Leadership and Learning for Journal of Management -myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theLeadership and Learning for Journal of Management. Answer: A true leader is one who possess the qualities of knowing, showing and going all the way (Maxwell, 2018). For the purpose of being a good leader one must have a clear vision about the goals of an organization. Such leader must know the objectives of the organizations. It can be said that a leader who does not know his goals cannot lead others. Knowing the destination is of primary importance for leading any team (Antonakis Day, 2017). However, due to the change in the market conditions and the change in the policies of the organizations leaders are required to have the ability and skill to adapt to the changes and shift their visions. Adjustments and changes in the visions of leaders do not pose any problems to the leaders as long as the leader knows the way to achieve the visions. Such changes and adjustments in the visions must not occur frequently as it might make a good leader feel distracted and lose confidence. A good and efficient leader must go all the way while demonstrating his leadership skills. In most instances leaders just show the way to their subordinates to achieve the visions he has for the organizations (Shanafelt Noseworthy, 2017). However, the leaders themselves are unwilling to go all the way and provide a demonstration to the subordinates about how to achieve the goals. A good and efficient leader is one sets an example for others to follow. A true leader always shows the right path to his subordinates to follow. A leader must not show the way to his team but also keep the members of the close so they not feel lost and confused about how to reach the goal (Senge, Hamilton Kania, 2015). A good leader shares his vision with the rest of the team and motivates them to achieve the vision shared by them. A good leader as opined by Senge must act like the designer of a ship rather than its captain. The leader must create a common vision for the team. He must determine and formulate policies, structures and strategies and transform business ideas into decisions to be followed by the team. For the purpose of assessing the leadership qualities which include (knowing, showing and going) the importance of organizational learning must be discussed. Organizational learning can be defined can be defined as the body of work which takes into account many disciplines of both social and natural sciences (Shafritz, Ott, Jang, 2015). The disciplines of anthropology, sociology and psychology are important contributors to the process of organizational learning. The process of organizational learning is intricately related to many other major fields such as organizational communication, leading change, individual motivation and accountability, creativity and innovation and management and leadership development (Li, et al., 2014). The phenomenon of organizational learning can be defined by two different schools of thoughts. They are: Cognitive school Behavioral school According to the cognitive school it can be said that organizational learning takes place through mental models, schemas and structures that help us understand situation and events and also allow us to interpret and respond to our environment (O'Donnell King, 2014). However the Behavioral school suggests that the process of organizational learning s done by having a good understanding and gaining insights from experience. Such insights and experience can be gained through observation, experimentation, analysis and examination of the results of the actions undertaken by the business leaders (Sessa London, 2015). It can be said that the need for organizational learning has become necessary now more than ever before as businesses are tend to move from stable to unstable conditions in the global marketplace. Companies have realized the need to rejuvenate themselves and re formulate their policies for ensuring short and long term success as competitions, market conditions, technology, customer demands are evolving. Encouraging a culture of learning is of topmost priority to the leading businesses because organizational learning contributes to creation of competitive advantage by enhancing the organizational effectiveness and performance. After having discussed the meaning and importance of organizational learning, it can be said that organizational learning can be assessed and evaluated by the application of three classical theories (Kolb, 2014). They are: Adaptive and generative learning theory from the cognitive school Experimental earning theory from the cognitive school Assimilation theory from the behavioral school Adaptive and Generative learning theory The theory of adaptive and generative learning had been devised by Peter Senge. It is based on the theory of Kolbs ELT model (Chiva Habib, 2015). The Adaptive and Generative learning theory has identified mental models which involve generalizations, deeply ingrained assumptions or images and pictures that help us to have a good understanding of the world and understanding of how actions are taken. It can be said in accordance with this theory that some of the skills and abilities required by individuals at the organizational level include: building a shared vision, personal mastery team learning and systematic thinking. This theory differentiates between generative and adaptive learning. Adaptive learning can be characterized by paying attention to the foundation of existing knowledge. Existing knowledge is amended with new thinking