Unit 0: Introduction to Leaders in Organizations (LIO)

Welcome to the Leaders in Organizations (LIO) tablet series. This series is designed as a self-study learning experience where you will study and self-reflect on the nuances of leadership and management and practice communication skills through case studies and various other interactive activities. Group discussion questions are also included in each unit, if you are working through the series with others and would like to have a conversation. This unit will introduce you to the concepts that will be covered in the series.

Series Outline

• Unit 0: Introduction to Leaders in Organizations (LIO)
• Unit 1: The Leading and Managing Framework
• Unit 2: Overview of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• Unit 3: Building Strong Teams
• Unit 4: Conflict Management
• Unit 5: Influence without Authority
• Unit 6: Project Management
• Unit 7: Accountability
• Unit 8: Data for Decision Making
• Unit 9: Financial Management
• Unit 10: Supervision and Delegation
• Unit 11: Work Climate
• Unit 12: Communication and Navigating Your Journey

Series Goals

The leadership series goals and objectives are:

• Assess personal leadership and management strengths and areas for improvement;
• Enhance individual leadership perspectives and skills;
• Expand communication capabilities; and
• Build a cadre of leaders and managers better equipped to guide MOD into the future.

Core Competencies of LIO Series

The series objectives are based on the three key topics forming the foundation of the content.

1. Leadership Skills

• Identify personal strengths and limits as a leader.
• Match leadership behaviour to core values and cultural/political setting.
• Commit to improving personal leadership and management skills.
• Develop and articulate a shared vision for constructive change.
• Distinguish between formal and informal leadership.

2. Management Skills

• Identify conditions for exerting influence without authority.
• Negotiate skillfully with people inside and outside the organization.
• Build productive and motivated teams.
• Use supervision skills to develop employees.

3. Communication and Storytelling Abilities

• Understand the impact of communication style in the workplace.
• Describe the relationship between storytelling and authentic leadership.
• Adopt time management strategies to increase productivity.
• Utilize storytelling as a motivational tool.

Series Materials and Structure

All of the learning materials are loaded on this tablet, so you will not need an Internet connection. We encourage you to have a paper journal and pen with you to complete written activities and self-reflection assignments and activities. Alternatively, you may also find it useful to use Microsoft Word to complete written activities and self-reflection assignments.

If you are struggling to keep up with the unit materials, the self-study tips below have strategies for learning successfully in a self-study environment.

You will need about 3-6 hours each week to complete all of the components for the week. This includes completing all learning activities on the tablet and journal writing opportunities.

How to Use

The main page shows buttons listing unit topics, each with Learning Activities for you to complete. Types of learning activities are as follows:

Case Studies and Quiz Activities:

The case studies and quiz activities use a few different types of questions. You will see multiple choice, true/false, and essay questions that ask you to write responses in your journal. All of the questions have the correct answers in the feedback on the tablet. After you write your answer, you will tap on the “Compare Answer” button to find out if your responses are correct and to read more on the topic. If you want to change your answer choice, you can tap on the “clear” button and redo your answer.

Self-Study Tips

Learning on your own, at your own pace, may be a new experience. Self-study requires a different set of skills and techniques than does learning in a classroom environment. For some people, learning at their own pace may be challenging at first. However, self-paced e-learning has many advantages, including allowing you to learn whenever and wherever is convenient.

We have compiled some tips to help you in the e-learning portion of this course.

