Research Study 1
- Hypothesis 1: Coworkers’ OCB is positively related to work engagement.
- Hypothesis 2: Coworkers’ competitive behaviors mediate the positive relationship between coworkers’ OCBs and focal employee work engagement.
This is a Moderation diagram. This case Positive relationship between coworkers, Competitive behaviors of coworkers and focal employee work engagement cab be identified and connected to Work Engagement. There is no casual relationship between individual and group-level predictors and work engagements. The figure below is a mediation model of the case study and shows indirect effects of some variable. It may change the direct effect of a single independent variable on a dependent variable.
Framework of this research is shown
Research Study 2
Optimal results are possible for all organizations. The problems arise when there are no people to help tap the synergies into relevant areas from which they can maximize their potentials and that of their employees. In other words, a leader without passion does not really understand the value of time and the detriment of wasting any corporate resources. It is also imperative for the leader to understand that good and great are in two different worlds and they should be handled from different perspectives.
An important aspect about passion is that it is natural and can only be cultivated by creating an interest in whatever one is pursuing. Scholars posit that it is who you are and doing whatever comes out of you naturally. If an individual really likes whatever they are doing and the work is directly proportional to the amount of interest, then they are more energized whenever they do it. A prime example is having a river follow its’ riverbed. When a river flows, it gets more energy down the stream and this is quite different when people try to create a new path out of already set bed, for it to flow through.
Likewise, in the organization, the most important aspect is to be interested in ones’ work and create an environment that is geared towards improving all work experiences. This aspect is critical in all leaders. Leadership must therefore be more than what is trained in graduate school. With such in born charisma desired of them in any work environment, there is a need to appreciate the organization and all its’ members. Leaders must lead and therefore they must show appreciation for leadership by being interested in the job they are doing. Additionally, as a leader, one needs to lead by example being a servant to the well-being of the organization instead of looking out for individual gains alone.
The desire to ‘achieve more than the ordinary’ can be used to describe the term passion. As a leader, one should be aware that nothing new has ever been achieved by doing the same thing repeatedly. A leader should be wise enough to look for innovative ideas that emanate from the workforce and allow them to be implemented within their space. This way, the leader will be looking at the possibility of creating a better company than the one they found. This trait is an important attribute that leaders sometimes ignore when dealing with their employees.
Including indirect effects in a mediation model may change the direct effect of a single independent variable on a dependent variable. (Smith, n.d)
The dependent variable in this study is Innovative behavior; the intervening variable (mediator) is Psychological empowerment, while the independent variables are Transactional Leadership and Transformational leadership as reflected in below.
Research Conceptual Framework
Leaders are expected to provide direction to employees and at the same time be in control of every operation within the organization. As a result, various traits have been listed as important in ensuring effective corporate leadership. There are those that however seem very critical in the modern world: character, passion, and vision. In the past, most corporations focused on credentials and disregarded character when choosing leaders.
However, it is imperative to note that the character of the leader rubs off in different ways on the workers. It is therefore important to ensure a trustworthy, loyal leader who maintains a positive attitude towards whatever they are doing. Vision is also fundamental in leadership. Having a relevant vision helps connect all corporate human resources together and creates unity of purpose. In addition, passion is needed to drive employees to optimal performance and ensure that they remain motivated and share in the growth of the corporation.
Most leaders and employees struggle with discovering their passion and directing it towards their work or the organization. Researchers have avidly looked into this and the most ardent and assuring way is to follow some very simple steps that would enable one understand themselves as well as their outlook about life. As stated earlier, passion is having the eagerness, the fire, and the energy to pursue something that is dear to the heart. This may seem out of place within the corporate world, but it is fundamentally true. Having something that one can look forward to at the work place is an important aspect that can help energize them towards giving and achieving their best.
