ELECTRONIC AGC FORM

School of Management
SECTION 1: STUDENT TO COMPLETE
NAME: ONYEANWUNA RITA PROGRAMME: MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION-DL MODULE: ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR I.D. No: 109021424 DATE SUBMITTED: 06/05/2011 ENROLMENT/START DATE : 11/2010 LOCAL RESOURCE CENTRE LEADMODE CONSULT

STUDENT DECLARATION: In submitting work to the University you are agreeing to the following statement: I declare that this assignment is my own work, that all sources of reference are acknowledged in full and that it has not been submitted for any other course.

SECTION 2: TUTOR TO COMPLETE: COMMENT & GENERAL ASSESSMENT

Presentation of assignment and clarity of expression Presentation shows a polished, coherent structure. Thoughts and ideas are clearly expressed. Fluent academic writing style. Presentation carefully and logically organised. Thoughts and ideas clearly expressed. Presentation satisfactory showing organisation and coherence. Language mainly fluent. Presentation shows an attempt to organise in a logical manner. Meaning apparent, but language not always fluent. Presentation is disorganised. Purpose and meaning of assignment is unclear and/or is poorly expressed.

Tutor to mark by inserting a X in the appropriate box.

Attention to the purpose of the assignment

Has addressed the purpose of the assignment comprehensively and imaginatively.

Has addressed the purpose of the assignment coherently and with some attempt to demonstrate imagination.

Has address the purpose of the assignment.

Some of the answer responds to the purpose of the question.

Answer fails to address the question set.

Tutor to mark by inserting a X in the appropriate box.

Critical analysis of literature/theory

The assignment demonstrates application of critical analysis. Arguments are well integrated.

Clear application of theory through critical analysis of the topic area.

Demonstrates some critical analysis of relevant theory.

Limited evidence of critical analysis. Tendency towards description.

Lacks critical analysis of theory. Purely descriptive.

Tutor to mark by inserting a X in the appropriate box.

Illustrations: Use of examples/evidence.

Appropriate examples are fully and reliably integrated and evaluated.

Some use of examples. Well integrated and evaluated.

Some use of examples. Some integration and evaluation attempted.

A little use of examples. Little integration and evaluation.

Very little use of examples. No evaluations.

Tutor to mark by inserting a X in the appropriate box.

Conclusions.

Analytical and clear conclusions well grounded in theory and literature showing reflection upon key issues.

Good understanding shown in summary of arguments based in theory/literature.

Some evidence of the conclusion being supported by theory/literature.

Limited conclusions only partially grounded n theory/literature.

None or unsubstantiated conclusions.

Tutor to mark by inserting a X in the appropriate box.

Comments (first and second markers):

Tutor marking this assignment

Date of marking (dd.mm.yyyy)

Mark Awarded (%)

Grade Awarded

SECTION 3: STUDENTS ASSIGNMENT (TO BE COMPLETED BY STUDENT)

For an organization that you know well (e.g., the organization, where you are currently employed or for which you worked in the past), using the relevant concepts, theories and models introduced in the module, describe one person who could be called a leader and analyse how effective this persons leadership is and why it is effective.
WORD COUNT.

To include everything except the AGC Form, references and appendices. No of words =3,468. The success of every organization today rest upon the leaders. Basically, every organization is becoming aware of the fact that the 21st century worker must be more effective, efficient, skilled and productive in less time and with fewer resources; and because of constant changes in business, globalization, and information technology (IT), there is an increasing need for organisations to employ people who possess leadership traits and qualities that could be enhanced to meet organisational goals. It is on the basis of this that most organisations now establish leadership centres or schools to nurture leaders. In this write-up, I will focus on an organisation within the formal setting of a bank. I aim to give insight into what I term to be effective leadership by relating certain leadership theories to the leadership inclination of my supervisor. Organisations are made up of individuals who work together towards achieving a common goal. In organisations with good governance, these individuals work in a well structured environment with clearly defined responsibilities. Every organisation, be it formal or informal, strives towards achieving set goals and this is easily done through assigning specific tasks to specific individuals by dividing the organisation into units, departments and groups; however, the processes used in carrying out these tasks need to be well co-ordinated so that they still align with the organizations standards. This is the responsibility of the leader. John Maxwell (2005) states every level of an organization depends on leadership from someone. There are different styles of leadership, and each one is adapted to suit a particular circumstance. A leader that makes unilateral decisions without involving other members of the group is said to

