Behavior Examples
The leadership style exhibited by Lieutenant Colonel Yaron is participative leadership that highly values the input of all team members and relies on a strong and efficient input of all participants. The leader, in this case, becomes a manager of a large team that consists of various professionals who perform their duties and are provided with a particular form of authority. In participative leadership, the leader involves his or her subordinates in problem-solving and decision-making (Miao, Newman, Schwarz, & Xu, 2013).
The examples of participative leadership are various. Yaron refused to train soldiers and demanded more qualified people for the operation to build a stronger team, which provided him with greater leaders but was risky due to the operations’ limits in time. He encouraged his subordinates (commanders) to start ongoing meetings with their soldiers, which improved team building but could lead to unplanned actions.
He also established joint dinners that positively influenced the sense of commitment to the operation but could be seen as undermining his authority by some of the members. At last, Yaron monitored the work of his squad leaders and did not intervene because their performance was professional, although sometimes his intervention could lead to more efficient decision-making (Laufer, 2012).
The leadership style exhibited by Lieutenant Colonel Daniel is consultative leadership that focuses on teamwork or implementation of the participants’ skills and suggestions in operation. Whereas the leader trusts his or her subordinates to a great extent, he or she still controls general policies and decisions (Gonos & Gallo, 2013).
The examples of this behavior are evident. He was put in charge of the mission and formed a think tank that consisted of various professionals to evaluate the operation, which provided a variety of opinions but could lead to disruptions in discussions.
Daniel used IDF’s psychologists for a “day of thinking together” to listen to their ideas, which improved team building but could jeopardize his critical view if one idea was supported by the majority of the members. He coined the slogan that was used throughout the entire operation (“with determination and sensitivity”) and increased participants’ commitment to the operation but sometimes was not understood completely. He also came to the appropriate solution after several weeks of discussing the alternatives with his subordinates (IDF psychologists), even though these discussions were not cost-effective due to their length (Laufer, 2012, p. 154).
Comparison
The similarities in the behavior of Daniel and Yaron are in their approach to team members: each of them valued their input (Daniel discussed problems with his team of psychologists and Yaron visited joint dinners) and was attentive to their opinions. Another similarity is their use of authority: each of them did not use their power as the main point of his leadership style but rather encouraged team-working and team-building (Daniel started a think tank, and Yaron gathered effective leaders).
The difference between them was in their approach to higher authorities: whereas Daniel did not challenge the status quo of his commanders, Yaron decided not to follow the orders precisely and addressed the problem in his way by recruiting squad leaders. Another difference was their view of themselves as leaders: Daniel understood the duties and responsibilities he had and worked by them, while Yaron admitted that he had to review his role as a leader on different levels, including team, squad, and national levels.
To address the current issues Israel faces (e.g. relationships with Palestinian authorities, anti-Israel rhetoric and policies of other countries, etc.), Daniel could form a team that would evaluate international relationships between the countries to understand how the actual conflicts can be minimized. He could also form a coalition of various professionals who have experience in studying or researching Israel’s politics and its foreign relations to understand what future challenges can arise. Yaron could operate on a different scale, building teams within Israel that would work on minimizing the impact of conflicts on its citizens with the help of multiple teams that Yaron would manage. His ability to communicate with people with polar points of view could be proven effective in addressing unresolved social conflicts in Israel.
Jung Theory
According to Jung (2014), psychological types include the following personality traits that all people have and that influence their attitude to the world: extroverted/introverted, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving. Yaron’s extroverted approach helped him understand both sides of the military operation, thus helping squads finish the operation quicker and with less violence. Daniel’s intuition helped the team rely on their experience and forecasts to provide practical training for soldiers and other operation members and avoid any massive disruptions. Perceiving is a criterion that describes a person’s decision to improvise and work on the situation as it unfolds (Cooper, 2015).
In Yaron’s case, perceiving allowed him to disobey the order given from commanders and start building his team of leaders, thus enhancing the operation’s effectiveness. At the same time, Daniel’s decision to think (to form a think tank) provided his team with a clearer picture of the conflict and many alternatives to resolve the problem, whereas each member’s opinion was taken into consideration. Individuals who prefer thinking are also more risk-tolerant (Cohen, Ornoy, & Keren, 2013). Thus, Daniel’s attitude to problem-solving was also determined by his readiness to risk if necessary.
References
Cohen, Y., Ornoy, H., & Keren, B. (2013). MBTI personality types of project managers and their success: A field survey. Project Management Journal, 44(3), 78-87. Web.
Cooper, C. (2015). Individual differences and personality. New York, NY: Routledge. Web.
Gonos, J., & Gallo, P. (2013). Model for leadership style evaluation. Management: Journal of Contemporary Management Issues, 18(2), 157-168. Web.
Jung, C. G. (2014). Psychological types. New York, NY: Routledge. Web.
Laufer, A. (2012). Mastering the leadership role in project management: Practices that deliver remarkable results. Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT Press. Web.
Miao, Q., Newman, A., Schwarz, G., & Xu, L. (2013). Participative leadership and the organizational commitment of civil servants in China: The mediating effects of trust in supervisor. British Journal of Management, 24(1), 1-41. Web.