Response Questions: Unit One. Anitra Lindsay. Capella University ED Professor Ordu

Transcription

1 Response Questions: Unit One Anitra Lindsay Capella University ED 8720 Professor Ordu July 13, 2008

2 Response Questions Describe your personal position with regard to Theory X and Theory Y. How does either Theory X or Theory Y fit your beliefs about the nature of people? What would be some of the implications for your leadership style and behavior in an educational setting? For many institutions, Theory X seemed to be a model that functioned well. Many organizations and leaders have probably subscribed to this theory and have had profitable outcomes. Personally, I tend to believe that there are situations and specific populations that work well with this model. Organizations that are highly stressful, have minimal opportunity for advancement, and are complex many times subscribe to this theory because employees may need to seek formal direction from those in charge (Owens and Valesky, 2007, p.118) rather than acting on their own. How this particular theory plays into my beliefs about the nature of people is simple. Unfortunately in our society, there are people who do not value or enjoy their work. To them it is merely a means to a financial end. Many employees are not quite comfortable functioning on their own. They may fear that they do not have the proper skills or training to complete tasks. As this may be true, realizing that not all members of our society are confident and self-motivated is equally important. People exhibiting these traits probably find themselves in positions and jobs where Theory X is applied. This is because they are not personally and deeply committed to the organization. Their job is not a career or a place where

3 they see themselves part of the larger scheme. Because this may be so, administrators or managers must adhere to this style of leadership to produce results. Theory Y is based on the assumption that those who work do so because they are deeply committed to the cause or goals of the organization for which they work. Those leaders who find themselves leading in such a manner will more than likely have employees or subordinates that are highly educated, self-confident, and self-motivated. This management style fosters the growth of the individual. Those who are not interested in self-growth will probably not have a favorable dealing with a leader of this magnitude unless s/he is mentored into a new system of thinking. Personally, I am not one who will feel comfortable managing a school in such a style as Theory X. My personal leadership skills require me to lead by trust and guidance much like the Theory Y. I would like to empower my employees to take leadership roles for themselves and help be an active part of education and school reform. By adhering to this style of ideology of leadership, even if I did have the type of employees who are not committed to the objectives of the school or education in general, it is my hope that I could develop them through various means to become one who see the purpose and value of their job and how their part, no matter how big or small, contributes to the success of the school.

4 Considering this and your personal perspective on the two divergent strands of organizational theory- bureaucratic and human relations-what would be a good personal strategy for exercising leadership and influence in the organizational system? Since I am more likely to use the human relations theory in my educational leadership practices, I understand that many institutions such as schools have leadership that runs in the bureaucratic way. Because of this, I too know that I would have to prove myself as being a leader who wishes to be a part of the team as I wish to lead it in a more productive manner. There would be many ways that I feel I could accomplish this task. One way that I think I could do this is through a staff meeting in which everyone defines their role within the school and the roles of various counterparts. By everyone being able to see the common or not so common role expectation, we could begin to build an organization that is based on understanding everyone s part. In addition to that, I would ask that each role begin to see themselves as leaders of specific areas. This is important due to the fact that as a leader, I would want everyone to have a vested interest in how they participate in their roles as experts. Having vision of how we see ourselves is just as important as the physical or mental tasks that are undertaken. The next step of my personal strategy would be entrusting new tasks to the leaders around the school. I believe this would be beneficial because it would give people an opportunity to grow professionally as well as reignite their passion for what they do. Checks and balances would have to be in place, but it would be far

5 from micromanaging. This would continue until each new leader developed the proficiency and confidence to maintain these new expectations on their own. Choosing this strategy gives me an opportunity to see the natural leaders in the building or site and begin to groom new leaders. Showing that I am committed to being a team member as well as a leader gives credence to the ideology I uphold. By developing a belief system and then follow it up with an action plan provides everyone with vision and objectives. I feel that this would be an appropriate way for me to show what I believe and am willing to do as an organizational leader.

6 References Owens, R., & Valesky, T. (2007). Organizational Behavior in Education: Adaptive Leadership and School Reform. Boston: Pearson.