Prompt #1:  What is the leadership paradox?

Give some reasons why you think a leader can

encounter difficulty in newly formed teams or groups using a participative management system.
What skills, behaviors, and personality traits are common to transformational leaders? How
does this leadership style affect their team, and how are those results different than those of a
transactional leadership style? Also, describe some of your own experiences with
transformational versus transactional leadership.

The leadership paradox explains the natural hypocritical nature the role of leader presents to a
group interaction. The paradox states that although the role of leader is needed to increase a
team’s productivity and manage direction, the insertion of a team leader whom is tasked with
more responsibility and accountability than those under him or her inevitably is disruptive to
the team’s autonomy.

Leaders in a participative management system can encounter obstacles in newly formed teams
or groups because he or she (the leader) presents a threat to the direction decided upon by the
group. Having a boss or leader present almost always changes the behavior of group members.
They become less risk taking in their behavior including their willingness to share creative ideas.
I have noticed this myself at my place of employment. The leaders mere presence thwarts
creativity and innovation. Leaders also vary in their approach and when leaders have and
exhibit a need to control the processes by which teams get to the established goal, the
suppression of creativity and innovation is exacerbated.

Transformational leaders are known for their ability to provide vision, expression of idealistic
thoughts, having inspirational speeches and having high expectations. Transformational
leadership avoids some of the pitfalls of other approaches by generating more satisfied
subordinates. (Thompson, p.61) By leading by example, transformational leaders often inspire
their subordinates by “getting their hands dirty” with factory line workers. This ingratiates the
leader with the employees and creates a sense of unity and direction.
 
Prompt #2:  Discuss some (at least two) of the strategies for encouraging participative
management in the workforce, and how to implement each of these strategies. What has been
your own experience, and what are your perspectives, regarding participative management in
organizations? 
 
The strategies used to encourage participative management are task delegation, parallel
suggestion involvement, enhanced job involvement and increased organizational involvement
through a number of different techniques. Appropriate and effective task delegation hands
over responsibilities and accountability without handing over final accountability. Much like
the role of a general contractor who runs a job using subcontractors, the delegating manager is
still responsible for making sure the job is done right and on time. By handing over
responsibility to subordinates, the manager has effectively created agency over this task for the
subordinate and has, at the same time, created space for his or herself to focus on other things.
Delegation can be done incorrectly though and leaves negative byproducts in the form of
overloaded executives and underused subordinates. (Thompson p.77) Parallel suggestion
involvement is essentially the easiest and most cost-effective way for your employees to feel
they are heard and have a voice. Techniques for application are as simple as installing a
suggestion box and grow in scope from there. Job Involvement is a much more-costly way to
have your employees feel heard but can be timely and disruptive. The time and effort can yield
very good results though leaving employees more engaged, effective and creative.
“Organizational involvement strategies invite employees to contribute to higher-order strategy
decisions.” (Thompson p.80)

I have been on both the receiving and giving end of organizations that embrace participative
management. The best situation is when you are empowered and inspired by those above you
and put into a situation where you can establish and maintain the same feeling for your
subordinates. The job environment that came closest to providing that to me was coaching
within a high school athletic department. All the coaches were encouraging and open and our
boss was empowering and supportive in ways that enhanced creativity and innovation. I was
asked to have vision for growth and competition that aligned to the department’s mission and
could be attained using practices we could all be proud of. It was and continues to be an
inspiring work environment because while I felt totally supported, I also felt I had total agency.
The feeling of organizational involvement that was contagious within our department. The
younger coaches are now head coaches of their own team and each member of the staff is
involved in some aspect of someone else’s program. My experience has shown me that
participative management has to be authentic to be effective. Employees see right through
inauthentic behaviors by leaders because they anticipate them. That is why when a leader
inserts his or herself into the production process or a development meeting, people notice and
respect a leader who wants to come be an engaged community/group or team member.

References:
Thompson, L. (2018). Making the Team: A Guide for Managers, 6 th Edition. Pearson.