Differentiation Between Leadership and Management

When thinking of the qualities associated with leadership and management, it is easy to slip into thinking of leaders as owners or board members of a company. After all, it is they who know where they want the company to go. It is they who are supposed to have a vision for the company. Managers are hired simply to carry out the wishes of the leaders. Those types of generalizations serve very little purpose because they are not only incorrect, they also leave out many leaders in the company, as well as reduce the role of the manager to little more than that of a person who cannot think for themselves.

Field (2002) conducted meta-research, investigating the differences between the concepts of leadership and management on both a conceptual and practical level. Findings show that both leadership and management include a determination to do the right thing for the company. Beyond that, the two roles begin to diverge significantly. For example, with respect to personnel, leaders view people as assets, while managers view people as liabilities. Leaders are committed to the company and to its growth, while managers focus on developing the ability to control any given situation or process within the company so that it can function smoothly as it grows. The main focus of a leader is on the outcome of any given action, thought, or plan; while managers focus on the development and implementation of the rules necessary to arrive at the desired outcome. Leaders are concerned with what to do, for the good of the company, and why those things should be done; while managers, once they know what is to be done, are focused on compliance with the riles necessary to ensure that the company is able to accomplish its goal. Leaders are dedicated to sharing information, what many term brainstorming, in order to develop new ideas and revamp old ones; while managers have a vested interest in secrecy that is often necessary to protect the company and/or its processes. Leaders also develop networks, from which they gain valuable insight and assistance; while managers cling to the company hierarchy, so they can be certain that all tasks will be carried out in an orderly fashion.

Even Field's (2002) differentiation between the role of the leader and the role of the manager can, inadvertently, lead the reader to assume that the leader is somehow on a higher level in the company hierarchy than is the manager. Such is not, necessarily, the case. While a leader may be an owner, or a board member, the leader may also be a manager, or even someone lower than the manager, in the company hierarchy. On a regular basis, there are human interest stories in local newspapers, extolling the virtues of men and women, many of whom are now in advanced age, but whom all will admit that the business where they work would never have survived without the leadership of that person. The same is true of excellent managers, whose vision and leadership have taken companies farther than their owners could ever have dreamed. The real skill here is to find a leader/manager who is capable of putting together a group of individuals who are all willing to behave as leaders, while being deftly managed by someone else (Sanborn, 1996). If the manager truly believes that his or her responsibilities include properly allocating resources, designing appropriate methods of getting work done, setting objectives, and defining priorities; and if the manager can see the development of a staff of individuals with leadership qualities as a means of fulfilling their management road, then the manager will be willing to accept that the means of creating order, in this case, would be the necessarily loosely controlled managing of an entire staff of individuals, with the requirement that they not always be under control.

Other important differences between leadership and management show up when the notion of change is examined (Sanborn, 1996). Businesses must either change or die. They must change when they grow. They must change with the times. They must change with technology and with their industry. Leaders are willing to look for possibilities with the potential for change and must be willing to assess whether changes are appropriate for the circumstances in which the business now finds itself. Managers, although they have a vested interest in not deviating from the rules, must be willing to accept that change is necessary and able to implement change, while also controlling the inevitable conflicts that will arise during and after the change is put into practice.

One of the most striking differences between leadership and management is that leadership requires the building of relationships. Management, on the other hand, deals mostly with functional, day-to-day, operations. Leaders inspire, and support, and encourage; while managers keep their eye on how well the objectives have been met. Leaders help others get things done so they can all share in the success of a common vision. Managers must delegate work and then watch over others to ensure they are doing it (Field, 2002).

While, in theory, it would seem that it would be a good thing if the same individual could hold the position of both leader and manager in a company. However, this too is subject to situation and environment. In a small, entrepreneurial shop, owned and managed by the same person, leadership and management must, necessarily reside within the same person. However, in the larger, corporate world, it is not necessary that all managers become leaders. These individuals do tend, in the long-run, to sort themselves out. The gregarious Sales Manager, for example, would certainly not even consider applying for a position as a lonely Information Technology Manager. Yet, does this mean that the Information Technology Manager cannot be a leader? Certainly not. This individual has the freedom to think about the needs of others, to consult with others about their needs, and to find innovative ways of resolving the issues with which he or she is presented.

At the end of the day, everyone may say how much they enjoyed lunch with the Sales Manager; but they may also say how much they appreciate the Information Technology Manager, how much they feel was accomplished, how much they appreciate having their opinion asked for and listened to; and how much they look forward to working with him or her again. Of the two, which one of these employees could be classified as a leader? Could it be possible that a true leader deliberately chooses their educational and career tracks so that they will be free to express themselves as leaders in the future? All of these questions are appropriate topics for future research. For now, it is sufficient to define leadership and management, and differentiate between the two.

References

Field, R.H.G. (2002, Jan. 9). Leadership defined: Web images reveal the differences between leadership and management. Submitted to the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada 2002 annual meeting in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Retrieved: October 24, 2004, from: http://www.bus.ualberta.ca/rfield/papers/LeadershipDefined.htm

Sanborn, M. (1996). Are you a leader or a manager? American Agent & Broker, 68(12), 43-47.