CORPORATE CULTURE AND
LEADERSHIP
Each organization has its own way of dealing with corporate
problems and do have their own organizational structure. The culture of the
organization very much depends on the behaviour of the employees. If the
employees have a strong commitment towards their organizations, the
organization is said to have a strong culture and vice versa. For
example, Infosys—one of top companies in the area of IT in India - can be said
to have a strong organizational culture. This is reflected in its annual
results.
It is not easy to have a strong culture in the organization. Lot
of it depends on how the leaders of the organization handle their employees.
Looking at this discussion, we can infer that ‘corporate culture’ is the values
and beliefs accepted and practiced by all the employees of the company. To have
an appropriate corporate culture, the strategy of the organization should match
with it. In this section we would stress more on the role of leaders in shaping
the culture of the organization and will discuss the role of leaders in
handling the employees.
When it comes to handling people, the total personality of a
leader comes into play. Managerial effectiveness is the management terminology
for leadership. It is well to remember that this truth is applicable at all the
levels of management—Junior, Middle and Senior. The ‘Katz Model’, shown
in Figure-1 shows the relevant value of management skills at various levels.
Although there have been some minor changes in the original design, it clearly
shows that Human Relation Skill is consistently the biggest component at all
the levels of management.
Figure-1 : Katz Model—Skills of an Effective Manager
A leader in any organization has to handle people in the
following three directions:
a) The first—is downwards—his/her own team which he has
to build as an effective and cohesive group motivated to achieve the coals of
the organization.
b) The second—is lateral, which involves winning the
support and cooperation of colleagues over whom the leader has no control, but
who have an important functional relationship with the group/organization
headed by the leader.
c) The third-is a purposeful, constructive and harmonious relation
with the higher authority under whom a leader functions-the boss.
Human nature: In order to handle people
effectively it is useful for a leader to understand human nature. There are a
large number of theories about it. For developing leadership potential it is
useful to focus our attention on two concepts which have a lasting and
practical value for learners.
Once people are convinced that s/he is a person who knows them
well and s/he truly cares about them then they would do anything for the
leader. However, it requires a very major effort to know people and know them
better than even their own mother, effort in terms of time, attention and
genuine interest in people.
The difference between ‘indulgence’ and ‘caring’ should be clearly
understood. Indulgence means excessive gratification-giving material things-money,
conveniences and so on. Indulgence, by and large, spoils the recipients.
Caring, on the other hand, is a matter of attitude—it is a quality based on
unselfish love. Consequently, caring is a matter of heart and not related to
material resources. A skill that often helps a leader to know and care for
his/her people is the skill of communication.
Communication : To know people: The ability to know people is the starting point to handle them
and communication skill plays an important role in this ability. These help a
leader TO TELL what s/he wants done. However, some essential features of this
skill relevant to knowing and handling people need discussion.
Most of the strained and fractured relations can be traced to
the mutual breakdown of communications between individuals in a family, group,
community, countries and even among the community of nations. One starts seeing
only the uglier side of others and it leads to alienation. The ability to
communicate, on the other hand, puts human relations on an even keel by
removing misperceptions and misunderstandings. The ability has two sides:
The skill of expression; and
The skill of listening.
The Skill of Expression
The skill of expression does not merely mean gift of the gab or
cleverness with words. For a leader the skill of expression is a vehicle to
generate trust. Verbal expression counts for only 30 per cent in this skill,
the balance 70 per cent is the body language—expression in the eyes, conviction
in the tone, the sincerity in the posture, and generally, the vibrations that a
person conveys. Body language communicates the total personality of a leader,
and its effectiveness depends, entirely on the strength and balance of the
“Universal Inner Structure of Effective Leaders”. In genuine expression there
can be no pretension. Spontaneity, straightforwardness and sincerity are far more
effective than sheer command over the language.
The Skill of Listening
The skill of listening means understanding and knowing the other
person. It has been found that this part of communication skill is even more
important, but, unfortunately less prevalent. Listen with ears and observe body
language with eyes. Even nature has a design in the listen talk ratio. It gives
two ears to a person, but only one mouth.
