Forceful Leadership and Enabling Leadership: You Can Do Both : You Can Do Both [1 ed.] 9781932973426, 9781882197149

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CENTER FOR CREATIVE LEADERSHIP

FORCEFUL LEADERSHIP AND ENABLING LEADERSHIP: YOU CAN DO BOTH

Robert E. Kaplan

FORCEFUL LEADERSHIP AND ENABLING LEADERSHIP: YOU CAN DO BOTH

Copyright © 1996 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 1996 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

FORCEFUL LEADERSHIP AND ENABLING LEADERSHIP: YOU CAN DO BOTH

Robert E. Kaplan

Center for Creative Leadership Greensboro, North Carolina

Copyright © 1996 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

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© 1996 Center for Creative Leadership $OOULJKWVUHVHUYHG1RSDUWRIWKLVSXEOLFDWLRQPD\EHUHSURGXFHGVWRUHGLQDUHWULHYDO V\VWHPRUWUDQVPLWWHGLQDQ\IRUPRUE\DQ\PHDQVHOHFWURQLFPHFKDQLFDOSKRWRFRS\LQJUHFRUGLQJRURWKHUZLVHZLWKRXWWKHSULRUZULWWHQSHUPLVVLRQRIWKHSXEOLVKHU3ULQWHG LQWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVRI$PHULFD &&/1R Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kaplan, Robert E.   )RUFHIXOOHDGHUVKLSDQGHQDEOLQJOHDGHUVKLS\RXFDQGRERWK5REHUW(.DSODQ    SFP   ,QFOXGHVELEOLRJUDSKLFDOUHIHUHQFHV   ,6%1SULQWRQGHPDQG ³,6%1HERRN 1. Leadership. I. Title  +'.   ³GF  &,3

Copyright © 1996 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

v

Table of Contents Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................... vii Preface .............................................................................................................................. ix Introduction .......................................................................................................................1 The Tension between Forceful and Enabling ................................................................. Forceful Leadership and Enabling Leadership as Opposing Virtues .......................... Versatility ........................................................................................................................... Enabling Leadership as “Virtuous” ..............................................................................11 Development Needs as Lack of Versatility ....................................................................  :KHQ9LUWXHV%HFRPH9LFHV ......................................................................................   *HWWLQJLQYROYHGSHUVRQDOO\YHUVXVJUDQWLQJDXWRQRP\ ......................................   'HFODULQJRQHVHOIYHUVXVKHDULQJIURPRWKHUSHRSOH ...........................................   0DNLQJWRXJKFDOOVYHUVXVEHLQJVHQVLWLYHWRSHRSOH·VQHHGV..............................   0DNLQJFULWLFDOMXGJPHQWVYHUVXVVKRZLQJDSSUHFLDWLRQ ....................................16   +DYLQJDFDQGRDWWLWXGHYHUVXVDFFHSWLQJOLPLWV ................................................16   &RQYH\LQJFRQÀGHQFHYHUVXVVKRZLQJPRGHVW\KXPLOLW\..................................  /RSVLGHGQHVVRU5HVWULFWHG0RYHPHQW .......................................................................  &DVHRI2YHUO\)RUFHIXO1RW(QDEOLQJ(QRXJK .........................................................  &DVHRI2YHUO\(QDEOLQJ1RW)RUFHIXO(QRXJK ......................................................... What It Takes to Increase Versatility ............................................................................  /HDUQLQJWR(PSKDVL]HWKH8QGHUGHYHORSHG6LGH ......................................................  /HDUQLQJWR'HHPSKDVL]HWKH2YHUGHYHORSHG6LGH ..................................................  7KH3ULPDU\'HYHORSPHQW7DVNIRU)RUFHIXO0DQDJHUV ............................................  7KH3ULPDU\'HYHORSPHQW7DVNIRU(QDEOLQJ0DQDJHUV ...........................................  3KDVHVLQ$FWXDOO\&KDQJLQJ ...................................................................................... Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... Appendix .......................................................................................................................... Bibliography ....................................................................................................................

