Organizations, Leaders and Managers
Tedd Johnson
MGT 380
Professor Angie Temple
March 2, 2009
Organizations, Leaders and Managers
There are different types of organizations. All of them have many things in common for them to run effectively from day to day. One of the most common parts is the management that runs the organization. Organizations refer to their upper managers and their boards as the leadership team. They both influence employees and direct work. There are different types of managers that exist. It is important to note that not all managers are leaders. Managers exist in any organization but good managers are leaders by nature. They have the ability to inspire people and provide a sound environment in the office arena.
Managers and Leaders
As mentioned earlier, all businesses require managers to run day to day operations. A manager is a person “who conducts business” (Merriam-Webster, 2009). “Most definitions of leadership reflect the assumption that it involves a process whereby intentional influence is exerted by one person over other people to guide, structure, and facilitate activities and relationships in a group or organization” (Yukl, 2006 p. 3). The real question is can managers and leaders be one in the same?
Managers and leaders can be one in the same. There are exceptions to this as some managers are not leaders and a manager may have no subordinates. Leadership is a quality that exists in people. It is also easy to find many references where scholars disagree and think that managers seek “to produce predictability and order” (Yukl, 2006 p. 6). “Leadership seeks to produce organizational change” (Yukl, 2006 p. 6). But according to Yukl, “Mintzberg described leadership as one of 10 managerial roles” (2006 p. 6). He continues to describe that the “leader role pervades all managerial activities, even those with some other basic purpose” (Yukl, 2006 p. 30). This basically means that managers should be...