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626-631 Vidyabharati International Interdisciplinary Research Journal 12(2) ISSN 2319-4979 BEHAVIORAL THEORY: APPRAISAL FOR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN THE DIGITAL WORKPLACE A. Mehan GDG University, Gurgaon reachcdr@gmail.com ________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic disruption has accelerated the shift to digital ways of working. Organizations find that their leadership development practice needs to develop leaders adept at leading effectively in the digital environment marked by virtual collaboration and delivery. The paper examines extant literature on the behavioral approach for leadership development. Behavioral leadership theories prescribe observing and evaluating a leader's actions and behaviors when they are responding to a specific situation. This idea that leaders can be made is conducive for contemporary research in leadership development. Being based on development potential- this approach can be suitably adapted to study the leadership behaviors best suited for the leaders in the post pandemic work reality. ________________________________________________________________________________ Keywords: Digital leader behaviours, Leadership, Behavioral Theory, Traits, Digital Workplace Leadership Development for the Digital being compelled to discard legacy traditional, World hierarchical structures and move to a flexible, Leadership development is concerned with decentralized organization. Digital leaders ensuring the availability & readiness of should be able to harness digital technologies effective leaders who can lead the workforce and solutions, but also should also be contextually & emotionally aware and agile for continued business success of the both for leadership behavior towards followers; enterprise. ―COVID-19 has escalated digital and towards customers/clients. Thus the review initiatives into digital imperatives, creating finds that leaders have to do the right thing urgent pressure on HR leaders to work with when dealing with followers and stakeholders; their CEO, CFO and CIO to rethink skills and also ensure success and competitive needs as business models change at light advantage. speed‖ ( Gartner 2020). A Survey conducted Behavioral scientists have sought to discover on lack of digital skills reports that only 51 what characteristics, talents, attitudes, power percent of business leaders are already outlets, or situational factors decide how prepared for talent management in a digital effectively a leader will control followers and world (Brecher, Laurenceau & Sloman 2016). achieve group goals. The reason some people Studies also highlight that when the leadership emerge as leaders and the determinants of how style does not align with the digital a leader behaves are other important issues that transformation –―problems may emerge which have been studied, but the primary concern was could impact the organization in negative ways leadership efficiency (Bansal, 2008). for many years to come (Allio, 2015)‖. A large number of existing studies in the Organizations have felt the acute need to broader literature have examined the theme of develop leaders that can lead in the new this preparedness to do the right thing. For normal. Leadership Development has shifted instance, (Sattler, 2016) defines the future its focus to development of ‗digital leaders‘. leader as ―The future leader should be able to Behavioral Theories of Leadership: utilize the new technologies and solutions. The Perspective author also proposes certain behaviours of such Digital leader development entails developing leaders: able to quickly adapt themselves to two key areas—‗one is digital and the second and manage changes, to have a pioneer spirit one is humanitarian‘ (Cortellazzo et al. 2019). and being a quick learner. Leader behaviours These can be examined from the utilitarian and have also been elucidated in various studies deontological lenses. To ensure the success of and there is a general agreement that the their digital transformations, organizations are desirous behavior are : ―should also be contextual, emotionally intelligent and June 2021 626 www.viirj.org Vidyabharati International Interdisciplinary Research Journal 12(2) ISSN 2319-4979 trustworthy, and should lead democratically, given the supporting argument from behavioral share responsibilities, to be decisive and theory (leaders have the potential of adapting cooperative, control and promote networks, their behaviours) to the current situation of trust and motivate employees, and give them digitization - a customized leader behavior regular feedback‖. library can be crafted for use in the field. Behavior focused approach Behaviours vs. Traits Behavioral theories of leadership study the In behavioral sciences- ―traits‖ and specific behaviors of a leader. As per the ―behaviors.‖ can be used to predict job behavioral theory school of thought- the leader performance and development potential. When behavior is the best predictor of translation of we look at the fundamental difference between leadership from theory to practice and the best the two, we find that Personality traits are determinant of success on ground. ―persisting / lasting‖ characteristics that are This behavior-focused approach is of value to consistently demonstrated even when the take theory to practice, and an ally for action- subject is placed in changing circumstances or research. The leader behavior school has a environment. These are then seen as strong large potential to be adapted as bedrock of indicators of habitual patterns of thought and leadership development strategies. This school emotion, and can be used to guess the of thought propounds that behaviours can be underlying drives. conditioned in a manner that one can respond Behaviors, on the other hand, are about the in