Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition MODULE 1: Leadership and management in customs
1
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Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition
Module 1
Course author: Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) (www.iadb.org), through his Integration and Trade Sector (INT). Course coordinator: Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) (www.iadb.org), through his Integration and Trade Sector (INT), the Institute for the Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean (INTAL), the Inter-American Institute for Economic and Social Development (INDES) (www.indes.org), the World Customs Organization (WCO) (www.wcoomd.org) and the General Secretariat of Central American Integration (SG-SICA) (http://www.sica.int/) Module author: Gastón Fernández. Senior Customs and International trade specialist, Senior Consultant Integration and Trade Sector Inter-American Development Bank. Former Head of International Affairs Chile Customs Service. Pedagogical and edition coordination: The Inter-American Institute for Economic and Social Development (INDES) (www.indes.org) in collaboration with Fundación Centro de Educación a Distancia para el Desarrollo Económico y Tecnológico (CEDDET) (www.ceddet.org) and Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council (CCLEC) (www.cclec.net)
4th Edition 2016
This document cannot be reproduced, in whole or in part, by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopy or any recording process. Its information cannot be stored or recovered by any systems whatsoever without the due written authorization from the IDB. Any request for partial or total reproduction must be informed to: BIDINDES@iadb.org These materials have been revised in light of the ministerial decisions taken in the framework of the 9th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference held in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2013. The adjustments were made in order to reflect a higher alignment between the course topics and the priorities identified in Bali’s Ministerial Declaration and decisions, where all IDB members participated. Bali Ministerial Declaration and decisions 2
Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition
Module 1
Table of contents
Table of contents ........................................................................ 2 Index of figures .......................................................................... 5 Index of tables ........................................................................... 5 Glossary .................................................................................... 6 Presentation .............................................................................. 7 Aim of the Module ...................................................................... 7 Learning-oriented questions ......................................................... 8 Introduction ............................................................................... 9 Unit I. Concept of leadership ...................................................... 12 Learning objectives ................................................................ 12 I.1. Concept .......................................................................... 12 I.2. Management leadership .................................................... 15 I.3. The team ........................................................................ 19 Unit summary .......................................................................... 25 Unit II. Characteristics of leadership. Differences with other figures. The anti-leader......................................................................... 26 Learning objectives ................................................................ 26 II.1. Characteristics ................................................................ 26 II.2. Efficacious Leadership in customs...................................... 28 II.3. Differences between group directors and team leaders ........ 31 II.4. Differences between a boss and a leader ............................ 32 II.5. Is a leader born or made? ................................................ 33 II.6. The anti-leader ............................................................... 35
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Unit summary .......................................................................... 38 Unit III. Tendencies and theories about leadership........................ 39 Learning objectives ................................................................ 39 III.1. Historic tendencies of leadership ...................................... 39 III.2. Types of leader .............................................................. 41 III.3. Principal theories of leadership ........................................ 53 III.4. Leadership Roles ............................................................ 64 Unit summary .......................................................................... 67 Unit IV. Application to public management................................... 68 Learning objectives ................................................................ 68 IV.1. Administration and leadership .......................................... 68 IV.2. Administrative or management functions ........................... 73 IV.3. Management roles .......................................................... 77 IV.4. Customs management skills ............................................ 79 IV.5. Levels of Management in Administration............................ 82 IV.6. Basic Recommendations for Organization Behavior ............. 83 Unit summary .......................................................................... 86 Bibliography ............................................................................ 87
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Index of figures
Figure No. 1.1. Conditions to apply the management Stogdill’s model. Figure No. 1.2. Importance of leadership. Figure No. 2.1. Components of leadership. Figure No. 3.1. The managerial grid model of Robert Blake and Jane Mouton. Figure No. 3.2. The managerial grid Figure No. 3.3. Leadership roles.
Index of tables
Table No. 2.1. Differences between group directors and team leaders. Table No. 2.2. Differences between a boss and a leader. Table No. 3.1. Characteristics of Leadership. Table No. 3.4. Development level – Leadership style recommended.
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Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition
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Glossary
CCC: Customs Co-operation Council. IDB: Inter-American Development Bank. INCU: International Network of Customs Universities. PICARD:
Partnerships
in
Customs
Academic
Research
and
Development. SAFE Framework: WCO Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade. WCO: World Customs Organization.
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Presentation
The World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) have published more than 130 diagnoses of customs administrations that show the need for the strengthening management capabilities in order to improve the efficiency and efficacy of Central American customs administrations. Facing the challenges of economic globalization in the 21st Century, the customs function requires initiatives to facilitate trade, address security concerns, and implement a new professional approach to management and leadership techniques. The Module is structured in 4 units, plus the present introduction, addressing the following questions in accordance with the specific objectives: •
Concept of leadership.
•
Characteristics of leadership. Differences with other figures. The anti-leader.
•
Tendencies and theories about leadership.
•
Application to public management.
Aim of the Module
The general objective of the present Module is to present basic concepts in reference to the principal theories of management and leadership of organizations and to facilitate the exchange of information and experiences between the personnel and employees of Central American customs administrations. 7
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A content structure has therefore been planned that, once the theoretical reading has been accomplished and the activities provided carried out, training has been completed in accordance with the following specific objectives: •
To know in depth the different types of leaders and their characteristics.
•
To identify the types of leadership most efficient in the management of Public Administrations in order to facilitate decision making.
•
To
analyze
the
key
components
to
being
an
efficient
administrator and productive leader in the management of customs Administrations.
Learning-oriented questions
1. Who can be a good leader? 2. How we can identify certain characteristics to become a leader? 3. Is there a leadership theory? 4. What are the challenges of the public administration leaders? 5. Leadership and customs PICARD program the next generation?
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Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition
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Introduction
The necessity to strengthen leadership in Customs Administrations in accordance
with
World
Customs
Organization
(WCO-OMA)
documents. The Arusha Declaration (Revised) of the WCO (formerly the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC), approved in 1993 and revised in 2003, is in reference to Good Government and ethics in Customs Administrations. Beginning with the fact that Customs administrations around the world accomplish a number of tasks of vital importance in the name of their governments and contribute to such national goals as revenue collection, community protection, trade facilitation and the protection of national security; and recognizing that integrity is a matter primary importance to all nations and for all customs administrations, the Declaration cited agreed that an effective national program in Customs integrity matters must consider ten key factors, the first among which is the factor of leadership and commitment. In accordance with the Arusha Declaration, Customs chiefs and supervisors must assume a strong leadership role and accept a level of responsibility adequate to their functions for ethical standards to be rigorously respected throughout the domain of customs activities. Customs chiefs must demonstrate a clear and unequivocal concern with personal integrity, play an exemplary role against corruption and conform to the letter and spirit of the Code of Conduct.
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In 2008, within the framework of the Global Dialog on Customs Capacity
Building
held
in
London
(United
Kingdom),
the
Chairperson of the WCO Council emphasized that Capacity Building must be developed through continuous action, at the beginning of which must always be the word leadership. More recently, the WCO Capacity Building Committee held in Brussels on November 22, 2010, stated that, in building customs capacities,
the
customs
administration
can
contribute
to
strengthening national infrastructure and institutions. Ingrained in the very fabric of every nation is the responsibility of ensuring that the customs administration is capable of responding to Government expectations.
Strengthening
customs
capacities
in
regard
to
leadership and guaranteeing strong leadership continuity in customs administration
declares
the
possibility
of
contributing
to
the
strengthening of national leadership beyond the limits of customs. It concludes indicating that it is advisable to ensure the existence of strategic vision of capacity building. Such strategy must have a sound foundation to build leadership capacity for the present and for the future. In each administration the leadership must be based on core values and the Functional Leadership Model is a fundamental part of the toolkit. It is also advisable to provide a professional career program to guarantee the selection of leaders, offer leaders the benefits of complementary training and continuity; above all it is advisable to take into account circumstances and opportunities that allow leaders to be tested. It emphasizes that the human factor constitutes the key element of leadership and management. What is in play is the building of competence, aptitudes and knowledge of customs directors in a standardized manner. 10
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In that context, the WCO has converted the Columbus Program into a high level leadership policy that serves as a strategic driver of innovative instruments (such as the Revised Kyoto Convention and the WCO Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade — SAFE), as well as the administrative reorganization of the WCO itself (with the creation of the Capacity Building Directorate), through complementary financing (financial donations from Members devoted to capacity building) and from the exploitation of resources (coordination of donors and the assignment of personnel), to make it the principal motor of the drive to build customs capacity. Finally, the fact must be mentioned that the works begun in 2005 by the WCO and the International Network of Customs Universities (INCU) were completed in 2009 by the WCO Picard Program, which gathers the so-called Common Professional Standards for strategic and operational managers of Customs. The document summarizes the knowledge, abilities, attitudes and behaviors required of strategic leaders and operations administrators of Customs at the world level.
Consult World www.wcoomd.org
Customs
Organization
documents
at
You can also consult the Picard Professional Standards (recommended) at the following web site: http://incu.org/docs/WCO_PICARD_Professional_Standards.pdf
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Unit I. Concept of leadership
Learning objectives
•
Learn general theory, concept, and characteristics of leadership.
I.1. Concept
Leadership is the set of capacities that one person has to influence the mind-set of a specific group of persons, making the team work enthusiastically to achieve goals and objectives. It is also understood as the capacity to take the initiative, act, convoke, promote, encourage, motivate and evaluate a group or team. In the administration of organizations, leadership is the exercise of executive activity in a project in an efficacious and efficient manner, whether the project is personal, managerial or institutional (within the organization’s administrative process). Such leadership can be exercised at the local level, in a small, landlocked customs post, as well as in the management of a large regional directorate of customs offices or from a General Directorate or Superintendency of Customs. According to the Dictionary of the Spanish Language (1986), leadership is defined as the guidance, management or steering of a
political
party,
of
a
social
group
or
other
collective
organization. The Diccionario de Ciencias de la Conducta [Dictionary
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Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition
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of Leadership Science] (1956) defines it as "qualities of personality and capacity that favor the guidance and control of other individuals". The word leadership comes from “leader”, which means guide but, more than a component of the organization, it is a management process that orients and invigorates, driving the human component of the enterprise.
