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A leader is someone who has the skill or character to motivate and lead people to achieve a common goal with determination and resilience. He or she is a person who has the charisma in the character that makes other people follow him. This paper will look at the different aspects associated with a leader. It will also cover at a leader's self-structure and how it provides a base for positive leadership. Positive possibility of leader’s political behavior and the effects of passive leadership in promoting workplace incivility.
Leader Self-structure: a framework for positive leadership
Organizations are moving forward at an accelerated rate. During this evolution, the strength, knowledge, and skill of a leader are tested. To reach the goals given to him, a leader must show flexibility and effectiveness. He must be positive and calm to influence his followers. He must show great strength, character, and composure in his strength. To achieve skills of leadership one has to consider himself a leader in the first place. One’s construct reflects his developments and what he has learned during his life from others. The experiences someone go through in his life can then be drawn out at a time of decision. Someone’s self is an assembly of many attributes that can be united as one. They develop with time during interactions and experiences. These attributes include both conscious and subconscious beliefs and knowledge that can be drawn out when required at a time of decision. For example, a person might have stored a character of support in his self-aspect as a guide but not as a manager. Also, not all characteristics of one’s self can be active at a time of decision making ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"UA8lKt5G","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Hannah et al.)","plainCitation":"(Hannah et al.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":22,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KfR9yuY2/items/LUE6RWDG"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KfR9yuY2/items/LUE6RWDG"],"itemData":{"id":22,"type":"article-journal","title":"Leader self‐structure: a framework for positive leadership","container-title":"Journal of Organizational Behavior: The International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior","page":"269-290","volume":"30","issue":"2","author":[{"family":"Hannah","given":"Sean T."},{"family":"Woolfolk","given":"Robert L."},{"family":"Lord","given":"Robert G."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2009"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Hannah et al.). A person might be capable of making very smart decision but during this time of asking he may not be able to draw out that character.
A leader should be varying in his decision making according to the situation. Many situations can occur while leading an organization in which sometimes you have to be patient and forgiving, but show strength and determination some other time. People build their character on what they learned from previous experiences and interactions. Though not all of the previous experiences can be positive, which means lesson learned from previous negative experiences can be drawn positively. Apart from self-construct a positive response and followers’ success can also help in developing leadership qualities.
Leaders too are hostages of their own memory. During a situation of decision making the result depends on the information that can be taken out at that time. The situation where a person has greater self-aspect and sense of dissimilarities between these aspects while maintaining his composure can be called a leader. Clarity among thoughts is factor needed in the arsenal of self-aspect at the time of decision making. Greater level of unity also helps to develop better clarity in thoughts ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"nYBIbwsB","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Hannah et al.)","plainCitation":"(Hannah et al.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":22,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KfR9yuY2/items/LUE6RWDG"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KfR9yuY2/items/LUE6RWDG"],"itemData":{"id":22,"type":"article-journal","title":"Leader self‐structure: a framework for positive leadership","container-title":"Journal of Organizational Behavior: The International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior","page":"269-290","volume":"30","issue":"2","author":[{"family":"Hannah","given":"Sean T."},{"family":"Woolfolk","given":"Robert L."},{"family":"Lord","given":"Robert G."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2009"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Hannah et al.). If self-aspect of a person mostly has positive experiences and ideas, he will draw a positive thought at the time of decision. However, if the negative compartment is activated chances are that negative thoughts or character will be drawn out. A connection and mixtures of both of these thoughts are required at the same time. A leader who has clarity of thoughts and insightfulness but have a range of or communication skills, then he is likely to fail in a larger domain. A person may lack confidence for a job but may have persistence and talents required for that role will be a suitable candidate. As under high pressure and demands, active suppression of emotions fail.
