The Important Role and Understanding of Organizational Leadership

Organizational leadership is a managerial approach that positions leaders to help set the organization's strategic goals. In achieving goals, the leader must motivate individuals in the group to successfully carry out tasks to achieve these goals.  

In every organization, a person is needed who is responsible for directing or guiding the group. Some examples of representative roles the basic components of organizational leadership are carried out by the company CEO, general army, political party leader, school superintendent, department head, or team coach. 

According to Dr. Linda Ellington, Principal for organizational leadership at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), what sets organizational leaders apart is the role to combine business understanding with their role as a visionary in leading a broad initiative based on integrity and ethics. 

Overall, organizational leadership refers to the role of a person (leader) who guides and manages a group of people (organization) strategically to fulfill common goals. Organizational leaders focus on the company and the individual. 

Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) defines leadership as the process of an individual setting direction, influencing the group, and directing the group towards a specific goal or mission. 

SHRM also explains leadership is not a position, but a behavior. This is what often distinguishes managers from leaders. A manager may be in the highest position on an organizational chart, but leaders can be found throughout, above, and below the same chart. 

Managers oversee people and processes, whereas leaders may be able to inspire and train colleagues at the same organizational level or at another level as them. A leader can be a manager, but not all managers are leaders.  

Dr. Lowell (Chris) Matthews, professor of organizational leadership at SNHU said that leaders must be people oriented. Organizational leadership is about leading and managing individuals to achieve strategic organizational goals. For this reason, leaders must act as change agents to be able to see the big picture, but also understand the process for making a change.

The Role of Leaders in Carrying Out Organizational Leadership 

A business does not just succeed, but must be directed by a leader. Even a healthy organization or company will collapse without good organizational leadership. The following is the role of a leader that reflects the importance of the organizational leadership function: 

1. Setting goals                                                                   

A dynamic leader offers guidance by setting and summarizing organizational goals to its members. Leaders must be able

clearly communicates the organization. Likewise, providing the vision, mission, and policies, as well as directions to achieve organizational goals successfully. 

2. Motivate employees 

Every organization needs a leader who makes his staff feel more 'alive' while carrying out their role. This can make staff as group members excited to work and achieve certain goals. 

3. Build trust 

Good leaders also need to build and maintain enthusiasm and confidence among their members or staff. Leaders can provide guidance so that staff can identify their own abilities and qualities. 

4. Facilitating coordination 

Effective leaders foster team spirit. In addition, the staff also always respect and understand each other. Leadership serves to unite individual efforts and acts as a cohesive force that keeps the group intact. 

5. Maintain discipline 

Leadership functions as a force that can maintain discipline in a group within the organization. It can also inspire voluntary cooperation among its staff. 

6. Representation 

A leader also acts as a representative of the group he leads. A good leader defends the integrity of the group and serves to safeguard the interests of the group. 

So, organizational leadership is the focus where the needs of employees and the needs of the organization are balanced. In other words, leadership can serve as a motivation to be able to get things done effectively through the roles of others.