Introduction
Economists and other successful business people make it clear that the success of any organization or company is totally dependent on its management, as well as the type of leaders and leadership styles that are involved in running day to day activities. It has been revealed that organizations that have principled leaders and effective management strategies are the only ones that have a higher possibility of succeeding (Hill & Lineback 2012).
Even though leadership styles and management strategies are the key factors that can either drive the success of an organization or destroy organizational prosperity, it is important to note that these terminologies refer to almost totally different organizational elements (Berkley 2008).
It is important to understand the difference between management and leadership in order for an organization to be in a position where principal objectives can be easily achieved. It should be noted that whereas leadership entails setting novel directions for a certain group, management, on the other hand, is involved with directing in addition to controlling organizational resources as per the principles of an organization.
Summary
It is argued that even though leadership and management are basic terminologies used to refer to the manner in which various activities are carried out, these broad terms do not describe similar organizational elements. Leadership, for example, encompasses the dream of an individual and the direction the individual takes in achieving a given objective in an organization.
Management, however, entails directing employees as well as other resources available to the firm as stipulated in the company mission and vision. The difference between management and leadership is usually illustrated through consideration of what is likely to happen if one of these two basic organizational elements is eliminated (Gill 2006).
For instance, employment of strong leadership styles in an organization without management sets a direction which everyone is required to follow yet there is no consideration of the manner in which the new direction will be achieved. This implies that some people will be left behind and forced to work harder in addition to collecting the pieces left by those in the frontline and make them work in order to remain relevant in the organization.
Management without leadership, on the other hard, can be equated to setting up stringent controls for organizational resources with intent of maintaining the status quo or ensuring that activities are run in accordance with the already set up plans; yet there are no strategies in place to guide employees on the direction to take as well as the changes they are supposed to incorporate in their day to day activities (Spellman 2011). As a result, workers are not given room to bring in innovative ideas to the organization and this can culminate to organizational failure.
The main differences between leadership and management report structure
Even though leadership and management do not describe the same organizational factors, the business community has made it clear that these elements must go hand in hand in order to guarantee organizational success. However, there are quite a number of differences between these two terminologies. Leadership can be described in simple terms as the process through which a group of individuals are influenced by an individual to accomplish a specific purpose (Gill 2006).
The specific components of leadership are that it is a process which involves influence and occurs in a group context for the principal purpose of attaining a certain objective. Management, on the other hand, is the act of exercising executive, supervisory and administrative roles on a group of people. It should be noted that whereas management results in order and competency, leadership brings in change and movement.
Management is involved in planning, budgeting, and providing structure in addition to allocating resources. Leadership, on the other hand, entails setting up new directions, creating visions, setting up strategies and aligning people in addition to building teams (Berkley 2008). Some of the key activities carried out by management include: Job placements, establishment of rules and procedures, staffing, and organizing among others.
Management also plays a major role in creating practical problem solving strategies, developing incentives in addition to taking corrective actions. Leadership, in addition to seeking commitment, is involved in empowering the junior staff, satisfying the needs of the people, energizing, and inspiring everyone at the workplace along with clarifying the organization’s main objectives to everyone (Spellman 2011). Management is usually viewed as an entity that breaks down major organizational components.
On the contrary, leadership is an organizational element that combines different entities with intent of creating a coherent whole. One of the most important differences between leadership and management is that whereas leadership aims at creating a culture whereby everyone is involved in problem solving, management creates a culture whereby even simple problems are escalated to the next senior level (Hill & Lineback 2012).
Managers
Managers are individuals who are placed by the organization in a position where they can supervise all the organizational activities. Managers are usually followed by the juniors by virtue of their job status and description. A manager is bestowed with the capacity to carry out all the functions of management (Sutton 2010). They are leaders who are held accountable for all the activities of their junior staff.
They are people who have clear set out strategies to attain organizational objectives. They help in upholding an organization’s economic balance through management of organizational resources (Spellman 2011). Managers can be described as a clear definition of competent soldiers, who make things happen in a proper manner through the use of potentially successful plans.
Managers usually direct supervisors who in turn direct other junior employees. It is required of managers to be familiar with the groups they are supervising even though they may not be the most knowledgeable people in certain areas. It is necessary for managers to posses the capacity of managing the workers efficiently in addition to doing their work competently.
In some organizations, managers are bestowed with the authority to hire employees, promote them in accordance with their performance and fire them in case they act in an inappropriate manner. In large companies, however, managers only recommend such actions to an authority higher than their level of management (Berkley 2008).
Managers also have the mandate to make alterations and necessary changes as far as work assignments of the team members are concerned. It has been revealed that mangers play a key role in influencing the behavior of other employees towards accomplishment of certain objectives.
It has also been revealed that the best managers are those who posses leadership qualities (Gill 2006). In whatever level of in an organization a manager is posted, he or she is expected to be a good example. This fosters an environment that is favorable for the subordinates to gladly accept the guidance of the manager.
Reference List
Berkley, J. D 2008, Leadership handbook of management and administration, Baker Books, New York, NY.
Gill, R 2006, Theory and practice of leadership, SAGE, London, UK.
Hill, L & Lineback, K 2012, I’m a leader, not a manager! viewed on <https://hbr.org/2011/12/im-a-leader-not-a-manager.html>
Spellman, R 2011, Managers and leaders who can: How you survive and succeed in the new economy, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY.
Sutton, R 2010, True leaders are also managers, viewed on <https://hbr.org/2010/08/true-leaders-are-also-managers>