Leadership as Defined by Hannagan

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The aim of this study is to provide an insight of how strong leadership is required rather than sound management if it is to become a learning organization. Firstly, one must have clear understanding of what is leadership, the qualities of a leader and how those qualities can be incorporated into effective management. Also knowledge of what exactly is a learning organization and sound management would provide insight. Leadership is defined by Hannagan (2005: 37) as “the process of motivating people to act in particulars ways in order to achieve specific goals” while similarly Shackleton (1995: 2) says that “leadership is the process in which an individual influences other group members towards the attainment of a group or organizational goals”. Learning organization is one that facilitates the learning of its employees by continuously transforms itself with new knowledge and technological innovations in a rapidly changing environment. Sound management basically speaks about overall management that takes place in manner to accomplish objectives.
Having knowledge of these key terms/phrases in the question ‘leadership’, ‘sound management’ and a ‘learning organization’ I can start the discussing by saying Yes, strong leadership is essential and plays a pivotal role in a learning organization. A leader or in some cases leaders must display certain characteristics such as guidance, direction, authority, control, management, supervision that will enable them to influence employees towards the attainment of the organization goals. One must understand that in order to have sound management, strong leadership skills must be established. This is usual arise from within the organization as every employee may have the potential to channel the ...

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...alysis is a comparison of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and treats that help executives (leaders) formulate strategy, which are derived from external and internal analyses. I will continue to say that strategy formulation builds on swot analysis to utilize strengths of the organization in order to capitalize on opportunities, counteract threats and alleviate internal weaknesses. For swot analysis to be effective leadership skills must be establish and a leader must analyze the organization’s internal and external environment i.e. institutions, issues or people that affect the organization performance, identifying its strength and weaknesses. Importantly he/she must match strengths with opportunities, weaknesses with threats and vice versa. On doing so they must develop strategies for those matches that appear to be of greatest importance to the organization

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