be autocratic. This type of leader is needed in times where time is short and when decisions need to be taken quickly. A democratic leader however allows the other members of the team to bring in their ideas, thereby demonstrating that no man is an island of knowledge. This type of leader is needed when there is a task that involves various fields of knowledge. Some leaders on the other hand do not interfere with the decision making processes but allows the team members free reign. This leadership style is known as Laissez faire and it can come into play where the members of the team are capable and can work with little or no supervision. Another type of leader is the transactional leader; this type of leader believes that subordinates should adhere to certain organizational standards in exchange for a reward. There are transformational leaders that are usually useful when radical change is needed within the organization. This type of leader keeps inspiring his team members with a shared vision for the future (www.mindtools.com). Every organization is made up of each of the following types of leaders, but the structure of some organizations in some cases, determine the type of leadership style used by individuals within that organization. I work for Bank Q *, and we provide banking and investment services from about 204 branches in Nigeria and abroad. Our head office is located in Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, and we have been in existence since 2001. We are involved in a variety of services ranging from deposit mobilization to funds management and wealth creation. There are several groups, units, sub-units and departments within the bank and each of these groups is headed by a group head while the units, sub-units and departments are overseen by certain people who all report to the group head. This group head in turn reports to the Managing Director (MD). The MD is seen as the overall head of the bank and all final decisions are taken by him. Due to the kind of business we are involved in, there are certain laid down procedures that all staff members are expected to follow in regards to the specific duties they perform. I am presently a branch operations staff and I interface directly with the banks customers. We handle cash and other fund transfers within the branch, and thus it is important that a high level

of caution is maintained when dealing with our type of transactions. Every branch has the Branch Operations Manager and Branch Business Manager that oversees the banking operations and branch marketing activities respectively. One person I consider a true leader within my organization is Mr. Obi *, he is the Branch Operations Manager and my direct line supervisor. He reports to other line supervisors within the branch operations group, but to a great extent, there is a lot of power inherent in his position as a branch manager in relation to all the work done within the branch. Although I have known him within the bank for a while, I didnt notice his leadership skills until the bank wanted to upgrade its IT banking application software (Equinox) to more sophisticated software Temenos 24 (T24), and he was appointed to head the Project team in which I was selected too. We named the assignment Project T24. This was all before he became my Branch Operations manager. I assumed the bank management selected him because of his personality traits, wealth of experience in the banking sector and also knowledge of the new software. I consider Mr. Obi as a leader mostly because of his personality. He is a transformational leader type because he leads by example; he motivates the team he leads, and maintains a good communication link with the team. He is not a natural born leader like in the trait approach which suggests that leaders are born and not made on the basis of inherited traits; rather, he exhibits the behavioural approach of leadership which stipulates that leaders can be made rather than born. I support this claim because the bank I work with owns a leadership academy for junior and middle level staff while senior level staff members travel abroad for leadership training and courses. As I mentioned earlier, what I believe distinguishes Mr. Obi from many is his personality. Personality refers to important, relatively stable characteristics within an individual that accounts for consistent patterns of behaviour (Ewen 1998). This is an interesting observation and does, in a sense, capture the essence of personality, and with this, one may understand the nature of personality and appreciate its crucial and potential role in leadership. This inference should give the reader an insight into what personality is all about and how it affects a persons leadership

inclination. Some characteristics have been common to effective leaders over the years, and Mr. Obi has exhibited almost all of them. He is focused, a good listener, decisive, organized, he accepts constructive criticism, and is mindful of the strengths and weaknesses of others while delegating responsibilities. This pattern of traits tends to be stable over time. If you know someone who is optimistic, confident, and friendly today, the chances are good that he also showed these same traits in the past and will continue to show them in the future. This is not to say that a combination of these traits alone within a person makes him an effective leader. The leader maintains a degree of control, and is meant to guide other team members to achieve the organizations goals; and thus it is pertinent that they create an atmosphere that makes others within the organization feel that their input makes a difference. While this is no mean feat, it is necessary for these leaders to understand the type of people they lead and the type of work that needs to be done; because different situations require different styles of leadership. The contingency theory of leadership explains that the leadership style a person employs is dependent on the present situation at hand. Mr. Obi was able to demonstrate this because at certain times, when we encountered a challenge with the softwares performance, he took immediate decisions to proffer solution to the problem. He didnt ask the other team members for advise because he bore in mind that we were had little knowledge of the product. The training for the new IT software implementation took ten weeks and during that time I learnt a lot about resourcefulness, team work and resilience. Mr. Obi guided us through the new processes with utmost patience while making us understand the need to meet deadlines. We looked forward to coming to the training site each day with enthusiasm and a renewed zeal to learn. After a week in the training program, a new member was brought in from one of the branches to join us. He was the type of person that always played by his own rules. He didnt realize that the kind of duties he was expected to perform within the bank required adequate precaution. Mr. Obi on many occasions tried to keep him on track but he kept doing things his own way. Mr. Obi

