Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Headmaster free essay sample

Hiring a new department manager to serve a readymade team is different than hiring a coach to create and develop a winning basketball team. In the case studies, both coaches demonstrate some qualities of a management style and a leadership style; however, both tend to lean more toward one than the other. In the case of Coach Knight, he appears to adhere to a management approach. He feels that being prepared to win is more important than winning. He values order, consistency, and structure. He also exercises control over team members and is quick to take corrective measures if he feels his recommendations are not being followed. Fayol (1916) claimed that the primary functions of management are planning, organizing, staffing and controlling. This definition seems to fit Bob Knight pretty well. Coach Knight’s power base seems to be primarily legitimate power, a function of position power. As the coach he is the recognized authority. We will write a custom essay sample on Headmaster or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He may also have expert power based on his past performance as a player and coach. He also has coercive power in that he has the capacity to penalize or punish team members and seems to wield that power freely in some situations. Based on the case study, there may be a degree of referent power as part of his power base. There seems to be mixed responses and a good deal of controversy related to his leadership style. Coach Knight’s actions are demonstratively significant in influencing his leadership style revealed by the many controversies throughout his career. The most apparent personality trait that he exhibits is a tendency to be hostile under certain situations (neuroticism. ) He appears to be very conscientious, that is thorough, organized and decisive. He expects his players to demonstrate control but his own actions are not controlled in some situations â€Å"Some people may have the traits that help them emerge as leaders but not the traits that allow them to maintain their leadership over time. In other words, the situation influences leadership. † The history of Knight’s leadership seems to align with this statement from the text. The case study of Coach K describes a man who is clearly more of a leader than a manager. The text describes a leader as one who creates and communicates a vision, builds teams, inspires and energizes and satisfies unmet needs of members of his team. He is not a man driven by rules as demonstrated by his own statement; â€Å"Too many rules get in the way of leadership. † He goes on to say, â€Å"I don’t want to be a manager I want to be a leader†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He also demonstrates emotional intelligence when he explains that he is committed to, â€Å"spending a large percentage of his time getting inside a player’s head, understanding where the player is coming from and helping him to get where we all need to be as a team. † Coach K’s power base is grounded on personal power or referent power. He refers to his team as a â€Å"real family. † His approach to coaching has been described as a â€Å"paternalistic approach. His actions and words reflect a leader who demonstrates an emotional commitment to his players and his team. He works hard at meeting the physical and emotional needs of his players. Coach K demonstrates all of the5 major leadership traits to varying degrees, that is, intel ligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity and most of all sociability. It is difficult from the case study to determine the extent of his intelligence but his decision to remain at Duke based on his relationships and commitment to the school and team show a high degree of personal integrity. Both coaches were able to build and sustain winning teams for an extended time, however one must decide if winning is the only thing or the most important thing. It is difficult to be objective when reading the case studies as my own leadership style or beliefs tend to influence my reactions and opinions. As â€Å"Stogdill (1974, p. 7) pointed out in a review of leadership research, there are almost as many different definitions of leadership as there are people who have tried to define it. †

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