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The concept of vision in leadership

OVERVIEW

• vision: an emerging concept

• vision as a key leadership competency

• definitions of vision in the literature

• the purpose of a vision

• shared vision

• the features of an effective vision

• the role of followers in visioning.

vision: an emerging concept

• vision emerged as an organizational concept out of the management by objectives and

strategic planning concepts of the 1950s and 1960s

• by the late 1980s and early 1990s, following a number of groundbreaking works on
leadership, vision was becoming a recognized concept in the literature and among leaders

• safire (2008) noted that vision is ―a world-weary acknowledgement that a leader must
articulate inspiring goals (p. 780)

• as Bennis (2003) noted, by the early 2000s, the idea of vision had been widely embraced, not
only in the corporate world but among leaders of educational institutions, churches, and other
nonprofit organizations as well

• bennis‘s research at the time found that one of the most critical elements of successful
leadership was a clearly articulated vision, or sense of direction, to focus the attention of
everyone associated with the organization

• Bennis stated that ―it is generally recognized that all successful organizations need not just a
clear mission and purpose, but also a widely shared vision and that few leaders can succeed
without both (p. ii) vision as a key leadership competency

• weber was one of the first scholars, to mention vision when he wrote in the late 1940s of
charismatic leadership to describe secular leaders: expanding the term beyond its traditional
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meaning of ―a gift from god, to include all leaders who attract followers through their
exceptional powers. of charismatic leaders.

• Weber Wrote The Following Description:

• [he] is set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman
or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities . . . such as are not accessible to the
ordinary person, but are regarded as of divine origin or as exemplary and on the basis of them
the individual concerned is treated as a leader.

• weber’s claims of charisma as a superhuman trait have been put into question by later
researchers, noting that ―charisma‘s role in setting vision is vastly overrated and that all
leaders can and should have a vision

• hackman and johnson (2004) stated, for instance, that transformational leaders share five
characteristics: they are creative, interactive, visionary, empowering, and passionate

• Bennisand nanus (2003) found that one of the most critical elements of successful leadership
was a clearly articulated vision, or sense of direction, that focused the attention of everyone
associated with the organization.

• leaders can leave a legacy that inspires others to change

• sandstrom and smith (2008) identified five legacy practices: conscious guardians of both
personal and organizational vision and values [and] this guardianship becomes part of who they
are and guides all they do (p. 35)

• kouzes and posner (2009) contended that ―being forward-looking—envisioning exciting

possibilities and enlisting others in a shared view of the future—is the competency that most
distinguishes leaders from nonleaders (p. 20)

• vision along with coherence can ensure success of a leader

• coherence as defined by lissack and roos (2001) is: the concept of holding together, the
―glue which allows both the manager and the organization to reassert identity in the face of
the continuous change (p. 60). where vision allows a focus on the future, coherence ―demands
a recognition of the present [and]where vision looks at where [an organization] wants to be,
coherence demands that [it] deal with where [it is] (p. 61)

• hunt (1999) noted that ―in changing times we need leaders with vision, rooted in deeply held
values. in short, we need leaders who can dream and make those dreams real (p. 13) vision
defined
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• maxwell (2002) and depree‘s (1987) defined vison as: vision is everything for a leader. it is
utterly indispensable. why? because vision leads the leader. it paints a target. it sparks and fuels
the fire within, and draws him forward. it is also the fire lighter for others who follow that
leader. show me a leader without vision and i‘ll show you someone who isn‘t going anywhere.
at best, he is traveling in circles. (p. 53)

• hunt (1999) added to the sense of vision as a destination or a journey when she noted that
―vision provides the direction and the sustenance for change. our vision helps us navigate
through crises. it reminds us to look beyond the day-to-day minutiae. it helps us to live on
purpose (p. 12)