A leader is not one who wants to be but one who can. In order to be a leader one has to have some very outstanding personal qualities not possessed by everyone. Some people are born with these qualities, but they can also be acquired through training and experience. For the rest of the group, the leader represents an authentic example of dedication, enthusiasm and courage. A person who has great future vision but a limited capacity to execute could be a good strategist, but never a leader.
Other authors define leadership as "an intent to influence others, through the process of communication, to the achieve one or several goals" or as “the manifest exercise of the actualization and perfection of a human being, called a leader, who by his/her action places himself/herself at the service of achieving, by means of a mission, one or several objectives proposed by a vision of the future. The objectives proposed by the vision must include and consider objectives that are individual — objectives of individuals who make up the leadership team — as well as objectives of the organization." The leader looks to the long term, outlines some very ambitious objectives for the organization to seek and manages to instill
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enthusiasm in the team to seek those objectives. The leader anticipates change and is ahead of the competition. A person who does not have that vision of the future could be a good manager, a good coordinator, but never an authentic leader. The goals the leader sets are for the good of the organization, as well as for the particular good of each one of its members. The leader is thus able to have people identify with the goals established, so that they make them their own and fight for them with total commitment. A person who is concerned with only his future well-being could hardly become the leader of an organization. The organization would end up rejecting him/her. Once the leader has defined his/her vision of the future, he/she will fight with authentic passion to achieve the objectives.
In addition to this capacity to manage teams, the leader is also characterized by his/her vision of the future.
Watch this video with the principal words and citations for effective leadership. Uploaded by VHR Productions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXfQw9XgqRs
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I.2. Management leadership
The truth is that there are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are people who have tried to define the concept. We -following the thesis of Ralla M. Stogdill- focus on management leadership as the process of directing the working activities of the members of a group and influencing them. That implies that there is a person who can influence and motivate the others (followers). Therefore in this module we insist on the suitability of exercising the capacity of persuasion and influence. Traditionally, the sum of these two variables has been called charisma. However, recent studies in psychology and sociology have concluded that charisma does not have the historic importance that in has been granted and that there are other factors as well (managing abilities) that are more determining at the time that true leadership is built. There are four important implications in Stogdill’s definition: •
In the first place: Leadership involves other people — the employees or followers. The members of the group, given their will to accept the orders of the leader, help define the leader’s position and allow the leadership process to take place; if there were no followers to lead, the qualities of leadership would be irrelevant. The essence of leadership is the fact that there are followers. In other words, the thing that makes one person into a leader is the disposition of people to follow him. In addition, people tend to follow one who offers them the means to satisfy their desires and needs.
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Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition
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Leadership and motivation are closely related to each other. Understanding motivation leads to a better appreciation of what people desire and the reason for their actions. Just as important as having an Administration Customs leader is involving intermediate leaders in addition to the rest of the employees and their agents. Just as important as having a Customs Administration leader, involving intermediate leaders in addition is beneficial to to the rest of the employees The Customs leader has to be conscious of the fact that poor morale on their part, for example, or reduced activity, impacts all their followers in the same sense, just as enthusiasm on their part motivates the entire group. •
In the second: Leadership carries deep within it an unequal distribution of power between the leaders and members of the group. Group members are not without power; they can and, in fact, shape the group’s activities in distinct ways. As a general rule, however, the leader will have more power. It is clear that the exercise of leadership carries an obligation to define the path for members of the group to follow, and -as we shall have occasion to see in Module 2 of this course- to make decisions.
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But the foregoing must be combined with the Customs leader’s involvement in the daily work. As the illustrious Spanish customs writer, Fernando Salazar, points out metaphorically in his book Luchando con el elefante [Fighting with the Elephant]: When I was a soldier -customs agent- what I wanted was to see my boss in his shirt sleeves working shoulder to shoulder with me, always being to the first one to step forward...
and
when
I
was
the
boss
-Customs
Administrator at Barajas- I tried to do exactly what I had liked
so
much
in
the
behavior
of
the
good
managers...always showing my people that they could count on me at any time for any job and that, at peak times the one to open the office and close it would be me. •
In the third: Leadership is the capacity to use different forms of power to influence the conduct of followers in different ways. In fact some leaders have influenced soldiers to kill and some leaders have influenced employees to make personal sacrifices to benefit the company. The power to influence takes us to the fourth aspect of leadership. It is not a case of the labor of the Customs chief affecting the particular job or the customs techniques employed; the boss is proactively demonstrating teamwork attitudes by example. The leader must strengthen the sense of being a part of Customs, making the team members participants in the strategic objectives of Customs, as well as in its mission.
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Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition
•
Module 1
The fourth aspect: It is a combination of the first three, but it recognizes that leadership is a question of values. James MacGregor Burns argues that a leader who ignores the moral components of leadership will go down in history as a scoundrel or worse. Moral leadership is in reference to values; it requires that followers be offered sufficient information about alternatives that, when the time comes to respond to a leader’s leadership demands, they can make an intelligent choice. In particular, in twenty-first century Customs, as we pointed out in the introduction, customs administrations around the world carry out a number of vitally important tasks in the name of their governments. They contribute to such national goals as the
collection
of
revenue,
protection
of
the
community,
facilitation of trade and protection of national security. It is essential for Customs leaders to be able to rely on the support of a set of values, among which ethics is outstanding. This is a fundamental concern of all nations and for all customs administrations, being aware that the presence of corruption can considerably limit the capacity of customs to effectively comply with its mission. Under circumstances in which the frontiers are open to global trade, leadership is crucial in today’s world. Organizations and businesses find themselves in a constant struggle on every front to be more and more competitive and efficient. That pressure compels the people who make them up to be efficient and capable of giving much of themselves for the good of the organization or business.
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To speak of organizations and people, it is indispensable to mention the drivers, today’s leaders, those individuals who achieve the success of their organizations and guide their subordinates to work to attain that success. The leader, like everybody else, has many defects and virtues that he must recognize. That implies first looking into himself, knowing himself in order to understand the others, and reflecting on what he wants to achieve, what he is seeking to do with others in order to attain success. The managerial leader directs the work activities of the group members, influencing and motivating them.
I.3. The team
The leader is that person who is capable of influencing the rest of the team. He is the reference within the group (whether it is a Customs office, a sports team, a business department, etc.). He is the person who sings "the lead voice" within the group; his opinion is the most valued. Leadership has nothing to do with the position he holds in the hierarchy. One person can be the chief of a group and not be its leader and, to the contrary, he can be the leader without being the chief. The chief decides what has to be done by virtue of the authority he is granted by his position in the hierarchy.
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The leader, without necessarily having that authority in the hierarchy, is also capable of deciding what the group does, on the basis of the influence he exercises, influence determined by the "moral authority" he exercises in regard to the rest of the team. Knowing that there is a leader in front of the group inspires confidence in the members of group. What characterizes the leader is his ability to lead teams: •
He gets each member to work and contribute his best effort in the struggle to attain the common objective (whether it is winning the championship, improving Customs results or winning political elections, etc.).
•
A well-managed organization has great potential. The leader is not a superhero, a messiah or supernatural, he is the product of a personal growth process that leads him to understand and measure his capacities and his weaknesses, to know where and how to contribute to achieving, in this case, the goals of the organization.
•
The leader is capable of inspiring, guiding and learning from others, and of teaching others how to learn.
•
A leader is a teacher and a student at the same time.
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Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition
•
Module 1
There is no leadership in isolation. Leadership supposes a context — people. To mention people means mentioning the transcendence and importance of the persons who grant the condition of leader. At the present time, more than leaders, per se, the talk is of lead teams, groups, organizations or customs agencies.
•
The key factor of leadership is found in group strength and in relationships based on confidence, on creativity, not only in the design of products, but in the resolution of problems, in shared challenges and in fondness toward people.
•
The vision that workers generally have of their chief is one of the boss giving orders, issuing instructions, deciding and telling others what must be done, imposing criteria, distributing work, controlling and supervising tasks.
•
The concern of a manager and leader ought to be centered on creating such an image that his subordinates think of him as one more collaborator, a guide, a person who listens to people, generates confidence, is naturally accepted by the group, a good communicator who supports and helps, who transmits assurance.
•
The director who is a leader works to be accepted for his charisma and service to a team requiring assistance; he provides guidance to meet established goals the group has already negotiated.
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Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition
•
Module 1
The leader is the team’s backup, the person who makes it possible for people to voice their concerns, develop their initiatives and show their creativity. The leader encourages responsibility,
team
spirit,
personal
development,
and,
especially, he is the craftsman creating a spirit of ownership that brings collaborators together to decide on the measures to be taken. While the theories of leadership are situated in the modern era, the truth is that the classics referred to the exercise of leadership in the management of teams. Plutarch wrote, more than two thousand years ago, in reference to the abilities of Gaius Marius, that: “There is nothing that delights the Roman soldier more than seeing their commander eat the same bread as himself, lying on a common bed of straw, or assisting in the work of digging a trench. What they admire in a commander is his disposition to partake of the same labor and danger as they; more than their ability to confer honor and riches on them, they love them better that will vouchsafe to join in their efforts than those that encourage their idleness.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCTWygNi4A8
Actually, it is easy to understand the advantages of leadership. As K. Blachard
says
(1991):
"Leadership
generates
greater
profitability, productivity, quality and teamwork.”
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Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition
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Is it enough for a manager to read these lines or a book about leadership to, automatically, be a team leader?"
Unfortunately, the answer is no. There is a double problem that must be taken into account: •
The first part is cultural and can be resolved with adequate training. The participants in this module must not think that the scant 15 hours they will dedicate to this module will make them leaders, but they should be convinced that, just as with any study or career, by applying method, system, training and time, people can learn the principles of leadership and put them into effective practice.
