Leadership (management) as partnership

Russ S. Moxley and John R. Alexander

Leaders manage. They furnish a compact vision, they base and inspire, they help their organizations to go over, to change, and to handle adapted challenges.

This is the typically manner to understand as a matter of fact the leadership. We usually think about leadership as. We indicated this person (individual) with a role in the organization, and what we often use are the varying terms executive and leader. Not just that we understood leadership as coming from an individual but also we wanted individual to be exceptional. We want intellectually gifted leaders, which are visionary, gifted, which are on top and in function. In fact we want them to be heroically.

Looking back in time, we agreed with the stages that our leaders went through. We want them to create an angle (or in another writers language, a view, a meaning of a purpose, an agenda of the organization), to be capable of  making clear this angle on a right way, so that to be motivated to end it well.

This chapter is based on an article which appeared in the beginning in "Leaders in Action" volume 19, no. 3, (copy 1999 Jossey. Bass/Wiley) and is inspired by Russ Moxley's book, "Leaders and the Spirit: Breathing New Vitality".

Stockholder and the forming of a team

This vision of leading was very nicely done, in a particular way based on an industrial plan and it remains the most dominant way that leading is understood and practiced.

Limits of tipically view of the manage

This understanding and practice of an individual as a leader has ti's limits. First of all by the increese of labour diversification it is very difficult for every person to create or articulate a new vision that will be known and shared by everyone. Today a shared vision is possible when the interests have a large diversification and the agendas that are in the way of making are combined. The next thing is that resources, talents and skills of a person are taking part invariably. Leader's mantle is way too heavy to carry by yourself. To be succesfully on this long path, organizations need systems, structures, and the practised of manage that leads on, gifts and talent of all employeds. Last but not least, the complex increese of tasks and technologies, and the resulted need of intelectuality leads to the understanding and practicing of leading. Nowadays for the work to be done well even at it's very ending it will be needed lots of integration along with the specializations. The experteeze and the leading has to be equaly divided. Warren Bennis tells that "on a large scale our increasing recognition for needs, for a co-operation and a new form of managing results arise from emergency of intelleacual capital as the most important element of organization success; finally, expectations and changing needs of workers take us at a different way of practicing leadership. Peter Drucker suggests us that "together, a big amount of people that are hired with full time job must be protected as they are volunteers. They are paid to be sure. But the skilled workers have mobility. They can leave. They posses the construction media, that is the conscience."

With all the changes in force of work and in employed's contract, Peter Drucker sugested that nowadays workers must be treated as they would be volunteer and volunteers don't need to be protected.

An alternative: leadership as partnership

We would want to suggest an alternative about individual managing: managing as  partnership. In this context, leadership is not what a person offers to another person neither what follows from a relantionship reciprocity from the quality of interactions of at least two persons, sometimes more. It is understood that the leadership is somenting that results from community. We cannot see leadersship like a single extraordinay cove's expression, that means everyting it's a process what is divided in a lot of persons.

We like the name "asociation". Is sugesting the main idea, man and woman which get to an agree, that the leadership to ancomplishthe the leardership targets, is making a vizion, thei work together to build the obligation to mentaine the line up with the vizion, and they are using all of their partners talents and energy to lead the change and understanding, with the adapted provocation.

Primary difference in executive as a leader and association is simple: the source of ruling is different. Our tipical perspective suggests us that ruling comes from inside, for example,vision comes from leaders hart and mind. In association the source of vision is the relationship, the vision comes out from reciprocity, from relationships giving and taking. The organization must to have a vision if we need to say that leadership have a place in organization. The source of this vision comes normaly from the head so we supose the source can be a relation, a pail, a crew, a crowd or a big organization. Is decisive to understand this difference from the source of leadership.

Probably the best way to understand the difference between associantion and individual leadership is to look how it works in different ways: a one to one relationship, a team and an organization. These examples are given from our personal experienceses with individuals and organizations.

Association in relationship one to one

Robbie is a brand manager in a large manufactury organization. He is experienced, hard working, concentrated and optimistic.

Leadership and team forming

A fast study. He had recently a series of discussions with his boss about different problems.They had problems with their latest development and launch. The chief not only that expressed his worring forthe delay but also he said exactly what is needed so the product gets to his initial phase. There were different opinions about the decision that had to be taken and Robbie didn't feel any obligation for the sollution he actually proposed, Robbie knew from his experience that what his boss told him to do it wouldn't have worked but he did it anyway. An act of diversion. Robbie wanted his boss to do things differently not only then, but whenever they would work together. First of all, Robbie would wanted his boss to ask for his opinion before ordering somethig, then Robbie wanted his boss to ask if he needed his help. In exchange, he being right handed and robbie left handed, Robbie felt that not only he was responsalble for the delay.but that he had the power to correct him.