then resorted to giving him queries to make sure he understood the seriousness of the work he was expected to do. Mr. Obi in that way used the bureaucratic leadership style by making his subordinate work strictly by the book. The leadership studies carried out in the University of Michigan identified that effective leaders tend to display three critical characteristics: task-oriented behaviour, relationship-oriented behaviour, and participative leadership style. Task-oriented behaviour provides that effective leaders do not do the same work as their subordinates. Their tasks include planning and scheduling work and guiding subordinates in setting task goals (Likert, R. 1961). Relationshiporiented behaviour states that effective leaders do not only concentrate on the task, but also on their relationship with their subordinates. They are more considerate, helpful and supportive of subordinates, including helping them with their career and personal problems. They recognize effort with intrinsic as well as extrinsic reward, thanking people for effort (Likert, R. 1961) Effective leaders also use a participative style, by modelling good team-oriented behaviour. The role of the leader is more facilitative than directive, guiding conversations and helping to resolve differences. The leader, however, is responsible for results and is not absolved of responsibility. The effect of participative leadership is to build a cohesive team which works together rather than a set of individuals (Likert, R. 1961). On the last day of every week, Mr. Obi made us wait back after work to participate in what he called breaking the ice. In these sessions, we were all made to state what we enjoyed most about our week and what we found most challenging. We were able to proffer solutions to a lot of pressing work issues using this medium. Although he constantly reminded us of the task at hand, he made sure we didnt forget that our welfare was also important to the completion of the task at hand. During these sessions, he also praised us for the work we had done during the week and admonished us for the times we did not do so well. For me, this was the highlight of the weeks I spent with him. It was a strong motivational tool for me.

During the weeks of our training, Mr. Obi was able to help us identify and then develop the skills we needed to fully understand the T24 software. Three weeks into our training program, we received a mail from the Head Office that mandated us to balance all internal accounts that had long outstanding balances. It looked like an insurmountable task because the balances had been in those accounts even before I joined the bank and no one had bothered to clear them. I didnt understand how I was going to accomplish the task because I was used to doing that kind of reconciliation on the old software. I went to Mr. Obi for advice on how to begin the task. He gave me ideas on how to make it less stressful and kept following up with me. After a few attempts, I became frustrated with the assignment and started complaining. He kept prodding me and pushing me; I was at work most of the weekends and it was so frustrating that I got to the point of resenting him and the work. He knew how I felt but he still tried to make me understand that knowing how to balance those accounts was an added advantage for me. Before the end of the project, I was able to balance five out of the six accounts that had issues. That was a big feat for our group. I saw that assignment as very frustrating and I hated all the effort I was made to put it into job but Mr. Obi kept on encouraging and helping me all the way. Today, I can boast of being one of the few within the bank that have been celebrated for constantly being able to reconcile unresolved balances. I have Mr. Obi to thank for that! I am of the opinion that Mr. Obi exhibited supportive and directive leadership which falls under the path-goal leadership theory as proposed by House, 1971. This theory of leadership was developed to describe the way that leaders encourage and support their followers in achieving the goals they have been set by making the path that they should take clear and easy (House, Robert J. 1971). According to House (1971), leaders clarify the path, so that subordinates know which way to go, remove roadblocks that are stopping them from going there, and increase the rewards along the route. In clarifying the path, they may be directive or give vague hints. In removing

