitimate power acquired by the school principal. It is not written in the teacher’s service handbook that they must stay back after school to attend meetings. But with the teachers being absent, there are informal rules of conduct that teachers must comply with the display of legitimate power of the principal. Nevertheless, I would like to give credit to those leaders who have the reward power where they can give rewards to the team members. Rewards and positive reinforcement work best when it involves all team members such as ‘Jamuan Akhir Tahun’ where the school principal would treat all teachers after working so hard throughout the year.
From the politics in leadership perspective, the greatest foundation of politics in an organization is the ability of the leader to work well with other team members. Like money, politics in leadership is neither good nor bad. The common political behaviours in leadership are networking (the process of developing relationships to socialize), reciprocity (creating obligations and developing alliances and using them to accomplish objectives), and coalitions (it is developed for achieving a specific objective). I come to know that networking is all about effective communication. For example, a school principal who wants his teachers to complete the annual Self-Assessment (PBPPP), may want to enlighten the teachers and spend a little bit of time talking about the evaluation of excellence criteria.
In a nutshell, I have learnt a lot from the presentation inputs. There are several forms of influence tactics, some of which are more effective than others. We as teachers undoubtedly have seen some of them in action and may even have used them ourselves. I've also learned that, just as each school principal offers their unique set of abilities and talents to an organisation, each middle leader, such as Penolong Kanan, Ketua Bidang, and Ketua Panitia, brings their leadership style to the table. Every leader demonstrates at least one of the leading powers, regardless of how they lead a team.
Thursday, November 25, 2021
Topic 3: Leadership Behaviour and Motivation
Weekly Reflection
Week 4 (14 November 2021)
Assalamualaikum and bismillah. I would like to begin my weekly reflection with a quote,
‘The real power of a leader is in the number of minds he can reach, hearts he can touch, souls he can move, and lives he can change.’
by Matshona Dhliwayo
This week’s reflection is about leadership behaviour and motivation. The presenters touched on Leadership Styles as it indicates the combination of traits, skills, and behaviours leaders use as they interact with followers. One of the presenters did mention about three main leadership styles. Each effective leader establishes a leadership style based on their personality, goals, and culture, using one of three leadership styles: autocratic, democratic, or laissez-faire.
I remember two years back when the SPM result of my school was through the roof! My Pengetua was having a thought of planning a committee to put together a small ‘jamuan’ to thank all the teachers who have been pushing so much effort in getting such a result. It happened that I was the one to be in charge as coordinator (penyelaras) of leading this small event. In my mind, I kept thinking if I practised an autocratic style of leadership, I could demand things be done exactly to my specifications, but my teachers' committee may quit or end up disliking the event. If I laid back and operated in a laissez-faire style, then I would end up setting the event by myself as everyone would do their own thing. So one of the committees suggested we did a bit of port luck where teachers brought in food so we could have the feast together. Another committee member suggested we ordered desserts and some other committee planned to be in charge of the drinks. Because I was the coordinator and I knew very well the committee I have assembled were creative and competent and can be fully utilized so I applied a democratic style of leadership. And you know what, this democratic style of leadership brought out the best ideas and it ensured all aspects of the plan work in tandem so beautifully. So it was a successful event.
Then the other group member presented about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which fascinated me to write my reflection. The definition has clearly stated that ‘people are motivated through levels of needs which begin a basic life-sustaining needs and progress to life and work satisfaction needs.’
In the context of leadership and engagement to the motivation, the hierarchy above may be applied to the five mindsets of employees (teachers). If Maslow’s hierarchy of needs were applied widely to schools, I would be the most excited person by the idea of having Maslow’s concept amongst the school administrators and the teachers. Maslow’s needs no doubt, remain as it is, but I would like to see how the administrators determine if they are providing the environment and experiences that will allow the school teachers to successfully meet their needs. This concept can be shifted from the view of teachers. And move to how the school culture could also give an impact on teachers’ ability to be successful. Well, what if a teacher who is lack self-esteem that could make him unable to perform his job well. For instance, a very young capable teacher who has successfully produced high achievers because of his hard work and his dedication. Yet, APC (Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang) is not awarded to him because he is ‘not-senior-enough’ or because he is ‘still new in the service’. That is the ‘culture’ that we are practising at the school level. Seniority. Well, that is something the administrators should be looking at to boost the employees’ self–esteem to achieve the uppermost stage of self-actualization.
