NCJ Number
215901
Journal
Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 68 Issue: 5 Dated: August 2006 Pages: 28-31
Date Published
August 2006
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The three leadership approaches and the four growth steps described in this article provide a foundation that will enable an organization's leadership capacity to grow.
Abstract
In his book on leadership, Wilfred Drath describes three leadership approaches: personal dominance, interpersonal influence, and collective leadership. Leadership that relies on personal dominance functions from the top down through a leader or cadre of leaders who have characteristics and positions qualitatively different from followers. The followers rely on the thinking, planning, instructions, and motivational skills of the leader in order to perform their jobs. This approach can be effective under emergency situations or in organizing new staff; however, it places all the responsibility of leadership in the hands of a select few. Leadership through interpersonal influence differs from the dominance approach, in that the leaders must interact with followers to provide information, solicit opinions, and energize support for goals and the implementation of activities. This approach to leadership has begun to gain ground in the corrections field, because it builds relationships in organizations and brings more people into the leadership process. The third leadership approach, collective leadership, relies on employee initiative and leadership at every level of an organization. The emphasis is on the "forest" rather than on the "biggest tree in the forest." This view of leadership respects that employees who are on the front line performing specific jobs gain experience and knowledge that uniquely qualifies them to provide insight and improvements in their particular jobs. Further, by empowering all staff to act as leaders, leadership qualities are cultivated for future executives. The process of developing collective leadership involves defining leadership, assessing current in-house leadership practices, developing leadership through training, and monitoring leadership performance. 5 figures, and 7 notes