roadblocks, they may scour the path or help the follower move the bigger blocks. In increasing rewards, they may give occasional encouragement and ideas on how to make the work easy. This variation in approach will depend on the situation, including the follower's capability and motivation, as well as the difficulty of the job and other contextual factors (House et. al., 1974) House and Mitchell (1974) describe four styles of leadership: supportive leadership, directive leadership, participative leadership, achievement-oriented leadership. For the purpose of this write-up and in relation to Mr. Obi, I will only give more insight on the supportive and directive leadership style. Supportive leaders consider the needs of the follower, show concern for their welfare and create a friendly working environment. This includes increasing the follower's self-esteem and making the job more interesting. This approach is best when the work is stressful, boring or hazardous (House and Mitchell 1974). An example of that type of work is the internal account balance reconciliation I did in my training class. Directive leaders on the other hand tell followers what needs to be done and give appropriate guidance along the way. This includes giving them schedules of specific work to be done at specific times. Rewards may also be increased as needed and role ambiguity decreased (by telling them what they should be doing). This may be used when the task is unstructured and complex and the followers are inexperienced. This increases the follower's sense of security and control and hence is appropriate to the situation (House and Mitchell 1974). Mr. Obi recognized my insecurity and that of my other team members in relation to the job and as such he gave us guidance every step of the way. He sometimes bought us lunch and gave us time to recess if he felt we had done enough for a particular day. According to House (1996), path-goal theory basically does not address the effect of leaders on groups or work units, but rather the effect of superior on subordinates. It concerns relationships between formally appointed superiors and subordinates in their day to day functioning and how these superiors affect the motivation and satisfaction of subordinates.

Path-goal theory proposes that the environment and the follower characteristics influence the suitability of a leadership style (Organizational Behaviour, module handbook MN7203/D, University of Leicester). My team members and I needed a directive leader because we were not confident about performing the task we were given. We depended solely on the knowledge of our supervisor in regards to that task. On my own part, this was partly due to the fact that my immediate past supervisor only wanted results and never wanted to be involved in the work I did. It was also partly due to the fact that I only had experience in doing that type of work using the old software and not on the new one. The type of task we were given was not a routine and predictable task and as such we welcomed the constant concern Mr. Obi showed for the progress we were making on the task. I believe we were able to complete the task because we were truly motivated to do it. We did not see the job as our regular desk job but a job that would give us the occasion to shine if we did well at it. I can say this with some degree of confidence because it was a generally held view amongst the majority of the project team members. We had a sense of achievement, responsibility and job satisfaction; and we were not motivated just by the extra allowance we were to receive but because Mr. Obi made us feel that our work in the project team made a difference. I must point out that in the beginning; I was suspicious of his seemingly wonderful disposition because I feared manipulation and a hidden agenda. This was caused by the past dysfunctional relationship I had with my former boss. Mr. Obi allayed my fears by creating an atmosphere of trust. In the end, he was able to gain my respect and that of my other colleagues We finished the training after ten weeks and we all returned to our various branches. To my delight, he was deployed to my branch as the Operations Manager exactly two weeks after we left the Project T24. Some members of staff in my branch who had worked closely with him in the past were delighted as well to have him on our team. While we worked with him in the branch, he was still able to exhibit those qualities I had seen earlier while working under him in the training centre. Looking back to all the time I have spent

with him, I can use the Fielders contingency theory of leadership to apply to the relationship between my team and Mr. Obi. Fielders (1967) suggests that that there is no single best way for leaders to lead. Different situations will give rise to leaders exhibiting different styles of leadership. The decision taken on a particular situation is dependent on the factors that interfere with that situation. For instance, in an organisation like mine where repetitive tasks are the order of day, a directive leader would be more suited to give better performance. On the other hand, a participative style of leadership will work better in a more flexible environment where the job is not so structured. Fiedler looked at how well the leader relates with other team members, the nature of the task and the level of authority of the leader. According to Fiedler, leaders were rated as to whether they were relationship oriented or task oriented. Task oriented leaders tend to do better in situations that have good leader-member relationships, structured tasks, and either weak or strong position power. Based on this, I tend to say that Mr. Obi is task oriented because majority of the team members have a good working relationship with him, and based on the kind of routine and structured work we do in the bank, he is constantly able to direct us in his capacity as the branch manager to achieve the desired results. That is not to say that he does not exhibit relationship-oriented leadership as I pointed out earlier, but just to emphasize the fact that he has always been able to switch instinctively between each style. It is important to note at this point that a relationship oriented style of leadership is not the opposite of the task-oriented style. On the contrary, they both tend to complement each other. A leader cannot be friendly at all times; most situations will require him to make tough decisions that might not go down well with other team members. Being able to balance the needs of your team with that of the organization is crucial to ensuring that one is an effective leader. I tend to agree a lot with the contingency theories of leadership, no style is considered best in itself but the key to maximizing each styles potentials is in knowing when and how to apply

each style. In my opinion, being a flexible leader is the most effective way to exhibit leadership and in more than one occasion, Mr. Obi has been able to show that.

