CRITICAL LITERATURE REVIEW-21ST CENTURY LEADERSHIP
Instructions:
The purpose of this assignment is to write a critical literature review on the topic of “21st Century Leadership.”
It is essential that you are able to critically review literature as this is a key component of master’s level work.
This assignment also requires you to read and analyse a range of academic materials, again a key component of master’s level study.
It is important that you can demonstrate your ability to read widely and that you are able to discuss, analyse and critically analyse the research that you use in your work.
As a masters level business student it is also essential that your knowledge is up to date in relation to key business issues and that you can reach evidence based conclusions in your writing. This means that all of your writing is supported by quality academic material and is correctly Harvard Referenced.
Assessment Task
Using 21st Century leadership as a basis for your literature review, outline the key academic themes on this topic. Using good quality academic sources you should outline the following:
• What are the predicted key competencies for 21st century leaders? How are these similar or different to classical leadership capabilities?
• What are the underlying causes of changes to leadership competencies?
• What are the underlying causes of changes to leadership competencies?
• Present an overall, evidence based conclusion on the topic.
You must write a 2,500 word critical literature review on this topic. You must use good quality academic sources to give an overview of 21st Century Leadership, such as academic journals and quality practitioner materials and sources. You must discuss and critique the sources that you use in order to reach evidence based conclusions.
You are required to use good quality academic sources throughout your work to support your arguments.
A critical literature review requires you to look at good quality research on your chosen topic to give an overview of the research in this area. This will require you to discuss academic definitions, identify key themes in the literature, and discuss the potential applications and implications of the literature and to show that you understand the quality of the sources that you are using.
Complete your discussions with an overall conclusion which is based on and referenced with quality academic material.
Your work must be fully Harvard referenced and include a separate reference list at the back of your work.
Assessment Guidance
A critical literature review requires you to look at good quality research on your chosen topic to give an overview of the research in this area. This will require you to discuss academic definitions, identify key themes in the literature, and discuss the potential applications and implications of the literature and to show that you understand the quality of the sources that you are using.
Complete your discussions with an overall conclusion which is based on and referenced with quality academic material.
Your work must be fully Harvard referenced and include a separate reference list at the back of your work.
You can access support for critical writing, writing literature reviews and master’s level writing , referencing and other
*Using recent references is a must
Solution
CRITICAL LITERATURE REVIEW-21ST CENTURY LEADERSHIP
Introduction
In the 21st-century, the world has experienced reflective changes over the earlier years. Immeasurable challenges has arisen in the global economy which has affected leadership in the world and has literally changed what it takes for a leader to be successful (Bush, 2012). The paper will critically analyze the 21st Century Leadership through a focus on different theories in leadership traits and behaviors.
The 21st Century Leadership can be defined in the following way. Leadership is the process through which the interaction is done between the leader, the followers and the environment that they operate within (Lorz, 2005). The process of leadership includes the creation of visions as a result of attained situational knowledge and unites the followers to combine their efforts to achieve the formulated visions.
Literature review
The literature review has both used the qualitative and quantitate sources in the review. The need to understand leadership over different disciplines and sectors proves that the existing literature on the subject is vast. According to research, a generally acknowledged theory in leadership appears to get away from individuals (Lorz, 2005). According to research, in social sciences, leadership is the least understood and most studied concept. The study of people and their traits in leadership and behaviors. Besides this, leadership models of leadership considers adoptive and collective approaches including practices (Pillai, 2000). Other prevailing literature in leadership is largely characterized by the theories of traits and behaviors.
During the last 25 years changes have occurred as opposed to the 1980s which characterized by a relatively static environment. The changes have impacted on the manner by which business is carried out. The advancement in technology under improvements in telecommunication and the introduction of the internet have speeded up the rate at which the world is changing (Wang, 2013), deregulation and have resulted to a network and a society based on knowledge that is interconnected through appliances over the internet. As a result of the changing environment in business, the 21st leadership requires a new definition.
Through research work, three key categories that impact on leadership have been identified. They include, trends within an organization, global trends and follower trend. The significance of research into the three major categories is the need to achieve a bigger view of the characteristics that the 21st Century Leadership will include.
In the first place, global trends shall be analyzed for the purpose of developments in business sectors on the most abstract level. Global trends involve trends which arise externally in an organization, however they still have an entitlement to impact into the on the developments of an organization including the leaders and the organization. Such consequences of the global trends are always growing dynamism that is virtually valid to all processes in a business environment. Advancements in technology in addition facilitate the interaction between the stakeholders and the perspective of the global world. The accessibility of knowledge within 24 hours the continuous raise in the levels of knowledge strengthens the process of efficient costs and competition of innovation since services and products are easily comparable on a global basis (Wang, 2013). Companies from Asia that are cost efficient compete other companies from regions like Europe in an international scale and result to increasing pressure on price over other regions (Morse, Buss, and Kinghorn, 2007). As a result, the automation for companies in Europe is increasing and therefor the number of employees required is declining while the share of knowledge on every employee is also increasing.
Besides this, on organizational trends, this are developments that affect the structure of an organization and the manner in which interaction within the organizational environment is changing (Morse, Buss, and Kinghorn, 2007). The measure of a leader will not only depend on the material success on the basis of profits achieved, but also on the kind of interaction between the external and internal structures of stakeholders within an organization. The requirements of most organizations will require to be fit for the changing environment. Therefore, the upper most objective is flexibility so as to respond in a fast way the changing trends in the world. The reaction is levelling hierarchies and structures of the network with elements that may be positioned to offer a flexible assignments in work (Lorz, 2005). Pressures on cost force companies to specialize into work that operates better under conditions of low cost and high quality structure, or into networks of the future trends. As the rate of specialization is increasing, such units result to be further specific to scrutiny by the public. The requirement to keep in mind will be of more important when making decisions. The process of making the decision will depend on the fundamental principle of offering and taking, thus benefiting the people locally and engaging in better businesses ecologically (Bush, 2012).