In this case Robbie had the same purpose, so one of the requets of the managment did exist. Anyway, the boss put Robbie aside and said that he knew what he has to to, believing that he didn't have the time to chat and he took the job of giving order . Robbie only wantet to talk not to give orders. He wanted to be a partner not a servant. He wanted to be a person not a puppet . What the boss should have done in this case was to hire Robbie to take part at the whole task and he should have had ebough courage to say the truth to the boss.

In the book entitled "Leaders", David A. Heenan and Warren Bennis are relating stories about accomplishers that worked as partners to achieve leading's aims in their espectively organizations. Writers suggest that we can not estimate enough Bill Gates type, but we can do it only if we understand and determine Gates's interaction with Steven Ballmer, the manager of Microsoft. Managing ensue from their interaction's quality, from giving and taking from their relation.

Leadership as partnership

Lucrare: Definitia si fizica culorilor - valuarea prin culoare Referat: Proiect la gestiunea financiara a intreprinderii

Team association

The business was good for a major company with consumer products, but the young manager knew that executive team could be stronger. The relations between the sixth members of the team were cordially at the surface, but under it there was conflicts and unsolved tensions. They avoided interdependence. The conflicts were pushed up to the manager to be solved. Their responsabilty were not sheared. Actually, there were more fingers pointed than common work that leads to acomplish leadership's goal. There was not an understanding of the mission and direction of the company and evidently the members of the team were not aligned and they weren't pulling together. Style and personality differences were not honored, sure, there wasn't appreciated the fact that the diversity could be an advantage with which the members could use to build. When finally the executive admited the empty space between apparently harmony and reality, was the time for making steps to create a team that would represent one real association. They were working on different ways and were operating together also working on the recognized conflict and on the agreement with adapted changes presented by the organization.

Changes appeared slowly but were perceived. After a while the executive members of the team become more apened and less susceptible, more cooperative, less competitive between themselves, more willing to put the cards on the table and less preocupated fencing themselves after the meetings. They developed new understandings of the part and how they could reach the achieveing of administration in collaboration, and in time they developed the capacitys of action on this new agreemant.

In this case, once that the executive team adopted the associative relation, improvized the performance of the company and also improved the work climat for the executive bringing back something from the past and shearing the company goals, has been hold up as the highest value.

Talking about the importance of the "best groups", Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman said: "in a global society, where the actual information is the most important comfort, colaboration is not just a simply desired, is inevitable". In the most rare of the cases, one is a number too small to produce the best. Emergency of using the work team lead by itself of the best groups and the groups which are not so good could be one of the best indications that the understandic leaderpractice is changing. When we were kids we used to say: "camel is a horse painted by a comitat", and also we knew that "one is a number too small for producing great things", and from experience we learned that team members can create and even achieve leadership's goals. The sistems gives better results than any individual could achieve by himself.

Association iside the organization

Executives of an major aerian company which operates in an autorithative way of a prime manager, undertood that it's style can not permite them to develope themselves, they thaught that the critics could lead them to a long term success. The manager's atitude reflected indulgence. Watchtower and control style did not achieved the desired performance or alignment whith the company's goal which this company needed.

A new manager developed and applied a different landing leadership-association. Today in this company, leaders are in good relations. Pilots probably are working along ramp agency and the client service agents assist the departures. The culture is focused on the organization as a family, as a group of people which are together in these adventures, not as selves standing.

This aerline employees understood that colaboration and association requires new ways of understandig the responsability and authority. In this company, employees understand that they are responsable of performance and organization. It is under their responsability even those areas upon which they have no authority.

Still, individuality is honored, especially, creative factories. Employees also concentrate themselves on fundamental things: on in-time arrivals, faster returnings and lower costs. They are taking their work seriously.

But, what happened with the buttom part? Could be profitable an organization which practice leadership as a team colaboration? Simple answer is a unqualified "yes". The profit of this earline company was one of the best industry and so as you maybe expect, has become a well payed service.

This aerline is one of those many organizations which applyed a new way of practicing and understanding the relation. Another well-known organization feed colaboration and leadership organizing themselves in such a way that there is no place in which are working more than 200 peple. Titles are avoided, birocracy is minimised, and employees are full of energy and inspiration.

We know that one swedish manufacturer company is organized in equal comunities, and here the leadership goals are achieved and the worg is well done.

A well known furnish manufacturer is a company whith well build leadership and goog principles: importance of relations (relation based more on comon goals than on fear) a conviction that the executive must be capable to "abandon itself in others hand", also the unused terms, in this company is practiced leadership as association.

Ledership's goals as association

Important questions are often made about leadership as association. We know that we can well answer to all questions and preocupations, we want to show the most known fears that exist.