People generally give more importance to their positive thoughts. And these attributes are likely to improve with time and experience of more thoughts. Greater level of positive aspects will boost positive actions to reach self-verification. Another impact is the value and traditions of a group of surrounding people. When individuals start working with a group and starts viewing themselves as members of that group, their thoughts are likely to be affected by other members. A person who doesn't have the skills of creativity and kindness but an organization promotes those values, there is a high chance that individuals are likely to pick those up. A leader whose self-construct is extra complex positive will likely to receive more responses from followers to develop their positive behavior. We will also look in detail the positive aspect of a leader political behavior and how a passive leader promotes incivility in an organization.
Positive Possibility of Leader Political Behavior
The general perspective regarding politics is very negative. The majority of research conducted in this regard is also to show its negative side. The basic objective of leaders is to benefit their admirers. A leader’s support can be described as a favor to someone by disturbing the balance of advantages provided to him by an organization. Employees require resources for the completion of the certain task assigned to them and sometimes these sources provided to them are not enough. To access those resources, they don't have the power, so leaders act on their behalf to achieve these resources. However, sometimes these resources are not accessible through formal administrative means. Political behavior of a leader can be defined as an act of positivity for the benefit of followers to achieve some goal.
The help to your followers can also come in the form of emotional inspiration. They also need to give their supporters a chance to grow and integrate themselves into the organization. They can also provide additional mentorship to followers by suggesting them to different individuals on a position of influence. A leader with political skills can also give exposure to their followers by providing the opportunity to visit places of research where common people have limited access ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"ryoj4HpY","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Ellen III)","plainCitation":"(Ellen III)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":21,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KfR9yuY2/items/J3DGK7VI"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KfR9yuY2/items/J3DGK7VI"],"itemData":{"id":21,"type":"article-journal","title":"Considering the positive possibilities of leader political behavior","container-title":"Journal of Organizational Behavior","page":"892-896","volume":"35","issue":"6","author":[{"family":"Ellen III","given":"B. Parker"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2014"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Ellen III). The political behavior of leaders for certain employees may seem as unjust nepotism within the organization, but it can also be viewed as a mean to provide justice. Some people may claim that this behavior of politics is simply for their gain. People will have an assurance that there is someone who can give them their rights. In other words, the political behavior of leaders maybe because of already injustice in an organization and that specific person raised against them to give his followers their rights.
Most people want to exterminate politics from an organization but it is still an essential part of an organization’s structural behavior. If a manager wants to move up the ranks at some part of his career, he has to take part in this political game. But this doesn't allow someone in the organization to take someone's right. Instead, politics should be used to resolve the issue. For example, if two groups in an organization don't get along very well the leader should use his position of influence to use a mediation role. While leaders expect that their act of favoritism will be reciprocated in a positive way and followers will work even hard for them ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"Uw0b4Rbm","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Ellen III)","plainCitation":"(Ellen III)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":21,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KfR9yuY2/items/J3DGK7VI"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KfR9yuY2/items/J3DGK7VI"],"itemData":{"id":21,"type":"article-journal","title":"Considering the positive possibilities of leader political behavior","container-title":"Journal of Organizational Behavior","page":"892-896","volume":"35","issue":"6","author":[{"family":"Ellen III","given":"B. Parker"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2014"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Ellen III). A more positive, collaborative and better visionary tactics can be used for conciliation. It is also a fact that leaders identify political realities in their organizational settings and continuously get involved in it to provide relief and career-building opportunities for their followers. An organization's environment and the relation between co-workers also determines the use of politics and its influences on people there.
An organization consists of different individuals or group of individuals, and what is beneficial for people working in the organization is likely to be advantageous for the organization as well. Another dimension of looking at this is that certain opportunities are available for leader's followers and he may have a positive image in the eyes of his followers. That also means that those same opportunities are not available for other people or leader. In the eyes of that leader's followers, he may not have the same image. If political skills are not implemented perfectly it will also have a negative impact as well. If those political motives are for a limited group of individuals and not for the majority of an organization, it can cause disruption within an organization as well.
