Leadership refers to the process through which the managers of an organization use their skills and personality to inspire their employees to achieve the goals of the organization.
The current leadership theories such as followership and servant leadership are focusing on the role of the followers in the decision-making process and the performance of the organizations. This means that there should be more consultations and good relationships between the management and the employees.
The Australian workers prefer the captain-coach or the decisive leadership style which encourages the participation of all employees in the decision-making process. The compatibility between the current leadership theories and the captain-coach or decisive leadership style can be explained by the concepts that inform these leadership styles.
According to the servant leadership theory, organizations should focus on all-round development in regard to their workforce. This involves identifying the weaknesses of the employees and empowering them to handle such weaknesses through training.
The captain-coach leadership style uses the same concept. In this case, the coach (leader) identifies the weaknesses of the team (followers) and encourages them to improve through training. Current leadership theories encourage effective communication between the leaders and their followers.
The captain-coach leadership style borrows from this concept. This is because the leaders who use this leadership style always consult their followers before making decisions. Besides, they obtain feedback from the followers on the implications of their decisions.
Followership theory considers leadership to be a multi-dimensional function that is characterized by a system of thinking. This means that the contribution of all parties in decision-making and other organizational functions are important for the success of the organization.
Drawing from this principle, the captain-coach leadership style is based on teamwork. In this case, the contribution of each member is significant to the achievement of the goals while the leader gives guidance and shares the work with the team. According to the leader-fullness theory, the leader should be competent enough to make decisions for the organization.
In the decisive leadership style, the followers are consulted about a decision to be made. However, it is the responsibility of the leader to make the final decision.
The current leadership theories and the captain-coach leadership style are thus compatible due to the fact that they are based on similar concepts. These concepts include consultation, teamwork and employee development. Besides, the leaders should be competent enough to make the right decisions.