Why the Task Oriented Leadership Hardly Delivers the Task

The characteristics of a leaders having a production oriented leadership style

The definition of leadership itself gives certain hints about the basic characteristics of any type of leadership . The basic aim of any leadership is to achieve a predetermined goal by way of methods and procedures unique to that leadership style. The path of leadership may vary according to styles but generally the end result somewhat remains the same 

The Task Oriented Leadership

The Production Oriented Leadership Style (POLS) is basically the task oriented leadership which accords more value to end results. This type of leadership style is rule based, formal, structured and heavily oriented towards the bureaucratic method. If we look closely inside the philosophy of the Production Oriented Leadership Style (POLS), then we find ample traces of the scientific school of management of the famous thinker Taylor. 

The Production Oriented Leadership Style (POLS) believes in close supervision of the employees and they regard employees more or less as the means to the production process. In their model of management the relationship to employees are purely based on formal engagements, associations and managed by procedures. The employees are rated higher if the production and the metrics of performance are to the satisfaction of the management. In modern times the traditional tenets of this leadership style may have diminished in procedures but the essence remains the same 

The Non-Welfarist Leadership Style 

The Production Oriented Leadership Style (POLS) does not value much the welfare mindset in management. This style believes that a task is more important than any other thing. That is the reason this style of leadership is opposite to the Relationship Oriented Leadership Style. The dictum is simple for this leadership. The end ultimately justifies the means. The bottom line is the material result. Period 

The Michigan University Studies & their Revelations 

The famous Michigan University studies found that the Production Oriented Leadership Style (POLS) is not providing the same high level of results as it is supposed to provide. They surprisingly found out that the employee oriented leadership style created more productivity at the workplace. The Michigan studies also found that there existed the lowest level of job satisfaction in the Production Oriented Leadership Style (POLS). But the job satisfaction of employees was higher in the employee oriented leadership style. The Michigan studies support the observations of the famous Harvard Model of Management which treats employees not as mere units but as the Human Resources of the organisation. Further the famous Maslow Hierarchy of Needs theory also does not fit into the Production Oriented Leadership Style (POLS). Therein lies the greatest drawback of the Production Oriented Leadership Style (POLS)

The Philosophical Contradictions 

The Production Oriented Leadership Style (POLS) basically provides a contradiction in itself when viewed from the prism of economic principles. They believe in the laissez faire model of economic system as far as it suits them but on the other hand it heavily regulates the employees process of production. This leadership model does not allow operational and behavioral freedom to the employees in the process of production. But at the same time this leadership model expects least intervention from the state in its business activities

The Non-Utilitarianism in Real Sense 

The Production Oriented Leadership Style (POLS) believes wholeheartedly in the “Utilitarianism” concept of Bentham & Mill. But they narrow their concept when it comes to the employees so much so that they treat employees as mere utility tools to the production. They do not follow the classic principle of Utilitarianism which proclaims “the greatest happiness of the greatest number”. For this model the employees are mere numbers without the happiness quotient 

There is No Textbook Leadership Style 

Whatever has been discussed above is not verbatim and literally found like the textbook style in all such leadership. But the predominance of many characteristics mentioned above will surely qualify any leadership to this style. In the present scenario there is no watertight model of any leadership style in operation. All leadership models are mixture and amalgamations of the different schools. But if any style is dominating the behavior, then we can safely attribute that school to that leadership. In the present context the Production Oriented Leadership Style (POLS) is not dominating the management thinkers. But it is also true that in this high competitive world the goal oriented mindset has much more value than ever before. But the goals are achieved through amalgamations of different styles of leadership rather than purely based on the Production Oriented Leadership Style (POLS)