Leadership Style And Power Tactics Of Gandhi History Essay

lead Style And Power Tactics Of Gandhi History EssayWith the aid of lead theory and peculiar(prenominal) examples, this paper reflects upon and analyses the leadership style and spot and set tactics of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as portrayed in the movie Gandhi. The analysis is primarily based on Gandhis in the flesh(predicate) identity and behaviour in relation to others and the external environment. More so, the kind shared between him and his abetter _or_ abettors is embedded by means ofout the paper to further keep back the analysis. Lastly, this paper leaves a short comparison between the leadership style of Gandhi and Jinnah.Gandhi is popularly referred to as Mahatma Gandhi, meaning great soul, and is plebeianly cal conduct bapu in India, meaning father. He is officially honoured in India as the father of the nation, as it was under his leadership and guidance than the set freedom movement in India gained momentum, ultimately leading to Indias independence in 1947 . Gandhi was a national leader, a freedom dateer, a visionary, a hu earthly attentionist, and a socialist reformer. He has been a reference work of inspiration and role-model for non only the common man, but various other leaders such as Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela as well.Defining LeadershipAccording to Yukl (2010), Leadership is the move of influencing others to understand and confine about what inescapably to be done and how to do it, and the motion of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives.Gandhis Leadership StyleGandhi was not a natural leader, but he accreditedly had traits of one (Exhibit 1). He was a simple man leading a simple life, but potently believed in and safe the values of virtuoso, equality, truth, non-violence, justice, and honesty. His values and ad hominemity were instrumental in fighting the might of the British. He was patient but persistent, as he knew it was no simple proletariat discloseing In dias independence. While he was defiant, resistant, daring and provocative at magazines, he always remained calm, caring, humble and polite. He exhibited distinct characteristics, qualities and behaviours of a charismatic leader, transformational leader and level 5 leader, which are analysed below.Charismatic LeadershipAccording to Weber (1947), charismatic leaders are more likely to emerge in crisis situations. As depicted in the movie, India was suffering from the atrocities of the British rule for decades, causing widespread distress. People were desperate to end the suffering, but were unable to find a solution. Gandhi provided the vision of Independent India, and guide various movements from the front. Indias social crisis provided Gandhi with the perfect stage to rise from amongst the slew and lead India to independence.Most importantly, his actions were highly unconventional. He fought the British using the methodology of truth, non-violence, non-cooperation and peaceful r esistance, rather than using violent means. These unconventional means of protest impressed and inspired his pursual, who saw him as extraordinary and charismatic.Yukl (2010) states that leaders are more likely to be viewed as charismatic if they make self-sacrifices, take ain risks, and incur high costs to achieve the vision they espouse. In the movie, there were various instances when Gandhi made personal sacrifices and took personal risks. For example, he stopped wearing western clothes and donned a simple dhoti to blend with the masses he was jailed on numerous do for lengthy durations he led a simple life without materialistic pleasures and even got beaten on occasion.Gandhi was highly dedicateed by his followers, given the occurrence that he was not motivated to free India for personal self-interest, but for the betterment and concern of the people. He drew vast admiration due to his noble intentions, high moral values and honourable standards. During his funeral proces sion in the movie, the commentator rightly utter, The object of this massive tribute died as he had always lived. A sequestered man without wealth, without property, without official title or office. Mahatma Gandhi was not the commander of armies, nor a ruler of vast lands. He could not boast of any scientific acquisition or artistic gift. Yet men, g all overnments, dignitaries from all over the world have joined hands today to pay homage to this little brown man in the loincloth who led his country to freedom.Gandhi was highly self-confident, and strongly believed that India would gain independence. It was his belief that it was just a matter of when and in what form. It was his confidence and enthusiasm to free India that united his followers to jointly accomplish what memorisemed impossible to achieve.Gandhis vision, inspiration, confidence and positive attitude motivated and enhanced the collective efficacy of the people, inspiring the belief that unity is detailed in order to free India. This collective belief fuelled the determination of his followers to willingly put in additional effort, and persist the long, hard bridle-path to freedom.Gandhi was by no means an impressive leader by appearance either. Despite being old, short, and slim-built, he had the ability and charisma to appeal to the masses through his public speaking and interpersonal skills, which had a widespread effect. In short, he was a crowd-puller. Meindl (1990) explains this spontaneous spread of emotional and behavioural reactions among the people through the process of social contagion. The people of India were emotionally and physically prepared to make self-sacrifices in order to gain independence. Gandhi activated this social identity amongst the people, at a time when their survival was being threatened. For example, the movie shows how the people of Champaran were facing a social crisis, and how Gandhi travelled there to see, hear and feel their pain. Gandhis