• Kouzes and Posner (1995) suggested that credible leaders develop a capacity to envision the
future, to look ahead, imagining the ideal. ―vision‖ is the term used by kouzes and posner to
refer to a leader‘s foresightedness and as ―an ideal and unique image of the future (p. 95)

• snyder and graves (1994) disagreed, suggesting that vision is less a dream than a reality that
has not yet come into existence:

• vision is palpable to leaders; their confidence in it and dedication to vision are so strong they
can devote long hours over many years to bring it into being. . . . the power of the vision and
the leader‘s devotion to it inspire others who, sensing purpose and commitment, respond. . . .
when we say a leader has vision, we refer to the ability to see the present as it is and formulate
a future that grows out of and improves upon [it]. . . . a vision is an idea of the future; it is an
image, a strongly felt wish. (p. 1) purpose of a vision

• the need for vision during change initiatives was explored by yukl (2002) who suggested that
―during the hectic and confusing process of implementing major change, a clear vision helps to
guide and coordinate the decisions and actions of thousands of people working in widely
dispersed locations (p. 283)

• snyder and graves (1994) suggested that a vision provides a leader with strategic direction
and is a target toward which a leader aims his or her energy and resources. the constant
presence of the vision keeps a leader moving despite various forces of resistance such as fear of
failure, emotional hardships, or practical difficulties (p. 1).

Shared Vision

• Senge (1990) introduced the idea of developing a shared vision in his landmark work on
learning organizations in which he challenged leaders to develop an organizational vision based
on the individual, personal visions of the people who work in the organization rather than
imposing a vision from the top down.
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• an action of compliance rather than commitment

• there is a large difference between selling a vision and enrolling others in that vision

• Senge advocated that a vision that is developed together, a shared vision, is the ideal

• kouzes and Posner (2006) agreed with shared organizational visions, refuting the idea that
leaders‘ individual visions are what inspire others, and suggesting that, while followers expect a
leader to be forward-looking, they do not expect to hear ―divinely inspired revelations (p.
208).

• instead, followers want to hear about their own aspirations, how their own dreams will come
true and how their own hopes will be fulfilled

• kolzow (1999) added that sharing a vision does not mean that any one person has to give up
his or her dream (p. 5).

• rather, it means that each person will have an interest in the visions of others for the larger
vision to emerge.

Features Of An Effective Vision

• issue a challenge

• vision as a destination

• depict shared values

• depict shared hopes and dreams and evoke emotion

• span timelines

• contain imagery

• suggest the means to implement the vision

• the need for vision to express urgency. the role of followers in vision

• leaders need followers to implement their visions; without that implementation, the vision
remains an elusive desire that never comes into being

• burns contended that leadership is inseparable from followers‘ needs and goals and that
leadership is, therefore, relational, collective, and purposeful. it is this realization of goals, that
is, the implementation of vision, which ensures the success of the enterprise
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• leaders were seen to transform the needs, values, preferences, and aspirations of followers
from self-interests to collective interests, such that followers become committed to the leader‘s
mission, making significant personal sacrifices in the interest of that mission, performing above
and beyond the call of duty (p. 577)

Conclusion
• there are abundant resources in the literature on the features of an effective vision. yukl
(2002) summed up the literature on the features of a vision when he suggested that a vision
should be simple yet idealistic, a picture of the desirable future that appeals to the values,
hopes, and ideals of an organization‘s members whose support is needed by the leader.

• the vision should emphasize ideological objectives rather than immediate tangible benefits
and it should be challenging but realistic.

• the ability of leaders to hold their followers spellbound, or at the very least fully engaged in
the vision and committed to implementing it, will depend on how the leader communicates his
or her vision.

