Definition
Leadership is a complex process having
multiple dimensions.
Defined in terms of group processing,
personality, behavior and power.
An instrument of goal achievement.
A process in which an individual
influences other individuals to achieve
one or more goals.
Relationship of leader and followers.
Characteristics
Innate or inborn traits vs. learned
behaviors.
Assigned vs. emergent position of
leadership.
Position power vs. personal power
Coercion with threats vs. positive
motivation.
Leadership vs. management.
5 SOURCES OF POWER
REWARD
COERCIVE
LEGITIMATE
REFERENT
EXPERT
LEADERSHIP VS.
MANAGEMENT
LEADERSHIP’S PRIMARY FUNCTION
IS TO PRODUCE
CHANGE/MOVEMENT
MANAGEMENT’S PRIMARY
FUNCTION IS TO PRODUCE ORDER
AND STABILITY
Parting Thought………….
“Managers are people who do
things right and leaders are
people who do the right thing.”
~ Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus
Trait Theory
OBJECTIVE
To identify personality characteristics
that can be used to define a leader.
Description
Early 1900s, leadership traits were
studied to determine what made certain
people great leaders.
‘Great man’ theories
Focused on innate qualities and
characteristics held by great men and
women (e.g. Abraham Lincoln &
Mahatma Gandhi).
Believed that people were born with
traits & only great people have them.
Mid-1900s, trait approach was challenged.
The traits of one leader may not be those of other
leaders.
Traits such as intelligence, self-confidence,
determination, integrity and sociability.
Leadership was reconceptualized as a relationship
between people in a social situation
Personal factors continued to be important but they
are to be considered as relative to the requirements
of the situation.
Traits most valued in one situation may not be
valued in other situations.
Currently, it has shifted back to reemphasize the
critical role of traits in effective leadership.
Application
Focused exclusively on the leader & not on the
followers /the situation – more straight forward that
other approaches.
Focused on leaders & their traits – what traits & who
has them?
Having a person with a specific set of traits is
crucial to effective leadership.
Suggests that organizations work better if managers
have designated leadership profiles (e.g. personality
assessment instruments).
A trait profile is used to determine if a person fits a
certain job.
Application…
Also used for personal awareness &
development – managers can
determine own strength and
weaknesses.
People with gifts that can do
extraordinary things.
Can be open to a subjective selection of
personality characteristics
Strengths
Appealing
Century of research as backing
Highlights the leader in the
leadership process
Provides benchmarks of what to
look for in leaders
Criticisms
No definitive list of traits
Fails to take situations into account
Highly subjective list of “important”
leadership traits
Failure to look at traits in relationship
to leadership outcomes
Not a useful approach for training &
development
Usefulness
Still provides valuable information about
leadership
Can be used by individuals at all levels & in
all types of organizations
Does provide direction regarding which traits
are good to have if one aspires to take a
leadership position.
Individuals can gain insight into whether or
not they have important select traits
Style Approach
OBJECTIVE
To integrate the two major behavioral
aspects of the leader, task and
relationship, in order to influence
subordinates to reach a predefined
goal.
Definition
Focus is on the behavior of the individual in
terms of what leaders do and how they act.
Includes the actions of leaders toward
subordinates in various contexts.
Concentration on 2 general kinds of
behaviors:
–the integration of task (initiating) and
–relationship (consideration) behavior to influence
others to reach their goals.
Maximize the impact on the satisfaction and
performance of followers.
Task behaviors – help group members to
achieve objectives
Relationship behaviors – help subordinates
feel comfortable with themselves & others
The main purpose of the style approach –
explains how leaders combine these 2 kinds
of behaviors to influence subordinates to
reach the goal.
Research Studies
The Ohio State Studies:
Task and relationship separate
LBDQ-XII developed by Stodgill
most widely used
Task: organizing, defining responsibilities,
scheduling
Relationship: respect, trust, camaraderie
Research Studies
Michigan State Studies: employee
orientation/ production orientation
Initially viewed as on continuum, then
separate, looking for universal theory
Employee Orientation: human relations
Production Orientation:technical
aspects
Studies inconclusive
Managerial (Leadership) Grid
Concern for production/concern for
people
Joins the two on a grid creating 5 styles
Authority-Compliance (9,1): controlling,
demanding, hard driving
Country Club Management(1,9):
agreeable, eager to help, comforting
Blake and Mouton Grid
9 1, 9 9,9
8 Country Club Team
P 7
E 6
O 5 5, 5
P 4 Middle
L 3
E 2 Impoverished Authority-Compliance
1 1,1 9,1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
R E S U L T S
Blake/Mouton Added….
Paternalism/Maternalism:
“benevolent dictator” uses 1,9 and
9,1
Opportunism: combination of 5
styles for purpose of personal
advancement
Strengths
Marked major shift in research
Studies validate basic ideas
Increased understanding of
task/relationship as core to leadership
process
Hueristic, provides a broad conceptual
map to understand complexities of
leadership
Criticisms
Does not adequately show how
leader style affects outcomes
Failed to find universal style
effective in almost every situation
Implies that most effective style is
high-high, research does not
support this conclusion
Application
Suggests that leaders should modify
their behavioral style in order to
increase their effectiveness.
People sometimes use different styles
just to get what they want at that
point in time.
Trade-off between task and relationship
is not the same for all situations.
Employee satisfaction is not always the
best measurement of leadership.