Copyright © 1996 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 1996 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

vii

Acknowledgments  ,ZRXOGOLNHWRDFNQRZOHGJHWKHIROORZLQJSHRSOHIRUWKHLUKHOSIXO FRPPHQWVRQHDUOLHUGUDIWVRIWKLVSDSHU'DYLG'H9ULHV3KLO'RVWHU'LDQH 'XFDW5HEHFFD+HQVRQ%RE+XUOH\-RKQ/RSLDQR6WDQ6KHHW]DQG$P\ :HEE,QDGGLWLRQ%LOO'UDWKKHOSHGPHHDUO\RQWRFODULI\WKHEDVLFFKDUDFWHU RIWKHSDSHU$QG&RQQLH0F$UWKXUZDVLQVWUXPHQWDODV,SUHSDUHGWRZULWH WKHÀQDOGUDIWLQVKDUSHQLQJP\IRFXV

Copyright © 1996 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 1996 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

ix

Preface  ,QWKHIROORZLQJUHSRUW,HPSOR\WKHWHUPVforceful and enabling beFDXVHWKH\DUHTXLWHFRPPRQO\XVHGLQRUJDQL]DWLRQVWRGHVFULEHURXJKO\WKH VDPHPDQDJHULDOFKDUDFWHULVWLFVWKDW,DVFULEHWRWKHP7KHRWKHUUHDVRQLVWKDW LWZDVLPSRUWDQWWRPHIRUFRQFHSWXDOUHDVRQVWKDWERWKWHUPVKDYHSRVLWLYH FRQQRWDWLRQV  7KHZRUGforcefulDVXQUHPDUNDEOHDVLWLVJUHZRXWRI\HDUVRIDFWLRQ UHVHDUFKWKDW,KDYHFRQGXFWHGZLWKH[HFXWLYHVDQGP\HIIRUWWRFKDUDFWHUL]H IRUWKHPDQGIRUPHWKHLUEDVLFQDWXUH,WRFFXUUHGWRPHDV,ZDVZRUNLQJ ZLWKDQLQGLYLGXDODFRXSOHRI\HDUVDJRWKDWKHOLNHVRPDQ\RIKLVSHHUV ZDVD´IRUFHWREHUHFNRQHGZLWKµ$QGKRZGLGKHJHWKLPVHOILQWRWURXEOH" %\EHLQJWRRPXFKRIDIRUFH,EHJDQFDOOLQJWKLVFDWHJRU\RIPDQDJHUforces, EXWWKHVXJJHVWLRQRIWKHXVHRIIRUFHZKLFKDQDFTXDLQWDQFHNLQGO\SRLQWHG RXWZDVQRWZKDW,ZDQWHGWRGHVFULEHWKHGHVLUDEOHIRUPRIWKLVDSSURDFKWR leadership. ForcefulZDVEHWWHUEHFDXVHLWGLGQRWFDUU\WKDWEDJJDJH I adopted enablingEHFDXVH,KHDUGH[HFXWLYHVWDONLQJDERXWWKHQHHG WRIRUH[DPSOH´HQDEOHSHRSOHWRLQQRYDWHµRU´HQDEOHWKHRUJDQL]DWLRQWR SHUIRUPDWKLJKOHYHOVµ  $IHZ\HDUVDJR,ZURWHDERXWZKDW,WHUPHGthe expansive executive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

Copyright © 1996 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 1996 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