Schokley-Zalabak (2005), suggested:

Leaders communicate about:

Needed change

Translate intentions into reality

 Propose new strategies, and help sustain action to support decisions. Hackman and Johnson (2004)
identified three  clusters: Linking (which includes monitoring the environment, creating a trusting
climate, and team building) Envisioning (which involves creating new agendas or visions) Regulating
(meaning to influence others by developing credibility and power, using effective verbal and nonverbal
communications, creating positive expectations, managing change, gaining compliance and negotiation)

Why communication is needed:

Leaders need to communicate their vision is so that those who will implement it will understand the
vision and take action to make it happen As Westley and Mintzberg (1989) noted, what distinguishes
visionary leadership is that through words and actions, the leader gets the followers to see his or her
vision to see a new way to think and act and to join their leader in realizing it. How the vision is
communicated thus becomes as important as what is communicated‖ (p. 19)

Sustaining Communication:
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The need to continue communicating the vision beyond the initial revealing of it Visioning is an
ongoing process, recommending that leaders keep it alive and keep talking about it and referring to it
as much as possible Communicating a vision requires that a leader make the case until his or her throat
bleeds, with a story that says here‘s how our destination will make life better for you personally and for
all of us‘.

Language to communicate vision

Vivid imagery and Metaphors metaphors with which people could identify leaders make any
abstractions such as freedom, service, respect, quality, or innovation concrete so that others can
recognize what you imagine Enthusiasm and commitment can be aroused in followers by leaders who
appeal to their needs, values, hopes, and ideals

Using narrative technique a story is a powerful tool for disseminating a vision that creates a ripple
effect Conger also advocated the use of metaphors and analogies in stories which draw a likeness
between two things to portray a vision in a vivid manner, to clarify, to express certain emotions or
interpret reality.

Rhetoric Devices Repetition such as Martin Luther King Jr.‘s let freedom ring sequence, which can
support the communicating of a vision by building an emotional commitment to a leader‘s message and
the listener‘s ability to remember the message leaders use vivid and powerful language to ignite those
flames and suggested that successful leaders use metaphors, figures of speech, stories, examples, and
anecdotes as well as drawing word pictures, quotations, and slogans to convey their vision.

THE THEORY OF SYSTEMATIC FUNCTIONAL LINGUISTICS ( LECTURE 3A )

ORIGINS OF SFL

• ferdinand de saussure (19th century)

• sign (semiotics)

• signifier (sounds or written symbols)

• significant (the meaning or concept signified by the signifier)

• malinowski (1923/46)

• language only becomes intelligible when it is placed in its context of situation that is, that the
―meaning of any single word is . . . dependent on its context

• j. r. firth (1950/1957) developed on the theory that language use is largely predictable if the context in
which the language is used is known

• given a description of a context, we can predict what language will be used halliday & hassan (1989)
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• language comes to life only when functioning in some environment. we do not experience language in
isolation . . . but always in relation to a scenario, some background of persons and actions and events
from which the things which are said derive their meaning (p. 29)

• relevance; the context of situation refers only to those features which are relevant to the speech that
is taking place

• halliday and hasan (1989, p. 12) outlined the three relevant dimensions in the context of situation that
have a direct and significant impact on the type of language that will be produced the field of discourse

• referring to the activity in which language is being used

• the nature of the social interaction that is taking place or the activity in which people are engaging in
which language plays a central role.

• in a courtroom, for example, the field of discourse might be said to be prosecuting criminals, law suits,
bringing someone to justice, etc

the tenor of discourse

• referring to who is taking part in the discourse

• the nature of their status and roles; their relationship (both at the moment in which language is being
used and in society in general); and the relation between the speaker-writer and his or her information.

• in the example, a discussion of tenor might include the omnipotence of the judge, the equal
relationship of the two main lawyers (the prosecutor and the defense attorney), the very limited role of
the defendant and the spectators and, especially, how these various roles influence the discursive
strategies of each of the participants.

the mode of discourse

• refers to the part language is playing in the interaction

• what the participants are expecting language to do for them in the interaction, including the medium
(usually written or spoken) through which language is making meaning.

• in my example, both speech and written texts are in use in a courtroom setting: witnesses usually utter
only spoken texts while statements by the lawyers, for example, their opening and concluding remarks,
are usually written to be spoken.

