Explanation and Examples of Differences - Leadership and Management
It is appropriate here briefly to explain and give examples of, the differences between management and leadership.
There are lots of confusions and overlaps, and also big differences when comparing leadership with management.
- A very big difference between leadership and management, and often overlooked, is that leadership always involves (leading) a group of people, whereas management need only be concerned with responsibility for things (for example IT, money, advertising, equipment, promises, etc).
- Of course, many management roles have major people-management responsibilities, but the fact that management does not necessarily include responsibility for people, whereas leadership definitely always includes responsibility for people, is a big difference.
- Leadership is more about change, inspiration, setting the purpose and direction, and building the enthusiasm, unity and 'staying-power' for the journey ahead. Management is less about change, and more about stability and making the best use of resources to get things done.
Overlap between Management and Leadership
The biggest most fundamental overlap between leadership and management - there are many individual points - is that good leadership always includes responsibility for managing.
- Lots of the managing duties may be delegated to others, but the leader is responsible for ensuring there is appropriate and effective management for the situation or group concerned.
The opposite is not the case. It would be incorrect to suggest that management includes a responsibility to lead, in the true sense of both terms.
- We, therefore, may see management as a function or responsibility within leadership, but not vice-versa.
- Incidentally - Where a manager begins to expand his or her management responsibility into leadership areas, then the manager becomes a leader too. The manager is leading as well as managing.
Beyond this fundamental overlap - that leadership is actually a much bigger and deeper role than management - a useful way to understand the differences between leadership and management is to consider some typical responsibilities of leading and managing, and to determine whether each is more a function of leading or of managing.
Of course, by inflating the meaning of the word 'managing', or reducing the significance of the meaning of the word 'leading', it is possible to argue that many of these activities listed below could fit into either category, but according to general technical appreciation, it is reasonable to categorise the following responsibilities as being either:
- Managing
- Leading
To emphasise the differences, the two lists of responsibilities are arranged in pairs, showing the typical management 'level' or depth of responsibility, compared to the corresponding leadership responsibility for the same area of work.
- The responsibilities are in no particular order, and the numbering is simply to aid the matching of one item to another as you consider the management perspective versus the leadership perspective.
Differences in Responsibilities
Management | Leadership |
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Observant readers will notice that the final entry in the leadership list is 'All management... (delegated to others...)'.
This emphasises that:
- Leadership is (usually*) a bigger responsibility than management and also,
- Leadership includes the responsibility for the management of the group/situation, which is typically mostly by delegation to others.
*Note: Management may, of course, be a bigger responsibility than leadership where the scale of a management role is much bigger than the scale of a leadership role, for example, the quality assurance manager for a global corporation compared to the leader of a small independent advertising agency.
Also, it is important to note again that many managers are also leaders, and so will be doing or perhaps will be asked to do, things that appear on the leadership list.
Where a manager does things that appear in the leadership list when actually he or she is leading, as well as managing.
- There are lots of great leadership training courses that can help you to explore the concept of leadership future.
James Scouller has an additional and helpful viewpoint on the distinction between leadership and management: He says:
" Leadership is more about change, inspiration, setting the purpose and direction, and building the enthusiasm, unity and 'staying-power' for the journey ahead. Management is less about change, and more about stability and making the best use of resources to get things done... But here is the key point: leadership and management are not separate. And they are not necessarily done by different people. It's not a case of, 'You are either a manager or a leader'. Leadership and management overlap.. ." (From The Three Levels of Leadership, J Scouller, 2011)
Mistaking Leadership for Management
From entrepreneurs and start-ups, to experienced businesspeople - individuals always mistake leadership for management. This can be harmful to your results - watch this video from the Big Think to find out why, and how to remedy this.
The Perils of Confusing Management for Leadership
Professor of Leadership at the Harvard Business School, John Kotter points out that in today's business world there is too much management and not enough leadership. Both are incredibly important, but in a rapidly changing world, great leadership is invaluable. He argues that if organizations do not recognize this fact, they risk sinking into complacency and achieving little.