to achieve an objective. Adaptive learning is particular importance to organizations as organizations seek continuous improvement. The generative learni ng theory however is different from the Adaptive learning theory as it seeks to generate new information from the foundation of existing knowledge. Generative learning becomes useful to an organization when new strategies, product lines and other assets are required urgently (Sessa London, 2015). Generative learning is effective in producing radical ne changes in the organization. Thus it can be said that leaders in an organization can develop their leadership skills by the application of principles as enumerated in the aforementioned theory. Leaders are required to know their vision for the purpose of leading their teams. By the application of principles of this theory, leaders can access the information which is required to make innovative strategies to lead their respective teams. For the purpose of leading their teams leaders are required to formulate strategies for their team members so that they can achieve their shared vision. Formulation of such strategies requires leaders to have in depth knowledge about adaptive and Generative information. Experiential Learning theory- The experiential learning theory had been devised by Kolb and the same is based on psychology, physiology and philosophy (Kolb, 2014). The Experimental theory has influenced organization and leadership significantly and has significantly contributed to the learning organization principles. The basic premise of this theory is that the process of learning occurs through grasping and transforming experience. The experiential learning theory is constituted of a learning cycle with a four stage model. Concrete experience and abstract conceptualization makes up the grasping component while reflective observation and active experimentation constitutes the component of transforming experience (Sessa London, 2015). It can be said that in this learning process a learner moves though a cycle of experiencing, thinking, reflecting and acting in a repeating progression which is unique to each learning experience. In this learning process the specific experiences generate observation and reflectio n. Such concrete concepts are integrated and internalized and into abstract concepts, which in turn generates behavioral experimentation. Thus after being provided with a detailed analysis of the theory of Experiential learning, it can be said that leaders are required to create an atmosphere of learning within the organizations. Assimilation theory This theory is comparatively different from the other cognitive theories. According to this theory, organizational learning is primarily focused on changes, which are based on action. Such changes take place in an organization as the individuals learn through their performance (Engestrm, 2014). According to the Assimilation theory, organizational learning can be characterized as rational, observable and quantifiable. This theory has put forward a learning process comprised of three unique stages. These stages are: Knowledge acquisition which consists of creation and development insights, skills and relationships Knowledge sharing which consists of disseminating what has been learned Knowledge utilization, which is comprised, of implementation of the knowledge through policies that can be applied in general situations. The aforementioned three stages are behavior linked and focuses on practical application rather than cognition. Seven learning orientation have been proposed for the purpose of defining this method of organizational learning. The seven orientations are: Identifying the source of the knowledge Focus on what is produced by the organization versus how the organization aims to deliver its services and products Documentation of the knowledge- Assessing public availability vs individual possession of knowledge Mode of Dissemination- How the knowledge acquired is to be disseminated among various departments of the organization Focusing on the learning process- Assessing the benefits of transformative versus incremental learning Focusing on value chain- Assessing whether investing in market and deliver or design and make functions would be beneficial Focusing on development of skill- Assessing the benefits of development of skills by individuals vs development of team skills. Thus after analyzing the principles of this theory it can be said that leaders are first required to identify the source of the knowledge required for building the vision. He is then required to share the knowledge gathered by him with other team members so that they can share the vision of the leader. Finally he is required to focus on the learning process and assess the benefits of transformative learning versus incremental learning and assess the development of skills of the team members. Reference list: Antonakis, J., Day, D. V. (Eds.). (2017).The nature of leadership. Sage publications. Shafritz, J. M., Ott, J. S., Jang, Y. S. (2015).Classics of organization theory. Cengage Learning. Li, Y., Chen, H., Liu, Y., Peng, M. W. (2014). Managerial ties, organizational learning, and opportunity capture: A social capital perspective.Asia Pacific Journal of Management,31(1), 271-291. Chiva, R., Habib, J. (2015). A framework for organizational learning: zero, adaptive and generative learning.Journal of Management Organization,21(3), 350-368. Kolb, D. A. (2014).Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT press. Engestrm, Y. 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