• Motivation: Understand what is expected of you and commit to keeping up with going through the content weekly. Take responsibility for your own learning. It is up to you to succeed! Some of the questions ask you to write down answers in your workbook and then tap a button to compare your answer to an expert’s. Although it might be tempting to skip writing in your workbook, taking the time to write down your answer will help you practice concepts and help you learn more deeply. This is also true for the self-reflection questions.
• Time: A typical e-learning course takes more time than an in-person class. Plan to spend at least two hours per week going through that week’s tablet learning activities. It can be overwhelming and difficult to find time if you wait too long to go through all the activities. One way to manage your time is to set aside specific blocks of time to work. Ask your family to respect the times that you are ‘in class’. Be sure to take breaks if you need to. This will help maintain your concentration. Stretch. Eat.
• Workspace: Designate a space to study. Is it comfortable (but not so comfortable that you fall asleep)? Is it quiet? Can you concentrate?
• Technology: Get familiar and comfortable using your tablet. Tap on resource links and navigate forward and back through content. Remember to keep the tablet charged.

Learning Objectives

• Articulate the overall goal and objectives of the Leaders in Organizations (LIO) tablet series;
• Acclimate to the structure of the LIO tablet series; and
• Identify different styles and approaches that people bring to leadership.

Learning Activities

• Quiz: Your Leadership Style (20 min)

  When you hear the term leadership, what comes to mind? Does a particular individual come to mind? Do you think about past experiences as a leader or working with leaders? Why do some leaders succeed while others struggle?

  Professional qualifications matter, of course, but so does a leader’s style. It’s not only about the resume, but also about the characteristics of a leader and how his/her “style” blends with their team and the culture of an organization. There are many different styles and approaches that people bring to leadership. Each type of leader has his/her own strengths and challenges. Over time, your leadership style may change, different circumstances sometimes require different approaches to leadership.

  Begin this series on leadership and management by completing a leadership style quiz to help you find out what leadership style you are more inclined to follow.

  Instructions: For each statement, tap the button in the column that best describes you. Please answer questions as you actually are (rather than how you think you should be) and don't worry if some questions seem to score 'in the wrong direction'. When you are finished, please tap the 'Show My Score' button at the bottom of the quiz. After you have received your calculated score, tap the ‘Feedback’ button to learn more about your score.

  As a leader, I tend to:	Always	Often	Sometimes	Never
  1. Make my own decisions.
  2. Tell others what to do.
  3. Suggest a decision to others.
  4. Persuade others to do things my way.
  5. Participate like any other person.
  6. Provide resources to others so they can decide.
  7. Gather others’ feedback before deciding.
  8. Rely on my own judgment.
  9. Make sure the majority rules.
  10. Turn decisions over to others.
  11. Ask others to brainstorm choices.
  12. Share my own ideas.

  
  

  Show my Score

  Autocratic Score: 0

  Participatory Score: 0

  Delegative (Free Rein) Score: 0

  Situational Score: 0

  Feedback

  The highest number will show which leadership style seems natural for you. You should strive to understand different leadership styles and thinks of ways you might use them for different situations. Read the following feedback to learn more about the different leadership styles.

  Researchers have developed different theories and frameworks that allow us to better identify and understand these different leadership styles. Kurt Lewin’s Leadership Styles Framework is one of those prominent leadership frameworks. In 1939, a group of researchers led by psychologist Kurt Lewin set out to identify different styles of leadership. While further research has identified more specific types of leadership, this early study was very influential and established three major leadership styles. In the study, schoolchildren were assigned to one of three groups with an authoritarian, democratic, or laissez-fair (non-interfering) leader. The children were then led in an arts and crafts project while researchers observed the behavior of children in response to the different styles of leadership.