mere presence in Champaran led to his arrest, and what followed was extraordinary. Being a crowd-puller, rioting ensued in the region, and the people swarmed the court room at his hearing. Without any heroics, Gandhi was able to pressurize the British to make changes. However, his followers viewed him as heroic and exceptional, and this feeling began to spread spontaneously among the people, stirring the whole nation.There is little doubt that Gandhi was a positive charismatic, and that he had a socialized power orientation. According to Yukl (2010), leaders with socialized power orientation exhibit the following characteristics, as did GandhiStrong self-controlMotivated to satisfy the need for power in socially acceptable waysMore emotionally matureExercise power for the benefit of othersHesitant about using power in a manipulative mannerLess egoistic and defensiveAccumulate fewer material possessionsHave a longer-range viewHis leadership influence emphasized incorporation rather than personal identification. He was self-sacrificing and led from the front to communicate his commitment to the freedom struggle. Gandhi once stated, You must be the change you want to see in the world. Gandhis followers were responsive to his ideologies and appeals, and became increasingly involved in this socialized charismatic relationship.According to Yukl (2010), the affective reaction charismatic leaders arouse oft polarizes people into opposing camps of loyal supporters and hostile opponents, and the intense negative reaction by some people to charismatic leaders explains why they are a good deal targets for assassination. Nathuram Godse, a Hindu fanatic, assassinated Mahatma Gandhi on 30th January, 1948, as he felt Gandhi was personally responsible for the partition of India as well as for the deaths of thousands of Hindus.Transformational LeadershipAccording to Bass (1985), transformational leaders possess unique charismatic behaviours that include sacrificing personal gains for the benefits of the group, setting a personal example for followers and demonstrating high ethical standards. Gandhis leadership style clearly showcases the essence of transformational leadership. For example, his followers were motivated by him, trusted him, admired him, were loyal to him, and respected him. Transformational leaders withal appeal to higher(prenominal) values like liberty, justice, peace and equality. Gandhi lived for such causes, and fought his entire life to stand by them.Gandhis transformational leadership encouraged his followers to transcend their own self-interest and fight in unity. Thousands of Gandhis followers went to jail, and at times were violently beaten as well (e.g. Hundreds of Gandhis followers willingly gathered at the Dharasana Salt Works and stood unitedly while being beaten with sticks by the British officials. Nevertheless, they not once resorted to violence because they respected Gandhis sentiments). In fact, according to Dirks and Ferrin (2002) , transformational leadership is highly correlated with trust in the leader.According to Bass (1985), transformational leaders exhibit the following behavioursIdealized Influence This behaviour arouses strong follower emotions and identification with the leader. Gandhi was able to influence the masses because he was a man of his words, and always practiced what he preached. He was a role model for the masses, and won their respect and trust through his actions. He demonstrated high ethical conduct (non-violence), self-sacrifice (voluntary poverty and non-materialism), dedication and persistence in order to attain Indias independence.Intellectual Stimulation This behaviour increases follower awareness of problems and influences followers to view problems from a new perspective. Gandhi was always supportive of his followers, and encouraged them to think openly, ask questions, and solve problems. He was willing to accept wrong-doing and mistakes, and was not ashamed to discard a stra tegy that didnt work as planned. For example, he called off the non-violent campaign despite opposition from his subordinates because there were some people who utilize violent means.Individualized Consideration This behaviour includes providing support, encouragement and coaching to followers. Gandhi was always supportive of his followers. For example, he patiently listened to the grievances and concerns of the poor with regards to their inability to maintain a life due to British policies. Gandhi was also extremely supportive of other leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel. He nurtured them, encouraged them to share ideas, and even empowered them to make decisions, never making them feel dependent on him.Inspirational Motivation This behaviour includes communicating an appealing vision, and using symbols to focus subordinate effort. Gandhi stood by his personal values, and consistently communicated his vision of independence. By openly communicating his vision, and using symbols such as the Salt Satyagraha movement, he provided his followers with a sense of meaning, which in annul inspired them to remain optimistic and increase their effort.Level 5 LeaderJim Collins (2005) states that a Level 5 Leader is someone who has genuine personal humility blended with intense professional will. Gandhi exhibited distinct characteristics of such a leader (Exhibit 2). He was extremely humble and modest, and lived a life on the commandment of simple living and high thinking. He wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl, which was woven from yarn spun by hand using a charkha. He was humble and appreciative, and never hesitated in saying Thank You. However, he was extremely persistent in his resolve to gain Indias independence. Despite facing various challenges and set backs in the sake of independence, he never gave up.Leader Member Exchange (LMX) TheoryGandhi developed and shared a high-exchange relationship with his subordinates, followers and o ther