Comparison of Different Approaches
A good overview is given by Field (2002) who summarizes differences seen between leaders and managers by writers focusing on the conceptual or practical approaches.
|
Author(s) |
Focus |
Leaders |
Managers |
|
Bennis & Nanus (1985) |
Conceptual |
do the right things people as great assets commitment outcomes what and why things could be done sharing information networks |
do things right people as liabilities control rules how things should be done compliance secrecy formal authority (hierarchy) |
|
Czarniawska-Joerges & Wolff (1991) |
Conceptual |
Symbolic performance, expressing the hope of control over destiny |
Introducting order by coordinating flows of things and people toward collective action |
|
Spreitzer & Quinn (1996) |
Conceptual |
Transformational |
Transactional |
|
Zaleznik (1977, 1992) |
Practical |
Energize the system, their working environment is often chaotic |
Ensure the stability of the system |
|
McConkey (1989) |
Practical |
Provide proper conditions for the people to manage themselves. |
Concerned with controlling conditions and others.
|
|
McConnell (1994) |
Practical |
Vision, inspiration, courage, human relationships, profound knowledge. |
Allocate resources, design work methods, create procedures, set objectives and create priorities. |
|
Buhler (1995) |
Practical |
Give people purpose, push the boundaries, need vision and ability to articulate it. |
Accomplish work through others, follow the rules, rely on legitimate power. |
|
Sanborn (1996) |
Practical |
Create change and ensure that others embrace it. The word lead means to go from - leaders tend to take their followers from one place to another. |
Change when they have to. The word manage means to handle.
|
|
Fagiano (1997) |
Practical |
Help others do the things they know need to be done to achieve a common vision. |
Get things done through other people. |
|
Sharma (1997) |
Practical |
Innovation |
Conformity |
|
Maccoby (2000) |
Practical |
Leadership is a relationship - selecting, motivating, coaching, building trust. |
Management is a function - planning, budgeting, evaluating, facilitating. |
Table 2: Conceptual and
Practical Articles Comparing Management and Leadership. Source:
Field, R. H.G. (2002). 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, http://apps.business.ualberta.ca/rfield/papers/LeadershipDefined.htm
It seems that there is general agreement that leadership and management are different.
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives 3.0 License
Sirje Virkus, Tallinn University, 2009