In the last part, the trends of the followers changes the conditions that surround a leader. The followers keeps on increasing their diversity. The basis of the diversity is not only dependent of the foundation of the culture, but also on the age and gender of the followers. With the view of the global trends, the knowledge of the followers keeps on increasing and thus the main holders of information as a result of having knowledge that is complex and specific to a company. Since the value of followers keeps increasing, they also increase in terms of mobility and the notion of life time employment is irrelevant (Lorz, 2005). The current challenge with the 21st Century leadership is the management of knowledge for the new talents so as to maintain the knowledge in the company.
The model of a leader
The above three models; trends globally, trends in the organization and trends of the followers address the 21st Century Leadership (Pillai, 2000). Through the traits and style of a leader, the 21st Century Leadership requires a model that will correspond to the environment in future.
Traits of a leader
Through research findings, the 21st Century Leadership requires three traits, which are crucial for a leader in the 21st Century. In the first place, the trait in power of comprehension is important (Mobley, Li, and Wang, 2011). This is required so as to achieve external knowledge, analyze the changes that happen within the environment of the leader and to identify opportunities in business. In the second place, the trait of the power of personality is also required. This trait will help in converting the opportunities and changes in the environment into visions. In the third place, the trait of the power of the people so as to align and inspire the people to attain the visions. Under this perspective, the term power is applied to mean the possession of qualities that are needed to perform something or to make something achieved.
Styles of Leadership
In the 21st Century Leadership, a leader will apply three kinds of styles in order to interact with the followers. In the first place, the leader will be required to discover the styles of the followers. This includes the ability to identify and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the followers. In the send place, the leader will be required to develop the styles of the followers. This includes the ability to coach and train the followers so as to succeed the weaknesses and to nurture the strengths. In the third place is to delegate according to the style of followers. This includes the ability to empower and support followers to attain the visions.
The process of Leadership
The process of leadership will be based upon the traits and styles in leadership. According to research it is evident that the external condition is the key generator of impulse in the future setting of a business (Leadership. 2007). The economy that is emerging based on knowledge will always be in complete access of opportunities and information that is required to be seized and be utilized by leaders as an advantage and will only be applicable by leaders who have the ability to do so.
The process of leadership in the 21st century can be described under six steps which considers the description of the traits and styles of a leader. It begins with the environmental analysis that ends at the creation of a vision (Leadership. 2007). The lead process communicates the vision the followers. Through the lead process, the vision is encoded by the followers, then action is performed and feedback offered to the leader. The six steps include:
Analysis
The process of leadership begins by the effect of external drive and organized under six steps of interaction and directed in two ways. Under traits, the power of comprehension play an important role through initiating the process (Kruckeberg, Amann, and Green, 2011). The trait of quick acquisition of knowledge enables the fast absorption of information and formation of knowledge. The trait of global business allows the identification of potentials in business with the strategy of the leader in the organization. The trait of change and adaptation puts the way for change into the direction of the new potential of the business identified.
Vision formation
After the process of understanding the potential of the business, the trait of personality power takes over the global external leverages and the capabilities of the organization. The trait of vision and creativity facilities the thought of impending the challenge of attaining the vision. The traits of determination and self-confidence offers the leader the motivation and assurance to bear with the achievement the ideas by the leader.
Lead
The trait of the power of the people is applied by the leader to the followers using the ability to discover, develop and delegate. This reflects on the concrete relationship between the leader and the followers (Bush, 2012).
Encoding and performance
The information is delivered to the followers and suppose it is well delivered, it is encoded by the followers in relation to what the leader required (Bush, 2012). After the process of encoding, action is performed by the followers so as to attain the goals.
Feedback
After the goal is achieved, the feedback is then offered. Thus the 21st Century Leadership can be analyzed through global and organizational changes that produces new visions.
Conclusion
The paper has critically analyzed the literature review of the 21st Century Leadership through a close analysis of theories of different leadership traits and behaviors required. In the 21st century leadership, a leader is involved proactively in taking this knowledge so as to formulate visions and thus represents an agent of change according to research. Leadership in the 21st Century exposes organizations into external drive that is quite impossible to actively navigate over.
References
Bedbury, S. and Fenichell, S. (2002). A new brand world. 1st ed. New York: Viking.
Bush, T. (2012). Leadership and Research in the 21st Century. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 40(4), pp.421-422.
Chu, H. (n.d.). Leadership Model in 21st Century. SSRN Electronic Journal.
Cooper, C. (2008). New directions in organizational behavior. 1st ed. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Kruckeberg, K., Amann, W. and Green, M. (2011). Leadership and personal development. 1st ed. Charlotte, N.C.: Information Age Pub.
Lorz, M. (2005). Discovering the 21st Century leadership. 1st ed. Dublin: University College Dublin, Graduate School of Business.
Mobley, W., Li, M. and Wang, Y. (2011). Advances in global leadership. 1st ed. Bingley: Emerald.
Morse, R., Buss, T. and Kinghorn, C. (2007). Transforming public leadership for the 21st century. 1st ed. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
Pillai, R. (2000). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Peter G. Northouse, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, 1997. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21(1), pp.115-117.
Wang, V. (2013). Handbook of research on technologies for improving the 21st century workforce. 1st ed. Hershey, Pa.: IGI Global.
