Essay On Difference Between Leadership And Management

832 Words2 Pages

Are leaders and managers different? Can a leader be a manager? Can a manager be a

leader? Is there a difference between leadership and management? According to Abraham

Zaleznik, the difference between managers and leaders lies in the conceptions they hold, deep in

their psyches, of chaos and order. Zaleznik goes on to say that managers embrace process, seek

stability and control, and instinctively try to resolve problems quickly, sometimes before they

fully understand a problem’s significance. Leaders tolerate chaos and lack of structure and are

willing to delay closure in order to understand the issues more fully. Business leaders have

much more in common with artists, scientists, and other creative thinkers than they do with …show more content…

A manager wants to solve problems, and find the

best ways to achieve results so people will continue to contribute to the organization. A manager

has persistence, is tough minded, hardworking, intelligent, analytical, and tolerant. Zaleznik

states leaders advocate change and are concerned with understanding people’s beliefs while

managers advocate stability and carry out responsibilities and exercise authority (Lunenburg).

Attitudes and goals differ between leaders and managers. Managers tend to adopt

interpersonal attitudes toward goals. Managerial goals arise out of necessities rather than desires

(Zaleznik). Leaders adopt a personal and active attitude toward goals. Leaders are active instead

Managers and Leaders 3

of reactive, shaping ideas instead of responding to them (Zaleznik). Leaders seek to instill

positivity in the workplace.

Leaders and managers have a different outlook on the concepts of work. Managers tend to

view work as an enabling process involving people and ideas to establish strategies and make

decisions (Zaleznik). Manager’s tactics appear flexible where they negotiate and barter and …show more content…

Managers prefer to work with

people. They become anxious without others to work with. Managers relate to people according

to the role they play in an organization. Managers are all about how to get things done in an

organization. Managers are always out for the win-win situation and how they can turn the win-

lose situation into a win-win situation to maintain balance. Leaders are quite the opposite.

Leaders have feelings.They wear their heart, and their feelings, on their sleeves.Leaders often

appear turbulent, intense, and sometimes disorganized.

Statement of the Problem

How do we develop leadership? Are leaders born or are they made? Everyone has their

own views regarding that question. In 1977 when Zaleznik wrote the article, Managers and

Leaders: Are They Different?, the view of management centered on organizational structure and

processes. Managerial development focused exclusively on building competence, control, and

Managers and Leaders 4

the appropriate balance of power. According to Zaleznik, that view omitted the essential

leadership elements of inspiration, vision, and human passion.

Cause of the

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