The importance of leadership within an organization Essay

Leadership within an organization plays a pivotal role in its success. In any business, it is important to have solid team of leaders that are able to communicate effectively with their team. When a leader decides to make a change in how the organization operates, it is important that they involve the employees and take their opinions into account during the decision making process. A leader also needs to stay alert for any organizational problems, implement an appropriate change, and be prepared for any organizational crises that may follow. This ability for leadership to communicate with their team is often referred to as a language game. A language game deals specifically with how leaders must frame their communications with various segments of the organization in order to optimize the organizational communications. This framing technique is a way of highlighting one or more aspects within a particular subject, particularly aspects that are most relevant to the organizational goals. This technique is often used by members of leadership to address pitfalls or failures instead of focusing solely on the negative aspects, they will present the situation in a way that is less devastating to employees. It is important for the leaders of an organization to utilize the language game with their employees and employ another communication strategy called managing meaning. Managing meaning simply refers to how the language game is practiced in a real world setting. When used correctly, it involves the framing of ideas and suggestions in a way that engages members without isolating others in support of the organizational change. This type of technique allows leaders to use language to convey their ideas to their employees and frame them in a way that feels like a collective idea instead of a command.
It is paramount that individuals that hold a leadership role have the ability to effectively communicate with others, whether they are communicating ideas, achievements, or failures. There is also a need to be able to communicate effectively to the many different types of people that make up an organization. The content that leaders share with others, and the way in which that information is communicated, can have a substantial impact on the success of an organization. Depending on the content of the information being communicated, there is an appropriate communication style that should be employed to maximize the translation of the information and minimize any confusion or offense. In this way, the language game is important because it allows leaders to frame the content of the information in a certain way while also employing the most effective communication style. Before they begin the framing process, leaders must have a clear understanding of their own views and goals for the organization. An effective leader will use language as a tool to also manage meaning in any situation. They will frame their communication while also managing its meaning to the various constituencies within the organization. In this way, leaders can explain organizational changes, garner support, and alleviate negative worker anxiety.