LEADERSHIP DYNAMICS

The dynamics of leadership is a complex pattern and differs widely in reference to cultural and objective modules. All theories on leadership are pedantic approximation rather than objectively accurate. Leaders deal with innumerable individuals and each individual is a unique psychological profile by himself/herself. This subjective factor makes reductionist approach exceedingly difficult. Further, every leader is also motivated by his/her subjective perceptions, acculturation, education, belief system, training and motives. Hence, an organization under different leaders is led differently; and it is observed that despite poles apart difference in their leadership style the organization achieves its objective and growth with equal impetus.

Let me come back to the origin of leadership. In the primitive societies it was like a social contract between the group and the leaders, whereby the individuals of the group surrendered some of their personal liberties to be led and protected by the designated leaders; even sometimes the groups were formed by application of force by some strong and powerful people who designated themselves as the leaders of the group. Social anthropologists talk about the natural evolution of leadership with expansion of the members of the family. We may subscribe to any theory but the origin of leadership was based on force or power to control. This primitive characteristic of the leadership is still a very pronounced mechanism in the minds of the leaders. Therefore, in a democratic set up sometimes the leaders show propensity to overstep towards authoritarianism. Every democracy always runs the risk of caving in into autocracy with changing social circumstances.

Emotion is again a very complex psychological process and deeply subjective in character. Response to emotions vary widely from person to person-- whether a leader or a led. The basic instinctive emotions are biological, responding to the biological needs of the organism, whereas most of our other emotions, including love, are learnt emotions emulated through our socialization. Hence, the leader or the led will respond to each others emotions very differently and a group will respond to such emotions in as many ways as the number of members of the group.

In view of the above, I feel that the leadership role has to be time and objective specific in the matrix of which the leader has to decide what qualities from various available theories are to be adopted. All organizations have to have their own style of leadership to achieve the desired goal. Adherence to democratic model having subtle authoritarian traits with unflinching personal integrity and honesty would be, to my mind, the right attributes for effective leadership.