1

Introduction What is the goal of management development? The obvious answer LVWRPDNHPDQDJHUVPRUHHIIHFWLYH%XWKRZGRZHGHÀQHHIIHFWLYHQHVV" Everyone—managers and students of management alike—has an opinion, VRPHPRUHLQIRUPHGWKDQRWKHUV7KHUHLVQRRQHZD\WRGHÀQHOHDGHUVKLSHIfectiveness, but I have found it helpful to think about it broadly as versatility. The objective of management development, then, is to help equip managers to handle a wider variety of situations.  7RJHWEH\RQGWKLVJHQHUDOGHÀQLWLRQ,ZLOOH[SORUHZKDWYHUVDWLOLW\ means in terms of two approaches to leadership that I have found to be prevaOHQWLQP\ZRUNZLWKH[HFXWLYHVIRUFHIXODQGHQDEOLQJ  ,DPQRWWKHÀUVWWRREVHUYHWKHVHWZRDSSURDFKHV,QIDFWWKHUHLVD long-running controversy about which is better. In one camp are people who hold that being enabling, or empowering, is the way to go. Gaining strength VLQFH:RUOG:DU,,DQGH[SUHVVHGLQVXFKWHUPVDVparticipative leadership and Theory Y), this idea of leadership came into great favor in the last ten years as organizations mounted a collective effort to improve quality, innovate, and stay competitive. In the other camp are people who, partly in reaction to the empowerment movement, hold that strong individual leadership is critical, especially when fundamental change is needed. Which approach is better? Which do we want an individual leader to take, especially the senior leader? The answer, perhaps obvious, is that it is a mistake to choose. Allowing for the fact that any individual will tend to favor or specialize in one or the other, both approaches are required of the senior leader. In the face of the varied and ever-changing demands on managers, especially senior managers, versatility is the name of the game. Let me emphasize: Versatility is a range of diverse capabilities, not a nondescript, shapeless blend. Total versatility may not be attainable, at least by most managers. Even if it were attainable, we do not know for certain whether total versatility is synonymous with ultimate effectiveness. Managers who favor one approach over the other may be more effective in certain conditions. My work with H[HFXWLYHVKDVFRQYLQFHGPHKRZHYHUWKDWPDQDJHUVZKRHPSKDVL]HRQH WRWKHSRLQWRIVDFULÀFLQJWKHRWKHUSXWWKHPVHOYHVDQGWKHLURUJDQL]DWLRQVDW risk. Managers face a number of obstacles in the pursuit of greater versatility. The root of the word versatility means “to turn around” or “to pivot.” What limits a person’s range of movement, managerially speaking, is the

Copyright © 1996 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

2

Forceful Leadership and Enabling Leadership

same thing that stands in his or her way of becoming more versatile. And it is not just lack of skills. It is also attitude. Managers who depend too much on one approach to leadership must overcome negative feelings about the other DSSURDFK,QH[WUHPHFDVHVDPDQDJHUFDQKDYHDQDYHUVLRQWRWKHRWKHU7KH word aversion, with the same root as versatility, means literally to “turn away from.” Although the distinction between forceful and enabling leadership is QRWQHZLWFDQLIORRNHGDWLQWKHSURSHUZD\DQGLQWKHSURSHUFRQWH[WEH surprisingly useful. In this report I will discuss the way the idea actually plays out in senior managers. In doing so, I will inquire into the emotional basis for H[HFXWLYHOHDGHUVKLSDQGKRZHPRWLRQVDUHHQJDJHGZKHQH[HFXWLYHVWU\WR develop, or even think about developing.

The Tension Between Forceful and Enabling  ,QWKHSDVWZKHQH[HFXWLYHVDQGVWXGHQWVRIPDQDJHPHQWPDGHWKH distinction between a forceful and an enabling approach to leadership, their tendency was to oppose the two or to place one at a disadvantage. The widely used terms autocratic and participativeIRUH[DPSOHOHDYHQRGRXEWZKLFKLV the more desirable. The same is true of “Theory X” and “Theory Y,” as conceptualized by Douglas McGregor (1960). This highly normative dichotomy captured the imagination of academics and practicing managers alike and has had great VWD\LQJSRZHULQWKHÀHOG:KDW0F*UHJRUGLGEULOOLDQWO\ZDVH[SRVHWKH fallacious thinking behind heavy-handed leadership. Theory X is a set of assumptions about human nature that holds that the average person doesn’t like to work and avoids responsibility, and therefore must be directed and even coerced into getting his or her work done. Hence, forceful leadership is required.  ,I7KHRU\;VHWVXSDQHJDWLYHVHOIIXOÀOOLQJSURSKHF\7KHRU\