Organizational Culture, Leadership

and Politics in Public Health

GCH 376
Laura Wheeler Poms
MPH, PHD
 Leadership

You manage things, you lead people

-- Grace Hopper, pioneering computer scientist and
U.S. Navy Rear Admiral
 Organizational Culture, Philosophy, and
Performance
Organizations operate within larger systems, not in
isolation (systems theory!)
Within the organization, management,
organizational culture, and organizational
philosophy are inextricably linked to
organizational effectiveness
The value system of an organization can also be
called its organizational philosophy--the ethical
context in which goods and services are rendered
 Culture: Your Experience
 What was the primary reason you’ve ever
quit a job?
a. Didn’t like my boss
b. Better pay somewhere else
c. More interesting or challenging work
somewhere else
d. The company’s values did not match my
own.
e. I’ve never quit a job/Other
 Organizational Culture
 Shared values and beliefs that underlie a
company’s identity
 Common descriptors:
 Competitive
 Bureaucratic

 Entrepreneurial
 Collegial

 Familial
 Layers of Organizational Culture

1. Basic
Assumptions
2. Espoused
Values
3. Observable
artifacts
 Layers of Organizational Culture

1. Basic Assumptions
• Values so ingrained that certain actions
would be inconceivable in this culture
• CDC’s 24/7 emergency response
 Layers of Organizational Culture

2. Values – enduring belief in a mode of

conduct or end-state
• Espoused values are what a company
says they are
• Enacted values are what a company
actually does
 Example Espoused Values: CDC

Pledge to the American People

 Be a diligent steward of the funds entrusted to our
agency
 Provide an environment for intellectual and personal
growth and integrity
 Base all public health decisions on the highest quality
scientific data that is derived openly and objectively
 Place the benefits to society above the benefits to our
institution
 Treat all persons with dignity, honesty, and respect
 Layers of Organizational Culture

3. Observable artifacts - physical

manifestations of the culture
• Style of dress
• Awards
• Myths and stories
• Published lists of values
• Observable rituals and ceremonies
• Visible behavior
 Leadership Characteristics
“Leadership” is a process
The focus of leadership is on other individuals or
groups
Leadership means influencing
The objective of leadership is goal
accomplishment
Leadership is intentional rather than accidental
Requires a significant degree of personal courage
Leadership is highly situational
 A Leader Is Someone Who…
…influences a group of individuals to achieve a
common goal. Key aspects of leadership include…
 Creating and communicating a vision
 Influencing others through use of power
 Motivating task behavior in pursuit of shared objectives
 Establishing and maintaining group culture
 Empowering others
 Clarifying roles and niche in marketplace
 Making tough decisions with limited information
 Overview of Leadership Theory
13

Great person theories: leaders are born

Leader trait theories: particular
leadership prototypes
Contingency theories: leaders are made
through experience and environment
Situational leadership theories:
leaders should alter their leadership styles
based on the situation
 Overview of Leadership Theory
14

Behavioral leadership theories: leaders

can be made through teaching and observation
Participatory leadership theories: leaders
should utilize input from others
Transactional leadership theories:
leaders should reward and punish employees as
necessary
Transformational leadership theories:
leaders succeed by motivating and inspiring
subordinates
 Trait Approaches

WHAT ARE THE

ATTRIBUTES OF A
GREAT LEADER?
 Positive Leadership Traits

 Intelligence
 Self-confidence
 Determination
 Honesty/Integrity
 Sociability
 Emotional Intelligence
 Extroversion
 Conscientiousness
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 Ineffective Leadership Traits

Incompetent
Rigid
Intemperate
Callous
Corrupt
Insular
Evil
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 Practical Implication: Trait Theories

 Personal Implications
 Predispositions: Personality tests and other trait
assessments will reveal predispositions
 Development Plans: However, targeted plans aimed at
adapting and learning new behaviors can be effective ways to
develop leadership talent
 Organizational Implications:
 Use valid measures of job-related traits to select employees
 Create management development programs

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Behavioral Approaches

WHAT DO EFFECTIVE
LEADERS DO?
 Leadership Styles

 Three primary leadership styles (Kurt Lewin)

 Authoritative style is used when leaders tell
their employees what they want done and how
they want it accomplished, without getting the
advice of their followers
 Democratic style involves the leader including
one or more employees in the decision making
process
 Laisez-Faire style is a delegative style that
allows the employees to make the decisions
 Ohio State Studies

 Consideration: highly considerate leader

that is sensitive to people’s feelings and
tries to make things pleasant for the
followers.
 Initiating Structure: is a kind of leader
that is concerned with spelling out the task
requirement and clarifying other aspects of
the work agenda.
 Four Leadership Styles
High Emphasizes reaching the
Seeks input from
Showing Consideration

goal while welcoming

others before taking suggestions and
action; gets consensus encouraging consensus

Passive, Takes charge,

noncommittal, low structures employees
impact on followers tasks
Low
Low High
Initiating Structure
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Contingency Approaches

BUT WHAT ABOUT

THE SITUATION?
Contingency Approaches to Leadership

 Effective traits and behaviors depend

on the situation
 The situational variables of each
contingency theorist differ somewhat
Fiedler – Contingency Theory

Hersey & Blanchard – Situational

Leadership Theory

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 Fiedler’s Situational Leadership

Situational leadership (Fred Fiedler) -Managers

are unable to change their leadership style.
Leadership effectiveness is dependent on selecting a
situation that is the best fit for a person’s style
When there is not a fit between the manager and the
situation, change the manager or change the
situation!
Hersey & Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Model