• from these beginnings, systemic functional linguistics (also referred to as systemic functional
grammar) became a theory about what language is and how it operates in society to fulfill the purposes
we require of it.

• the name of the theory is derived from three basic tenets about language: 1. that language is a system,
a set of resources for organizing, describing, interpreting, and making meaning 2. that language contains
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a grammar that is defined not as a set of rules, but a set of resources for describing, interpreting, and
making meaning, a means to organize a language so that language users can share understandings 3.
that language is functional in that it functions to fulfill a number of roles and expectations (butt et al.,
2000). these three tenets of language will be explored further in the lectures that follow.

Theory of SFL TENET

Tenet 1:

Language as a System THE Theory of SFL Lecture 3 B

› Systemic Functional Linguistics identifies language as being a system, that is, sets of options which are
available to the speaker or writer (made up of the meanings that can be and are typically expressed in
particular contexts) and the linguistic means of expressing them

› language, like traffic lights, is a system of ―arbitrary social conventions by which it is conventionally
agreed that a particular meaning will be realized by a particular representation

› we have ascribed agreed meaning to the different colors of the lights as follows: red means stop;
amber or yellow means caution or slow down; and green means go Analogy: Traffic Lights

› Both systems, traffic lights and the much more complex system of language, have the following basic
attributes:

1. They consist of a set of finite choices or oppositions: the traffic light system contains only three
choices since the traffic lights can only be red, yellow, or green.

2. The choices in the system are discrete: The lights can only be one color at a time.

3. It is the oppositions, not the substance, in the system that are important: It does not matter exactly
what shade of red, green, or yellow is used, only that each of the three colored lights is different from
the others.

› The colored lights are operating as part of a sign system in which the color of the lights expresses or, in
linguistic terminology, encodes what action from a set of possible behaviors at traffic lights‘ should be
performed (Eggins, 2004, p. 13).

› Sign systems, like language, create meanings by ordering the world in two ways:

1. By ordering content: Of all the possible behaviors that could be enacted at intersections, the system
sets up only three that are meaningful (stop, slow down, go)

2. By ordering expression: Of all the possible colored lights that could be used at intersections, the
system sets up only three that are meaningful (red, green, yellow) .

2: LANGUAGE AS A GRAMMAR (Lecture 3C)

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Grammar?
• Grammar is a set of resources for describing, interpreting and making meaning, a means to organize a
language so that language users can share understandings

• Grammar is prescriptive?

• Grammar is descriptive

• Systemicists consider descriptive grammar, that is, how people have actually used language in text.

• This latter grammar ―is an account of how speakers actually use the language, the patterns and
structures they use. It makes no judgments about whether people should or shouldn‘t use such
language structures

• Halliday and Matthiessen (2004), speaking of the structure of English lexico-grammar, identified a
hierarchy of units as a rank scale: Morphemes make up words; words make up phrases or groups;
phrases or groups make up clauses; and several clauses together make up a clause complex.

Register
• Texts share the same context of situation, they share the same or similar ideational, interpersonal,
and textual meanings

• As Eggins and Martin (1997) suggested, texts appear to carry with them some influences from the
context in which [they] were produced. – Context . . . Gets into‘ the text by influencing the words and
structures that text-producers use, and . . . the linguistic differences between texts can be correlated
with differences in the contexts in which the texts were produced. (pp. 232-233).

• Eggins and Martin (1997) stated that ―the concept of register is a theoretical explanation of the
common-sense observation that we use language differently in different situations (p. 234), that is, the
register in which we speak or write is influenced by the context of situation.

• The field, tenor and mode.

