Ana Beatriz 1852741 - Comparison of Classical and Contemporary Leadership
.docx
School
No School**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
AA 1
Subject
Management
Date
Dec 16, 2024
Pages
6
Uploaded by MasterIce15902
Assessment 1Comparison of Classical and Contemporary LeadershipStudent:Ana Beatriz Santos Vieira da Silva - 1852741Subject:People, Culture and Contemporary LeadershipTutor:Adrian GavinWord count: 1583Submission date:01st of December 2024
1. Introduction (250 words)Leadership has been evolving to meet the changing needs of organizations and society. Classicaltheories, such as Henri Fayol’s model from the early 20th century, focused heavily on structure, discipline, and control. Fayol believed that leaders needed to maintain strict hierarchies and clear rules to ensure the efficiency of organisations. While this made sense at the time, today’s leadership requires more flexibilitty and adaptability to navigate a fast changing world.Modern leadership theories, like transformational leadership, Leadership 4.0 and innovative management strategies emphasize collaboration, trust, and the integration of technology in leadership. These theories show that today’s leaders must inspire their teams foster creativity, and embrace change. For instance, Leadership 4.0 combines technology such as Artificial Inteliigence and big data with human skills like empathy to lead teams in a digital world. These new approaches highlight the need for leaders to manage both human and technological resources effectively.In my experience as a leader, these ideas are not just theoretical but also practical. When I ran my business in Brazil, I led a diverse team in a competitive market. I had to focus on empowering my team and bringing in new tools to improve our work processes. This balance ofstructure and adaptability helped us achieve great results and build strong relationships with customers.In this assessment, I’ll compare Fayol’s classical leadership ideas with modern theories, showing how both the past and present contribute to the leadership we need in today’s rapidly changing environment. I've included some personal and professional experiences in this assessment because I’ve seen in the past how important different aspects of both modern and classical leadership are in real life situations.
2. Summary (400 words)The articles explain how leadership has changed a lot over time, starting from old models like Henri Fayols theory to more modern ideas such as Leadership 4.0 and transformational leadership. Fayol’s theory created in the early 1900s, was very focused on hierarchy, discipline, and control. Leaders had to organise everything, plan tasks carefully and give clear orders so businesses would run smoothly. Back then, this approach made sense because companies needed structure and stability. But in today’s world, which is so fast paced and full of constant changes, Fayol’s style feels too rigid and outdated.Modern leadership styles are completely different. Transformational leadership, for exampleis all about building trust, inspiring employees, and empowering teams to achieve more. This type of leadership works well, especially during big changes or tough times. During my studies, I noticed in Orieno et al. (2024) that transformational leaders used to manage challenges by balancing empathy, clear communication, and engagement, fostering trust and motivation. Haleem et al. (2024) also included it on Leadership 4.0 where emotional and social intelligence drive support, innovation, and trust in complex organizational settings.Leadership 4.0 takes it even further by mixing human skills, like emotional intelligence, with advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT). This approach fits perfectly with today’s digital age where everything changes so quickly. For example, leaders can use AI to make smarter decisions based on data, but they also need to ensure their teams feel included and valued. It’s about finding the right balance between technology and the human side of leadership, which can be complicated but very rewarding when done well.From my own leadership experience, I can see how these ideas makes sense. When I owned my business, we had to make some big changes to improve how we worked. I brought in new tools and systems to make things more efficient, but I also focused on training my team and helping them adapt. I wanted them to feel confident and supported during these changes. This mix of technology and teamwork helped us succeed while keeping everyone motivated and engaged.In conclusion, Fayol’s structured ideas still matter, but modern leadership demands much more. Leaders today need to be flexible, empathetic, and creative. They have to balance traditional organisations with adaptability and inovation to guide their teams through an ever changing world. These skills aren’t just helpful but essential for long term success.