Perhaps it is time for the administrators and teachers to work hand in hand to become partners exploring the educational realm together regardless of age, gender, or skin colour. Perhaps the administrators could also learn from the teachers and vice versa, finding new ways to communicate and connect. So what is the takeaway here? We may explore Maslow’s stages of progression as they could motivate teachers. However, these stages are not mutually incompatible from the administrators’ perspective. But in my opinion, if the lower level is significantly weak, it tends to divert attention away from the higher levels. Perhaps the lesson for administrators i.e, Pengetua, Penolong Kanan, Ketua Bidang, or even Ketua Panitia is to make sure that your teachers feel motivated, safe and integrate into their surroundings. They will be happier to concentrate on doing a good job and growing in their profession if they do not feel unmotivated, and they feel like part of the team. ~ end ~
Monday, November 22, 2021
Topic 2: Leadership Traits and Ethics.
Weekly Reflection
Week 3 (31 October 2021)
Assalamualaikum and bismillah. I would like to begin my weekly reflection with an anecdote. Imagine you are in a situation where you are teaching and your principal is at the back of your class observing you. Your students do not seem to cooperate and the session is far from what you have expected. It is very painful to watch but the lesson must go on. The principal is looking at you. One boy is hitting the desk as if he’s stirring the whole class against you. The other keeps yelling your name seeking your attention Your students’
crabbiness leads to petty annoyances, spiralling into disorder making you shake yourself into little sense. Perhaps, making eye contact with your favourite student (which I always did), would ease the sadness behind the soft smile. At this moment all the theories and principles of being a good leader come flashing and flickering in the corner of your eyes. You are well aware of all those traits and ethics of being a good leader in handling your class and they are at your fingertips. At that moment, you are thinking of adopting those traits into practise and how to change the traits accordingly to resolve the current and existing problem.
This is where leadership traits come into the picture. To adapt according to the situation, a leader must acquire the Big 5 Model of Personality. Group one who presented these personality traits has drawn me to reflect on them.
Gazing back on the anecdote earlier, these 5 traits have a strong relationship with teachers as it affects the quality of teachers’ instructions towards their students. Teachers appear to be particularly interested in listening to the problems of others (Openness), connecting with people, and caring for others (Agreeableness). So yes, the Big 5 Personality does make a good teacher/leader in whatever situation he is confronting.
The group also presented on Traits of Effective Leaders. If you encounter a situation as in the anecdote earlier, one of the traits of an effective teacher/leader is flexibility. An effective teacher/leader excels at being adaptable and being flexible, which means they can adapt to any kind of situation; hectic or stressful; yet still make the students feel attached and feel valued. As the teacher grows in his or her job and acquires more experience with each new challenge, this effectiveness in terms of flexibility emerges.
Other than that, the presenters also discussed Theory X and Theory Y approaches which I found fascinating. Two approaches (Theory X and Y) to encourage employees are described as this is also closely related to teachers in their teaching practice. At the school level, the use of theories X and Y might lead to the principal stigmatising the teachers. Thus, school principals who understand this theory well will use Theory Y that will guide them to have better outcomes in the teaching profession. Reflecting on the earlier anecdote, a good principal should and always support the teachers who are struggling with their students. Rather than criticizing, the school principal should motivate the teachers and not label them as not capable.
Last but not the least, I would like to pour my opinion on Pygmalion Effect. The group one presenters talked about how the Pygmalion effect occurs in leadership traits and ethics as well as in the teaching profession. According to the theory, the increased expectations of a person contributes to higher performance. The contrary is also true: if someone is held to low expectations, they are more likely to do poorly. This suggests that a teacher's belief in a student's skills may have an impact on the student's future accomplishment. This phenomenon has been demonstrated in the teaching field, particularly when it comes to teachers who intentionally and unintentionally push their students to meet their predetermined expectations. As a piece of advice, we as the teacher must know our students’ capabilities not to push them beyond the level they couldn’t achieve.
All in all, the third session with Dr Roslizam was fruitful and insightful. I have learnt a lot through discussions shared by classmates and Dr Roslizam himself. Sharing his experiences on Leadership Traits and Ethics was an eye-opener for my future reference.
