The University of Michigan in a leadership study discovered two dimensions of leadership behavior which were described as employee-oriented leadership and production-oriented leadership. This means that a leader will primarily be focused on people or focused on tasks. Leadership requires results, however, a leader must find a balance between accomplishing a required task and developing others in the process.
In the study, they described employee-oriented as emphasizing interpersonal relations, taking a personal interest in the needs of their employees and accepting individual difference among team members. Production-oriented behavior will tend to emphasize the technical or task aspects of the job and sees the team members as a means to an end. What type of leader are you? What type of leader does your culture create? What type of leader does your culture demand?
I have been both types of leader and found it better to be a people-oriented leader. As a leader, self-assessment, as well as feedback from other leaders is crucial to growth and success. Leaders must be able to make adjustments in their behavior, a lesson I have learned in both business and church environments. Change and adjustments are common, though difficult, as you learn and mature and become a better leader. My transformation from one behavior to another was not immediate. What I have found to be true was the same as the study results; people or employee-oriented behavior was associated with higher productivity and higher job satisfaction.
Here are some characteristics of both employee-oriented and production-oriented leadership behavior:
EMPLOYEE-ORIENTED CHARACTERISTICS
- Are not fewer results oriented, just has a different approach that develops others and strengthens the team beyond a single task.
- Employees are valued as an integral part of the success.
- See’s diversity on the team as beneficial.
- Values input and feedback from each team member.
- The team is more important than the individual.
- Goal and Vision are motivating driving factors.
PRODUCTION-ORIENTED CHARACTERISTICS
- Members are replaceable
- Motivating factor drives team interaction and operations.
- Low leadership development of team members.
- Individual achievement is more important that team success.
Investment in others is beneficial and allows others to be valued. There is no higher call in leadership than to see others reach their potential and grow. Leaders have the ability to choose their behavior. A true leader will see the task at hand and develop team members in the process of reaching the goal so that all are successful. Learn to be an employee-oriented leader.