•
The second is attitude, a bit more complicated, but not impossible of solution. Many seminar participants would have to contemplate attitude changing in their objectives to allow people to know themselves, to analyze the origin of their character, temperament and relationships, to be able to make decisions to change that help them move toward a more harmonious and satisfactory coexistence with themselves and their environment, healthy in the personal and relationship spheres.
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Figure No. 1.2. Importance of leadership
Source: Prepared by the author.
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Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition
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Unit summary
•
The truth is that there are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are people who have tried to define the concept.
•
Leadership is the set of capacities that one person has to influence the mind-set of a specific group of persons, making the team work enthusiastically to achieve goals and objectives
•
The leader is that person who is capable of influencing the rest of the team.
•
There are four important implications in Stogdill’s Leadership definition:
1. Leadership involves other people 2. unequal
distribution
of
power
between
the
leaders
and
members of the group 3. forms of power to influence the conduct of followers in different ways 4. is a question of values
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Unit II. Characteristics of leadership. Differences with other figures. The anti-leader
Learning objectives
•
Understand and identify the different leadership characteristics.
•
Know principal components of those characteristics, among other issues.
II.1. Characteristics
We understand the leader as having the following characteristics: a) The leader must have the character of a member, that is, he must belong to the group he heads; he must share with the rest of them the group’s cultural patterns and meanings. b) The primary significance of being the leader is not the result of any individual, unique or universal trait (tall, short, appearance, voice, etc.). c) But each group considers the leader to be the one who stands out in something of interest to the group; he is more brilliant or a better organizer, the one with more tact, is more aggressive, more saintly or kinder. d) Each group makes up its ideal prototype, so there can be no single ideal for all groups. The leader must organize, be
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vigilant, direct or simply motivate the group to specific actions or inactions in accordance with the group’s needs. e) Leaders build relationships of confidence, demonstrating remarkable consistency between their word and the facts. In addition, subordinates see their leaders as not subject to doubt. Leaders must have confidence in themselves. f) Finally, another requirement the leader faces is having the opportunity to play the role in the group; if such a possibility does not occur, he will never be able to demonstrate leadership capacity. Figure No. 2.1. Components of leadership
Source: Prepared by the author.
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II.2. Efficacious Leadership in customs
The characteristics of an efficacious leader are: •
They manage themselves well: They are capable of thinking for themselves and can work independently, without supervision, confident of their abilities.
•
They are committed to a goal external to them.
•
They create competence, ambition and energy and they focus their efforts to get maximum impact.
•
They are brave, honest and deserve credit.
However, the foregoing characteristics do not guarantee success, since they bypass the needs of followers and situational factors. Leaders
could
be
irrelevant
when
subordinates
have
such
characteristics as experience, training, "professional" guidance or indifference
toward
organizational
rewards
and
can,
therefore,
replace or neutralize the effect of leadership.
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Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition
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In addition of all the foregoing, we consider that, in the case of Customs management, all leaders must: •
Understand the economic and political trends of their environment and their impacts on Customs administration and on the organization’s strategy.
•
Possess the capacity to formulate strategies (mission-vision).
•
Identify key factors for implementing organizational changes in Customs.
•
Promote a culture of service to Customs’ internal client (the customs operator) and Customs’ external client (the citizen).
•
Redesign processes and implement organizational learning processes for members of the Customs team.
In accordance with the Common Standards of the PICARD Program of the World Customs Organization, the strategic customs leader must: 1.
Demonstrate
critical
comprehension
of
all
national
and
international economic policies and of microeconomics and macroeconomics as well. 2.
Comprehend the role of customs in applying government policy to people and trade activities on the frontier, as well as basic management controls.
3.
Comprehend the Customs business and its regulatory system.
4.
Demonstrate strategic planning capacity.
5.
Train for the development and implementation of new policies, local or international in origin.
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Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition
6.
Module 1
Have the possibility of obtaining and assigning government financial, technical and human resources to efficaciously meet Customs’ business objectives.
7.
Understand the context in which risk must be managed, including the information, intelligence, structure and system requirements for an efficacious preventive risk management system with a reach of elements.
8.
Identify key information sources: Comprehension of the information to the basic systems required to manage and report on the Customs business and maintain corporate memory.
9.
Envision the international supply chain and the role of customs within it.
10.Comprehend
simplification
the use of information technology to provide a of
procedures,
security
of
transactions,
information for management and clear communications. 11.Practice
and communicate the principles that support good
government. Create an ethical environment. 12.Seek
the satisfaction of internal and external clients and an
ongoing dialog with them. Finally, and in contrast with what we can find in other important areas of the Administration or in the performance of ministries that are political in nature, the customs leader requires — in addition to knowledge of management — notions of macroeconomics (and practices if possible) as well as concrete knowledge in regard to the functioning of the international logistics chain or risk analysis and management.
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II.3. Differences between group directors and team leaders
Table No. 2.1. Differences between group directors and team leaders GROUP DIRECTORS
TEAM LEADERS
- Primary interest in complying with current
- Present goals are accomplished without
objectives impedes his thinking about what he
problems. Can be a visionary in regard to
could obtain by reorganization to encourage
what people could achieve as a team. Shares
the collaboration of group members.
his visions and acts in accordance with them.
- Reactive with upper management, his equals
-
and employees.
relationships. Shows a personal style. Can
Is
proactive
stimulate
in
the
excitement
majority
and
action.
of
his
Inspires
teamwork and mutual support. - Is disposed to involving people in planning
- Can make people get involved and assume
and the solution of problems up to a certain
commitments. Makes it easy for others to see
point and within certain limits.
the opportunities of working as a team. Allows people to act. Is a motivator.
- Distrusts employees who know their job
- Seeks anyone who wants to stand out
better than he does.
and work constructively with others. Feels that his duty is to encourage and facilitate such conduct.
- Considers resolving problems a waste of
- Considers that the solution of problems is
time or as an abdication of management
a responsibility of the members of the team.
responsibility.
Communicates
totally
and
openly.
- Controls information and communicates only
-
what the members of group need or must
Accepts questions. Allows the team to conduct
know.
its own scrutiny.
- Ignores conflicts between staff members or
-
with other groups.
become destructive.
- Occasionally changes group agreements for
- Makes an effort to see that individual and
personal convenience.
team achievements are recognized at a
Intervenes
in
conflicts
before
they
proper time and in an opportune manner. Keeps commitments and expects the rest of the team to do the same. Source: Prepared by the author.
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II.4. Differences between a boss and a leader
Table No. 2.2. Differences between a boss and a leader BOSS
LEADER
Exists because of authority.
Exists because of good will.
Considers authority a command privilege.
Considers authority a privilege of service.
Inspires fear.
Inspires confidence.
Knows how things are done.
Teaches how to do things.
Tells people: Go!
Tells people: Let’s go!
Manages people like dominos.
Doesn’t treat people as things.
Arrives on time.
Arrives early.
Assigns.
Gives an example. Source: Prepared by the author.
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II.5. Is a leader born or made?
This question always comes up when tackling the subject of leadership. Leadership has biological roots based on two chemical substances — serotonin and testosterone. Higher levels of serotonin appear to improve sociability and control aggression, while high levels of testosterone increase the drive to compete. The general opinion is that there are leaders who are born with innate capacities and there are others who develop gradually into leaders during their professional experience. Innate abilities favor a leader’s development, but sometimes the professional development one undergoes and the experience that keeps on accumulating is a more determining factor. There are techniques of leadership, decision making, team leadership, motivation, communication, etc. that the leader has to know and know well. It is necessary to point out the importance of attending leadership seminars and reading books about the subject. Gradually assuming responsibilities, making decisions, resolving problems, confronting difficult situations as they develop will allow the forging of an authentic leader. For that reason, overprotecting people is not good for their human and professional development. It is important for them to become acquainted, from the beginning, with the value of their efforts as they progress; as they gradually confront certain "difficulties," they finally learn to develop in an autonomous manner. 33
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It is necessary to encourage customs employees to gradually assume competencies and for them to become more and more accustomed to confronting problems. It prepares them today so that, in the future, they will be capable of taking the reins of the organization. Preparation and experience are aspects that must be carefully built into all personnel formation programs and it is advisable to begin to do so from their initiation into the customs organization to gradually develop leadership capacities. Another essential aspect to being able to exercise good leadership is knowing in depth the terrain in which one is moving. A business leader can play a secondary role in a tennis club (for example) if he is a member even if his knowledge of the sport, of how it functions, its environment, etc., is limited. In spite of the leader not having any reason to be a specialist in the matter, he must have a solid and integral foundation that allows him to have very clear ideas and an overall knowledge of the activity it carries on (whether it is business, sports, cultural, etc.). Leadership is based on spontaneous recognition by the rest of the team, which requires the leader to be on top of circumstances. If the group detects significant defects in him he will eventually be rejected. Subordinates understand that the leader has no reason to know everything down to the last detail (that is what experts are for), but he is expected to have sufficiently solid knowledge. In accordance with the Picard Program, the Customs leader must, among his abilities, be capable of communicating a clear direction for the customs business to take on all its levels. He must assimilate and critically analyze complex information to provide vision. In addition, he must be able to delegate responsibly: That is what is called leadership ability. 34
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II.6. The anti-leader
In previous paragraphs we have enumerated the qualities that all leaders must possess. For the opposite we would have those contrasting qualities that would characterize the anti-leader. Nevertheless, we are going to point out some of the more relevant: Arrogance: He believes he owns the truth; he does not listen, he does not ask for advice, he does not accept other points of view, he does not know how to recognize his errors, he does not recognize his own limitations. All of that can lead him to commit very serious errors that endanger the future of the business, in addition to the fact that such behavior generates strong rejection among employees. Does not keep his word: Promises and does not deliver. His team expects the reward that was promised and it fails to materialize, which causes him to lose all credibility. The team loses confidence in him and will not be disposed to continue making additional efforts. Fearful: He is insecure, which makes him extremely jealous of what little power he has. His fear that someone can outshine him leads him to surround himself with mediocre people. He suffers from complexes. Fear of showing weakness makes him reject advice. He refuses to listen and cannot let the people on his team shine. This type of executive ends up despised by his team.
