Collaborative Leadership
Collaborative leadership is a leader’s inclination to seek diverse views from peers, superiors, and subordinates before making tactical and strategic decisions. As a result, employees feel engaged and take ownership because they perceive that their views matter in a company’s operations (Velasquez & Gleitsman, 2023). During the interview, Gaudioso emphasized collaborative management, focusing on ensuring that her staff lead and contribute their best to the company’s betterment. Specifically, when asked what her leadership approach is and how she has come to practice it, she answered, “Collaborative, my role staff contribute and lead at their best. I am big on finding ways to engage others and share leadership” (Gaudioso, 2023). Her collaborative leadership approach illustrates the importance of involving staff in decisions that affect them and their work.
Leaders who involve staff in their decisions stimulate a sense of ownership of the company’s objectives, missions, vision, and values. This often leads to an increase in productivity as employee perceive working hard as an extension of the collaborative environment created by their leader. The strategy aligns with participatory leadership and has been shown to increase innovation (Wang et al., 2022). It is achieved through the diverse contexts and backgrounds of employees, which add to the pool of ideas through their unique perspectives. Additionally, leaders who are willing to collaborate with their subordinates on a task are also more productive in other tasks and responsibilities. Thus, Gaudioso’s collaborative approach fosters a sense of responsibility.
Situational and Participatory Leadership
A manager’s leadership style in a dynamic environment often evolves to match the responsibilities assigned to them. Situational leadership styles ensure that a manager is flexible and open to changes they may encounter (Pasaribu et al., 2022). In this case, Gaudioso’s leadership style has evolved as she was assigned the role of a trainer at American Express. During the interview, she highlighted the need to adapt styles to the tasks and situations a leader encounters.
During the interview, when asked whether she exclusively used the collaborative approach, she remarked, “Since I became a trainer for a leadership program for American Express, I realized that as a leader, one must be prepared to change their leadership styles depending on tasks. I prefer to lead situationally and collaboratively.”(Gaudioso, 2023). Such a consideration minimizes risks and increases flexibility and readiness to respond to problems and tasks accordingly.
Based on Gaudioso’s response and actions, the leadership styles can be assessed. First and foremost, as mentioned previously, the collaborative style is employed as decision-making is a collective effort (Wang et al., 2022). Another methodology that is employed is transformational leadership, as exemplified by the focus on connecting with team members and communicating with them. The transformational style has been shown to minimize burnout, improve motivation, and, in turn, productivity (Khan et al., 2020).
Last but not least, the interview highlights that the situational tactic is also applied. This is certain, as Gaudioso often reflected on the importance of resilience and acting based on circumstances. Situational leadership has been shown to increase job satisfaction (Pasaribu et al., 2022). The aforementioned styles are evidence-based and have been extensively described in the literature as excellent ways to build a proficient, productive, and welcoming work environment based on innovation, trust, and communication.
Management Functions
The role of a manager entails specific responsibilities that must be fulfilled. Some of these functions include planning, organizing, controlling, and leading. A manager and leader must be able to execute these functions seamlessly to inspire confidence in employees and be effective in an organization. In this interview, Gaudioso noted that she was comfortable performing management functions but often struggled when switching roles.
Specifically, when asked what functions of management she finds easier and hardest to cope with, she answered, “I am comfortable with all functions, but switching roles in situations can be challenging because it is hard to go back and forth from leading tactically, directing, coordinating, then changing to only focusing on goals and not leading.” (Gaudioso, 2023). Despite the complexity of the approach, managerial resilience has been linked to the organization’s and employees’ overall ability to adapt to new conditions, goals, or missions (Liang & Cao, 2021). Hence, both the interview and relevant literature support the vital ability to take on multiple roles interchangeably and smoothly transition between them for the sake of organizational improvement.
Leadership Style
In a highly fluid business environment, leaders must adapt their leadership style to the situations they encounter in their roles. Gaudioso acknowledges the situational nature of leadership, opting for a shift from drill sergeant to cheerleader, which aligns with the norm that leaders must use different tools to motivate performance (Collins II et al., 2023). She emphasizes that leaders must be authentic, preferring support over titles such as ‘leader’.
