Topic 2: Leadership & Power

What problem does leadership solve?

Leadership addresses the problem of collective effort by bringing people together to combine their efforts to promote success and survival.

What are the common elements emphasized in most definitions of leadership?

Group, influence, and a goal.

What was the traditional strategy for leadership development described by Avolio & Luthans (2006)?

A deficit-reduction model, focusing on identifying and correcting a leader's weaknesses.

How is the field of leadership now viewed in research?

More holistically, considering leaders, followers, context, levels, and their dynamic interactions. It includes models depicting dyadic, shared, relational, strategic, global, and complex social dynamics.

Define authentic leadership.

A pattern of transparent and ethical leader behavior encouraging openness in decision-making and accepting follower input.

What are the four components of authentic leadership?

1. Balanced processing: Objectively analyzing data before making decisions.

2. Internalized moral perspective: Using internal moral standards to self-regulate behavior.

3. Relational transparency: Sharing information and feelings appropriately.

4. Self-awareness: Understanding one's strengths, weaknesses, and worldview.

What does balanced processing in authentic leadership involve?

Objectively analysing relevant data before making decisions.

How does relational transparency manifest in leadership?

By openly sharing information and feelings, avoiding inappropriate displays of emotion.

What is transformational leadership?

Leadership behaviors that inspire followers to perform beyond expectations and transcend self-interest for organizational good.

Define ethical leadership.

The demonstration of normatively appropriate conduct through personal actions, relationships, and the promotion of such conduct to followers.

What is positive organizational behavior?

A field focusing on positive constructs like hope, resiliency, efficacy, optimism, happiness, and well-being within organizations.

What does the broaden-and-build theory suggest?

Positive emotions expand cognition and behaviour, encouraging novel and exploratory thoughts and actions.

What is a nomological network?

A representation of a construct, its observable manifestations, and the relationships between them.

What areas require future research in authentic leadership?

Construct validity, relationships within its nomological network (e.g., moral perspective, well-being), and its applicability across situations and cultures.

Why is authentic leadership considered a potential universal construct?

It may represent the base of good leadership regardless of form.