MGT 5537 - Chapter 2 and 3 Vocab

Contingency:

a theory meaning one thing depends on other things.

Contingency approaches:

approaches that seek to delineate the characteristics of situations and followers and examine the leadership styles that can be used effectively.

Neutralizer:

a situational characteristic that counteracts the leadership style and prevents the leader from displaying certain behaviors.

Substitute

A situational variable that makes leadership unnecessary or redundant.

Vroom–Jago contingency model:

a contingency model that focuses on varying degrees of participative leadership and how each level of participation influences the quality and accountability of decisions.

Path–goal theory:

a contingency approach to leadership in which the leader’s responsibility is to increase subordinates’ motivation by clarifying the behaviors necessary for task accomplishment and rewards.

Fiedler’s contingency model:

a model designed to diagnose whether a leader is task-oriented or relationship-oriented and match leader style to the situation.

Situational theory

Hersey and Blanchard’s extension of the Leadership Grid focusing on the characteristics of followers as the important element of the situation, and consequently, of determining effective leader behavior.

Traits

The distinguishing personal characteristics of a leader, such as intelligence, honesty, self-confidence, and appearance.

Great Man approach

A leadership perspective that sought to identify the inherited traits leaders possessed that distinguished them from people who were not leaders.

Optimism:

a tendency to see the positive side of things and expect that things will turn out well.

Self-confidence:

assurance in one’s own judgments, decision making, ideas, and capabilities.

Operational role:

a vertically oriented leadership role in which an executive has direct control over people and resources and the position power to accomplish results.

Strength:

a natural talent or ability that has been supported and reinforced with learned knowledge and skills.

Strength:

a natural talent or ability that has been supported and reinforced with learned knowledge and skills.

Drive:

high motivation that creates a high effort level by a leader.

Integrity:

the quality of being whole and integrated and acting in accordance with solid ethical principles.

Honesty:

truthfulness and nondeception

Collaborative role:

a horizontal leadership role (such as team leader) in which the leader often works behind the scenes and uses personal power to influence others and get things done.

Advisory role:

A leadership role that provides advice, guidance, and support to other people and departments in the organization.

Democratic:

a leader who delegates authority to others, encourages participation, relies on subordinates’ knowledge for completion of tasks, and depends on subordinate respect for influence

Autocratic:

a leader who tends to centralize authority and derive power from position, control of rewards, and coercion.

Consideration:

the extent to which a leader is sensitive to subordinates, respects their ideas and feelings, and establishes mutual trust.

Initiating structure:

the extent to which a leader is task oriented and directs subordinates’ work activities toward goal achievement.

Vertical dyad linkage (VDL) model:

a model of individualized leadership that argues for the importance of the dyad formed by a leader with each member of the group.

Individualized leadership:

a theory based on the notion that a leader develops a unique relationship with each subordinate or group member, which determines how the leader behaves toward the member and how the member responds to the leader.

Employee-centered:

a leadership behavior that displays a focus on the human needs of subordinates.

Job-centered:

leadership behavior in which leaders direct activities toward efficiency, cost-cutting, and scheduling, with an emphasis on goals and work facilitation.

The Leadership Grid:

A two-dimensional leadership model that describes major leadership styles based on measuring both concern for people and concern for production.

Leader–member exchange (LMX):

individualized leadership model that explores how leader–member relationships develop over time and how the quality of exchange relationships affects outcomes.