the most appropriate manner to a given way we voluntarily conduct ourselves – it stimuli. Votaries of behavioral leadership counts among itself the articulation, control theory opine that leadership development over one‘s impulses, public behavior and should aim to facilitate the learning and practicing emotional intelligence. Personality implementation of certain behaviours by traits don‘t easily change over time but we can existing managers, and thus develop effective alter behavior traits to a degree. This is an leaders. Some observers have viewed this as an ongoing debate. While traits define underlying efficient marketing tool for the L&D (learning motivations and drives, their use in & development) industry. When seen from a development seem limited beyond a point. genesis and evolution perspective- we find that Traits can be a very good lens to use for research on personality; and leadership in selection. Testing for traits offer a good job-fit particular has gone from the precept that and predisposition check. However, as the need leaders are born, (Great Man Theory) to the changes to development of future leaders- the immutable traits that are heritable, towards the behaviours are an effective lens to view the measure-bility of a subject‘s leadership world. potential (Trait Theory) using psychometrics In the context of leadership development, or instruments, and towards studies in neuro- the quest to find the gaps in current models of plasticity and the current focus on positive leadership- investigations need to compare psychology (founded by Martin Seligman and various approaches to personality. A subject Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). Behavioral Theories could be methodical as assessed by personality weigh on the side of the strong possibility that trait, but could still be prone to impulsive appropriate behavioral response can be behavior – the impulsive behavior being driven imparted to potential leaders. Important by involuntary forces / reptilian brain. It could Behavioral studies are the Ohio State also be seen via the lens of the para- University (1940s), and University of sympathetic and sympathetic nervous system. Michigan (1950s) led by the famous Study of personality also examines the organizational psychologist, Dr. Rensis Likert. differences using extraversion/ extroversion, Thus from a practice point of view, behavioral introversion or psychot-ism/ neuroticism. leadership theory is highly relevant in a These lenses are a way of defining the response number of fields. Criteria developed using the to stimuli in various ways. To elaborate this- tenets of the behavioral leadership theory can extroversion is a trait, but an extrovert sitting be employed to assess digital leaders. In turn, quietly in a meeting is a type of behavior. This June 2021 627 www.viirj.org Vidyabharati International Interdisciplinary Research Journal 12(2) ISSN 2319-4979 behavior could be mastered via life caution advised by the authors is mentioned experiences, aging, maturity, acculturation or here- ―weak associations suggested the vicarious learning. Organizations can also have importance of future research to focus on both an influence by positive reinforcement of narrower personality traits and non- certain behaviours and negative reinforcement dispositional determinants leadership‖. Other of others. reviews of literature on the subject have also Personality Traits and Types concluded that the trait approach has fallen out In various approaches involving personality of favor among current leadership researchers assessments and usage of psychometric tools- due to its emphasis on determinism. behavioural combinations are often measured Better predictor of leadership effectiveness- independently, whereas traits are Leadership Traits or Behaviours predominantly measured on scales. In type Despite decades of research on traits and theory e.g MBTI, while responding to self- behaviours, this continues to be debated among report questionnaires one prefers either one researchers. For instance, DeRue & Wellman, type or another, example -introvert or (2009) assert that that leader behavior tend to extrovert/extraversion. The practice literature predict more variance across a variety of around MBTI now amply cautions readers to effectiveness criteria than do leader traits. not see the MBTI types as watertight Further, other studies (Day, 2000) have also compartment, but instead as dynamic energy explored the question of effectiveness of traits boxes. In this mode- we can counteract the vs. behaviours. Research by (Dragoni, Tesluk, strong impulse to attach such fixed labels to Russel, & Oh, 2009) recognizes that though subjects. there exist certain traits that may predispose With such discretion in place, behavioral individuals to certain behaviors, behaviors are assessment is useful for the purpose of the more important measure for predicting developing leaders for the current digital era. leadership effectiveness. We see here that a The study finds that trait-based measurements number of studies maintain that behaviors can are useful to view complimentary skills in a be learned and developed. Extending this team setting. Psychometrics measuring traits further, behaviours should take precedence provide relative strength and ―dimension‖ to over traits when it comes to research towards one‘s personality vis-à-vis either norms or leadership development. other team members. A simple visualization to Many studies have investigated this topic understand this is using a measuring tape to further. Multi-year research accredited to measure height of members of a sports team Avolio (2007) reports that that ―there are some (rather than a cutoff point and either or universal characteristics and traits that leaders descriptor). Using the MBTI example, the test possess, offering that these are associated with