Effective Leadership: Roles, Skills, and Teamwork Strategies

Posted on Mar 18, 2025 in Business Administration and Management (BAM)

Understanding Leadership Roles and Responsibilities

Heads are the workers who are responsible for one or more subordinates within an organization. They are the administrators of the organization and have a functional unit in charge, meaning they ensure goals and objectives are achieved.

Hierarchy of Leadership

Leadership roles vary based on their position within the organizational structure:

  • Executives, Senior Management: CEO, President, Deputy, Director. Typically within the top three levels in large organizations. These roles require high-quality HR and high-level professionals.
  • Middle Management: Unit Head, Department Head, Bureau Chief, or Section Chief. These roles require HR with formal preparation.
  • Operating Heads or Supervisors: Heads of workshop, warehouse manager, group leader, supervisor. These roles require HR management with a strong technical understanding of how things are done.

Specialization in Leadership

Leadership roles also differ based on the degree of specialization required:

  • Functional Heads: Responsible for a specific functional area, e.g., production manager, HR manager, marketing manager, finance manager, administration department head, etc.
  • General Manager: Responsible for several areas, e.g., Dean, Rector.
  • Clerical: A general manager role often found in smaller companies or more focused areas of work.

Basic Characteristics of Leaders

Activities of Leaders

  • All leaders have obligations.
  • Leaders feel pressure to act in all directions.
  • Leaders are forced to make decisions related to their field of action.
  • Implicit in the role is the authority responsible for representing their decisions.
  • Leaders have limitations and restrictions related to decision-making.

Capacities of Leaders

Technical Skill

Leaders must possess specific knowledge and domain expertise in the subject matters they are responsible for. Staff will respect their knowledge, which builds confidence.

Conceptual Ability

Every leader should understand their position, which means:

  1. Understanding and knowing the decisions to be made.
  2. Knowing their position, who their subordinates are, and who their boss is.
  3. Understanding their scope of responsibility.

Leaders must understand the needs of their people:

  • Leadership and Motivation/Guidance and compensation.
  • Understanding their time, needs, and expectations.

Teamwork Essentials

Team vs. Working Group

Team:

  • Common Goal
  • Complementary Knowledge
  • Group-defined target
  • A single coordinator

Working Group:

  • Common Goal
  • Same level of expertise (specialty)
  • Individually defined target
  • A single coordinator

Teamwork Features

  • Harmoniously integrated development of functions and activities.
  • Shared responsibilities among members.
  • Coordinated development activities.
  • Planning towards a common goal.

Developing Effective Teamwork

Team Characteristics

Team members should be able to:

  • Manage their time to carry out their daily work and participate in team activities.
  • Switch easily between different thought processes to make decisions and solve problems.
  • Effectively communicate decisions and negotiate individual differences.

Strategies to Promote Teamwork

  • Deliver all information needed to operate effectively.
  • Create a pleasant working atmosphere.
  • Clearly define the time to accomplish the task.

Requirements for Teamwork

  • Good interpersonal communication.
  • Focus on the team’s task.
  • Define the organization of the team.
  • Establish the situation, issue, or problem to work on.
  • Interest in achieving the objective.
  • Create a democratic environment.
  • Exercise consensus decision-making.
  • Willingness to collaborate and share knowledge and skills.

Advantages of Teamwork

  • Diversity enriches the team.
  • Diversity of views encourages creativity.
  • Integration achieves specific goals within a common objective.
  • Tolerance and respect for others prevail.
  • Motivation to work with greater performance, feeling a real part of a group.

The Rule of 5 “C”s

  • Complementarity
  • Coordination
  • Communication
  • Trust
  • Commitment