If the leader is able to offer this drive to the employees, then the work place will be their best place to be. It is important to note that working is tiring and most people do not derive satisfaction from the actual work process. However, if leaders are able to motivate their employees to like and derive satisfaction from their contribution to the organization, this fosters productivity at all times. This means that the best thing that can ever happen to a company is to have a leader that understands the plight of the employees and offers them the best platform from which they can accomplish their dreams (Lussier and Achua 176)
Effective leadership in a group is further determined by authority and power of the group leader. A group can be significantly large to the extent that one leader cannot manage it efficiently. As result, a hierarchical structure of leadership exists in which different leaders have varied powers based on their different levels of management. Leaders at different group levels exercise different authoritative powers. Leaders cannot perform efficiently if they lack authority.
This is because capabilities of an individual are usually enhanced by the authorities they have to perform certain tasks and obligations (Boverie and Kroth, 76). Power is dominant over authority because it involves capabilities of an individual to induce beleifs and actions of other groups of people. Authority refers to the right in a position to exercise control of other people in group. Legitimacy of power in a group leader originates from cultural systems, obligations and capabilities of an individual to motivate others(Miner 75).
Group leaders also practice power based on expertness and professionalism. This is because they posses special knowledge that other people lack. As a result, they capabilities are far much beyond those of other people in the group. In a group of students, one could be better placed to coordinate the leadership based on their capabilities. Similarly, other groups whether academic or professional have different personalities with different knowledge and skills and therefore leadership is based on qualifications. Professional qualifications are important in group leadership because they ensure that the leader is efficient in their operations. Exercise of power is usually part of management practices in different groups.
Research Study 3
- Hypothesis 1: Authentic leadership is positively related to follower task performance and organizational commitment.
- Hypothesis 2: Authentic leadership is positively related to follower perceptions of core job characteristics.
- Hypothesis 3: Follower perceptions of core job characteristics are positively related to follower intrinsic motivation.
- Hypothesis 4: Follower intrinsic motivation is positively related to follower task performance and organizational commitment
- Hypothesis 5: Follower perceptions of core job characteristics are positively related to follower goal commitment.
- Hypothesis 6: Follower goal commitment is positively related to follower task performance and organizational commitment.
Leaders are very important to the welfare of any given organization. With time, the definitions of leadership have evolved to the magnitude that befits the current scenario and working environment. A leader is viewed as someone with considerable social influence over a group of people or followers, who rely on the leaders’ support and aid accomplishment a common task or goal. This means that one individual gets the responsibility of making a way for the followers to contribute to the accomplishment of a specific task.
This implies that the leader must have the required and desired ability to integrate, utilize, and maximize the use of resource made available within the precincts of their organization to attain the goals and objectives of the organization. Several people have tried to analyze how such individuals can be identified from a group of other potential individuals and still make the right choice. To this regard, scholars have come up with a myriad of way through which a leader can be identified resulting into several theories all concerned about selecting the ideal corporate leader. Many theories have therefore emerged over what makes one a good leader.
However, one area that has received immense interest from researchers, sociologists, and even psychologists is the trait theory. Several analysts believe that a good leader must possess a certain set of qualities, which may be either inborn or learnt. Character develops over time and only an individual has a chance to determine what is best to be learnt and not to. However, the world has the ultimate responsibility to determine what is best for a certain post and what is not worth having when it comes to certain positions of authority. The welfare of employees and the company at large depends on the leadership provided by those in positions of authority. This ensures optimal individual and corporate performance and growth.
Works cited
Boverie, Patricia and Michael Kroth. The five keys to achieving trust, commitment, and passion in the workplace: transforming work. Cambridge: Perseus Publishing, 2001. Print.
Lussier, Robert, and Christopher Achua. Leadership, theory, application, & skill development. Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2010. Print
Miner, John. Essential theories of motivation and leadership: Organizational Behavior. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, 2005. Print.
Smith, Shanna. Getting your Ideas Down on Paper: Diagrammatic Representations- Creating Path Diagrams. University of Texas, 2011. Web.