Leadership strategies and its impact on culture
The strategies used to fulfill leadership responsibilities are also directly and causally related to culture. Two general types of leadership strategies are: prescriptive strategies, which guide or direct the activities and behaviors of others toward opportunities, goals, and methods, and restrictive strategies, which constrain or prohibit activities and behaviors with respect to goals, opportunities, or methods. Practically, any leadership role or responsibility can be executed in either prescriptively or restrictively, which in turn affects the behavior of other people and the culture of the organization very differently ways, and in an unwanted direction.
Restrictive strategies, which emphasize minimizing undesired behaviors and avoiding unwanted outcomes, may be easier and are faster to use. However, leaders who rely on these strategies cause the people around them to behave in more passive/defensive and aggressive/defensive ways. Despite that, prescriptive strategies - such as specifying the desired outcomes to be achieved, noticing, and acknowledging what people are doing well, and considering their ideas and suggestions - are more functional and lead to a constructive impact.
The efficacy of developing more prescriptive strategies with respect to improving one’s impact, performance, and success has been demonstrated by a series of in-depth case studies of CEOs in organizations. Regarding culture change processes within organizations, it has also been proven in practice that prescriptive strategies of the leaders have a positive influence on the desired culture change.
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Management approaches and its impact on culture
The way in which leaders and managers approach management activities and responsibilities can also move culture in a productive or counterproductive direction. Leadership activities involve setting an overall agenda for the organization in terms of the vision and strategies and inspiring others to achieve them. Even so, management activities are more operational and include implementing strategies and turning visions into accomplishments by organizing, motivating, and guiding the efforts of others.
Two common approaches to management activities that evoke quite different reactions and behaviors on the part of those working for or with a particular manager are managers who rely on facilitating approaches that carry out their responsibilities in ways that maximize the development of the people around them, expand their autonomy, and help coordinate their work with that of others. This method, in turn, is associated with a constructive impact. At the same time, inhibiting approaches come into play when managers fulfill their responsibilities in a way that maximizes their control over others and their work.
Research as well as based on practical experience show that a heavy reliance on inhibiting approaches has a strong defensive impact on the behavior of members and the culture of an organization.
Ultimately, understanding how culture works and applying this understanding to how ones lead and manage can profoundly reduce culture disconnects and move behavioral norms and outcomes in the desired direction. Indirect levers such as performance management systems, job restructuring and redesign are certainly important; however, their impact is strongly reinforced by the extent to which leaders and managers exercise their roles in more prescriptive, facilitating, and constructive ways.
Source: ‘Creating Constructive Cultures; Leading People and Organizations to Effectively Solve Problems and achieve Goals, by J. L. Szumal and R.A. Cooke.
Blog written by: Sherwin M. Latina May 4, 2022