Leadership is a necessary part of any organization, and managers who combine leadership skills with management traits offer organizations enhanced productivity and better long-term prospects than those managers who are not leaders. However, the line between leader and manager is ill-defined: leaders are not necessarily good managers, and managers do not always possess leadership characteristics. Both leaders and managers are required in successful organizations. Leaders provide the long-term vision for the organization, while managers possess the talent for putting that vision into concrete action and managing day-to-day activities that accomplish that action. The type of leadership that succeeds in any organization is, to some degree, determined by the organizational culture in which the company operates. Conversely, the type of organizational culture that is found at the company is dependent on the type of leadership that is provided. This research examines two common types of leadership and considers them in connection to the organizational cultures which support them.
Luthans identifies six factors which can be found in organizational cultures: observed behavioral regularities, norms, dominant values, philosophy, rules and the organizational climate (p. 563).
Observed behavioral regularities are typified by the language, tasks, jargon and roles which members of the organization use and expect to find within the organization. Just as in a larger societal culture, an organization's culture supports certain language and behaviors from its members.
The standards of behavior, or norms, that an organizational culture establishes define how newcomers to the organization are expected to perform. If the standards are high, then new workers are expected to perform to that level. If the standards are average or low, then newcomers are expected to reduce their output, if necessary, in order to keep the rest of the group f...