Listening has three ingredients. The first, of course, is the
physical process of hearing what the other person is saying; this involves
attention. Comprehending what the person is saying is the second ingredient,
and demands undivided attention. Looking out of the window, or attending to
routine papers while listening are signs of inattentiveness. Remembering what
you listen is the third ingredient of this skill and, naturally, comes about
only if a leader hears and comprehends what is said. The ability to listen
attentively and with sympathy in which a leader shows signs of warmth, makes
the other person feel that s/he is an individual and not merely a faceless part
of the machine. It helps generate trust in the team. Above all, ‘listening to the
body language with eyes’ gives a leader an opportunity to really know his
people and their characteristics.
Experience shows that effective communication means:
50 per cent listening;
25 per cent speaking;
15 per cent reading;
10 per cent writing.
The operative part of Leadership capability lies in the ability
to handle people in a manner that they give their best for a cause,
organization and the task in hand. This capability depends on the strength and
balance of TO BE in a leader—his/her Universal Inner Structure of Effective
Leadership. Reinforcing this structure is within the reach of anyone who
applies himself to this exciting endeavour with SINCERITY and WILL POWER till
transformation takes place. Even while one is making an effort to improve the
source of leadership a few practical hints to handle people will be of value to
anyone who desires to be more effective.
Handling people working
for a leader
Self-control : No team captain can hope
to control and inspire his/her team unless s/he learns to control and
discipline himself. This is a difficult task, but without it there is little
chance for a man to become a successful leader. It requires a certain amount of
philosophical outlook and frugality which is often associated with aristocrats
and saints. Self-control does not only add to the leadership potential, it also
is a source of great happiness.
Success and Failure : It is a basic trait of
human nature that an individual ascribes successes of an organization to the
part played by him/her, and blames failures on the system. On the other hand, a
good leader gives credit to his/her men for successes and takes responsibility
for failures. This approach binds men together in a collective effort to work
for the organization.
Setting Targets : It is useful to let
individuals themselves set targets for work. In this event not only are they
likely to meet these targets, but even surpass them.
Correcting Mistakes : A leader has often to
correct the people who falter, show traces of weakness or fail. It is better to
say “This is not what is expected of a person of your calibre and ability”
rather than words to the effect “what else one could expect from a clot like
you”. The first approach enhances a man’s self-respect even in failure. The
second approach makes him your enemy.
We and not you : A good leader always
projects himself/herself as a part of the team and invariably talks in terms of
“We” and not “You”.
Accessibility : It is a leader’s
responsibility to ensure that s/he is accessible. S/he should institutionalise
the time and place for meeting the members of his team. Tragedies and illnesses
are a frequent occurrence in human life. A good leader makes it a point to find
time for seeing men who are afflicted to who have difficult problems to tackle.
Visiting them, in case they are hospitalised, should also be a matter of priority
time allocation. You win lasting commitment from people thus handled.
Anger : A good leader does not
lose his/her temper. However, righteous anger is very different from
uncontrolled rage and should not be suppressed. However, special care should be
taken to uphold the honour and dignity of an individual in the presence of his
colleagues and family members.
Recognition : Good and effective
leaders have used the human urge for recognition with telling effect to foster
interpersonal bonds with their people and to motivate them. They have scrupulously
used the principle of ‘praise in public and reprimand in private’ to create an
organizational culture in which people work ‘much beyond call of duty’ to
maintain excellence in their organization. The real basis of making individuals
feel like heroes is, of course, genuine care and unselfish love by the leader for
his people.
In the ultimate analysis, handling people is a matter of
attitude. It is expecting the utmost from them while caring for them
completely. It is possible only if a leader can create an atmosphere in which
there is free communication. Tolerating shirkers and parasites in the name of
“being human” does a great deal of damage. Fortunately, such people are few and
far between, and must be dealt with strictly.