Topic: Introduction to Leadership
Weekly Reflection
Week 2 (24 October 2021)
I would like to start my weekly reflection by stating the definition of leadership. Dr Roslizam shared with us PPT slides describing characteristics of world leaders such as Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, etc. As for me, leadership may be defined as someone who possesses certain characteristics and personalities which he enables to hold, move or direct certain group members to achieve a target or goal. A good leader can somehow control, or even instruct his group members to work ‘with’ not ‘for’ him. It is a skill to influence others that not everyone could acquire. According to Al-Shamsi et all (2018), leaders are a key source of influence on organizational variables as well as productivity. It is the ability to persuade others to achieve the targeted objective. I’m very much attracted by the slides shown by Dr Roslizam on Adolf Hitler, the chancellor of Germany. Although he had committed genocide by destroying a certain group of people, still ‘his people’ elected him to be their leader. I presume he had skills that enabled him to lead his country.
As I was a teacher; technically a leader in my organization; leading my students to accomplish what has been planned at the end of our journey. The concept of teachers being a leader is now widely accepted as the aim and goal is to enhance the teaching quality as well as students learning. Wenner and Campbell (2017) supported this concept as teacher leadership aims to promote student learning and achievement, including to develop the school organisation altogether.
Why leadership is important? Dr Roslizam mentioned the key elements why being a leader is crucial in our society. Some factors are :
■ For crises
■ For organizational performance
■ For employee job satisfaction
■ For successful management
To be precise, to handle a critical situation, a leader must develop a strong team because it does not work one way. To achieve top-notch performance, without trust and cooperation between the ‘captain’ and his ‘crew’, the ship will be doomed.
I was also fascinated with Dr Roslizam explanation of the characteristics of Manager vs Leader. It is very clear cut that managers and leaders possess slightly different personality traits
Managers ■ Administer ■ Maintain ■ Control ■ Short-term view ■ Ask “how & when” ■ Imitate ■ Accept status quo ■ Do things right
| Leaders ■ Innovate ■ Develop ■ Inspire ■ Long-term view ■ Ask “what & why” ■ Originate ■ Challenge status quo ■ Do the right things
|
In reflecting upon the differences between manager and leader, I remember back in 2003 just being posted as a new young teacher in one of the schools in Kuala Lumpur, I often denied the important role of being a teacher leader. I felt it was not important back then without realizing that it was the most crucial element regardless of how young you were. I was teaching the Upper Six students who were just 5 years younger than me. I kept my distance and had my own space. Shondrick, Dinh, & Lord (2010) proposed that, when leaders’ behaviours are not aligned with followers’ expectations (either higher or lower), followers may evaluate them as being laissez-faire. Technically I was a laissez-faire!
I could manage to control them but not inspire, maintaining the bond but unable to develop new rapport, and I always thought I did things right without knowing I must do the right things with my students by challenging or even motivating them. In a leadership context, Wills (2015) identified three main areas why leadership is important. Firstly, it is important for a leader to display his competence in working professionally with their colleagues; in my situation with my students which I did not demonstrate especially when handling the critical situation. Secondly, Wills emphasizes the importance of collaborating with colleagues and lastly, participating in decision making. These are the important elements that make a leader effective. If you don’t possess any of these then you are incompetent.
To sum up, towards the end of the lecture, Dr Roslizam asked a question for us to ponder. What is the best leadership style? People; teachers specifically; have their preference and style of leadership. For me, sticking to one style could be effective but not in the long term. As we grow and become more mature, we tend to change and broaden our leadership styles. I hope one day, I could find the style that enables me to make difference in someone’s life.
Reference:
Al-Shamsi, R., Ameen, A., Isaac, O., Al-Shibami, A. H., & Sayed Khalifa, G. (2018). The Impact of Innovation and Smart Government on Happiness: Proposing Conceptual Framework. International Journal of Management and Human Science (IJMHS), 2(2), 10-26.
Shondrick, S. J., Dinh, J. E., & Lord, R. G. 2010. Developments in implicit leadership theory and cognitive science: Applications to improving measurement and understanding alternatives to hierarchical leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 21: 959-978.