leaders. This relationship grew stronger over time, resulting in a high degree of mutual dependence, loyalty, trust, respect, support and affection.According to Graen and Uhl-Bien (1995), high-quality leader-follower relationships are positively associated with transformational leadership behaviours. Even Deluga (1992) found a significant relationship between the transformational leadership behaviours of charisma and individualized consideration and high-quality LMX.While Gandhi provided the vision and inspiration, most of the ground work was carried out by his subordinates and followers, who were highly committed to the freedom struggle. They also took considerable initiative on their part to carry out the planning. For example, Nehru used his contacts in the press to take Gandhis message to the masses.It can also be stated that the exchange relationship Gandhi shared with his subordinates was favourable. Gandhi was highly supportive of his subordinates, and used to frequently consult them. He acted more as a mentor to them. He was non-dominating in conversations, and had to be highly persuasive with Jinnah on multiple occasions. His subordinates began demonstrating organizational citizenship behaviour, as their trust in Gandhi grew stronger. Dirks Ferrin (2002) validate this by stating that a favourable exchange relationship is highly correlated with subordinate trust.Gandhis Power and Influence TacticsA leader needs to be influential, and so was Gandhi. In the movie, Gandhi primarily used the process of internalization to influence his followers.According to Kelman (1958), under the internalization process, the target person becomes committed to support and implement proposals espoused by the agent because they appear to be intrinsically desirable and correct in relation to the targets values, beliefs, and self-image. Gandhi was able to influence the masses by invigorating their values of freedom, justice and self-respect to fight against the British .To a certain extent, personal identification was also depicted. Kelman (1958) states that under personal identification, the target person imitates the agents behaviour or adopts the same attitudes to please the agent and to be like the agent. In the movie, Jawaharlal Nehru was initially shown as wearing western clothes. But after Gandhis influence on him, he chose to wear clothes made of Indian fabric (khadi), thereby adopting the same attitude of Gandhi. Similarly, millions of Indians boycotted English garments in their support of Gandhis view that we should wear khadi.According to Yukl (2010), power is the capacity to influence the attitudes and behaviour of people in the in demand(p) direction. Gandhi was shown as exhibiting the use of referent power in the movie. According to French and Raven (1959), referent power is derived from the desire of others to please an agent toward whom they have strong feelings of affection, admiration and loyalty. Gandhis friendly, attractive, c harming and trustworthy character empowered him with high referent power. He was able to increase this power by showing concern towards to needs of the people, by demonstrating trust and respect, and by treating people fairly and equally. Moreover, his high levels of personal integrity and consistent values allowed him to maintain this referent power.According to Yukl (2010), most power studies have found that referent power is positively correlated with subordinate satisfaction and performance, and that effective leaders rely more of referent power to influence subordinates. He further states that people are more likely to cooperate with an agent who has strong referent power. This partly explains the effective leadership of Gandhi, and drives why his followers were highly attracted to him.Comparison Between Leadership Style of M.K. Gandhi and M.A. JinnahGandhi and Jinnah, as portrayed in the movie, seem to be very different in their traits, behaviour, appearance, lifestyle and le adership style.Jinnah is shown to lead a comfortable, sophisticated and lavish lifestyle, and in certain ways emulates the British. Gandhi led a lifestyle quite opposite to that. While Gandhi was the leader of the masses, Jinnah by no means came close. While Gandhi has been portrayed as warm and affectionate, Jinnah appears to be intimidating, arrogant, stubborn, manipulative, and at times sarcastic.In terms of leadership style, Jinnah exhibits characteristics of a negative charismatic. prohibit charismatics have a personalized power orientation.In the movie, it can be noticed that while Jinnahs original ideology was that of an independent India, by gaining power over time, his ideologies changed. He later personally advocated creating a separate Muslim state Pakistan. While his concerns were valid, they seemed to be highly exaggerated. More so, even though Gandhi persuaded and tried to reason with Jinnah, he remained stubborn. It is only when Gandhi told him he could become the 1 st Prime Minister of India with full freedom to choose his cabinet that he seemed content. Hence, it seems that Jinnah had a greater concern for self-glorification and maintaining power. In contrast, Gandhi was never in the chase for power, which is supported by the fact that he never held an official title or office.ConclusionGandhi has been a role-model and source of inspiration for many generations. His unconventional means to fight injustice (truth, non-violence, non-cooperation and peaceful resistance) have earned him high admiration and respect. He led from the front to attain Indias independence, and influenced millions of followers to fight for a moral and just cause. He epitomised life based on moral conduct, and showed its strength to the world. While laying the foundation for commonwealth in India, he has also showed how unity and humanity can fight the strongest of forces. While it is highly unlikely to witness another Gandhi in our lifetime, humanity has critical lesso ns to learn from his leadership and life.