A leader is someone who "does the right thing" and a manager "does things right" (Bennis & Nanus, 2003). Very often, differentiating management from leadership results in leaders being portrayed as beneficial people that one should aspire to be whereas a manager is a controlling force that decreases morale in the workplace. However, Scully (2015) argues that managers can be leaders if they have “relative freedom from the constraints of management to perform their duties.”
Management has a bad reputation compared to leadership because of archaic perceptions of managers, which were based on practices in large industrial firms (Birkinshaw, 2016). Modern managers in most of today’s sectors actively seek innovation and engagement rather than simply quality control and efficiency (Birkinshaw, 2016). Historically, managers would control workers and focus on operational needs for efficient production (Birkinshaw, 2016). This approach is no longer viewed as an effective management style, particularly in the healthcare setting where context matters (Birkinshaw, 2016). A robust management model should involve understanding management principles, evaluating the risks and benefits of these principles, envisioning new practices under different contexts, and experimenting new approaches in a low-risk way (Birkinshaw, 2016).
The very nature of how a manager versus a leader came to be in the workplace has some influence on the amount of appreciation they tend to receive. A manager is appointed to the position and takes a seat in the organizational hierarchy; on the contrary, a leader is chosen by the group of followers (Grossman & Valiga, 2012). The power base for leadership comes from admiral attributes (e.g. knowledge, credibility, and ability to motivate others) as opposed to simply arising from the position of authority as seen in management (Grossman & Valiga, 2012). A leader tends to be favoured over a manager in the eyes of the group because a leader passionately acts based on followers’ personal interests; at times, this may not align with the goals of the organization which a manager aims to achieve (Grossman & Valiga, 2012).
Innovation can exist in leadership more freely than management, but that's not to say that innovative ideas are not appreciated in management so long as they do not interfere with task accomplishment (Grossman & Valiga, 2012). There is a certain amount of risk associated with a new way of doing things. Managers are relatively more risk-averse and prefer maintaining the status quo compared to risk-taking leaders that prefer creativity (Grossman & Valiga, 2012). A strength of management compared to leadership is the degree of order; Grossman and Valiga (2012) describe management as being rational and controlled. Conversely, relative disorder is produced under leadership which is needed to ultimately realize the leader’s vision of change in the longterm (Grossman & Valiga, 2012). Table 1 provides a classical view of the main differences between a leader and a manager (Weaver & Farrell, 1997).
Table 1. Differences between Leaders and Managers (Weaver & Farrell, 1997).
Management is defined as “the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives" but this definition omits the importance of planning, organization, staffing, controlling, and budgeting (Birkinshaw, 2016). Management should be considered a “social endeavour” to fulfill people’s potential and achieve strategic goals (Birkinshaw, 2016).
References: Bennis, W. & Nanus, B. (2003). Leaders: Strategies for taking charge (2nd ed.). New York: Harper & Row. Birkinshaw, J. (2016). BUS401: Management Leadership. Saylor. Retrieved September 13, 2021 from https://learn.saylor.org/mod/page/view.php?id=12905 Grossman, S. & Valiga, T. (2012). The new leadership challenge: Creating the future of nursing (4th ed.). Philadelphia: FA Davis Company. Scully, N.J. (2015). Leadership in nursing: The importance of recognising inherent values and attributes to secure a positive future for the profession. Collegian, 22: 439-444. Weaver, R.G. & Farrell, J.D. (1997). Managers as facilitators: A practical guide to getting work done in a changing workplace. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
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