Define formalization and mention its advantages and disadvantages for leaders and followers essay
Formalization is the strict organizational structure and set of rules and regulations that determine relationships within the organization. Formalization aims at the establishment of highly formal relationships between the leader and followers based on their professional relations. Formalization does not admit the establishment of close personal relationships, including friendly relations, between the leader and followers. Formalization is a bureaucratic process, in a way, because leaders set clear, concise rules, which the organization and followers have to respect.
At first glance, formalization is absolutely positive. At any rate, formalization enhances consistently the leadership because formalization introduces comprehensible and concise rules, which the organization has to follow. More important, the leader becomes the authority and can take decisions that will have consequences for the entire organization, which the leader heads on the ground of the rules established due to the formalization (Madsen & Shafritz, 2010). The maintenance of formal relationships between the leader and his/her followers allows the leader to exercise his/her authority to the full extent because there remains little room for personal relations. For example, if a follower violates existing rules, the leader should not just forgive the issue because the follower is his/her friend. Instead, the leader applies the established procedure of punishment or certain sanctions to discourage followers from braking rules of the organization. At the same time, formalization helps to establish clear and comprehensive rules and regulate relationships between the leader and followers effectively without wasting time on the establishment of positive interpersonal relations. Instead, the leader and subordinates just follow established rules and norms.
On the other hand, there are disadvantages of formalization because formal leaders bear the full responsibility for their organization. Formalization contributes to the establishment of highly formal relations between the leader and followers. However, such relations are quite challenging for followers because they cannot feel the personal support from the part of the leader. Instead, they feel being a part of the rigid machine, where their relations are highly formalized and there is no room for more personal, friendly relations. In such a way, formalization widens gap between the leader and followers. As a result, formalization makes organizational relations very rigid and highly formal.
Formalization raises the problem of the low flexibility of interpersonal relations between the leader and his/her followers. The leader and followers have to operate only within the framework of organizational rules and norms. These rules are essential but they prevent any changes in interpersonal relations, which may be essential, when the leader attempts to motivate followers by providing them with positive feedback, for example, because such motivation is rather informal than formal.
Thus, formalization brings not only benefits to the leader and his/her followers but also responsibilities. The formal leader bears the lion share of responsibilities for outcomes of the organizational performance and, therefore, has to come prepared to perform at his/her best all the time.
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