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Burnt
out:
A
burnt-out
personality
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is
unlikely
to
generate
enthusiasm in his team. If the leader lacks energy, optimism and drive he can do little to motivate his employees. Refuses risks: A leader must fight for some objectives, even if they are difficult goals; he is obliged to travel unknown roads. To assume risks. A person who avoids risk at all costs is a conformist who is content with what he has; he is unlikely to be capable of leading the business in any interesting direction. As changeable as the present world is, standing still is another word for losing. Dishonest: When the director lacks solid ethical principles it is not surprising that he eventually commits injustices. The team is unlikely to follow a person they cannot trust; they are more likely to despise him in the end. Lack of vision: A leader earns the support of the organization by offering it a project that really stimulates; a leader sells illusions. If the chief has no project, what can he offer his team? Continuity? Anybody can do that: Continuity in today’s world is the quickest route to disappearance. Egotist: A person whose principal (and sometimes only) concern is his own interest is unlikely to win the support of his team. Employees are immediately aware of the risk they run trusting their destiny to such a person, so they will try anything to get him out of management. Utopian: A leader is a person who moves to the future, but always keeping his feet on the ground, without failing to be a realist.
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If a leader proposes objectives that are too utopian, people will lose their confidence in him. Steady employment is a serious subject and the staff is not going to permit embarking on adventures with an uncertain end. A utopian can put the future of the business at risk. Authoritarian:
A
chief
who
bases
his
management
on
the
employment of fear can sometimes get very good results in the short run, but in the end he inexorably damages the organization. Members of his team will take advantage of the slightest opportunity to change jobs. No one can stand a tyrant. The environment he generates is very tense; people act without initiative, work without enthusiasm, and are probably incapable of giving their best.
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Unit summary
Characteristics of leader a)
belong to the group
b)
stands out in something
c)
must organize, be vigilant, direct or simply motivate
d)
build relationships of confidence
e)
opportunity to play the role
The Common Standards of the PICARD Program of the World Customs Organization identify 12 the strategic customs leader must possess: The anti-leader Arrogance, Does not keep his word, Fearful Burnt out, Refuses
risks,
Dishonest,
Lack
of
vision,
Egotist,
Utopian,
Authoritarian.
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Unit III. Tendencies and theories about leadership
Learning objectives
•
Understand the latest developments related to leadership theory.
III.1. Historic tendencies of leadership
Throughout time, and as changes have taken place in the life styles of people and their organizations, new styles of leadership have emerged. The authors distinguish five ages of leadership, and we presently find ourselves in transition toward the sixth: 1. Age of conquest leadership During this period conquest was the principal threat. People looked for an omnipotent chief; a despotic, dominant commander who would promise the people security in exchange for loyalty and their taxes. 2. Age of commercial leadership At the beginning of the industrial age, security was not the principal function of leadership. People began to seek leaders who could show them how to improve their living standard. 3. Age of organization leadership Standards of living were raised and became more attainable. People began to seek a place to "belong." The standard of leadership became the capacity to organize. 39
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4. Age of innovation leadership As the rate of innovation increased, products and methods frequently became obsolete before leaving the drawing board. The leaders of innovation were extremely innovative individuals who could manage the problems of the growing rapidity of obsolesce. 5. Age of information leadership If the last three ages developed with extreme rapidity (the third began in the 1920s), it is obvious that, at the present time, no company can survive without leaders who understand, or know how to manage, information. The modern information leader is the person who best understands the process, the one who interprets more intelligently and utilizes information in the most modern and creative manner. 6. Leadership in the "New Age" The new millennium has transformed the practices of organizations, and among them Customs – committed today to the new mission of securing the supply chain – and that has transformed the abilities and characteristics that the new business environment demands of leaders.
The
characteristics
described
in
this
work
clearly
demonstrate that today’s leader must possess a profile very different from that of the leader for the past several decades, whose model chief was mostly adjusted to control and supervision. Twenty-first century leaders are required to have a different preparation to be able meet the needs of modern businesses. The knowledge of more than one language, university studies, computer skills and communication capabilities are some of the aspects successful and competitive leaders must have in mind.
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Today’s leader must to know a little bit of everything in order to be able to interact with the average person and efficiently direct the destiny of the business. He must be a strategist, an organizer and a proactive leader. In order to be able to organize, he needs to know where he is going, how he is going to get organized, and how to be a leader at each step along the way. In the case of Customs, the leader must master innumerable functions, and know, too, all those extraneous aspects that can affect the organization, be prepared to confront change and conscious of the fact that, as time passes, not only will new tools useful to overcome any adversity appear on the road ahead but obstacles that cloud the panorama as well. It is then that he will have to demonstrate that he can face up to all that and, in conjunction with the human team he leads, confront the adversities and learn from each circumstance in order to experience future developments.
III.2. Types of leader
The most common way to define leadership styles has been the description of the three basic styles. Levin’s study, identify the autocratic leader, the participative leader and the liberal leader. a) In accordance with their style and manner of exercising leadership Leaders have shown many different focuses with respect to how they meet their responsibilities in relation to their followers. The most common focus in the analysis of leader behavior is to classify the various existing types of leadership. Styles vary in accordance with
the
duties
the
leader
must
perform
himself,
the 41
Customs Management and Leadership. 4th Edition
responsibilities
he
wants
his
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superiors
to
accept
and
his
philosophic commitment toward the realization and fulfillment of his subordinates’ expectations. Many terms have been used to define leadership styles, but perhaps the most important has been the description of the three basic styles: the autocratic leader, the participative leader and the liberal leader. In Levin’s study, based on the use of authority: •
The autocratic leader: An autocratic leader assumes all the responsibility of decision making, initiates actions, directs, motivates and controls subordinate. The decision is centralized in the leader. He considers that he alone is competent and capable of making important decisions; he may feel his subordinates are incapable of giving themselves guidance or he may have other reasons to assume a solid position of force and control. The response asked of subordinates is obedience and adherence
to
his
decisions.
The
autocrat
observes
the
performance levels of his subordinates with the hope of avoiding any deviations they may present with respect to his directives. The more radical version coincides with that of dictator leadership: he forces his own ideas on the group instead of allowing the rest of the team to be responsible, to be independent. He is inflexible and he likes order. He destroys the creativity of the team. •
The democratic or participative leader: When a leader adopts the participative style, he utilizes consultations to practice leadership. He does not delegate his right to make final decisions and he gives specific directives to his subordinates but he consults their ideas and opinions about many decisions that concern them. If he wants to be an effective participative 42
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leader, he listens and seriously analyzes his subordinates’ ideas and accepts their contributions as much as is possible and practical. The participative leader cultivates decision making by his subordinates so that their ideas become more and more useful and mature. He also encourages his subordinates to increase their capacity for self-control and urges them to assume more responsibility for guiding their own efforts. He is a leader who supports his subordinates and does not assume the posture of a dictator. However, the final authority in matters of importance continues to be in his hands. A variant is paternalistic leadership: He has confidence in his followers, makes the majority of the decisions, delivering both awards and punishments. His labor consists of having his employees work more and better. He encourages them, motivates them and builds up their expectations of possible prizes if they achieve the objective. •
The liberal (laissez faire) leader: In this style of leadership, the leader delegates the authority to make decisions to his subordinates. He may tell his followers, "Here is a job to do. It’s not important to me how it is done as long as it is done well.” This
leader
expects
the
subordinates
to
assume
the
responsibility for their own motivation, guidance and control. Except for stipulating a minimum number of rules, this style of leadership provides the team with very little contact and support. Obviously, the subordinates have to be highly qualified and capable for this leadership focus to have satisfactory results.
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Of course, as we have seen in examples, various degrees of leadership exist between these styles. Some authors separate out one of these leadership styles and promote it as a panacea for all supervision
needs.
administration,
The
although
majority there
emphasizes
were
several
participative defenders
of
autocratic style who promoted it as the only efficient technique. There are occasional promoters of a loose reins style who say it is singularly beneficial. More recent tendencies emphasize the necessity of adaptation and flexibility in the use of leadership styles, as opposed to perfecting only one style. In the present dynamic society, administrators are believed to be rare whose thoughts and preferences are completely equal and no workers seem to have identical capacities and needs. And almost never do two organizations exist with identical goals and objectives.
Therefore
administrator
to
take
it
is
into
generally account
recommended a
series
of
for
factors
the in
determining the style of leadership appropriate to a particular situation. In few words, one style of leadership will be more efficacious in the presence of certain situational factors, while another style can be more useful if the factors change.
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Table No. 3.1. Characteristics of Leadership Characteristics of Leadership
I) Authoritarian
II) Participative
III) Laissez-faire
Principal focus
Performance
Depending on the situation
None
Impact on Personnel
Mixed
Collaborators involved
Neutral, background only
Influence on the achievement of objectives
Much
Much
Little
Influence on the working climate
Little
Much
Little
Source: Prepared by the author.
Watch this video about the types of leadership according to Lewin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPg2m2V2F1w
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SUMMARIZING… FORMS OF LEADERSHIP IN ACCORDANCE WITH STYLE The autocratic leader: An autocratic leader assumes all the responsibility for decision making, initiates actions, directs, motivates and controls subordinates. Thinks that he alone is competent and capable of making important decisions. The response expected of the subordinates is obedience and adherence to his decisions. The leader democratic or participative leader: Utilizes consultations to practice leadership. Does not delegate his right to make final decisions and gives specific directives to his subordinates but consults their ideas and opinions about many decisions that concern them. The participative leader cultivates the decision making of his subordinates so that their ideas become more and more useful and mature. The leader liberal (laissez faire): Delegates the authority to make decisions to his subordinates. He may tell his followers, "Here is a job to do. It’s not important to me how it is done as long as it is done well.” This leader expects subordinates to assume responsibility for their own motivation, guidance and control. Obviously, subordinates have to be highly qualified and capable for this leadership focus to have satisfactory results.
