How Commitment and Performance Influence my Leadership
Apart from the style of leadership, commitment is another significant aspect that influences organizational performance. As a leader I understand that commitment of leaders and employees go hand in hand, thus if I require employees to commit to work, I have to understand that I first have to be committed as a leader. The research has demonstrated that when staffs feel motivated at work, it is connected with stronger performance, work satisfaction, and commitment.
The research into commitment and performance will significantly impact my leadership by making it easy to understand the role played by managers and followers in an organization. This research is necessary for improving my leadership by enlightening me that it is crucial to empower my subordinates by delegating authority and decision making (DuBrin, 2015). Additionally, considering my democratic leadership style, researching commitment and performance taught me that motivation is the main driver of employee commitment which in turn improves performance.
In my leadership approach, I tend to use a mixture of McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y to effectively manage my subordinates. However, I favour theory Y, which is the participative style, because of my democratic style of leadership that believes in the capabilities and skills of followers (McGregor, 1960). By using theory Y that assumes that employees are self-motivated and accept responsibility with little direction, the research on locus of control encourages me to develop the approach of leadership that guides subordinates to owning up to their problems and taking full responsibility in solving them. The internal locus of control involves the belief that the followers are in full charge of events that happen in their lives therefore with theory Y applied in leadership, it is highly likely that performance will increase.
In conclusion, good leadership and employee commitment go hand in hand. The research on commitment and performance is important in refining my leadership potential by enlightening me that it is crucial to empower my subordinates by delegating authority and decision making. As a leader, to make sure that my employees are committed, there is a need to make my style of leadership one that believes in my employee’s capabilities and skills.
References
McGregor, D. (1960). Theory X and Theory Y. Organization theory, 358, 374. Retrieved from https://switcheducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/SEB_LYO_McGregor_Thinker.pdf
DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Nelson Education.