  • Authoritarian Leadership (Autocratic): Authoritarian leaders, also known as autocratic leaders, provide clear expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. There is also a clear division between the leader and the followers. Authoritarian leaders make decisions independently with little or no input from the rest of the group. Researchers found that decision making was less creative under authoritarian leadership. Kurt Lewin found that it is more difficult to move from an authoritarian style to a democratic style than vice versa. Abuse of this style is usually viewed as controlling, dominant, and dictatorial. Authoritarian leadership is best applied to situations where there is little time for group decision making or where the leader is the most knowledgeable member of the group.
  • Participative Leadership (Democratic): Lewin found that participative leadership, also known as democratic leadership, is generally the most effective leadership style. Democratic leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. In Lewin’s study, children in this group were less productive than the members of the authoritarian group, but their contributions were of a much higher quality. Participative leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say over the decision making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative.
  • Delegative (Free-Rein) Leadership: Researchers found that children under delegative leadership, also known as laissez-fair leadership, were the least productive of all three groups. The children in this group also made more demands on the leader, showed little cooperation and were unable to work independently. Delegative leaders offer little or no guidance to group members and leave decision making up to group members. While this style can be effective in situations where group members are highly qualified in an area of expertise, it often leads to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation.
  • Situational Leadership: In situational leadership, three factors affect the leader's decisions: the situation, the capability of the followers, and the capability of the leader. The leader adjusts to whatever limitation is laid out in front of him/her by his/her subordinates and the situation itself. Adaptability is critical here. The leaders need to be as dynamic as the different situations they are faced with.

  Sources:

  • Adapted: https://www.verywell.com/leadership-styles-2795312
  • Lewin, K., Liippit, R., and White, R.K. (1939). Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created social climates. Journal of Social Psychology, 10, 271-301.
• Reading: Welcome to the LIO Tablet Series (15 min)

  A quote from Peter Drucker says, “Only three things happen naturally in organizations: friction, confusion, and underperformance. Everything else requires leadership.”

  Peter Drucker is sometimes called the father of management or the founder of modern management. He invented the concept known as “management by objectives and self-control” and wrote one of the first books on modern management practice, “The Practice of Management”, in 1954. We will refer back to concepts from Drucker throughout this series.

  Before you study the Leading and Managing Framework, let’s spend a few minutes discussing the background and philosophies that provide the foundation for this leadership and management course.

  The need for increased leadership and management capacity in international organizations and government agencies around the world is increasingly being acknowledged. In the global environment, the World Health Organization (WHO) is widely recognized as an authority on universally accepted operating and management systems, regardless of the vision, mission, or service provided. WHO places leadership and governance as one of the six building blocks of a well-functioning management system and, in 2007, published this framework to promote a common understanding of what constitutes health systems strengthening. Many countries, including Namibia, have found this framework to be a good foundation for systems strengthening within the country.

  

  
  

  Leadership and governance is the central component of systems strengthening around which other building blocks revolve. Leadership is an essential component of both military and civilian health systems strengthening. This tablet training will walk you through the key elements.

  

  
  

  We also want to connect leadership frameworks, such as the WHO’s Health Systems Framework, to the Namibian Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) key building blocks. These building blocks are expansions of the MOD Pillars of Excellence, and it is clear that the MOD sees leadership as an important building block. These building blocks include:

  • Governance and Services: Leadership and Service Delivery
  • Operations Excellence: Leadership, Human Resources, Technologies, and Service Delivery, including Military Readiness
  • Capacity Building: Leadership, Human Resources, Health and Wellness, Technologies, and Finances
  • Resource Management: Human Resources, Technologies and Finances

  Each of these can be translated into roles and activities for the Namibian Defense Forces, Health Services, and other Directorates.

  For example, strong leadership can attract the right people who strive to serve their country with fit minds and bodies, armed with current methods and equipment, and supported by appropriate funding. The future is wide open.

  “The future is not determined already. What will happen in the next twenty or thirty years will be, in large part, the consequence of decisions that influential leaders make within their organizations today.”—Major General Perry M. Smith, Ph.D., United States Air Force (Retired), Former Commandant of the National War College, Fort McNair, Washington, DC.

• Activity: Leadership and Development Framework (15 min)

  The leadership and management approach used in this training series is based on a framework composed of: self-awareness, self-development, and self-determination.

  The International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) has developed a framework in which leadership is a constant cycle of reflection, development, and practice. Every person in the military can apply the components of the leadership framework provided in this training regardless of rank. Leadership behaviour is not restricted to the senior staff members or officers or those with the highest rank; rather, leadership behaviours can be learned and practiced by all.