3. Critical Review/Comparison (500 words)Corporate and organisational environments are always changing, and management theories and practices need to evolve too. I chose these four articles because they show how leadership has changed over time, and how older theories can still be useful today in the digital age and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.The first article, Rediscovering Fayol: Parallels to Behaviouralist Management and Transformational Leadership, talks about how Fayol’s classical theories still influence management today. Fayols focus on structure and efficiency is still important, and the article links his ideas with behaviouralist and transformational leadership theories, which focus more on human connection and flexibility. This made me think about how I balance having structure in my business with the need to be flexible to meet my team’s needs. I found that having clear rules is important, but also understanding my team helps keep everyone motivated.The second article, The Future of Leadership: New Digital Skills or Old Analog Virtues?, talks about how the digital age has changed what leaders need to do. Technology is a big part of how teams works now, but old values like empathy and communication are still key. The leader member exchange (LMX) theory in this article shows how important it is to build strong relationships with the team. I can relate to this because I try to trust and empower my team members. Even though I uses digital tools in my business, having strong connections with people has been just as important.The third article, Perspective of Leadership 4.0 in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, discusses how leaders can prepare for new technologies like AI and the Internet of Things. Leadership 4.0 emphasizes the need for leaders to have technical skills, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking. While we may not rely heavily in advanced technologies, a good leader can still focus on assessing situations and fostering innovation which are often things that advanced technologies cannot achieve. Being aware of new tools and understanding how they can help the team grow is crucial in today's fast evolving world.The fourth article, Innovative Management Strategies in Contemporary Organisations, talks about how organisations succed through collaboration, creativity, and taking risks. I’ve seen thisin my own business too, allowing my team to experiment and learn from their mistakes has made us more creative and helped bring us closer together. In the beginning, I was more focusedon controlling everything, but I later realised that giving my team the freedom to make decisions led to better results.From my experience as a business owner, I’ve seen how traditional management principles and modern leadership styles can works together. During my bachelor’s in administration, I learned about Fayol’s principles, which helped me set up structure and keep things running smoothly. But over time, I realised that rigid rules aren’t enough. Modern leadership styles like focusing on empathy, creativity, and trust were what really motivated and inspired my team. Letting themtake ownership and feel confident in their roles led to better results and a stronger team connection.Looking at these articles and reflecting on my real life experience, I see that leadership today requires a balance of classical ideas and modern approaches. While Fayol’s structure remains essential for organisational stability leadership now also needs to focus on human elements like empathy, creativity, and trust.
4. Concluding Remarks (350 words)In conclusion, Fayol’s model provided a strong base for management, but today’s leadership is much more about balancing these traditional ideas with adaptability, collaboration, and creativity. While his concepts of structure, discipline, and hierarchy were really useful for understanding how businesses worked in the past, modern leadership is a bit different. It’s not just about following strict rules or sticking to rigid structures. It’s about being flexible, understanding people, and adjusting quickly to changes in the world. Leaders needs to be able tolisten to their teams, motivate them, and help them feel empowered to do their best work. In today’s world, leadership isnt just about control and discipline anymore; it’s about emotional intelligence and understanding the needs of your team.Reflecting on my own experience as a leader, I’ve seen how these changes in leadership approaches have played a big part in my success. When I ran my business in Brazil, I found thatfocusing on both structure and human connection was the key. We still needed clear systems in place to keep things organised, but we also needed to build strong relationships with our team and customers. For example, when we were facing competition from new companies, I introduced a new system for managing inventory and services, but I also trained my team in customer service. I wanted them to understand the importance of connecting with clients, not just doing their jobs. The results were very positive because my team felt motivated and empowered, and they really cared about the business. This balance of structure and adaptability made all the difference when I came to Austrália.Looking back, I realise that while Fayol’s ideas helped me understand how important structure is in a business, modern leadership has shown me that it’s just as important to be adaptable and connect with people on a deeper level. Leaders today needs to be able to change and think creatively, while still keeping some of the core principles that Fayol talked about. Both classical and modern leadership theories are important, but it's the ability to combine them effectively that truly makes a leader successful in today’s world.
References1.Spatig, L. (2009). Rediscovering Fayol: Parallels to behavioralist management and transformational leadership. Northeast Business & Economics Association Proceedings, 196–199.2.Gilli, K., Lettner, N., & Guettel, W. (2024). The future of leadership: New digital skills or old analog virtues? Journal of Business Strategy, 45(1), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-06-2022-00933.Haleem, A., Javaid, M., & Singh, R. P. (2024). Perspective of Leadership 4.0 in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: A comprehensive view. Journal of Industrial Safety, 1(1), 100006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinse.2024.1000064.Orieno, U., Udeh, C. A., Oriekhoe, O. I., Odonkor, B., & Ndubuisi, L. N. (2024). Innovative management strategies in contemporary organizations: A review. International Journal of Management & Entrepreneurship Research, 6(1), 167–190. https://doi.org/10.51594/ijmer.v6i.727