There seems to always be a power struggle between generations. Leadership, typically the older generation, employs with what has always worked, while the new generation seeks innovation and new opportunities. In order to propel into the future, our leaders must acknowledge the changing landscape. Hopen (2010) noted that 21st-century leaders must change their methodologies because of the increasing diversity, intricate technology, and globalization of the workforce.
Prior to the mid-1900s, the workforce was primarily unskilled involved in manufacturing, and uneducated. Since the mid-1900s, the workforce has been continuously changing with subordinates who are more knowledgeable. Additionally, technology continues to be improving and demographic changes are leading to a more diverse workforce (Hopen, 2010). Finally, the actions and leaders are more scrutinized than in the past. Leaders in public service generally have the public trust, but are held to a higher ethical standard (Bowman & Knox, 2008).
Leadership is the act of influencing people (Northouse, 2013), but it is often misunderstood because it can be generated in many ways (Cragg & Spurgeon, 2007). Some people have theorized that leadership is something one is born to do, while others have argued that leadership is developed (Capella University, n.d.a.). “Despite many years of leadership research and thousands of studies, we still do not have a clear understanding of what leadership is and how it can be achieved” (Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1995, p. 220). These differing opinions, and changing opinions after research, have resulted in many different theories of leadership. Effective leadership requires motivation.
In order to achieve the goals and objectives of an organization, managers must understand motivation in order to properly coach their subordinates. There are many theories of motivation and not one fits all situations and all people. Therefore, a manager must understand the different theories in order to properly coach their pool of employees toward better performance.
“Motivation is the desire within a person causing that person to act” (Pynes, 2013, p. 306). Motivation is based on an individual’s needs, values, motives, incentives, objectives, and goals (Pynes, 2013). The Theories of Motivation are broken into two categories: Content Theories and Process Theories. Content Theories are those that “refer to the needs, motives, and rewards that people are attempting to satisfy” and “use personal characteristics or attributes of the individual to explain motivation” (Pynes, 2013, p. 307). While Process Theories “concentrate more on the cognitive and behavioral processes behind motivation” and “suggest that a variety of factors may serve as motivators, depending on the needs of the individual, the situation, and the rewards for the work done” (Pynes, 2013, p. 310).
“Coaching involves an expert providing initial training to teachers on an instructional practice accompanied with follow-up observations in which the expert provides feedback on the accuracy of implementation of the practice” (Baggerman, Ault, Collins, Spriggs, & Slocum, 2015, p. 296) or simply training followed by feedback on performance. Nettles (1993) defines coaching as ‘‘instruction that places the responsibility for learning in the learner and fosters the development of skill through . . . provision of continuous feedback on performance in settings designed for practice’’ (p. 36). Research (Baggerman et al., 2015) has shown that this method, coaching, and feedback, has increased information learned during training.
Understanding the theories of coaching and motivation is principally important for public sector management in order to influence employees to work towards the goals and objectives of the organization, but also for continuous improvement and development. This is most tied to career development and can be linked to “succession planning, performance evaluations, quality management initiatives, and new-employee orientation” (Pynes, 2013, p. 297). By permitting feedback from the subordinates to management provides insight into the motivating factors of the workforce. Management can tailor these factors and needs in the training and development plan to increase participation and performance. This can be applied in a similar fashion for employee evaluations. Understanding the needs and wants of the workforce and using them makes motivation and coaching easier.
References
Baggerman, M. A., Ault, M. J., Collins, B. C., Spriggs, A. D., & Slocum, V. (2015). The Effect of Coaching on a Faith Community Volunteer’s Use of Effective Teaching Behaviors. Research & Practice For Persons With Severe Disabilities, 40(4), 294-306. doi:10.1177/1540796915602479
Bowman, J. S., & Knox, C. (2008). Ethics in Government: No Matter How Long and Dark the Night. Public Administration Review, 68(4), 627-639. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2008.00903.x
Capella University (n.d.a.). Leadership style self-assessment. Retrieved from http://media.capella.edu/CourseMedia/HS8003/leadershipSelfAssessment/transcript.html
Cragg, R., & Spurgeon, P. (2007) Competencies of a good leader. Clinician Management, 15(3/4), 109-114
Hopen, D. (2010). The changing role and practices of successful leaders. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 33(1), 4-9. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/219117101?accountid=27965
Nettles, S. M. (1993). Coaching in community settings. Equity and Choice, 9(2), 3537.
Northouse, P. G. (2012). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Pynes, J. E. (2013). Human resources management for public and nonprofit organizations: A strategic approach (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.