results tell a subject that they are introverted effective leadership, including persistence, relative to someone else. tolerance for ambiguity, self-confidence, drive, A comprehensive review of leadership honesty, integrity, internal locus of control, character traits across the leadership literature achievement motivation, and cognitive ability‖. was put forth by Judge, Bono, Ilies, and Extensive review of mention of traits across Gerhardt (2002). This review reported that literature on leadership was carried out by there exist inconsistencies in relating Judge, Bono, Ilies, and Gerhardt (2002), and personality traits to leadership. The authors the results of their examination of existing also found that upon scrutiny the results of body of work reported that linkages to such relationships were ‗strong support for the personality traits to leadership have been leader trait perspective only when traits are ‗inconsistent and often disappointing‘. The organized according to the 5-factor model‘. contemporary view argues that after the advent The inference that can be drawn here is that the of the knowledge economy, globalization and trait approach is highly conditional. In a later waning of the industrial work- the trait study Bono & Judge (2004), the authors approach finds itself losing favor among cautioned against a deterministic approach. The leadership researchers. Judge et al. (2002) offer June 2021 628 www.viirj.org Vidyabharati International Interdisciplinary Research Journal 12(2) ISSN 2319-4979 that while there is renewed interest in past knowledge and skills. They weigh in on dispositional explanations associated with the side of vicarious learning on the job attitudes and behaviours, some researchers are training and post that ‗Leadership development still pessimistic in regards to the personality occurs primarily through action-based learning variables in leadership‖. Studies conducted in and experience‖. DeRue, et al. (2011), the post internet world by researchers such as behavioral theory research needs to be Conger and Kanungo (1998) assertively state compared to previous research. The current that the replicability of the trait approach in behavioral theorists are in broad agreement that follow-on studies has been found to be low due behaviors can be categorized into: task- to it being ―too simplistic‖. Authors such as oriented, relational-oriented, change-oriented, House and Aditya (1997) concluded by stating and passive leadership. ―It appeared that the search for universal traits Recent theorists such as Goleman (2015) and was futile‖. Sahyaja and Sekhara Rao (2018) propound that A study by Fleishman, (1991) identified 65 digitalization calls for new variables. These distinct classifications of leader behavior. new constructs affect and determine the Further studies have pointed out that leader leadership styles and characteristics to better behavior typologies and theories find currency suit the digital era. These are intellectual among contemporary research (Avolio et al., quotient (Q), emotional quotient (EQ), digital 2003; Pearce et al., 2003). This affirms that quotient (DQ), personal quality (PQ) These are leadership behaviours remain the relevant lens best situated in the leader behavior category as to examine leadership effectiveness in recent Goleman‘s work on emotional intelligence in times. practice also weighs heavily on the side of An integrative Approach teaching leaders and managers to develop E.I However, the existing research has also caution as a learnt behavior. against rejection of one approach over another. Strengths It is best summed up in ―The leadership Behaviour theory supports the idea that literature suffers from a lack of theoretical leadership is a skill that can be learned through integration‖ (Avolio, 2007, American development, on-the –job training and Psychologist, 62, 25–33). An analytical article experience. It allows us to step away from the by Derue, Nahrgang, Wellman, & Humphrey (2011) examined developing an integrative limiting beliefs imposed by the ―Great Man‖ theory (leaders are born with innate immutable trait‐behavioral model of leadership traits). Examining leadership as a verb rather effectiveness. This study advises that ―Leader than a noun also opens up the possibility that behaviors tend to explain more variance in one can practice and get better at the art of leadership effectiveness than leader traits‘. This leadership. As organizations of today are more study goes on add the path forward with a note inclusive, leadership selection as well as of caution –―integrative model where leader development hinges on the belief that given the behaviors mediate the relationship between right investments, talent will respond to leader traits and effectiveness is warranted.‖ leadership development leading to emergence Current Theorists of leaders equipped to lead in the digital era. The study finds considerable agreement of the Weaknesses idea that leadership is not simply inherited or Earlier work in behavioral theory (Kouzes and assumed but developed through learning and Posner, 1988) research suffers from the experience. Theorists, such as Avolio, limitation that translating theory to practice is Walumbwa, and Weber (2009), emphasize the fraught with challenges. Subjects that have vicarious learning and the nurture over nature learnt the practices and behaviors may not argument in ―life context a person grows up perform them in day to day tasks. Research on around is more influential than heritability in leadership development using the behavioral showing career leadership success‖. According studies does not sufficiently address the open to DeRue and Myers (2013), success in being a question of the mediating effect of cultural leader is linked to there must be development June 2021 629 www.viirj.org
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