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b) In accordance with the leader’s type of influence on his subordinates •
Transactional Leadership: Is that type of leadership in which the members of a team recognize the leader as authority and as leader. The leader provides the resources considered valid for the working team. Transactional leaders identify what their subordinates need to meet their objectives. They clarify organizational functions and tasks,
establish
an
organizational
structure,
reward
performance and take the social needs of their team into account.
They
work
intensely
and
attempt
to
lead
the
subordinates
by
organization with efficiency and efficacy. This
type
of
leadership
motivates
compensating their high performance and repressing their low performance. Subordinates are motivated, recognized and rewarded when their performance is high, and when they are punished and repressed it is because their performance is low. That is the way transactional leadership functions, centering its attention on interpersonal transactions between managers and employees. Leaders are considered to be developing behaviors that
maintain
quality
interactions
between
leaders
and
followers. The two underlying characteristics of transactional leadership are: 1.
Leaders make use of contingent compensation to motivate their employees and
2.
Leaders
apply
subordinates
corrective
are
not
measures
meeting
only
established
when
their
performance
objectives.
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Transformational or charismatic leadership: In this case the leader is capable of changing his followers’ scale of values, attitudes and beliefs. The principal things a charismatic leader does are: disagrees with the established order, desires to change it, proposes a new alternative and is capable of exciting and convincing his collaborators; he uses unconventional and innovative means to attain the change and is capable of assuming personal risk. Transformational leaders articulate a vision and inspire their followers. Even so they possess the capacity to motivate, to adapt
organizational
culture
and
create
an
environment
favorable to organizational change. Numerous information technology companies (ITCs) have
programs to
promote
transformational leadership for the purpose of quickly renewing their organizations to make them more sensitive to rapid changes. Transformational leadership occurs when the leader changes his subordinates in three ways: 1.
He makes them aware that their work is important to the organization so that they reach their goals.
2.
He makes them aware of their own needs for personal growth, development and achievement.
3.
He motivates them to work well, and to think not only of their
personal
benefits
but
of
benefits
to
the
entire
organization. When one thinks of charismatic leaders, such persons as Winston Churchill, MartĂn Luther King and Mother Teresa come immediately to mind.
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Charismatic leadership relies “on the leader’s symbolic conduct, on
his
visionary,
inspiring
messages,
on
nonverbal
communication, on recourse to ideological values, on the leader’s
intellectual
stimulus
of
his
followers,
on
the
demonstration of self-confidence and confidence in his followers and on the leader’s expectations of his followers’ self-sacrifice and their performance above and beyond duty.” Charismatic leadership effects important changes and results in the organization because it “transforms” personnel so that they seek
the
organization’s
objectives
instead
of
their
own
interests. Charismatic leadership affects employee motivation. One of the ways it functions is to increase the intrinsic value of the employee’s efforts and objectives. In a recent study 35 empirical studies were identified that approached very diverse samples and organizations. The results showed that charismatic leaders received performance grades; they were considered the most efficacious leaders not only by their supervisors but by their followers as well and had more satisfied and productive followers than non-charismatic leaders. These results emphasize four important implications for management. In the first place, the best leaders are not simply charismatic; they are transactional and charismatic at the same time. Leaders must attempt to assume these two types of leadership, while avoiding a “laissez-faire” (“hands off”) type of style. Laissez-faire leadership is the least efficient style.
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In the second place, charismatic leadership is not applicable to all situations that occur in organizations. According to that study it is more probable for charismatic leadership to be effective when the situation offers opportunities for “moral� participation. In the third place, employees at any level of an organization may receive training to be more transactional and charismatic. Organizational development values are thereby strengthened and
all
employees
are
exposed
to
a
combination
of
transactional and charismatic leadership training. In the fourth place, charismatic leaders can be ethical or they may lack ethics. While ethical charismatic leaders allow the growth of their employees’ self-concepts, charismatic leaders lacking in ethics choose or produce obedient, dependent and complacent followers. Upper management can create and maintain ethical charismatic leadership by: o
Creating and putting a clearly established code of ethics into effect.
o
Recruiting, selecting and promoting people with high moral and ethical standards.
o
Developing
performance
expectations
centered
on
the
treatment of employees; these expectations can then be evaluated during the performance review process. o
Training personnel to know and value diversity.
o
Identifying, compensating and publicly praising personnel who serve as an example of an elevated moral culture.
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In addition to the foregoing, author Cyril Levicki, in his book “The Leadership Gene” proposes, the existence of these other types of leadership: •
Leaders of Superior Intelligence: They work better when organizations employ highly qualified people, thus obtaining transactions with optimal results. They quickly reject and are not comfortable in market confrontations with low value popular products highly dependent on their trademark. In consequence this type of leader of superior intelligence admires intelligence in other persons. Leaders with great empathy therefore totally reject those of superior intelligence.
•
Minister
Leader:
Very
dependable
in
smooth-running
organizations, but ineffective when faced with emergency crises that require quick decisions. This type of leader feels very comfortable in mercantile organizations of maximum stability. •
Military Leader: Highly competent for making preparations but not for arriving at conclusions. They think there is no necessity to arrive at conclusions, given their belief that their preparation is so good that they will always win the battles.
•
Royal Dignity Leader: Have their best opportunities when they find themselves working in very old market leader organizations, and they do not adapt to those organizations whose products have a massive demand. This style is not recommendable to organizations, due to the difficulty of shaking them out of their role as a consequence of the fact that it costs them too much to accept that their behavior is not the best.
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•
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Natural Leader: Their behavior is outstanding in the majority of circumstances, and especially in those world corporations whose trademarks are recognized. Have difficulties in adapting to
organizations
whose
operations
are
excessively
sales
oriented. It could be said that this type of leader is the more efficacious, since one of their greatest abilities is the motivation they transmit to their closest followers so that they work with pleasure and keep shareholders satisfied.
SUMMARIZING… FORMS OF LEADERSHIP IN ACCORDANCE WITH INFLUENCE ON SUBORDINATES Transactional Leadership: Is that type in which the members of a team recognize the leader as authority and as leader. They clarify organizational functions and tasks, establish an organizational structure. The two underlying characteristics of transactional leadership are: •
Leaders make use of contingent compensation to motivate their employees and
•
Leaders apply corrective measures only in the case of their subordinates not meeting established performance objectives.
Transformational or charismatic leadership: In this case the leader has the capability to change the scale of values, attitudes and beliefs of his followers. Disagrees with the established order and wants to change it, proposes alternatives with capability to excite and convince. The leader changes his followers in 3 ways: •
He makes them aware that their work is important to the organization so that they reach their goals.
•
He makes them aware of their own needs for personal growth, development and achievement.
•
He motivates them to work well, and to think not only of their personal benefits but of benefits to the entire organization.
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c) In accordance with the formality of his election •
Formal leadership: pre-established by the organization.
•
Informal leadership: emerges from the group.
III.3. Principal theories of leadership
Great man theory According to this theory, leaders are born, not made. These studies focus on the personal traits of leaders and attempt to identify a group of characteristics or individual traits that would distinguish leaders from followers, and successful leaders from unsuccessful leaders. Trait theory Trait theory isolates the characteristics that distinguish leaders from those who are not. According to the theory of traits a leader must possess adequate characteristics for the individual to be an effective leader. The comparison of leaders with other leaders and followers for various physical, intellectual, personality and other traits, has been a popular focus, but criticized by researchers. Behavior theory In contrast to the theory of traits, this one focuses on the behavior patterns of leaders with respect to their interaction with the members of the group. Many investigators of this school of thought suggest that there is a style for each administrative scenario.
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Adherents to this behavior theory say the style of a leader either leans toward the employee, or toward the job. In the case of being centered on the employee, the leader emphasizes the development of open, friendly relationships with employees and is very sensitive their personal and social needs. An orientation centered on the job is one in which the leader emphasizes getting the work done through planning, organization, delegation, decision making, the evaluation of performance and the exercise of strict administrative controls. Various research efforts have focused on those two extremes and on intermediate levels of leadership behavior. Contingency theories Are theories that distinguish different organization structures and processes to achieve efficiency in alternative situations. The contingency point of view requires a fundamental change of philosophy: It is necessary to abandon the traditional point of view that there are preferable organization forms that could remain relatively fixed for all time. According to the theorists, the most effective leadership style must be predicted under variable circumstances. We will examine some of the more popular contingency theories that attempt to satisfy this objective. a) The Fiedler model This theory was developed by Fred Fiedler and proposes that effective
group
performance
depends
on
an
appropriate
conjunction between the style of the leader when he interacts with his subordinates and the degree to which the situation allows the leader to control and exercise his influence.
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This model is based on an appropriate combination of different styles of leadership and different situations. Fiedler identifies two principal leadership styles: •
Leaders motivated by relationships, who take into account the needs of subordinates, listen to them and take their suggestions and recommendations into account, keep the feelings of personnel in mind, and at the same time, as leaders, give importance to what the subordinate thinks in respect to them.
•
Leaders motivated by the task, who give highest priority to getting results with the resources assigned and within the time given. This type of leader feels comfortable in a structured organization
with
clear
procedures
where
a
working
methodology exists that the personnel must comply with. In situations where the organization has not developed such procedures,
they
are
eager
to
develop,
implement
and
administer such procedures. This can be applied to cases of recognized leaders such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Hitler, who they exercised influence on their followers and specified the tasks for which they acquired power; they were all “successful” (the latter with some notable differences) although the situations may be different and the behaviors distinct, but each one of these individuals attains success because he is taking into account an adequate situation, depending on its existence, because, as Fiedler says, "the performance of leadership depends on the organization as much on as the attributes of the leader."