  Instructions: tap the three items below to reveal additional information about the Leadership and Management Framework.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

  Self-Awareness

  Leadership is founded upon Self-Awareness, knowing what your strengths, weakness, and values are. To implement the vision and mission of MOD, leaders be fully confident with themselves before they can lead, direct or manage those within their ranks.

  Self-Development

  Self-Development expects that leaders must be flexible and willing to learn and change; two areas that are often stressful and not easy. Through self-development, leaders engage in practical training and learning opportunities to cultivate skills in a variety of areas.

  Self-Determination

  Ultimately, these influence a process of Self-Determination, through which leaders apply skills and tools in their own work environments and continue to pursue their personal leadership development.

• Video: The Social Activist (10 min)

  Next, watch the following Everyday Leadership video called The Social Activist with Victor Lakay (South Africa), where he shares his own leadership journey. He reminds us that leadership doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and a conscious effort to become an effective leader. He also reminds us that we need to know what inspires us as leaders and that every day is a new opportunity to learn.

  Instructions: Tap the video to play.

  Credit: University of Washington
• Reading: Leading from Within (15 min)

  We leave you with one more concept before you enter Unit 1, the concept of “leading from within.”

  What do we mean when we say “leading from within”?

  Let’s refer to Parker J. Palmer, an author, educator, and community organizer in the United States. He founded the Center for Courage and Renewal in Washington State. Palmer believes that a leader is a person:

  The need for increased leadership and management capacity in international organizations and government agencies around the world is increasingly being acknowledged. In the global environment, the World Health Organization (WHO) is widely recognized as an authority on universally accepted operating and management systems, regardless of the vision, mission, or service provided. WHO places leadership & governance as one of the six building blocks of a well-functioning management system and, in 2007, published this framework to promote a common understanding of what constitutes health systems strengthening. Many countries, including Namibia, have found this framework to be a good foundation for systems strengthening within the country.

  • With an unusual degree of power to project on other people his or her shadow or his or her light.
  • With an unusual degree of power to create the conditions under which other people must live.
  • Who must take special responsibility for what is going on inside him/herself, lest the act of leadership create more harm than good.

  Palmer places a heavy moral emphasis on the need for people to lead with insight and care. This requires that you understand more about yourself (your values, your biases, your blind spots, your goals). He wrote these words about leadership, so that you can connect who you are with what you do. While not everyone will want to lead, it’s important to practice leadership habits. They help to build character and, by practicing the habits of leadership, you may find that your day-to- day interactions at work also strengthen.

  Source: Living the Questions: Essays Inspired by the Work and Life of Parker J. Palmer (2005).

  We can learn a great deal as leaders by reflecting on these questions. If you prefer, you can write your thoughts on this in your journal by self-reflecting on:

  • What values and principles are important to you?
  • What constitutes good character?
  • What can we learn from the traditions of military leadership?
• Reading: Conclusion (5 min)

  Ultimately, leadership requires courage – courage for self-examination, courage to serve and protect others, and courage to ask difficult questions, because the reality of any work environment is that we all have different values. What your supervisor or superior values might be different from your own personal values. This leadership training will teach you how to identify and be open to different viewpoints while remaining strong in your own values.

  This training will also teach you about leadership that people can show even when they are not in charge. Standard stereotypes of a “leader” can harm an organization by not allowing people to show leadership. If we think of a leader only as the person in charge, this stereotype holds others back from reaching their potential (for example, a low ranking person, an introspective or quiet person, a gentle person, a young person, or a woman). It is our task to recognize our own capacity for leadership and build the leadership capacity of others. A true leader is one who takes responsibility and does what is needed.

  These concepts of leadership will become more clear throughout the training series. This is only a brief overview of the philosophy behind Leaders in Organizations. Good luck and enjoy your leadership experience!