Power Dynamics in Top-Level Executive Positions in Business Organizations

The top level executives of the business organization have relatively less power as they only act as the spokesperson or the figureheads for the boards of directors. They only perform the function of guiding the employees of the business organization and lead a team to attain the goals and objectives as set by the board of directors. As mentioned by Gerow,  Grover and Thatcher (2016), the ultimate performance has to be undertaken by the lower level employees of the business organization. As per the opinion of Gerow,  Grover and Thatcher (2016), Without proper performance of the lower level employees, the business organization will not be able to succeed in the long run. Therefore, the leaders occupying the top level executive position has relatively little power. However, according to Ridge et al. (2017), the leaders have the power to influence the lower level employees and enable them to attain their goals and objectives. The leaders at the top level executive position are highly dependent on the lower level employees of the business organization. The fuller cooperation of the lower level employees of the business organization is highly essential to ensure success. However as mentioned by Ou et al. (2017), the top level executives of the business organization have tremendous responsibility towards the success of the business organization. In the fast paced business environment, they ensure that the business organization implements effective strategy to overcome the business threats and undertake opportunities. They also ensure that the personnel’s of the business organization are performing their works effectively. The leaders and the top level executives of the business organization have the power to define the business and ensure that the lead accomplish their goals and objectives. The senior executives of the business organization are mainly responsible for overall operations and profitability of the business organization.

The leaders of the business organization practise empowerment so as to better utilize the talents and skills of the employees. Many business leaders delegate authority and responsibility to the employees. According to Choi et al. (2016), the leaders empower the teams and delegate tasks to the employees with clear instructions without detailed explanation. This provides freedom to the employees to perform their own tasks as per their own ideas and creativity. This boosts innovation in the organization and also ensures employee satisfaction. Empowering the employees of the business organization enhances their personal work. The employees are given freedom to perform their tasks as per their own way. This contributes to positive outcomes in the business organizations (Hanaysha and Tahir, 2016). The employees of the business organization are empowered in such a manner that they are able to be persistent and innovative as their work. The leaders want to bring out the best from the subordinates and leads to creativity and innovation in the business organization. The empowered employees of the business organization have higher intrinsic motivation and they are more engaged in their work. This boosts the process of identifying problems, gathering information and ensuring that the solutions are innovative and creative. It is the empowered employees who bring out creativity and innovation in the business organization (Hasani and Sheikhesmaeili 2016). This also reduces the work load of the managers and the leaders. By empowering the employees of the business organization, the leaders expect that they utilize their fuller potential and talents to solve a particular problem or complete the given tasks in an innovative manner and as per their own way. Through this empowerment, the employees of the business organization are freed from any bureaucratic constraints.  The leaders implement theory Y style of management and ensure that the employees are provided with an appropriate level of empowerment.

Empowerment in Business Organizations

Corporate social responsibility is the responsibility and the duty of the business organizations towards the society in which they execute their business operations. They must be held accountable for their business activities and functions. Many authors and researchers are of the opinion that taking corporate social initiatives might enhance the operations of the business organization and ensures good image (Mahmood et al. 2019).  This has positive impact on the operations of the business organization and its reputation. It is essential for the business organizations to have a socially conscious image in the society. It is the responsibility of the business organizations to demonstrate good corporate citizenship. Therefore, the business organizations must not consider taking corporate responsibilities only for rewards. Being responsible business organization is necessary for the business organizations(Mahmood et al. 2019). These organizations by undertaking corporate social initiatives are already gaining rewards such as good brand image, consumer appeal and reputation. However, it has been argued that awards can be encouraging for the organizations involving in various CSR activities. These awards and recognitions highlight the organizations taking better initiative to make this world a healthier and safer place. These awards also encourage other small organizations to take up initiatives towards the business environment and the community they serve (Gruber et al. 2017). The employees might feel encourages and motivated towards better performance when rewarded. For example, APSCo Australia Awards for Excellence encourages the business organizations to engage and commit themselves into effective corporate social responsibility initiative. Healthy competition in the market might encourage the business organizations to undertake actions and achieve the awards(Gruber et al. 2017). This enables the business organization to compete for better initiative which directly and indirectly benefits the community and the environment. Therefore in my opinion it is appropriate for the organizations to give awards and recognition for corporate social responsibility initiative.