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b) Situational theory of Hersey−Blanchard. Situational leadership is a contingency theory that emphasizes subordinates. Success in leadership is achieved by selecting the adequate leadership style, which Hersey and Blanchard say is contingent on the availability of subordinates. Situational leadership employs two dimensions, which are behavior toward tasks and toward relationship. In this theory there are four specific leadership styles, which are: •
D.1. Telling: The leader defines roles and tells the persons what, how, when and where they will perform various tasks.
•
D.2. Selling: The leader shows directive behavior, as well as supportive behavior.
•
D.3. Participating: The leader and his followers share decision making; the principal role of the leader is to facilitate and communicate.
•
D.4. Delegating: The leader provides little direction and support. Table No. 3.1. Development level – Leadership style recommended Development Level (in accordance with the competence and interest of subordinate)
Leadership Style Recommended
Little competence — Much Interest
Telling
Some competence — Little interest
Selling
Much competence — Interest variable
Participating
Much competence — Much interest
Delegating
Source: Prepared by the author
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c) Path-Goal Theory This theory was developed by Robert House, and states that the behavior of a leader is acceptable to the subordinates when they see it as a source of immediate or future satisfaction. The behavior of a leader motivates to the extent that it satisfies and covers the needs of the subordinates and provides the advice, guidance,
support
and
recompense
necessary
for
effective
performance. It proposes that the leader can motivate the subordinates of the following manner: •
Clearly identifying the results that the subordinates are trying to obtain in the work.
•
Compensating
them
for
high
performance
and
for
achievement of goals with benefits they desire. •
Clarifying the paths for them to reach the goals, removing obstacles to higher performance and showing confidence in them.
This theory says leaders must display these 4 behaviors to motivate employees: •
Directive behaviors: include the establishment of goals, the performance of tasks and steps to carry them out. The leader offers subordinates specific orientation and clarifies his
expectations,
including
planning,
organization,
coordination and control aspects.
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Supportive behaviors: are similar to consideration and include expressing interest in subordinates and taking their concerns into account; interest is shown in their welfare and an agreeable organizational environment is created. These behaviors have the greatest impact on the performance of subordinates in cases in which they feel frustrated or unsatisfied.
•
Participative behaviors: allow the subordinates to express their opinion and make decisions, and can result in greater motivation.
•
Achievement-oriented
behaviors:
motivate
the
subordinates to give their maximum effort. These behaviors imply the establishment of ambitious goals, a search for better performance and confidence that the subordinates will reach high goals. More than suggesting a preference for a certain modality of leadership, this theory proposes the selection of one style or another, whichever is more appropriate, depending on the situation. Ambiguous and uncertain situations can be frustrating to the subordinates and demand a more task oriented style. Subordinates may see a desire to exercise excessive control in such actions. That can be unsatisfactory as well. In other words, employees want the leader not to get in their way, because the path to follow is already sufficiently clear. The path-goal theory is of enormous importance to practicing administrators. However, at the same time it is necessary to mention the necessity for additional proofs of the model before employing it as a specific guide to administrative action. 58
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d) Theory of Leadership Decision Victor Vroom and Phillip Yetton have investigated leadership style of in the context of the participation the leader allows subordinates to make decisions. They identify five styles of leadership based on the degree of employee participation and the power to make administrative decisions. 1.
Autocratic Type I. This style recommends that the leader resolve all the problems and make a decision by himself, utilizing the information available at the time of the decision.
2.
Autocratic Type II. This style recommends that the leader obtain the necessary information from his subordinates and then make the decision personally without involving them in formulating and evaluating alternative decisions. This style involves the subordinates only to the degree that they provide the information for the leader’s personal decision.
3.
Consultative Type I. This style suggests that the leader share the information related to the problem with the employees on an individual basis, request and obtain suggestions from subordinates with respect to the solution for the decision, considering them carefully in order to make the decision personally.
4.
Consultative Type II. This style recommends that the leader share the problems with the subordinates as a collective group, obtain ideas and suggestions from the group and then make the decision
personally
recommendations
on
and
the
basis
alternative
of
the
suggestions
influence, of
the
subordinates.
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5.
Module 1
Group-based Type II. This style suggests that the leader share the problems with the entire group and that they generate and evaluate alternatives together in an attempt to reach a consensus on the solution to the problem. In this style, the
leader
accepts,
adopts
and
executes
the
solutions
recommended by the entire group.
According to Vroom and Yetton, seven questions must be answered to determine the style of leadership most appropriate to any given administrative decision. These are the questions: 1. How important is the quality of the decision? 2. Is the information adequate and sufficiently expert to make a high quality decision? 3. How structured is the problem, or up to what point is it adequately structured? 4. Will the subordinates’ acceptance of the decision affect their effective execution of the decision? 5. Can I make the decision myself, and can I be sure that it will be accepted by my subordinates and receive their cordial cooperation? 6. How motivated will the subordinates be to reach the organization’s objectives when they do not see themselves represented in the solution afforded the problem? 7. Is a conflict probable between the subordinates in regard to the solution they back for a specific problem?
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e) The managerial grid model of Robert Blake and Jane Mouton. These authors designed the well-known administrative grid that distinguishes between leadership styles in accordance with the application of the following two dimensions: the leader’s concern for persons and for production (includes the supervisor’s attitudes toward the quality of political decisions, procedures, etc.):
Figure No. 3.1. The managerial grid model of Robert Blake and Jane Mouton
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Source: The Managerial Grid. Leadership. changingminds.org. n.d. English.
A minimum effort is made in the IMPOVERISHED model to accomplish the work and support the organization’s personnel. There is little interest in facing the problem. In the COUNTRY CLUB model considerable attention is paid to personnel needs in order to achieve satisfactory relationships; an agreeable, friendly atmosphere and adequate work rhythm is created. Attempts are made to promote harmony and good will. Points that can cause difficulties are smoothed over in the hope that, with a good work environment, things will continue to go well.
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The OBEDIENCE and AUTHORITY, model 9.1, achieves efficiency in operations by structuring working conditions in so that human elements interfere as little as possible. The motto is produce or perish. Good results may be obtained for a short time. Employed over the long term, this system motivates people to “sabotage the system” or at least decreases their disposition to contribute. A balanced model, CENTERED ON THE ORGANIZATION AND ON PERSONNEL, leads to adequate performance by the organization, as it balances the necessity of getting the work done and keeping the morale of personnel at a satisfactory level. With this style, the problem is temporized so as not to force it. Following the balanced model some progress can be achieved, but only within company standards and rules. In the TEAM MANAGEMENT system, doing the work is the responsibility of committed people: interdependence through a common interest, because the organization’s objective favors relationships of confidence and respect. It seeks excellence. People work together to achieve first quality results and are apt to measure their achievements by the highest possible standard. All those involved help one another and all are responsible for acts that influence the results. The authors arrive at this picture after numerous studies of leadership matters in different environments, concluding that leadership in organizations gives rise to productive-reactive environments with different combinations in accordance with whether concern goes to tasks or people, as shown in the grid above.
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Figure no. 3.2. The managerial grid
Directing
People
Achieving Objectives
Tasks
Source: Model of Robert Blake and Jane Mouton (see bibliography)
III.4. Leadership Roles
There are eight leadership roles that managers can play and competences that distinguish each of these roles.
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Figure No. 3.3. Leadership roles
Source: Prepared by the author.
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Models and roles make us sensitive to certain things. But they blind us to others. When the leaders of a business act substantially in accordance with these models, they augment the level of efficacy in favor of the business. In addition to adopting a role to play for each of their functions, leaders must combine that role with the following factors: •
Leaders must also be progressive, creative innovators open to change. They must take the factors that influence the organization into account because those factors can make the leader lose his objectivity.
•
A leader must make decisions by a rational process, seeking maximum results, searching for alternatives that are not only satisfactory but optimal.
•
A leader’s decision making must be gradual, analytical, conceptual and conducive.
•
A leader must follow moral, ethical guidelines and his compensation, reward systems and restrictions should not alter existing team management arrangements.
•
A leader must seek an appropriate balance between adapting to situations that have been successful in the past and his new projects, considering the essence of each and the flexibility inherent in constantly improving a planned, executed and evaluated project.
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Unit summary
There has been an Historic development/tendencies of leadership, arriving at the Leadership in the "New Age". •
There are three basic styles of leadership based on Levin’s study, the autocratic leader, the participative leader and the liberal leader.
•
There are leader’s types of influence on his subordinates based on Transactional Leadership, and Transformational or charismatic leadership.
•
Cyril Levicki, identify the existence of the following types of leadership: 1 Leaders of Superior Intelligence 2 Minister Leader 3 Military Leader 4 Royal Dignity Leader 5 Natural Leader
•
Principal theories of leadership are 1. Great man theory 2. Trait theory 3. Behavior theory 4. Contingency theories
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Unit IV. Application to public management
Learning objectives
•
Understand the dynamic challenges of the Public administration and public management leader in the field they operate.
IV.1. Administration and leadership
Public administration and public authorities are the instrument of coordination and control of social activity in expectation of attaining the collective good (Baena, 1988). To that end, society itself is endowed with a set of institutions and organizations. We
can
speak
of
the
existence
of
two
spheres
of
public
Administration: the political sphere or estate and the professional, which is the Administration, which must function as two perfectly synchronized gears. The correct function and sustainability of a democratic
Administration
serving
the
citizens
requires
its
independence and professionalism. The difference between politics and administration and the scope of their activities imply the existence of two types of agents and, therefore, of two types of leadership: political leadership and professional Administration leadership.