The fact that we often hear is that leadership and association decreased the function of just one person especially the function group's leader. We believe that the truth is contrary. It more increase importance of all people than decrease the importance of one single person. In exchange of manage which is one singles individual's domain, in association it approaches toskills, talents and every's individual's energy in connection they're honored and used. These qualities aren't more now or less then. Nobogy is on top or down. There wasn't a person who didn't had power like the others who felt without power. In assotiation the leader concretizes people to work together. There is permanently an individual who is the catalyser for giving the start in leading process, and who is suggesting a vision or the importance of a new direction, or one who support a new way of answering to a new challenge.

Many times we heard complainings coming from persons with whom we had the accasion to worg with and they said that they need more power, not less, and they believe that the power they need is the power to contol. The ideea about leadership as association is odd for them, even wrong directioned.

These complainings are based on believeing that the only true chance of power is power to oblige. We will teach them without power. Means of coercion held by managers and executors, allthough it is borrowed by dependents, can be known when notes are written. For those who need a concretization method to feel themselves powerfull, the true fact is that the dependent is the one who decide if manager has the power.

In associations power has a definited source. It comes from inside of a person. It is barred by examination competence and it's rooted in oneself trust and personal feelings. Personal power can't be given or taken. It's our pretension to. It may sound odd, but on a long way personal power is the only real source that we have.

A last goal that we want to mention in short is that leader as a fellow worker undermines responsability that we have.

All of them are responsable are giving suggestions, none of them are sceptical. Stubborness must be stopped somewhere, a fellow workwr can't be responsable.

We can be shure that individual's history was in all ways a part of executive manager's role. As they made hierarchs, responsability is built on it's level and corresponds to organization level. Responsability and authority were linked. We can't have responsability if we don't have authority and ather person has to give us this authority. That's the way sistem works.

The problem is that if authority is linked by responsability, in this way it belongs to responsable position, then they are responsable and we don't. Organizations ca't afford to be responsable for all. Associations are requiering that all employees must be responsable for what's happening. Now, we are them. We must accept responsability as a manager's talent, even we don't need it. Authotiy must be felt by every manager.

Team's performances are a challenge. Time requires from great leaders invariable work against a colaboration as a efficient team. In fact, almost all the executive managers believe that they must learn "CEO" game at work place. The road to wished role rarely prepares you at all aspects of the work and there aren't realistic train for CEO. In the same time leaders who are at the begining of their work learn the content of the organization.

Even the manner of personal leading on top is less probably changing, all workwrs can learn CEO and how to held different leading methods. In holding time of Andrew Sigler as CEO international championship of team can introduce more natural decisions. Sigler stage was capable to rise the team in a disciplinary way.

A complex company requires more a manner of a one top leader and usually this involves the integration of a lots of executive manners including great team of leaders.

1. formal structures elucidates responsabilities and roles, it's important for us to know who is responging to whom and for what. Outside this non-formal structure and for this are created organizational aligniaments in companies whith high performances.

2. formal process which are creating actions came from formal structures. It's important to transmit the information, dispatch and efficient products of producing source are for final consumers. Also, they want to extend this way in an "horizontally organization" concept, even this kind of large development can not create or expain institutions with high performances.

3. informational networks which provides critic conections for increaing structures and formal processes; the non-formal organization (structure and development) works without a really formal construction. Unofficial network and flexible units are organizational elements which make posible any formal configuration, structure or development in order to adapt quiqly to changing of dynamicaly market place and the group's performance.

It's interesting that american navy corp is one of the best institution which we had search whith consideration in order to take good teams in proper places, so that the team would be disciplined. The train of acknowledgment leader in DCS from Quandico, VA, provocative groups of fout officer candidates whith different psyhic PUZZLES that they resolve as a group and as a unique unit of leader.

Most of the companies don't have the luxury or the urgency of these way of trainings for their executive leaders. But, al least many executive leaders can learn how to recognize them whwn a team ask for it and when unique performance og the manager is the best and they can develop a leadership process.

Chapter 9

Leaders must build cooperation cultivation, JAMES M. KOUZES and BARRY Z. POSNER

If the goal is a high performance, the won bet will be a cooperation based on competition and an individually performance.

Colaboration is a critically competition for supporting high performances in Internet. The ability to compete well will bring to succes. In fact, the Internet was created so that people can colaborate easier.

Exemplary leaders are concentrating on creating value in their customers, intelligence and talent in their students, wellness in their pacients and pride in their citizens.

This chapter is extracted from "Leader's challange", by JAMES M KOUZES and BARRY Z POSNER (San Francisco: Jossey - Bass, revised edition, august 2002). This matter contained was used with John Wiley and Sons Inc's permition.

This was very clear when one of us had the first DSL installed service in his personal office. This is a sparkling of this short experience.

It was needed at least six different sellers before this service was functioning and these were just some of them who were in direct contact with me. The local company for substitute the main route were ISP and the DSL processor. We tried to figure out why network is not functioning. We understood that a seller was reproved by another one. Then I thought that "the end of the story" must make my life better.

For having succes with a colaboration, a leader must be talented. He must create a confidence atmosphere, and to make interdependence positively. He also have to support each other influence.