LEADERSHIP THEORIES
The
various leadership theories are
a) Great Man Theory:
Assumptions
Leaders are born and not made.
Great leaders will arise when there is a great
need.
Description
Early
research on leadership was based on the study of people who were already great
leaders. These people were often from the aristocracy, as few from lower
classes had the opportunity to lead. This contributed to the notion that
leadership had something to do with breeding.
The idea
of the Great Man also strayed into the mythic domain, with notions that in
times of need, a Great Man would arise, almost by magic. This was easy to
verify, by pointing to people such as Eisenhower and Churchill, let alone those
further back along the timeline, even to Jesus, Moses, Mohammed and the Buddah.
Discussion
Gender
issues were not on the table when the 'Great Man' theory was proposed. Most
leaders were male and the thought of a Great Woman was generally in areas other
than leadership. Most researchers were also male, and concerns about
androcentric bias were a long way from being realized.
b) Trait Theory:
Assumptions
People are born with inherited traits.
Some traits are particularly suited to
leadership.
People who make good leaders have the right (or
sufficient) combination of traits.
Description
Early
research on leadership was based on the psychological focus of the day, which
was of people having inherited characteristics or traits. Attention was thus
put on discovering these traits, often by studying successful leaders, but with
the underlying assumption that if other people could also be found with these
traits, then they, too, could also become great leaders.
McCall and
Lombardo (1983) researched both success and failure identified four primary
traits by which leaders could succeed or 'derail':
Emotional
stability and composure: Calm, confident and predictable, particularly when
under stress.
Admitting error:
Owning up to mistakes, rather than putting energy into covering up.
Good
interpersonal skills: able to communicate and persuade others without resort to
negative or coercive tactics.
Intellectual
breadth: Able to understand a wide range of areas, rather than having a narrow
(and narrow-minded) area of expertise.
c) Behavioral Theory:
Assumptions
Leaders can be made, rather than are born.
Successful leadership is based in definable,
learnable behavior.
Description
Behavioral
theories of leadership do not seek inborn traits or capabilities. Rather, they
look at what leaders actually do.
If success
can be defined in terms of describable actions, then it should be relatively
easy for other people to act in the same way. This is easier to teach and learn
then to adopt the more ephemeral 'traits' or 'capabilities'.
d) Participative Leadership:
Assumptions
Involvement in decision-making improves the
understanding of the issues involved by those who must carry out the decisions.
People are more committed to actions where they
have involved in the relevant decision-making.
People are less competitive and more
collaborative when they are working on joint goals.
When people make decisions together, the social
commitment to one another is greater and thus increases their commitment to the
decision.
Several people deciding together make better
decisions than one person alone.
Description
A
Participative Leader, rather than taking autocratic decisions, seeks to involve
other people in the process, possibly including subordinates, peers, superiors
and other stakeholders. Often, however, as it is within the managers' whim to
give or deny control to his or her subordinates, most participative activity is
within the immediate team. The question of how much influence others are given
thus may vary on the manager's preferences and beliefs, and a whole spectrum of
participation is possible
e) Situational Leadership:
Assumptions
The best action of the leader depends on a range
of situational factors.
Description
When a
decision is needed, an effective leader does not just fall into a single
preferred style. In practice, as they say, things are not that simple.
Factors
that affect situational decisions include motivation and capability of
followers. This, in turn, is affected by factors within the particular
situation. The relationship between followers and the leader may be another
factor that affects leader behavior as much as it does follower behavior.
The
leaders' perception of the follower and the situation will affect what they do
rather than the truth of the situation. The leader's perception of themselves
and other factors such as stress and mood will also modify the leaders'
behavior.
f) Contingency Theory:
Assumptions
The leader's ability to lead is contingent upon
various situational factors, including the leader's preferred style, the
capabilities and behaviors of followers and also various other situational
factors.
Description
Contingency
theories are a class of behavioral theory that contend that there is no one
best way of leading and that a leadership style that is effective in some
situations may not be successful in others.
An effect
of this is that leaders who are very effective at one place and time may become
unsuccessful either when transplanted to another situation or when the factors
around them change.
Contingency
theory is similar to situational theory in that there is an assumption of no
simple one right way. The main difference is that situational theory tends to
focus more on the behaviors that the leader should adopt, given situational
factors (often about follower behavior), whereas contingency theory takes a
broader view that includes contingent factors about leader capability and other
variables within the situation.
g) Transactional Leadership:
Assumptions
People are motivated by reward and punishment.
Social systems work best with a clear chain of
command.
When people have agreed to do a job, a part of
the deal is that they cede all authority to their manager.
The prime purpose of a subordinate is to do what
their manager tells them to do.
Description
The
transactional leader works through creating clear structures whereby it is
clear what is required of their subordinates, and the rewards that they get for
following orders. Punishments are not always mentioned, but they are also
well-understood and formal systems of discipline are usually in place.
The early
stage of Transactional Leadership is in negotiating the contract whereby the
subordinate is given a salary and other benefits, and the company (and by
implication the subordinate's manager) gets authority over the subordinate.
When the
Transactional Leader allocates work to a subordinate, they are considered to be
fully responsible for it, whether or not they have the resources or capability
to carry it out. When things go wrong, then the subordinate is considered to be
personally at fault, and is punished for their failure (just as they are
rewarded for succeeding).
h)Transformational Leadership:
Assumptions
People will follow a person who inspires them.
A person with vision and passion can achieve
great things.
The way to get things done is by injecting
enthusiasm and energy.
Description
Working
for a Transformational Leader can be a wonderful and uplifting experience. They
put passion and energy into everything. They care about you and want you to
succeed. Transformational Leaders are often charismatic, but are not as
narcissistic as pure Charismatic Leaders, who succeed through a belief in themselves
rather than a belief in others.
One of the
traps of Transformational Leadership is that passion and confidence can easily
be mistaken for truth and reality.
Transformational
Leaders, by definition, seek to transform. When the organization does not need
transforming and people are happy as they are, then such a leader will be
frustrated. Like wartime leaders, however, given the right situation they come
into their own and can be personally responsible for saving entire companies.
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