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Directing an organization or a part of an organization imposes a series of responsibilities. A manager must perform certain functions. Or, regarded from another perspective, he must play certain roles. In order to do that, he has to learn and develop some skills. And familiarize
himself
with
certain
concepts
that
make
up
the
philosophical basis for his conduct. This module deals with such matters. To give you a better understanding, we will begin by clarifying the sense in which such key concepts as organization, administration, management and leadership will be used. First, we will tackle the concept of organization. In administrative sciences the term organization is accepted in two senses: as process and as a structure. In the first of those senses, organization is conceived of as a process by means of which an attempt is made to put order in chaos, making the acts of the units that comprise a system predictable. More concretely, organization refers to the conjunction of acts that converts a plan into specific activities, assigns responsibilities and resources, fixes mechanisms of coordination and establishes lines of authority. Organization, in sum, is a process by means of which a structure is created and controlled to reach certain objectives. The second meaning accepted for the term organization is to refer to a social structure oriented to specific goals. Numerous definitions have developed around this idea. Some very simple, others more elaborate.
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Thus, in the context of this manual, we understand the organization as an articulated social formation, ongoing and formally constituted, made up of a precise set of members (the Customs employees and managers) who, utilizing specific knowledge and techniques, and playing different roles, combine their efforts with the purpose of attaining objectives oriented to satisfy some of the basic needs of society, which are on record (the facilitation and the control of foreign trade). To achieve their objectives, organizations utilize distinct types of resources (financial, technical, material and human). The process of combining such resources to best satisfy those purposes is what is usually referred to as administration. These and any other definitions of administration put forth, contain two
common
elements:
the
leading
of
individuals
and
the
achievement of objectives. To emphasize the aspect of the coordination and to differentiate the role of human resources in relation to other resources, we prefer to define administration as a process by means of which the work of a group of persons is coordinated to attain organizational objectives, to such purpose utilizing financial, material and technical resources that the organization puts at their disposition. An
administrator,
then,
is
merely
a
person
who
achieves
organizational objectives through other persons. We are using the term administrator here as an occupational status (a position that permits an individual to direct another person, or persons, in the attainment of ends), not as a profession (the condition a person who has obtained an academic degree in the area holds).
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As an occupational status, the terms administrator, director and manager can be used interchangeably, which makes it is necessary to clarify that, in this case, the term manager is not restricted to someone who officially bears that denomination, but refers to any person (a line supervisor, for example) who directs another person or persons toward the achievement of specific organizational objectives. Management and leadership, on the other hand, are definitely not interchangeable. Although there are people to whom "administration" and "leadership" are synonymous, a distinction must be made between the two terms. In the real world, there may be leaders who lead absolutely unorganized groups, while administrators, as we conceive the term here, can exist only under organized structure conditions that generate functions. Distinguishing
between
leadership
and
administration
offers
important analytic advantages. Leadership is an important aspect of administration. The capacity to exercise effective leadership is one of the keys to being an efficacious administrator; in the same manner, the full exercise of the other essential elements of administration (the realization of administrative tasks, with all of what that involves), has important consequences on the certainty that an administrator will be an efficacious leader; administrators must exercise all the functions that are appropriate to the role they play as they combine human and material resources in compliance with organizational objectives. The key factor to achieving that combination is the existence of clear functions and of a certain degree of authority in support of the actions of the administrators.
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Warren Bennis, writing about leadership, for the purpose of exaggerating the difference, has called the majority of organizations over administered and under led. A person may be an efficacious manager (a good planner and administrator), just and organized — but lack the leadership abilities to motivate others. Other people may be efficacious leaders – with the ability to unleash enthusiasm and devotion – but lack the administrative abilities to channelize the energy they unleash in others. Faced with the challenges of dynamic compromise in the present world, many organizations are more appreciative of managers who have leadership abilities as well.
Managers or directors have to be strategists (planners), organizers (processes) and leaders (inspiring innovators, sponsoring change). Some authors consider that leadership is one part, among others, of a manager’s responsibilities. Leadership is an important part of administration, but not the only part. Leadership is a more general process
than
administration
or
management.
The
essence
of
leadership is a broader concept than administration. Administration is a special class of leadership, ruled by the attainment of organizational goals. The tasks and the functions of leaders can be different from those of managers, as are his perspectives, aptitudes, evaluations of success and functions within the organization. In numerous cases, leadership is a full time job, and whoever tries to be manager and leader at the same time may have difficulties in efficaciously accomplishing both tasks. While a manager works to reach the organization’s goals, the function of a leader consists of defining new objectives, revising and recycling old approaches or tackling new lines of actuation.
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IV.2. Administrative or management functions
Reaching organizational objectives by coordinating the individual efforts of others, is not a process that can left to chance. It requires the systematic realization of a conjunction of activities that are usually grouped in various administrative or management functions. A century ago Henry Fayol established five administrative functions: planning, organization, direction, coordination and control. With the passage of time and the development of management thought, the aforementioned functions have been reduced to four. The majority of authors cite the functions of planning, organization, direction (or leadership, or motivation) and control: 1. Planning. Is the point of departure of the administrative process, it includes the establishment of objectives and goals, and the design of strategies to attain them. The results of this operation map the organization’s route: the direction in which the efforts of its members are taking the organization. When management is seen as a process, planning is the first function carried out. Once the objectives have been ascertained, the means necessary to achieve those objectives are presented as plans. An organization’s plans determine its route and provide a baseline for estimating the probable degree of success in compliance with its objectives. Plans are prepared for activities that require a time period to complete, sometimes years if necessary, with short-term projects.
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Examples of long-term plans can be found in product development programs and in a company’s financial projections. At the other end of the time scale, a production supervisor plans his work unit’s daily or weekly production. In the case of Spanish Customs, planning can be seen represented in the Pluriannual Fraud Prevention Plan, in the Annual Control Plan, or in weekly personnel planning for hourly workers in the airport customs post. These examples represent extremes in the extent of time covered by the planning process, and each one of them is necessary to achieve the organization’s fixed objectives. People spend the greatest part of their time trying to plan how they are going to accomplish their activities, how they are going to reach their goals and other less important activities, and sometimes they spend more time trying to organize their time; but there are methodical people who manage to organize their time in such a way as to achieve their objectives and do so effectively. A good manager cannot be concerned with all his obligations and must employ his time very well. Moreover, he must exercise such skills as knowing how to delegate, what is important and what is not, what is urgent and what not, so as to properly manage his priorities. To manage time well and administer it properly one must have a clear notion of where he wants to go, which implies the importance of implementing vision, mission and objectives while recognizing real debilities and strengths.
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2. Organization. This operational function gives established plans a practical direction. Organization converts objectives into concrete activities, assigns activities
and
resources
to
persons
and
groups,
establishes
coordination and authority mechanisms (structural arrangements) and fixes decision-making procedures. Once plans have been prepared in order to be able move into the real world and carry them out, it is necessary create an organization. Determining the type of organization required to carry out the implementation of plans that have been prepared is a management function. The class of organization that has been established will, to a certain extent, determine what plans are wholly appropriate. Once a business’s objectives have been established and respective plans have been drawn up to allow their realization, the plans exercise a direct influence on the organization’s characteristics and structure. A business whose objectives are to provide food and shelter to the traveling public needs a completely different organization than a firm whose objective is to transport natural gas through a pipeline. 3. Direction. Direction
(management)
is
the
activation,
orientation
and
maintenance of human efforts to comply with plans. Direction includes motivating people to shoulder the task with the established leadership providing the guidance, coordinating individual efforts to achieve common objectives and dealing with conflicts that arise.
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This third management function involves the concepts of motivation, leadership, guidance, stimulation and activation. In spite of the fact that each of these terms has a different connotation, all of them clearly indicate that this management function has to do with an organization’s human factors. The organization manages to achieve its intentions because of the results of the individual efforts of each of the organization’s members. Directing the organization in such a way as to attain its objectives in the most optimal manner possible is therefore a fundamental function of the management process. 4. Control. The function of control is to ensure that the results obtained at a particular time are in consonance with the plans’ requirements. Control includes the monitoring of activities, the comparison of results with proposed goals, the correction of deviations and, if necessary, feedback to redefine objectives or strategies. The immediate concern of control is to measure the results implemented in terms of quality and quantity, in relation to desired patterns of activation and, based upon that comparison, to determine if it is necessary to take corrective or remedial action to channel implementation back into line with the standards established. The control function is exercised continuously, and although related to the functions of organization and direction, control is more intimately associated with planning. The corrective action of control leads, almost invariably, to the reconsideration of plans. Many students of process management therefore consider the two functions as components of a continuous planning-control-planning cycle.
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IV.3. Management roles
Mintzberg (1986) established ten roles that all managers play, every day. He grouped them in three sets: 1. Interpersonal roles These roles are associated with the manager’s interaction with other members of the organization: his superiors, subordinates, colleagues and persons outside the organization. 1.1. Ceremonial: as “head” of the organization or unit, he formally and symbolically represents it both internally and externally. 1.2. Leader-manager motivator: as the person responsible for the work of the people who make up his organization or unit, the manager has authority to contract, train, motivate and give feedback to the workers, in addition to reconciling the individual needs of his subordinates with the organization’s needs. 1.3. Liaison: as the representative of the organization or unit, the manager establishes contacts outside the formal of chain of command.
Such
interactions offer
him
the
possibility of
obtaining useful decision-making information. 2. Informative roles These are roles related to information reception, processing and transmission. The manager’s position in the organizational hierarchy allows him to establish a network of contacts (internal and external) that gives him access to information that is not generally accessible to other members of his team. 77
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2.1. Monitor: collects internal as well as external information thanks to the personal contact network. A good part of that information comes to him verbally and informally. 2.2. Disseminator: shares and distributes useful information from
his
external
contacts
among
the
members
of
his
organization or unit. 2.3. Spokesman: sends information to people outside his organization or unit. In other words, he transmits information from his organization to the outside or from his unit to other parts of the organization. 3. Decisive roles These roles are a set of obligations and rights linked to decision making. A manager utilizes available information to establish a basis for choosing his options from among different alternatives. 3.1. Entrepreneur: generates initiatives for the organization or unit to adopt to manage the changing conditions of the environment. The projects he manages are generally varied and normally found in different stages of development. 3.2.
