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Managing the Dimensions of Ethos, Pathos and Logos of Change
Through Transformational Leadership
--Ruta Vyas
It is often seen that though organizations expend enormous resources into change initiatives, these seldom yield the desired returns. As succinctly put by Schaffer and Thompson (1992), “Most improvement efforts have as much impact on company performance as a rain dance has on the weather!” The most critical ingredient in any change effort is leadership, and managing change is fundamentally a people issue. Several leaders failed because they attempted to create change through intellect alone, without moving people emotionally (Goleman et al., 2002). This paper explores how a leader can overlay the four fundamental principles of transformational leadership as defined by Bass (1985), to the four stages of an individual’s experience during change as postulated by Janssen’s ‘Four-Room Apartment’ Model of Change. The paper discusses these stages in terms of the challenges that individuals face to their values and identity (Ethos), to their intellect (Logos) and their emotions (Pathos), and puts forward a suggested road map of behaviors and ideals that leaders must demonstrate to address each of these in order to bring about a successful change. A transformational style of leadership that is empathetic to the dynamic human mind must connect to the individual at a very personal and emotional level, appealing not only to his intellect, but also his emotions at the psychological level to initiate and sustain successful change in organizations. © 2013 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
The Commitment Conundrum
--Lalit Kumar Yadav
One of the most fundamental issues which Human Resource (HR) faces is how to induce or build commitment in employees towards achieving the objectives of the organization and the vision and mission of the organization. For a desired organizational culture, the employees should also be committed to their colleagues. Are there any fundamental principles to be followed by the organization to seek commitment? Are compensation, promotion and good environment enough to demand absolute commitment? Do specific businesses or activities create more commitment than others? This paper tries to understand how organizations can create commitment. It argues that the role of leaders, especially transformational and servant leaders, organizational commitment towards employees’ wellbeing, and the journey towards perfection in work induced by the organization are some of areas which an organization can focus on to seek commitment from employees. © 2013 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Mike Brearley: Leadership as a Soft Skill
--R Venkatesan Iyengar
To cricket aficionados, Mike Brearley needs no introduction. He is sure to find a place in any list of the all-time best cricket captains. Though Brearley was primarily selected to play for England as a batsman, his batting record is nothing to write home about. However, fortunately for him and for England, his tactical acumen and flair for the leadership role were noticed by the selectors much early in his career, and Brearley was made the captain of England national cricket team in 1977, a year after he made his Test debut. And Brearley did not disappoint the English selectors and the cricket-loving public at large. His famed manmanagement skills won him many laurels in his short but illustrious cricket career as captain. Especially, the way he masterminded and turned around the fortunes of England in the third Test match at Headingley in the Ashes in 1981 is what every incumbent or aspiring cricket captain’s dreams are made of. This paper takes a close look at Mike Brearley, the cricket captain, and the celebrated Headingley Test to educe soft skills lessons and key leadership takeaways that every leader in every field can benefit from. © 2013 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
X Factor: What Big Brands Look for in You
--Abhinaya Rao
This paper lists a dozen to-do things that many young management professionals can benefit from as part of their interview preparation. It aims to look beyond a set of standard instructions given to candidates appearing for interviews. It stresses on the importance in the difference of the recruitment process between a normal organization and a flagship company that has made it to the global list of ‘Top 50 Brands to Work For’ on Glassdoor or Forbes or CNBC. It looks into what makes a candidate a probable hire for such brands. It also addresses certain errors or mistakes that are viewed a lot more seriously by such companies and measures one can take to avoid them on the big day. A conscious effort was made to keep the language of the article simple and the tone a tad informal, ensuring the audience can connect to the various aspects of an interview by seeing their own self in various examples and instances cited. © 2013 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Soft Skills Training in the Indian Context:
Need to Prevent Cultural Hegemony
--Alankrita Mahendra
Soft skills training has become imperative in a fast changing and liberalized economy like India. The employment prospects of the present-day youth are inextricably bound with their awareness of globally relevant soft skills and ability to speak English. In the process of inculcating and acquiring soft skills, the pertinent questions to be answered are: Are we relegating our own culture to the background? Are we in the danger of losing our moorings and landing in the lap of another cultural hegemony, barely six decades after freeing ourselves from one? This paper seeks to raise some doubts regarding the long-term fallouts of the western-style soft skills training and endeavors to find a middle ground which can satisfy the urgent need for globalization and also help prevent the undue marginalization of our local cultures. There is an urgent need to revamp our training modules and inject local cultural reality into them to ensure that we produce a young workforce which is empowered with both global skills as well as indigenous culture. © 2013 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a Pedagogical Tool
for Teaching Written Business Communication
--Preeja Sreedhar
This paper attempts to emphasize the usage of the Bloom’s Taxonomy as an educator’s tool. The concept was used for designing and delivering courses on written business communication. The paper examines the conceptual framework of Bloom’s taxonomy and its objective in today’s education, especially in the areas of curriculum designing and practical aspects of delivering the course. The paper is based on the author’s experiential learning. © 2013 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Book Review
Communication Strategies for Today’s Managerial Leader |
