Leadership - Theories and Definitions

Leadership

A social influence process used to mobilise others toward a collective goal (Chemers, 2001).

Great Person Theory of Leadership

• Leadership attributed to stable personality traits.

• Traits: intelligence, sociability, dominance, self-confidence, charisma, etc.

• Views leaders as inherently different from non-leaders.

Charismatic Leadership

• Leaders possess exceptional communication and inspirational abilities.

• Charisma emerges from leader qualities + follower needs + situational demands (e.g., crisis/change).

Transformational Leadership

• Leader provides vision and inspiration.

• Encourages followers to exceed expectations and “go the extra mile.”

Transactional Leadership

• Leader intervenes primarily when problems arise.

• Based on exchanges, rewards, and contingent reinforcement.

Autocratic Leadership Style

• Leader makes decisions unilaterally.

• Produces dependence and hostility; productivity contingent on leader presence.

Democratic Leadership Style

• Leader encourages group participation.

• Produces high acceptance, cooperation, and stable productivity.

Laissez-Faire Leadership Style

• Minimal leader involvement or structure.

• Produces initially low productivity and unstructured behaviour.

Situational Approaches to Leadership

Leadership effectiveness depends on match between leader style and situational demands.

Contingency Theory (Fiedler, 1965)

• Leader effectiveness depends on compatibility between leader style and level of situational control.

• Situational control determined by:

  1. Leader–member relations

  2. Task structure

  3. Leader’s positional power

• Task-oriented leaders succeed in high or low control contexts.

• Socio-emotional leaders succeed in moderate control contexts.

Critiques of Contingency Theory

• LPC score meaning unclear.

• Low test–retest reliability.

• Overly assumes leadership style is fixed rather than adaptable.

Social Identity Theory of Leadership (Hogg, 2001)

• Leaders act as identity entrepreneurs.

• Provide clarity, expression, and transformation of shared group identity.

Leader Prototypicality

• Effective leaders embody group norms and values.

• Seen as legitimate, influential, and representative of “who we are.”

Think Manager — Think Male

Managerial competence stereotypically associated with masculine traits

Role Congruity Theory (Eagly & Karau, 2002)

• Prejudice arises when gender stereotypes conflict with leadership role expectations.

• Produces:

  • negative evaluations of women’s leadership potential

  • negative evaluations of women’s leadership behaviour

Glass Ceiling

Invisible structural barrier limiting women’s advancement to top positions.

Glass Escalator

Men in female-dominated professions promoted more quickly into authority roles.

Glass Walls

Women confined to sectors (e.g., HR, marketing) that do not lead to top leadership roles.

Glass Cliff

Women more likely appointed to precarious leadership roles during organisational crisis.