Disturbance
manager:
deals
with
unforeseeable
alterations that raise pressure in the heart of his organization or unit: internal conflicts, bankruptcy of an important client, disasters or accidents, for example. 3.3. Resource distributor: assigns resources of various classes inside the organization or unit. The most important resource he manages may be his own time. This role also has to do with authorizing the others’ decisions and the necessity of guaranteeing the coherence of such decisions with the general strategy of the organizational unit he directs.
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3.4. Negotiator: deals with and negotiates situations of competence or conflict, in the heart of the organization or unit he directs as well as with entities outside his organizational unit. This way of looking at the work of managers is of great utility when trying to determine the abilities a potential or working manager
must
develop
to
guarantee
efficiency
in
his
performance.
IV.4. Customs management skills
To cope efficiently with his functions or to perform his roles successfully, a manager needs to develop specific skills. Robert Katz determined in 1986 that managers must develop three types of skills. 1. Technical skills. This refers to specialized knowledge of the specific area of work (obtained by study and/or experience), plus the capacity to analyze problems using that specialty’s tools and techniques. 2. Human skills (sensitivity). Are the aptitudes set necessary to relate to other persons and work in/with groups toward the achievement of common objectives. They include
self-awareness
(consciousness
of
one’s
own
attitudes,
positions and concepts), empathy and the ability to communicate. 3. Conceptual skills. Are the capacity to understand the organization as a whole (in terms of systems) in order to read the environment and design new organization and leadership models.
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Katz determined that the relative importance of these varies in accordance with the management level. In general terms, technical skills are crucial at lower command levels (supervisors). And become less relevant as the manager climbs higher in the organizational hierarchy.
With
conceptual
skills,
the
opposite
occurs:
their
importance increases as the management level becomes higher. Human skills are essential on all the levels, although they appear to have greater importance in the lower levels, where interaction between managers and subordinates is more frequent. Katz suggests that the selection, placement and training of managers should be in reference to the level on which they will be acting so as to determine what fundamental type of skill is required. Skills required by the Customs Manager. The
Operating Manager
is
the
person who
has
day to
day
responsibility for managing the operational part of customs: He or she will have to have a great deal of knowledge of customs operations or at least of their specialties. Alternatively, they will be middle managers in a government or support area unit. In practice, in an office or port with a high equipment handling capacity the Operating Manager will be a person from the upper management. The following abilities are necessary, according to the Picard Program: 1.
LEADERSHIP: Ability to communicate the direction he will take the business on all levels, to assimilate a critical analysis, complex information in order to provide vision and clear judgment. The ability to delegate responsibility, monitor and intelligently adjust.
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2.
Module 1
MOTIVATION: Capacity to act and communicate in a manner that favors the participation and commitment of others along the lines desired. Capacity to encourage and inspire others.
3.
Capacity to GATHER AND ASSIMILATE INFORMATION from a great variety of sources for operational analysis and to guide control and application actions.
4.
DECISION MAKING: Capacity to utilize information, evaluate risks, balance operational requirements, impose direction and establish clear objectives to be used by others in accordance with the needs of the business.
5.
SOLUTION OF PROBLEMS: Capacity to work alone or in a team and to identify all the aspects of a situation, consider the options and develop the solution that best covers the needs of the business.
6.
COMMUNICATION OF INFORMATION AND IDEAS: Ability to clearly explain requirements to others at a broad variety of levels in a manner that reflects their different points of view, that brings them completely into the process and has them agreeing with the situation and the needs of the business. Ability of listen actively to a broad range of points of view, create an environment in which the problems are debated rationally and influence differing opinions.
7.
NEGOTIATION SKILLS: The ability to negotiate with a broad range of individuals to obtain the resources or changes required for the business (commercial as well as development).
8.
GUARANTEE INTEGRITY: In terms of integrity and ethics be inflexible and exemplary.
9.
TIME MANAGEMENT: To identify manners of evaluating time utilized to make it more efficient and effective. 81
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10.TECHNICAL
Module 1
SKILLS AND ADEQUATE EMPLOYMENT OF
FOREIGN LANGUAGES: Ability to respond and review the performance of personnel, to facilitate relationships with the customs organizations of other countries.
IV.5. Levels of Management in Administration
The manager is a person with full legal capacity to direct an organization. That person is entrusted with the task of caring for, supervising, controlling and planning for the people under his command. First Line Managers The persons who are responsible for the work of others, who occupy the lowest rung of the organization, are called first line, or first level, managers. First line managers direct employees who are not managers; they do not supervise other managers. Some examples of first line managers would be a fabric plant production boss or supervisor, a research department technical supervisor and a large office supervisor. First line managers frequently receive the name of "supervisor." The director of a school is also a first line manager, as is an airport or ground customs agency administrator. Middle Managers The
term
middle
management
includes
various
levels
of
an
organization. Middle level managers direct the activities of lower level managers and, on occasion, the activities of operations employees. The general responsibility of the middle manager is to direct activities that serve to put his organization’s policies into practice and to
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balance his managers’ demands and his subordinates’ capacity. He could be a Regional Customs Director. Strategic Manager and Leader (Maestro Level) This is a person who looks beyond the business and provides direction to the organization. His task is to deal with government and outside stakeholders, influencing, fixing and communicating the policy under which the Organization,
a
country
or
regional
customs
organization,
for
example, functions and is responsible for its functions. In practice, this individual will be a person at the director general level
or
a
member
of
upper
management
supporting
division/directorate policy.
IV.6. Basic Recommendations for Organization Behavior
Whatever level a manager (supervisor, middle manager or high executive) occupies in the hierarchy, his work implies a relationship with other individuals within the framework of an organization. The capacity to describe, explain, predict and, wherever permitted, control the conduct of men at work, is therefore especially relevant. Organizational behavior, as a subject for study, provides managers with the knowledge and techniques to approach that complex task. The philosophical basis of organizational behavior consists of a series of concepts in regard to the nature of people and organizations. Such concepts guide the manager to understand his own behavior and that of others and to understand organizations. And, of course, those concepts serve as guidance for orienting his own conduct.
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The basic foundation of a good manager is the measure of efficiency and efficacy the manager must have to achieve the organization’s goals. It is the capacity he has to minimize the resources used to reach the organization’s objectives (doing things well) and the capacity to determine what objectives are appropriate (do what must be done). It is possible to say that no degree of efficiency can compensate for a lack of efficacy, so an inefficacious manager is not capable of attaining the organization’s goals. Efficacy is the key factor of an organization’s success. But being manager is not only directing activities; being manager also implies being a good leader. It is knowing the process of how to understand the activities carried on by the members of his working group. In order to be able achieve his objectives the manager must know how to use different forms of power to influence his followers’ conduct in different ways, never forgetting what he wants to achieve and where he is going. So management and leadership are elements that must be combined to achieve their common end; such elements allow the learning of different techniques that permit a person to have his indispensable
personal
development
take
so
that
everyone
understands ways to cooperate with efficacy and efficiency in order to obtain success for the team.
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Throughout history, men and women who have assumed roles as politicians, military officers, academics, sports and business leaders and this should apply to customs leaders as well- have forged life styles, greatness and destiny for nations and continents. There have been good leaders and bad leaders, rich leaders and poor, young and old. There are many leaders in our world of today, and without taking into account the vocational areas they serve, they have various characteristics in common: All are highly motivated persons who make efforts for their followers to reach high objectives and they set high performance standards for themselves. They are curious, energetic and challenged by the unresolved problems around them; and they anxiously unite all their energies and resources to overcome any barriers that hinder the realization of their objectives. The more successful leaders in any organization execute tasks and act in such a way as to provide their followers satisfaction and realization, carrying out the work required and achieving the objective. Leaders activate a person’s “will to do," show the way and guide group members toward their own realization. As the writer of Ecclesiastes astutely observed, "Where there is no vision, people perish." Leaders provide vision to their followers, and direction is a necessary ingredient for successful administration. We therefore stake our future on effectively exercising our leadership in the organization and, with a vision of where we must direct it, we will help our Customs organization set forth on its present and future mission.
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Unit summary
Management and leadership, are definitely not interchangeable. here may be leaders who lead absolutely unorganized groups, while administrators, as we conceive the term here, can exist only under organized structure conditions that generate functions. •
Henry Fayol established five administrative functions: planning, organization, direction, coordination and control.
•
Mintzberg (1986) established ten roles that all managers play, every day. He grouped them in three sets:1. Interpersonal roles, 2. Informative roles and 3. Decisive roles.
•
According to the Picard Program 10 abilities are necessary, to be a successful leader.
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Bibliography
•
Sonnenfeld, A. (2011). Liderazgo Ético [Ethical Leadership]. Ed. Encuentro (Bolsillo).
•
Lewin, K. (1951). La teoría del campo en la ciencia social [Field Theory in Social Science]. Ed. Paidos.
•
Levicki, C. (1998). El gen del liderazgo [The Leadership Gene]. Panorama Editorial.
•
Blake, R. and Mouton, J. (1964). La gradilla de gestión: La llave a la excelencia del liderazgo [The Managerial Grid: The Key to Leadership Excellence]. Amazon.
•
Salazar F. (2011). Luchando con el elefante [Fighting with the Elephant]. Editorial Deauno.com.
•
Starratt R. J. (July 20, 2004). Ethical Leadership.Jossey-Bass. 1st edition.
•
Kouzes, J. M. (July 31, 2012). The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations. Hardcover; Jossey-Bass. 5th edition.
•
Spence J. B. (2008). Excellence By Design Leadership. Hardcover; Flycaster & Co. 2nd edition.
•
Levicki, C., (June 1998). The Leadership Gene: The Genetic Code
of
a
Life-Long
Leadership
Career.Financial
Times
Management. 87