Wenner, J. A., & Campbell, T. (2017). The theoretical and empirical basis of teacher leadership: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 20(10), 1–38. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654316653478
Wills, A. (2015). A case study of teacher leadership at an elementary school. Unpublished Certificate of Advanced Study Thesis. Sacred Heart University. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/edl/6
Thursday, November 18, 2021
PERVASIVE
It's a strong word to indicate how dreadful the influence of media makes people live in maniacal obsession. We are caged in this awful little realm. The spectrum of insanity is unbearable. Nothing could stop souls from devoting themselves to this intelligence. Hours and hours have drained, creeping at such a slow pace it feels like a blood-sucking creature. Until it drains. On the spur of moment, it ruins lives. The life of once you loved. Once you have made a promise. Then it will be all gone. Forever.
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Welcome to Dynamics of Leadership Course!!
Week 1 (DOL Class)
17 October 2021
Assalamualaikum and Bismillah. I’d like to start my weekly reflection with a quote;
‘To begin a journey is never easy, but we have to start somewhere to reach the destination’ by Debasish Mridha. The quote is picked because it has been a great start to my semester as I had been struggling to figure out the prerequisites courses that I have to take this semester. Alongside all other courses, this course makes me so much more excited to get started! Reading from the welcome notes by Dr Jamilah from the e-learning platform, by the end of this semester, I will be exposed to the theory of leadership and the dynamic relationship of leadership.
This course, Dynamic of Leadership UHPS6013 has given me a good impression. People say ‘First Impressions are Lasting Impressions'. So kudos to my lecturer Dr Roslizam for making it impactful. Dr Roslizam basically introduced us to the course outline, assessments that consist of weekly reflections, presentations, a short talk, and an e-portfolio. We were given topics for weekly presentations and each topic shall be presented by at least two students. I sanctioned the idea of having to co-present the topics with our course mate. As we are hitting the first semester, it is not really a good idea to shoulder each presentation topic alone. A big thank you to Dr Roslizam for allowing us to co-presenting to enhance the quality of our weekly presentation.
Apart from that, there is an e-portfolio assessment that I would like to address. The e-portfolio is the online platform where students are required to post their profile, weekly reflections, report on talk from the expert (Week 11), and a column on Transformational Leadership. Having to post the e-portfolio perhaps via blog or website will encourage the students to be more engaged. As blogs or websites can be accessible by everyone as it facilitates students to be more creative and believe me it’s responsive too! Besides briefing us on the course outline, Dr Roslizam also talked about the overview of what is this course all about.
What made this first-week session a fruitful session was how I completely fathomed the gist of the overall idea addressed by Dr Roslizam. He boosted the students’ conceptual thinking by reflecting on the difference between leadership and being a leader. As far as I’m aware of both meanings, a leader embodies leadership mentalities and actions. It’s who you are as a person that makes you a leader. But holding a leadership position in an organization does not make you a leader. Leadership skills must and should be taught. The fact that leadership skills reflect the leader’s ability to lead.
Something I would like to reflect on about this week’s session is human on the reflection of ‘Khalifa’ as a leader from an Islamic perspective. The basic concept of leadership from the Islamic perspective consists of religion, morals and humanity. A brilliant leader comes with the quality of being humane. And being human means having and using your heart to lead. At its simplest and rightful notion, being a leader is being you. Your team members will easily connect and respond to you if you are being sincere and natural. They connect with you and they trust you when you are being the best version of yourself. That is what inspires them. Last but not least let us be the best version of ourselves so we would be real and be vulnerable. Insha Allah. Assalamualaikum and goodnight.
Monday, November 1, 2021
To think that I'm not thinking right. Going through hurdles that might weigh me down. Having the thoughts of some hell of commitment that I'm going to commit. Gushing water reminds me of how the world has been crying for me. Loud. If I lose this battle. With the unseen enemy. That is my inner self. The one I've been talking to. The one person that will weigh me down. Way down. As if I'm being teased and battered and caressed by my own thoughts. Sipping and simmering in the depth of my mind. Sometimes overflowing and making itself noticeable. But worry not. It makes sense now. Crystal clear. Pellucid. So this is my journey. There are times when the roads are straight. Sometimes twisting, curving and meandering. There are ups and downs and potholes. Some delightful surprises. Some amusing discoveries. But they are still there. Waiting for me.
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