The Theory of SFL

Tenet 3:

Language as a Function ( Lecture 3 D)

There are, according to Gregory and Carroll (1978, p. 27), three important functions of language:

Language is about something and it therefore has an ideational function [To talk about what is
happening, what will happen, and what has happened]
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It does something socially between people and therefore has an interpersonal function [To interact
and/or to express a point of view] A third function of language, the textual function, enables the other
functions through providing the linguistic structure through which meaning can be made and shared [To
turn the output of the previous two functions into a coherent whole] We use language to interact with
other people, to establish and maintain relations with them, to influence their behavior, to express our
own viewpoint on things in the world, and to elicit or change theirs (Thompson, 1996). The
interpersonal metafunction of language enables a language user to communicate his or her positions,
attitudes, beliefs, and values regarding the interaction or situation in which language plays a part.
Because vision involves the sharing of values communication of a positive challenge or goal, leaders
must be able to use language to communicate their own viewpoint, their take on things, to elicit desired
change on the part of their listenerfollowers

Elements that Allow Expression

The theory of Systemic Functional Linguistics identifies three elements that allow us to express
interpersonal meaning to one another: Mood, modality, and evaluative language. Applications of the
theory of SFL show how a language user expresses his or her viewpoints and stances by examining his or
her choices in Mood and modalities (should, must, could, etc.) which depict interpersonal meanings
Mood

It has to do with how we construct our clauses in our texts to communicate meaning. Three types of
Mood (or speech functions) are available to language users in English: Declarative (expressed by a
statement, George is a happy student) Command (an order, George, your exam is coming up so study
now) Interrogative (a question, George, are you a happy student?) Choice of Mood depends on what is
being exchanged and for what purpose. If, for example, we are in need of information, we obtain it by
uttering a question (where’s the coffee?). If, however, we are in need of a good or service, we are more
likely to get it by issuing a command (please get me a cup of coffee). To construct the declarative Mood
we most often start our clauses with the subject of the clause (George is a student) as compared to the
interrogative, which often starts with a process (is George a student?). The Mood structure of a clause in
linguistic terminology is the organization of a set of functional constituents including the subject Each of
the Moods can be expressed both in the traditional manner as in the examples shared and in ways that
are different from the traditional but which convey the same meanings. Commands, for example, while
typically expressed by the imperative (read the book), can also be expressed by declaratives (I am
hoping you will read the book) and by modulated interrogatives (would you mind reading the book,
please?). Questions, typically expressed by the interrogative, can also be conveyed by modulated
Declaratives (I was wondering if you would like to borrow my book). Statements, usually expressed in
the declarative, can also be communicated via tagged declaratives (that wasa good book, wasn’t it?)

Modality

Modality is used because, when we exchange information (for example, this coffee is good), the clause
takes the form of a proposition: the information can be affirmed (yes, the coffee is good) or denied (no,
the coffee is not good) But in between these positive and negative polarities, between yes and no there
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is an intermediate zone of is perhaps or is sometimes. Matthiessen (2004) noted that modality is

construed in more than one place in the grammar and that, therefore, the system of modality is more
extensive than the modal features of any one grammatical unit would suggest (p. 592). Modality can, for
example, be construed by clauses such as I suppose and it is possible By verbal groups with finite modal
operators such as may, and by adverbial groups with modal adverbs such as perhaps. Halliday and
Matthiessen (2004) suggested: an absence of modality in a proposition conveys a more committed
attitude of the speaker towards the proposition being made— that is, the absence of modality is an
intent of the leader-orator to take responsibility for the information in his or her propositions and
express it with confidence.

The SFL Theory

Tenet 3: Language as a Function- Evaluative Language (lecture 3E)

Evaluative function of a language – the appraisal theory

› Appraisal Theory explains how we elicit the desired response,

› The ways leader positions his or her own views in the contexts of others‘ positions and stances.

› As this creation of bonding or solidarity is a critical element in vision: Leaders and followers have a
relationship, with followers being active participants in committing to the leader‘s vision and by making
the vision a reality (Rost, 1993).