In the context of educational leadership, the contingency leadership emphasizes on determining and analyzing the present situation and the factors which might affect the framework of the organizations so as to ensure that the manager can be effective. The teachers perform their duties in an open system and an uncertain environment. Therefore, it is highly essential for their leadership style to be effective. The teachers adapt to holistic approach in such uncertain environment (Bachrach and Mullins 2019). There are many teachers who apply standard operating procedures and implement traditional bureaucratic responses to avoid high uncertainty.  Contingency leadership theory is based on the assumption that no particular style of leadership is appropriate for all types of prevailing situations. The styles of leadership are inflexible and depend on the organizational characteristics as well as the environmental conditions (Winston 2018). Therefore effective teachers focus on the importance of flexibility in managing the teams in an effective manner. The effectiveness of practicing contingency leadership is ensuring that the leadership styles are in alignment with the particular needs of the individual. The overall success of the leader or the teacher is not only limited to his or her abilities but other factors including the culture and the environment(Winston 2018). These factors impact the success in the process of leading a team. The effectiveness of the particular leader remains contingent while the style of leader must be aligned with the particular situation. The teacher must adapt   to the environment and implement their leadership style accordingly so as to ensure its effectiveness. It is believed by Bachrach and Mullins (2019), that the teacher or the leader is more effective when the individual leadership abilities and his/her features are in alignment with the particular environment or the situation around him or her. The purpose or the goal must be matched as per style of the leader or the teacher.  

Corporate Social Responsibility and Awards

According to the path-goal theory if leadership, the leaders if the business organization provide a clear path to the employees which must be followed to attain their goals and objectives. This theory of leadership effectiveness removes all the pitfalls and barricades and ensures a clear path for the employees (Phillips and Phillips 2016). The leaders encourage the employees and support them in the process of achieving their goals and objectives. This theory implements the use of rewards and recognitions. Motivation is considered to be an essential component in leadership. It plays an essential role in the Path-Goal Theory of Leadership. The leaders motivate the employees by rewarding them and showing them the path through which they can attain the goals (Phillips and Phillips 2016). The coach the employees and ensure that they are on the right track. It is the process through which the leaders can select a particular behaviour or style which is most appropriate for the employee as the working environment so as to ensure that they are best guided through their path of attaining   the goals and objectives of the business organization. The theory boosts employee morale and motivation as well as work enjoyment. However, this theory might different with situation and the employee (Yang and Lim 2016) . This particular theory of leadership is based on determining the leadership style and behaviour which is best suited with the work environment and the employee for the purpose of attiring the goals and the objectives of the business organization. The overall purpose of this theory is to increase the morale and motivation of the employees and empower towards achieving the goals of the organization(Yang and Lim 2016). The Path-goal theory is not involved a detailed process but certain steps. In the first step the leader determines the employee and the environment. In the second step, the leader selects a leadership style and in the third step, the lead focuses on certain motivation factors to ensure the success of the employee.

References

Bachrach, D.G. and Mullins, R., 2019. A dual-process contingency model of leadership, transactive memory systems and team performance. Journal of Business Research, 96, pp.297-308.

Choi, S.L., Goh, C.F., Adam, M.B.H. and Tan, O.K., 2016. Transformational leadership, empowerment, and job satisfaction: the mediating role of employee empowerment. Human resources for health, 14(1), p.73.

Gerow, J., Grover, V. and Thatcher, J., 2016. Power, politics, and knowledge: Influencing executive teams.

Gruber, V., Kaliauer, M. and Schlegelmilch, B.B., 2017. Improving the effectiveness and credibility of corporate social responsibility messaging: An Australial model identifies influential CSR content and communication channels. Journal of Advertising Research, 57(4), pp.397-409.

Hanaysha, J. and Tahir, P.R., 2016. Examining the effects of employee empowerment, teamwork, and employee training on job satisfaction. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 219, pp.272-282.

Hasani, K. and Sheikhesmaeili, S., 2016. Knowledge management and employee empowerment. Kybernetes.

Mahmood, Z., Iqbal, J., Ali, W. and Aamir, M., 2019. Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Awards on Share Prices. Journal of Accounting and Finance in Emerging Economies, 5(1), pp.141-154.

Ou, A.Y., Seo, J., Choi, D. and Hom, P.W., 2017. When can humble top executives retain middle managers? The moderating role of top management team faultlines. Academy of Management Journal, 60(5), pp.1915-1931.

Phillips, A.S. and Phillips, C.R., 2016. Behavioral styles of path-goal theory: An exercise for developing leadership skills. Management Teaching Review, 1(3), pp.148-154.

Ridge, J.W., Johnson, S., Hill, A.D. and Bolton, J., 2017. The role of top management team attention in new product introductions. Journal of Business Research, 70, pp.17-24.

Winston, B.E., 2018. Leadership style as an outcome of motive: A contingency ‘state’rather than ‘trait’concept. In Biblical principles of leading and managing employees (pp. 7-14). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Yang, L.C. and Lim, V., 2016. Empirical investigation into the path-goal leadership theory in the central bank fraternity: leadership styles and job satisfaction (No. wp14).