The effects of passive leadership on Workplace Incivility
Disrespectful behaviors are becoming common in almost all fields of life specifically in workplaces. According to many people, incivility is occurring weekly and the majority of people have witnessed or experienced uncivil behavior. The prospect of incivility at workplace is causing uncertainty and discomfort for many employees and an organization as a whole. There are mainly behavioral incivility and experienced incivility. Behavioral incivility is a sense that one feels that he or she has engaged himself in this act. While experienced incivility is the level of disrespect that a person feels that he has received from a fellow professional.
Although incivility can be described as a behavioral character of someone, but it can also be directed that a lack of proper role of leadership can also cause this behavior. A leader is someone who sets an example of professional behavior of an organization and people follow it and find possibilities of acceptable values in conduct. So, the impact of passive leadership maybe even stronger on both behavioral and experienced incivility. Incivility at the workplace can be described as an inappropriate behavior with uncertain resolve to harm a fellow worker ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"oAryioQd","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Harold and Holtz)","plainCitation":"(Harold and Holtz)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":19,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KfR9yuY2/items/QRR36E44"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KfR9yuY2/items/QRR36E44"],"itemData":{"id":19,"type":"article-journal","title":"The effects of passive leadership on workplace incivility","container-title":"Journal of Organizational Behavior","page":"16-38","volume":"36","issue":"1","author":[{"family":"Harold","given":"Crystal M."},{"family":"Holtz","given":"Brian C."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2015"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Harold and Holtz). Incivility can be of different types from eye-rolling to or showing little interest in other’s opinion. Incivility can be distinguished based on intent and intensity. Not inviting a co-worker for a lunch with the group can be seen as an act of incivility. But it is difficult too for someone to perceive, whether intention was involved in it or it was an act through subconscious. This is an example based on intent which is for the observer or receiver to distinguish. Apart from intent the factor of intensity also come into the act as it can intensify up to a level of violence, harassment, and verbal abuse.
Policies and norms of an organization that produce an informal work environment general cause workplace incivility. It is essential for leaders and managers of an organization to properly instruct a code of conduct to follow. They not only have to instruct those behavioral norms but make sure that these are being followed, even if the offenders are to be punished. They should clarify the results of not following those instructions but implement them as well. A passive leader is a person in a position of influence who shows behavior of negligence. It can also include laziness and avoiding decision making. Most organization don’t flourish if their managers or leaders show a passive behavior and a “whatever” policy ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"NjPrnZhh","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Harold and Holtz)","plainCitation":"(Harold and Holtz)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":19,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KfR9yuY2/items/QRR36E44"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KfR9yuY2/items/QRR36E44"],"itemData":{"id":19,"type":"article-journal","title":"The effects of passive leadership on workplace incivility","container-title":"Journal of Organizational Behavior","page":"16-38","volume":"36","issue":"1","author":[{"family":"Harold","given":"Crystal M."},{"family":"Holtz","given":"Brian C."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2015"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Harold and Holtz). Because of their low concentration behavior, they are reactive and bot proactive. Since incivility is usually a low-intensity behavior, a passive leader will most likely overlook it and don't even consider a problem.
The more an employ believe that he or she is less likely to receive a punishment over his/her behavior of uncivility the more he would gain the confidence of doing that act again. A passive leader may not necessarily show an uncivil behavior himself, but he promotes one by not taking necessary preventive actions. Passive leadership promotes behavioral incivility through experienced incivility. People who work under passive management knows that there is no one to ask them for their behavioral acts, hence instead of keeping quiet they indulge themselves in incivility. Which increases behavioral incivility.
Work Cited
ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hannah, Sean T., et al. “Leader Self‐structure: A Framework for Positive Leadership.” Journal of Organizational Behavior: The International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior, vol. 30, no. 2, 2009, pp. 269–90.
Ellen III, B. Parker. “Considering the Positive Possibilities of Leader Political Behavior.” Journal of Organizational Behavior, vol. 35, no. 6, 2014, pp. 892–96.
Harold, Crystal M., and Brian C. Holtz. “The Effects of Passive Leadership on Workplace Incivility.” Journal of Organizational Behavior, vol. 36, no. 1, 2015, pp. 16–38.
