Running Head: STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP 1

Strategic Leadership

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Potential leadership challenges stemming from simulation

The life of contemporary leader clearly is not simple. As far as their responsibilities are

concerned, they must manage and motivate a differentiated group of individuals, improve

efficiency, work across organizational levels, and accomplish development. Leaders have to

manage the requirements of the law, meet the expectations of stakeholders, and keep up with

competitors (Kouzes, 2017). Key challenges include managing tension and conflict between

departments, resistance to risk-taking opportunities, unproductive teamwork in an organization,

lack of innovative ideas, unsatisfactory Research and Development forecasting, and poor

delivery of services (Hill, 2013). These challenges are common to most of middle and senior

managers; hence, it is important for the leader to find ways to address them. Leaders can benefit

from knowing their experiences as more alike than different and can enable them to work

together with other people and face the challenges. For this paper, the solutions to the problems

are based on the following potential conditions: unsatisfactory R&D forecasting, tension, and

conflict between departments, lack of team across the organization and resistance to risk taking

resulting in the lack of innovative opportunities.

Unsatisfactory R&D forecasting

Research and development are purposed to produce reports emphasizing precise

forecasting for the organization (Hill, 2013). This enables leaders to perform important roles

within project groups that contribute meaningfully to performance. R&D forecasting is useful

when the leader can quickly evaluate and reevaluate several scenarios, because of the constant as

well as unexpected future changes. Generating new knowledge and adopting changes are

undefined tasks, however, they are vital to efficient leadership. In other words, appropriate and

satisfactory forecasting capabilities can significantly improve leadership. Nevertheless, if the

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forecast is unsatisfactory and imprecise, then the leader will have challenges in taking a decision

(Kouzes, 2017). The solution to unsatisfactory R&D forecasting involve automation of the

activity-related data collection, linking the financial analysis with the data often, and

streamlining the reporting. This can be achieved by simultaneously assessing and reassessing the

implications any change in operations will have on the organization's financial plan.

Tension and conflict between departments

The challenge of conflict is common to employees, organizations and other parties as

they strive to accomplish the organizational goals. When leaders allow conflict to deepen rather

than confronting it, the organization can become a toxic environment. Conflict and tension often

make members or employees concentrate less on the assigned tasks and responsibilities. As a

result, organizations can experience less productivity, few investors, and less access to essential

resources. If the tension escalates without mediation, some members of the organization may

decide to leave or resign (Hill, 2013). This is disadvantageous, particularly when members

leaving the organization is part of the executive management. As far as this challenge is

concerned, leaders must act responsibly in developing and guiding the people, teams, and the

organization at-large. It is important to inform members of the need to respect the unique

differences among themselves and observe the organization standards. Leaders should promote

authentic relationships with their employees, clients and external partners to minimize tension

between departments (Stringham, 2012).

Lack of team across the organization

Lack of teamwork in an organization can be a detrimental challenge to the leader. In most

cases, this arises when employees are forced to achieve goals rather than being coordinated
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collectively. The fact is that there is too much concentration on outcomes and not adequate to the

needs of the team members. When there is no teamwork, organizational goals and initiatives

become more complex to achieve, and the workplace environment can become disruptive and

harmful (Stringham, 2012). There is frustration among employees with lack of focus on their

roles, and this could make a leader forcing the scenario with an unyielding concentration on the

task at the expense of supporting teamwork (Hill, 2013). In fact, it may be at times significant to

be more forceful and authoritative to change employees' focus back to accomplishing results,

however, over the permanent term, a leader should balance the outcomes, strengths of

individuals and coordination. Without the leader making sure that these three aspects are aligned,

lack of team across the organization is likely to be the result.

Resistance to risk taking resulting in lack of innovative opportunities

The adoption of new techniques and ideas does not happen naturally but results from

risk-taking, trial, and error. It is important for leaders to recognize this fact and to make an effort

to implement innovative ideas that align with the organizational goals. Outdated beliefs,

assumptions, and habits always block adoption of new ideas and overpower innovative and

creative initiatives (Kouzes, 2017). In other words, everything in the organization remains the

same, and nothing changes. This may even make employees and members of the organization to

resist sharing ideas as they worry that no one will support the idea. Simply, resistance to risk

taking makes everyone to be afraid of the implications of conceivable failure. Innovation is

based on the extent to which employees feel reinforced by the company or business. When they

feel truly treasured, they are more likely to generate ideas for advancement and encourage the

management to take risks on them. In this case, the leader should not be reluctant to take risks on

ideas that may result in company's improvement. There should be available channels to promote
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creativity among all members of the organization and offer a context for innovative opportunities

(Stringham, 2012). As well, diverse programs can be used to enlighten everybody on the need to

adopt changes and sometimes take risks.

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References

Hill, R. (2013). Common Management Challenges: And How to Deal with Them. Bloomington:

iUniverse, Inc.

Kouzes, J. M. (2017). Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in

Organizations. Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, John.

Stringham, S. (2012). Strategic leadership and strategic management: Leading and managing

change on the edge of chaos. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse.