Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS 1

Leadership for Organizational Effectiveness

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation
ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS 2

Leadership for Organizational Effectiveness

Introduction

The modern business environment is dynamic and changing rapidly, and business

managers need to be able to keep up with the changes to maintain and gain market share.

Most of these changes are due to technology, which has changed how business is conducted.

Technology has revolutionized various factors in the marketplace, ranging from production to

sales. In my organization, the use of technology has the potential to improve organizational

efficiency, which will translate to reduced costs and improved service production.

My desire is to improve efficiency in the workplace, which I hope to achieve through

coaching and efficiency. Innovation will be possible by implementing a new technology/

software that will help to manage daily operations and improve efficiency and coaching will

help to equip the staff to integrate and use the software in the execution of their duties in the

workplace.

The role of coaching in motivation, productivity and engagement

An organization/ business is made up of a group of people who come together to

achieve a certain goal. In such an environment, it is important that the employees reach their

full potential, which will help in achieving the goals of the organization. According to

Rosenstein & Schwartz (2018), coaching is the process by which staff/ employees are

equipped with the tools, opportunities and knowledge that is needed to help them achieve

maximum development, which translates into personal and organizational success. Therefore,

coaching helps the employee get the best performance, by working and bringing out the

potential that was already in them.

For coaching to be effective, the coach and individual being coached need to meet on

a regular basis where the coach provides the space for the individual to solve problems, set

and clarify goals, and deal with barriers/ hindrances to growth, which helps them become
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better versions of themselves (Ismail et al., 2016). Leaders play a major role in coaching

employees. It is expected that a leader is in a position of authority, with the experience,

knowledge and skills, which can be useful in coaching and employee and bringing the best

out of them for the success of the organization.

Through coaching, leaders can motivate the employees to achieve more and propel

the success of the organization. Motivation is the internal force/ fire that drives an individual

to certain heights. At times, it may be confused for inspiration, which is something that

comes from the outside of an individual. While both are important in any organization/

employee, motivation is desirable since it is a fire that is ignited by a dream and fueled by the

passion in the employee.

As mentioned earlier, coaching helps to bring out the potential that is already in a

person. Therefore, a coach has an important role to play in bringing out the motivation in

employees, which will translate into organizational success. The coach needs to create an

environment in which the individual can express their motivation in all they do (Achi &

Sleilati, 2016). He can help the individual discover their motivation/ fire and provide support

and encouragement to unleash their ‘fire’ and not hold back in the work place.

For a coach to be successful at motivation, he needs to know his staff/ employee.

Therefore, it may be important to schedule some one on one time with an individual where

you can talk and get to understand what fuels their performance. Through regular meetings

and communication, it will be possible to understand employees and help create the right

environment that will fuel their motivation.

Apart from motivating employees, coaching is also a way in which the productivity

can be improved in the workplace. A coach can bring any performance issues to the attention

of the employee when they occur. As mentioned, the coach will meet with the individual on a

regular basis, and during these meetings, such issues can be raised and discussed. In such
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meetings, the goal of coaching is to work with the employee to help solve and performance

issues and improve the work and output of the employee and department (Utrilla, Grande, &

Lorenzo, 2015). It may be necessary to set some performance/ work oriented goals to

improve the performance of the employee, which can be achieved through motivation. As the

coaching relationship progresses, the coach will evaluate how the employee is performing in

achieving their goals and even implement strategies to ensure that their productivity in the

workplace increases.

Employee engagement is also of concern to many organizations. Engagement is

defined as the intersection where there is maximum contribution for the company and

maximum satisfaction to the employees, which leads to a level of high performance that can

be maintained by both parties (Lauby, 2018). Employee engagement will help in increasing

productivity and innovation in the workplace. However, engagement is not an event but a

continuous process in the company. Coaching will be effective in achieving employee

engagement by providing the tools and resources that will enable the employees to do their

jobs well (Lauby, 2018). They will give feedback that will equip the individual to accomplish

their goals in the given work environment.

Leadership practices that foster creativity and innovation in the workplace

Creativity and innovation are at the heart of any successful organization. New ideas

can lead to the development of superior products or programs that may increase the revenue

and market share of the firm. Therefore, leaders should promote creativity and innovation in

the workplace. Leaders are in a unique position to influence and to foster practices and an

organizational culture that can foster creativity and innovation in the work place.

The first step is for the leader to demonstrate leadership and commitment to creativity

and innovation. A leader should influence, engage with and connect with the team members
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and set the tone for operations. The leader should appear to be a part of the team, and

committed to the goals and achievement of the team

Another strategy is to create an inclusive process/ work environment. Many

workplaces may have a diverse workforce, and an effective leader will accept and embrace

diversity. Every member should be made to feel like a part of the team with no favoritism or

discrimination. This means that there should be a culture of mutual respect in the workplace

such that people’s ideas are embraced and evaluated objectively without any bias. This will

encourage the workforce to innovate and create and to also work together in developing

programs and products that will benefit the organization. On the other hand, a work

environment that is not accommodative, or where employees are not respected or valued will

stifle creativity and innovation.

Leaders can also foster creativity and innovation by recognizing/ rewarding

employees who innovate. The organization should have a clear and transparent system that

rewards employees who innovate and create revolutionary products/ programs/ services

(Amabile & Khaire, 2008). This will motivate employees to step outside the box when they

know that their efforts will be rewarded, and that no one else will take credit for their work.

The leader should also encourage and foster collaboration between and among employees.

Amabile & Khaire (2008) warn against the false perception of a lone inventor/ creator.

An example is given of innovations such as Mozilla and Wikipedia which developed

as a result of contributions from numerous sources. Therefore, the leader should develop a

culture of innovation by encouraging the staff to present ideas in forums such as company

seminars and discussions. Through such forums, employees can contribute to and help build

ideas, which will foster the culture of collaboration in the workplace.

Effective use of coaching

As explained, leaders can use coaching to motivate the employees and also encourage

productivity and engagement. My aim is to improve efficiency in the workplace through the

implementation of a new technology. Coaching can be a useful tool to help achieve this goal.

For example, through coaching it may be possible to manage employee motivation. The new

technology will require the organization to make a major change and shift from a paper-based

to a paperless system. As expected, any change in an organization may be met with resistance

from the employees, who may be reluctant to shift to the new technology. Through coaching,

it will be possible to help the staff connect with their inner passions and drive, which will

override their reluctance to change. Once the motivation is present/ at the forefront, the

employees will buy into the project, which will lead to success.

Coaching will also help to achieve my goal by increasing employee engagement. As

mentioned, employees may be resistant to change, especially if they do not have all the

information at hand. In this case, some many have the wrong perception that with the

technology, they may lose their jobs, thus decreased engagement. Through coaching, it may

be possible to address these fears and get to a point where there is maximum contribution for

the company and maximum satisfaction to the employees, which leads to a level of high

performance that can be maintained by both parties (Lauby, 2018). Once the employees

understand the potential benefits of the technology, they will be able to perform their duties

and derive maximum satisfaction and contribution.

To achieve the potential benefits of coaching in the workplace, I need to learn and

develop better skills that will position me as a coach. This can be done by attending seminars

that will equip me with skills and techniques to be a better coach. There are many online and

physical seminars/ training sessions that may be useful to me, where I can learn invaluable
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techniques. Through such seminars, it will also be possible to form networks and learn from

other who have gone before me, and learn the practical aspects of coaching.

Another strategy will be to get resources such as books which can help me improve

my overall leadership effectiveness. Books are useful training materials because many

contain self-assessment tests that will help me identify my strengths and weaknesses, and

areas that I need to improve. These self-assessments can be taken before and after training to

evaluate my progress and any areas that may still need to be refined.

Analysis of current leadership practices

As a leader, one of my strengths is that I am a good communicator. I interact and get

well with other staff and employees. It is important for a coach to be able to get along with

the employees, since they will need to spend some one on one time together. The coach and

individual need to spend some time together and the coach needs to learn more about the

other person on areas such as their motivations and goals (Achi & Sleilati, 2016). Through

communication, the leader will also be able to encourage and foster creativity and innovation.

Therefore, strong communication skills are one of my strengths, which helps in

communicating the vision of the organization and also in articulating the goals of the

company for greater success.

As a leader, I also encourage respect for diversity in the workplace. This means that

everyone has a chance to be heard and treated fairly in the workplace. This culture is often

transmitted in the workplace, which encourages and gives the staff confidence in the

workplace knowing that everyone has an equal chance to be heard and to take part in creative

and innovative opportunities in the workplace. For example, in a team, team members are

encouraged to respect each others’ opinions and to treat each other with respect. While it is

expected that there may be conflicts and differences of opinions, the culture is that employees

should voice their disagreements respectfully (Carucci, 2017). I have managed to achieve this
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through how I communicate with the staff and also in how I manage conflicts and discussions

with other employees.

I have also managed to create a culture of collaboration in the workplace. We often

work together as a team on projects. For example, in a given project, everyone will have their

specific role, but I make sure that we are all aware of how our roles are interconnected, and

how they all contribute to the overall success of the project. In this way, everyone is included

and feels like a part of the team. It also gives understanding of how we all need to work

together to achieve success. There are also team meetings where we provide progress and

status reports on the ongoing projects (Carucci, 2017). This provides a useful way of

evaluating our progress and working together as a team to resolve problems that may crop up.

This also helps to foster and facilitate collaboration.

However, there is still room for improvement. The organization does not have a

reward system for any creative/ innovative employees. As mentioned by Amabile & Khaire,

(2008), a reward system will help to encourage innovation and creativity. The reward may be

recognition or even a bonus to the employees. Thus, there is a need to have a reward system

that is structured and elaborately defined to avoid conflicts or misappropriation of the system.

This can be done by learning from other companies that have a similar system in place. It

may also be important to get feedback from employees on their opinions on the system on

how it should be structured and implemented.

Conclusion

As a leader, I have a role to play to ensure organizational effectiveness and employee

productivity. My workplace would benefit from implementing a new technology that will

help improve organizational efficiency. I can achieve this through coaching, where I can

consistently work with the staff to equip them with the tools, opportunities and knowledge

that are needed to help them achieve maximum development, which translates into personal
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and organizational success. As a leader, I should encourage and foster innovation and

creativity through collaboration and also by creating a culture of respect in the workplace.

After analyzing my workplace, I have recognized the need for a reward system, which can

encourage and foster a culture of creativity and innovation. Having such a system in place

will send the message that the management recognizes and rewards employees who think

outside the box and work towards creativity and innovation.

References

Achi, S. E., & Sleilati, E. (2016). The effect of coaching on employee performance in the

human resource management field: the case of the Lebanese banking

sector. International Journal of Trade and Global Markets, 9(2), 137-169.

Amabile, T. A., & Khaire, M. (2008). Creativity and the role of the leader. Cambridge, MA:

Harvard Business School Publishing.

Carucci, R. (2017). How to nourish your teams’ creativity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard

Business School Publishing.

Ismail, A. B., Nursaadatun, A., & Zainol, A. (2016). Managerial coaching in enhancing

employees’ motivation. Acta Universitatis Danubius. Œconomica, 12(3).

Klemm, W. R. (2004). Leadership: Creativity and innovation. In Conference paper:

Concepts for Airforce Leadership (AU-24), 7(5), 2003.

Lauby, S. (2018). Employee engagement and commitment are not the same thing. Human

Resources Today. Retrieved from:

http://www.humanresourcestoday.com/coaching/employee-engagement/?open-article-

id=8309892&article-title=employee-engagement-and-commitment-are-not-the-same-

thing&blog-domain=hrbartender.com&blog-title=hr-bartender

Rosenstein, J. & Schwartz, C. (2018). How to coach teammates: A key responsibility of

effective leaders. Wavelength. Retrieved from: https://wavelength.asana.com/coaching-

workplace-why-examples/

Utrilla, P. N. C., Grande, F. A., & Lorenzo, D. (2015). The effects of coaching in employees

and organizational performance: The Spanish Case. Intangible Capital, 11(2), 166-189.