 Premise: Leaders should adapt their style

based on the situation
 Situational variable that has most impact
is:
 Follower Readiness = ability and
willingness to complete a task

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Contingency Theories: Key Takeaways

 Leadership effectiveness is comprised of:

 Traits,
 Behaviors, and
 Situational factors

 Organization implications
 Give some consideration to the situational context when
placing people in leadership roles
 Poor leadership in one context may not mean poor
leadership in a different situation
 Organization’s should provide training/mentoring to
increase leaders’ adaptability

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Additional Perspectives on
Leadership

Transactional vs. Transformational

Leadership
 Transformational Leadership

 It has four components:

 Charisma or idealized influence
 Inspirational motivation
 Intellectual stimulation
 Individualized consideration
 Being charismatic involves possessing a dynamic, energetic and
commanding presence.
 Most leadership models are said to be transactional
 is based on maintaining the status quo and requires that members
make sure to play by the rules
 Transformational leadership works to upset the status quo
and rather than playing by the rules, requires that leaders
intentionally work to break the rules.
Transformational Leadership Characteristics

 Northouse (2007) points out that the transformational style of leadership

does not include assumptions about how a leader should act; rather, this style
encompasses a way to think about leading.

 This style’s emphasis is clearly on inspiration and innovation in the way the
organization does business.

 The transformational leader works to inspire followers to look for change on a

daily basis and exploit that change to improve the business.

 The transformational leader is very interested in both developing a vision and

achieving this vision through his or her followers.

 This leader wants not only to achieve personal and organizational

goals but also to see his or her followers achieve their personal goals.
 Transactional Vs. Transformational Leadership

 Transactional  Transformational
Leadership focuses on transforms employees to
clarifying employees’ pursue organizational
roles and providing goals over self-interest
rewards contingent on
performance  Appeal to followers
 Appeal to what values, beliefs, self-
followers want concept
(rewards)

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Power and Politics
 Types of Power

Organizational – derived from one’s

position and status within the
organization
Personal – derived from one’s
personal characteristics, relationship
with others, and behavior towards
others

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 Leadership Roles and Power

 In order to influence people, a degree of power is needed.

 Five forms of power commonly used by leaders to
influence others
 Legitimate – this form of power comes from one’s official position
in the organization.
 Reward – in this case, power results from the ability to reward
certain behavior by pay, bonuses, promotions, gifts, etc.
 Coercive –use their ability to punish followers for not doing what
the leader wants. Examples might be demotion
 Expert – this form of power is derived from one’s own knowledge
or ability
 Referent – sometimes called charismatic power, these individuals
create admiration, loyalty and the desire to copy the actions of the
leader among followers
 These five forms of power are complementary and should
be part of the skill set of every leader.
 Sources of Power
36

Organizational Personal Power

Power  Expert
 Legitimate  Referent
 Reward

 Coercive
 Public Health Leaders and Power

 Because the vast majority of public health agencies are government

sponsored, their structure is usually bureaucratic.
 A bureaucratic organization relies heavily on position power to
achieve its goals. This type of power is derived from the top
management or the chief executive of the government entity and
flows from the top of the organization downward.
 Position power involves legitimate, coercive, and reward power,
which are owned by the organization and not the leader.
 This type of power can be taken away from the individual if he or she
makes mistakes.
 Therefore, bureaucratic leaders are always at risk of losing their
position power if they anger those above them in the organizational
chart. This makes these leaders very cautious about making
decisions, especially if they involve risk.
 Tips for Using Organizational Power

 Reward:
Offer what people care about
 Offer rewards that are fair and ethical

 Don’t promise more than you can deliver

 Make criteria for rewards clear and simple

 Coercive:
 Explain rules and consequences of violations clearly

 Investigate to get facts before following through

 Use punishments that are legitimate, fair, and commensurate with the

seriousness of the issue

 Legitimate:
 Make polite, clear requests

 Explain the reason for the request

 Don’t exceed your scope or authority

 Follow up
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 Tips for Using Personal Power

 Expert:
 Explain your rationale for the request
 Provide evidence that the proposal will be successful
 Don’t exaggerate or misrepresent the facts
 Listen seriously to the person’s concerns and suggestions
 Referent:
 Act supportive and helpful
 Defend and back up people when appropriate
 Do unsolicited favors
 Make self-sacrifices to show concern
 Show acceptance and positive regard

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 Organizational Politics
Organization  “Politics isn’t
al Politics about winning at
intentional all costs. It’s
enhancement of about maintaining
self-interest relationships and
…but the self- getting results at
interest doesn’t the same time.”
have to be --John Eldred, MGMT
Professor & Consultant,
opposition to the Kingston U. UK.

org’s interests
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 Are You Politically Naïve, Sensible, or
a Political Shark?
Characteristics Naïve Sensible Sharks

Underlying Politics is unpleasant Politics is necessary Politics is an

attitude opportunity

Intent Avoid it at all costs Further Self-serving and

departmental goals predatory

Techniques Tell it like it is Network; expand Manipulate; use

connections; use fraud and deceit
system to give and when necessary
receive favors
Favorite tactics None—the truth will Negotiate, bargain Bully; misuse
win out information,
cultivate and use
“friends” and other
contacts
 Uncertainty Triggers Political Behavior

1) Unclear objectives
2) Vague performance
measures
3) Ill-defined decision
processes
4) Strong individual or
group competition
5) Any type of change
 Impression Management

 Getting others to  Positive forms

 Appropriately
see us in a certain mentioning your
manner contributions
 Dressing nicely
 Sending professional
emails
 Being polite and
respectful
 Negative forms
 Exagerrating your
contributions
 Being deceitful
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