Domains of Appraisal theory

1. attitude

› It is concerned with the expression of feelings in text, including emotional reactions, judgments of
behavior, and evaluation of things.

› The system of attitude comprises three semantic regions:

– Emotion (affect)

– Ethics (judgment)

– Aesthetics (appreciation)

› Affect deals with those linguistic resources that allow us to interpret emotional reactions (examples
include words such as worry, anger, shock)

› Judgment resources are those which enable us to access someone‘s behavior against our norms (e.g.,
he is miserly, she is greedy)

› Appreciation resources enable us to construe how we value things (a beautiful vase)

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2. Engagement

› Engagement enables us to position our voice with respect to other voices and alternative positions,
thus to engage with those other voices and positions in our discourse if we choose to do so

› Consider, for example, the opening sentence of King‘s speech: Five score years ago, a great American,
in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The first several words, Five
score years ago, resembles a prior utterance, that of Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address (Four score and
seven years ago . . .) and will have been recognized by King‘s audience as a reference to Lincoln.
Similarly, by saying in whose symbolic shadow we stand, King refers to the Lincoln Memorial, the
location of the speech, again invoking Lincoln and those things for which he stands.

› By invoking Lincoln‘s memory, King invites Lincoln‘s voice to join his own in calling for civil rights. By
allowing the other voice into his discourse, King positions himself in agreement with Lincoln‘s policies,
anticipates and receives a positive response from his audience, and thereby strengthens the solidarity
between himself and them. This solidarity is necessary for the listener-followers to buy into King‘s vision

› Engagement can be divided into four sub-sections:

– Proclaim

– Disclaim

– Entertain

– Attribute

› Resources that proclaim allow the textual voice to suppress or rule out other alternative positions by
proclaiming a proposition as highly warrantable (compelling, valid, plausible, well-founded) these
resources can harmonize (naturally, of course, obviously), pronounce (I contend, the truth is,
unquestionably), or endorse (the research has demonstrated that . . .).

› Resources that disclaim enable the orator to position him- or herself at odds with or rejecting a
contrary position by denying it (you don’t look ill) or countering it (although you look ill, you do not look
terrible)
› With entertainment, the text presents a proposition as being one of several potential alternatives,
thereby entertaining other positions (it seems, the evidence suggests, apparently, and some types of
rhetorical questions)
› With attribution, the text entertains other voices by acknowledging them (Jones believes, according to
Smith) or distancing from them (Ron claims, it is rumored)

3. Amplification

› Appraisal Theory also identifies language resources that provide us with a means to scale meaning
(White, 2001).
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› This scaling of meaning, up or down, was labeled graduation by Martin and White (2005) who
identified two ways of grading:

– force, referring to adjusting the degree of an evaluation by either raising or lowering it (somewhat
upset)

– focus, referring to the ability to adjust the strength of boundaries between categories, either
sharpening or softening them.

› Eggins and Slade (1997), however, refer to this scaling ability as amplification, which unlike affect,
judgment, and appreciation does not occur in positive and negative pairs.

› Instead, amplification occurs in the resources of enrichment, augmentation, and mitigation

› Enrichment, involves a speaker or writer adding an attitudinal coloring to a meaning when a core,

neutral word could have been used

– (he killed at cards vs. he won at cards or she yapped all day vs. she spoke all day)

› Or by adding a comparative element which makes explicit the attitudinal meaning

(run like a bat out of hell).

› Augmentation, involves amplifying an attitudinal meaning, often through repetition

– (he won and won and won at cards)

– intensifiers (she’s really amazingly beautiful)

– using lexis, which quantifies the degree of amplification being encoded (heaps of work, much, a lot)

– pronominal expressions (all, everyone).

– Adverbs such as totally, completely, entirely, utterly, or absolutely can also be used to amplify and
quantify the extent of the evaluation

› Mitigation, allows us to downplay our personal expression using, for example, adverbs such as just,
only, merely, quite, and hardly.