Specifically, when asked who she prefers between drill sergeant and cheerleader and who she employs more often, she quips, “It depends on the situation. If there is a strong team focused on the mission, then I can be a cheerleader. I feel there is a lack of authenticity in using the term ‘cheerleader’. I prefer words like support and a leader who understands the team. It is also important that a leader be someone who listens.” (Gaudioso, 2023). Based on the reflection on the various approaches, it can be stated that the priority is not to operate within a single leadership style but rather to use a tailored approach to the circumstances. Nonetheless, the emphasized factor is the crucial aspect of operating within a team, which entails collaboration and support for other members.
Conflict Resolution and Communication
Enhancing the working environment means having effective strategies to prevent conflict before it escalates. One of these strategies encourages communication among team members and also interpersonal communication (Casmir, 2022). When employees can communicate, they can air their concerns without fear of persecution or other consequences. During the interview, Gaudioso emphasized the need for direct in-person conversations, especially if emails do not yield the expected results.
Specifically, when asked how she deals with conflicts if they arise during teamwork, she stated, “I get off email and have direct conversations. After three exchanges, if there is no solution, then I engage in more deep and direct talks.” (Gaudioso, 2023). Direct communication has indeed been shown to play an essential role in conflict resolution (Verhoeven & Thøis Madsen, 2022). As the leader prioritizes face-to-face conversations with team members, it can be expected that discussions will be more transparent and honest. This increases employee satisfaction and minimizes risks such as burnout, a lack of motivation, and a sense of being unheard by executives.
Intersection of Themes with Holzer and Schwester
The interview has provided insight into how successful leaders manage teams and apply various techniques to generate positive results. It is essential to highlight the scientific basis of whether the measures are supported in the literature or if more research is needed. To validate the information, Holzer and Schwester’s perspectives will be paralleled with the manager’s answers. As a result, the two texts will be juxtaposed, and the analysis will highlight the strategies Gaudioso has applied, supported by relevant writers on organizational leadership.
Collaborative Leadership
The collaborative leadership approach espoused by Gaudioso aligns with the transformational leadership theory advocated in the text, Public Administration by Marc Holzer and Richard. W. Schwester. Transformational leadership emphasizes shared vision, employee engagement, and the professional development of team members to ensure they can effectively accomplish assigned tasks. According to Holzer and Schwester (2016), transformational leadership inspires and motivates followers toward a shared objective and vision. The application of this theory is evident in the interview, as Gaudioso is keen to engage employees collaboratively, a key component of transformational leadership.
Situational Leadership
In the interview, Gaudioso recognizes the need for a leader to adapt to the circumstances they encounter. This practice aligns with the leadership style called situational leadership, as discussed by Holzer and Schwester (2016). Holzer and Schwester (2016) stated that leaders should be prepared to adjust their leadership style to the circumstances they face when executing their leadership and management functions. This level of flexibility enables a leader to respond effectively to emerging situations.
Conclusion
Gaudioso’s interview has shed light on practical leadership techniques that can improve productivity and collaboration. The manager indeed employs a variety of styles, mainly relying on situational and collaborative measures. Additionally, the focus on communication and conflict resolution helps build a strong internal environment where team members are transparent, innovative, and motivated. The strategies employed by the leader are supported by relevant literature.
The collaborative approach is excellent at creating and following a shared vision, while situational approaches mitigate risks and foster resilience. Gaudioso is an effective manager who can lead while remaining an active team member. As a result, the outcomes correlate with an improved work environment, higher satisfaction, and increased productivity, which, in turn, facilitate higher revenue and opportunities for growth.
References
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Gaudioso, Kiran (2023). Interview Guide. Intro To Public Admin.
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Khan, H., Rehmat, M., Butt, T. H., Farooqi, S., & Asim, J. (2020). Impact of transformational leadership on work performance, Burnout and social loafing: A mediation model. Future Business Journal, 6(1).
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Velasquez, L., & Gleitsman, K. (2023). 6 ways to become a more collaborative leader. Harvard Business Review.
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Wang, Q., Hou, H., & Li, Z. (2022). Participative leadership: A literature review and prospects for future research. Frontiers in Psychology, 13.