Task or People - Peter Farey
Leadership vs. Management
Traditionally, Management is described as:
- The process of identifying and agreeing on goals, sourcing the resources required to achieve them, design, organisation, controlling and directing activities, and motivating and rewarding individuals to complete the required work.
On the other hand, Leadership is described as:
- The process of looking beyond the constraints presented, and instead of striking out in new directions, breaking boundaries, creating new ideas, taking risks, and influencing the thoughts and beliefs of others in order to innovate and develop.
Peter Farey (1993) took this a step further, identifying two extra dimensions in which Leaders and Managers can act. He suggested that Leaders can either be:
- The individual at the front, doing what they do best - succeeding at a task.
- Someone who can inspire followers
The Farey Framework of Leadership and Management
Farey subsequently developed a practical Leadership vs. Management model (below) in which he used the context of Task vs. People (or Relationships) to develop an extra dimension in which to compare the two, and the various style or approaches which can be employed by individuals in a position of responsibility.
The model itself is designed to represent both attitudes and behaviours displayed by responsible individuals.
- Attitudes refer to whether they veer towards the points of any of the four axes of leadership, management, tasks, and people.
- The individual items listed in each of the quadrants created by the axes are the leadership behaviours.
Above the horizontal midline, leaders can be found - individuals showing a desire for new, radical ideas. These people wish to be unique and revolutionary, challenging the current constraints and existing mechanisms for change.
Below it, managers lie, focussing instead on achieving results by utilising and building upon what already exists. These individuals focus on smooth operation, striking for efficiency and productivity in all that they and their team do.
Leaders vs. Managers Model
To the right of the vertical midline, People Leaders and People Managers can be found.
Whereas to the left, Task Leaders and Task Managers can be found.
- Those on the Task side have a prime concern for production and output - getting results based on specific deadlines and constraints.
- Those on the People side instead display an interest in their people and look to develop relationships with their followers in order to motivate them.
Each of these comes with its own unique traits and behaviours, which are often suited to individual situations. Though some may find themselves primarily drawn to specific behaviours, it is sometimes suitable to interchange these depending on the scenario and team members presented to you.
- Each of these behaviours can, in Farey's model, be mapped to specific areas within each quadrant dependent on the levels of each attribute required.
People Leadership
People Leadership is focused on the idea of inspiring others to succeed.
- The more that one engages with others on an individual level - their needs, wants and motivations - the more they are likely willing to succeed.
- This spirit of inspiration can serve as the fuel which drives an organisation or team to new heights.
The idea of People Leadership is intricately related to charisma. If we think historically, we often think of individuals who, using their personality, are able to create a sense of followership - others want to work for them, regardless of their arguments (though, this obviously can also end in disaster).
- Some individuals can be guilty of overdoing the 'hype' - so much that it is unrealistic and demotivating.
This is not necessarily an innate trait - though it often can be - others have to learn how to bring the best out of others by first bringing the best out of themselves.
Task Leadership
Task Leadership is often referred to as the entrepreneurial aspect of management.
- People Leadership focuses on collaboration and followers, whereas Task Leadership focusses on success; coming first; winning.
- Task Leaders focus on finding the constraints that have been identified by the Task Manager and defeating these constraints to achieve the desired results.
The Task Leader wishes to search for new and innovative solutions, objects and processes which do not yet exist; whereas Task Managers try only to improve those things which already exist.
- The Task Leader is perfectly happy to challenge the things that are currently acceptable or within policy - the Task Manager tends to remain within any external constraints.
- Task Managers only focus on issues within their area of work, their team, or their departments; whilst Task Leaders also keep an eye elsewhere, examining external forces, influences and innovation.
- Similarly, Task Leaders have an eye on the future; Task Managers only focus on the present.
However, balance is once again required - too little Task Leadership and the status quo will always remain so. On the flip-side, too much Task Leadership and the individual can become obsessed with winning - so much so that other departments, teams and managers become competitors and will not be on the receiving end of any support or collaborative opportunity.
