Conclusion: Overachievers drive short term success, but their long term impact to the organization is typically a negative one.
Reference:Leadership Run Amok by Scott W. Spreier, Mary H. Fontaine, and Ruth L. Malloy. Harvard Business Review, June 2006. For more information, contact Julie Geurin at sales@batrushollweg.com.
Why This Article Is Important: Over the last several decades, business culture has changed to increasingly reward individual achievement, and over time, this has negatively impacted team results. As organizations look to keep their teams highly engaged and productive, the right leadership approach is critical. While each of the six leadership styles (Affiliative, Participative, Visionary, Directive, Pacesetting, and Coaching) has its advantages, companies are best served when executives can draw from each of those styles. In this article, the authors show the relationship between climate and business results and explain the criticality of the manager's leadership style. They also discuss ways that individuals who are overly high in Achievement Drive can focus their intense energy and operate in a more collaborative and coaching manner to develop strong and engaged teams. Additionally, this article outlines when each style is best suited to a situation and how executives can focus that style to drive results in their organization. For any organization concerned about engagement or productivity, this article provides a useful gauge to identify potential trouble spots in the organization and create action plans for leaders.
Major Findings: The extreme focus on results in businesses today has led to greater innovation, but at a cost. As executives have compromised on quality and pushed the boundaries of appropriateness in their effort to achieve results, public faith in big business has decreased significantly. This extreme Achievement driven style must be moderated to ensure alignment with culture and ethics and promote a positive climate for the team. In terms of leadership, managers who use 4 or more of the 6 leadership styles provide a more positive work climate for their teams. In contrast, those who are overly reliant on the Pacesetting leadership style drive a less positive and more demoralized culture.
What Does It Mean To You? a) Organizations must balance reward for personal results with reward for team results; b) Managers who develop their teams, as opposed to achieving results independently, drive longer-term organizational results; c) Successful managers learn to adjust their leadership style to fit specific situations and team needs and d) Individuals must learn to recognize their motives and develop behaviors to keep those motives from unduly affecting their teams.