References Evans, M.G. (1970). The effect of supervisory behaviour on the path-goal relationship. Organizational Behaviour and Human Performance, 5, 277-298 Ewen R.B. (1998) Personality, a topical approach: theories, research, major controversies, and emerging findings. 1:2 House, R.J. and Mitchell, T.R. (1974). Path-goal theory of leadership. Contemporary Business, 3, Fall, 81-98 House, Robert J. (1971). "A path-goal theory of leader effectiveness". Administrative Science Quarterly 16: 321339. House R. (1996). Lessons, Legacy, and a Reformulated Theory Leadership Quarterly Vol. 7 No. 323-352. Likert, R. (1961). New patterns of management, NY: McGraw-Hill http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles/path_goal_leadership.htm http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_84.htm Maxwell J.C. (2005). The 360 leader: Developing your intelligence from anywhere in the Organization, 1:7 Organisational Behaviour, module handbook MN7203/D, Edition 1, University of Leicester School of Management (2008) University of Exeter, Centre for Leadership studies, June 2003. A review of leadership theory and competency frameworks. Edited version of a report for Chase Consulting and the management standards centre. Pages 8-9. (http://centres.exeter.ac.uk/cls/documents/mgmt_standards.pdf) *Not real names

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------END OF STUDENT SUBMISSION THE FORMS ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE ONLY USED IN INCIDENTS OF PLAGIARISM AND/OR THE AWARD OF A FAIL GRADE FOR THIS PIECE OF WORK. STUDENTS SHOULD NOT DELETE THESE FORMS.

School of Management
PLAGIARISM FORM (Student Assessed Work)
This form should only be completed where a case of plagiarism (inc. poor scholarship) has been identified. It should be attached to the students submitted work that contains the plagiarised material.

PART 1 TO BE COMPLETED BY FIRST MARKER

Student Name: Programme of Study & Year: Module:

Nature and Extent of Plagiarism (please highlight or underline plagiarised text): What, if known, is the source of plagiarism? (e.g. peer plagiarism, single or
multiple texts, websites)

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% %

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PART 3 TO BE COMPLETED BY DEPUTY HEAD OF SCHOOL

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ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE FOR FAILING ASSIGNMENTS

Student Name: Course Centre Date of Enrolment Module/Unit
Your assignment has been subject to a system of second marking. Unfortunately the markers have concluded that the assignment has not met a satisfactory standard. You should consider carefully the information provided on the AGC form as well as the reasons for the fail grade indicated below. Then make sure you follow the advice given under action to take when working on your next assignment. Please consult your Programme Handbook for details of the resubmission policy for your programme of study. REASON(S) FOR THE FAIL GRADE You have not adequately answered the question set. You have not adequately explained what you have done. Your answer is too descriptive it lacks sufficient analysis to address the question set. Your answer is too brief or exceeds the word limit set for this assignment. You do not make sufficient use of the concepts and theories that are relevant to addressing the assignment question. You have made use of literature/study materials without fully acknowledging the sources.* You have simply reproduced the information contained in the module and other readings. You must use this material to answer the question in your own words.* Your answer is too similar to that of another student. Rework your answer using your own words.* Other: Please specify ACTION TO TAKE You need to check carefully that you have understood the question set. Please discuss your interpretation of the question with a Tutor on Blackboard and use the support materials on writing assignments found on Blackboard. Please discuss the expectations of the assignment with the Tutor on Blackboard. Please refer to the support materials on Blackboard and in Module 1 of your programme. For advice on developing an essay please see your Programme Handbook and Module 1 material.
Please refer to the support material on Blackboard. Please read the guidance in your programme handbook on referencing. There is further information on how to avoid plagiarism on Blackboard. Please read the guidance in your programme handbook on referencing. There is further information on how to avoid plagiarism on Blackboard. Please read the guidance in your programme handbook on referencing. There is further information on how to avoid plagiarism on Blackboard.

Items marked with an * are serious academic offences and amount to plagiarism or cheating. Please see your programme handbook about the regulations governing plagiarism. Second Marker Signature Date: