What would Machiavelli think? An overview of leadership challenges in team-based structures

1. What would Machiavelli think? An overview of leadership challenges in team-based structures Review of a paper by Gerard A Callanan, Associate Professor, Management Department, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania USA. Ian Primrose (u3789791)

2. What would Machiavelli think? • Callanan contrast the traditional Machiavellian view of leadership with the accelerating emergence of team-based structures • The Machiavellian view is that leaders gain power and hoarded it as an organisational principle • Team-based structures share power and enable employees to manage their own projects

3. What would Machiavelli think? • Callanan argues for team-based structures because they reflect the way that the workforce and the environment is changing • Technological demographic and economic changes require team based flexibility • The economy is becoming more intensely competitive and globally focused • Technology enables team sharing and cooperation even across substantial distances • Employees expectations of work satisfaction and loyalty to organizations’ needs greater responsibility sharing

4. What would Machiavelli think? • Perhaps the key change in leadership in effective team based structures is empowerment of employees • Empowerment means sharing responsibility for projects and for decision making within the team • Empowerment enables collaborative working relationships within and across functions in the organisation and beyond

5. What would Machiavelli think? • Empowerment has implications for leaders • Empowering employees to take greater responsibility means sharing power in the team • It also implies leaders learning new roles as coaches and environmental managers rather than as directors, creating a new sense of relevance • Empowerment means trust

6. What would Machiavelli think? • Team-based structures need organisational design changes • Selection of employees and team members • Rewards systems changes • Performance management and measurement changes • Leadership structures and culture in the broader organisational environment • Communication and information flow changes

7. What would Machiavelli think? • The benefits of effective team-based structures are evident • Employees are more committed to the organisation • Employees are more satisfied productive and have a sense of meaning about their work • Leaders achieve at a higher level and enjoy a wider set of leadership skills • Organisational competitiveness increases

8. What would Machiavelli think? • Callanan makes recommendations for organisational effectiveness • Fully adopt an empowerment philosophy • Help leaders overcome fear of irrelevance • Build on successes and see failure as a learning opportunity • Foster initiative and acceptance of responsibility • Create internal support systems for team-based structures.

9. What would Machiavelli think? • The paper clearly supports the argument in the course text • The text starts from the assumption that team based structures are more productive and offers a practice guide to implementation of high performance in teams • Callanan argues that the traditional leadership command and control approach is still alive but that it is inconsistent with emerging organisational needs and environment