leadership

great man and trait theories

what makes an individual great and successful - narrow focus on individual, not look at behaviour

behaviour theories

interactions between leaders and followers - don’t take situation leader faces into account

situational leadership

does take into account situation leader faces - focus on leader as individual not leadership as an activity

transformational leadership

offers workers a vision of the future

post-heroic leadership

social processes of leadership

distributive leadership theory

where leadership occurs outside organisation

democratic leadership

how power and control can be spread throughout organisation

leadership definition

the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute towards the effectiveness and success of the organisations of which they are members (house et al., 2004: 56)

difference between leaders and management

management = organisation runs smooth, stability, follow rules

leadership = vision of future, create new rules

individualistic (heroic) leader assessed - strengths

focused research on leadership, evidence (great leaders in history), still popular

individualistic (heroic) leader assessed- weaknesses

1. assumptions about individualistic leadership theories are problematic (e.g. traits being genetic - born a good leader - elitist)

2. struggle to define what makes good leader

3. complex personalities cant be reduced to list of definable characteristics

4. masculine and western bias

5. dated

behavioural theory

adjust behaviour after rewards or punishments

behavioural theory - task oriented leader

get task done, short-term tasks completed, emphasise deadlines, evaluate and monitor employee performance

behavioural theory - task oriented leader - pros and cons

pro = high production, con = high employee turnover, absenteeism, grievances

behavioural theory - employee focused leader

relationally focused, concern and respect for employees, mutual trust, inspired by human relations theory

behavioural theory - employee focused leader - pros and cons

pros = more satisfaction, reduce stress and turnover, cons = low production, employees do not feel leader genuinely believes in them

autocratic leadership style

command control, little group input = discontentment, hostility, scapegoating, aggression, block creativity

laissez-faire leadership style

complete freedom to act without leader, leader does not participate or interfere = inefficient and unproductive, good giving autonomy, lead to distress and high turnover - feel like manager ignoring needs = low commitment

participatory leadership style

all policy matters for group discussion, leader facilitates not dominate = less aggression, easy accepted, friendly, creative, belonging

behavioural approaches assessed - pros and cons

pros = more subtle, examine interaction of leader and follower and impact leader has on group, practice of leadership, possibility of training

cons = hard to measure, ‘one best way’ approach, male and western bias, questionable validity, simplistic

contingency theory

leaders are effective when their leadership style is appropriate for situation they face - dependent on leaders preferred leadership style and situational control

least preferred coworker scale

series of questions about person you work least well with - if rate harsh = task oriented, if lenient = relationship oriented

situational leadership - stage 1 - telling or directing

high task, low relationship focus, committed but low competency levels, leader tell how to do things

situational leadership - stage 2 - selling or coaching

high task, high relationship focus, increase competency - means lose confidence and motivation, leader is encouraging

situational leadership - stage 3 - participating or supporting

low task, high relationship focus, increase skill, confidence, commitment, leader support and encourage by facilitating

situational leadership - stage 4 - delegating and empowering

low task, low relationship focus, high skill high confidence, leader only involved in problem solving and key decisions

situational and contingency leadership theories assessed

leadership style needs to fit with culture

pros = understand situation, no ideal leader, variety of leadership styles, more flexible models, impact on followers

cons = neat models but not applicable in real life, limited view on group, north american and gender bias

what are the 4 components of transformational leadership

idealized influence (role model high ethical standards), inspirational motivation (inspire followers, strong vision for future based values), intellectual stimulation (challenge followers to think about norms), individual consideration (encourage followers to develop into leaderS)

transformative theory assessed

use masculine traits to describe personality, ignore gender and race

breaking the glass ceiling

73% say diversity is beneficial, 94% say it brings unique perspective to boardroom, 82% said improved boardroom performance - women have to work twice as hard to get to top and then exist in male dominated world

alternatives to hierarchal leadership

1. consensus decision making embedded in culture of experimentation

2. reflexive deliberation allow expression of dissent

3. hospitality and friendship practices point toward collective empowerment