Behavioral Approach

Leadership

What is a leadership approach?

A broad lens or overarching perspective for understanding leadership.

What is a leadership theory?

A specific, detailed framework that explains leadership behaviors, attributes, and principles.

What does the Behavioral Approach focus on?

What leaders do — their behaviors.

What are the two main types of leader behaviors?

Task behaviors and Relationship behaviors.

What are task behaviors?

Behaviors that help accomplish goals: organizing work, defining roles, setting procedures.

What are relationship behaviors?

Behaviors that build trust, respect, and support; attending to followers’ needs

What is the LBDQ?

Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire.

What does the LBDQ measure?

Leader behaviors in two clusters: Initiating Structure and Consideration.

What is Initiating Structure?

Task-oriented behaviors.

What is Consideration?

Relationship-oriented behaviors.

What two orientations did the Michigan studies identify?

Production orientation and Employee orientation.

Are these opposite ends of a continuum?

Research is inconclusive.

What does the Leadership Grid measure?

Concern for results (task) and concern for people (relationship).

What are the five main Leadership Grid styles?

Authority-Compliance (9,1), Country Club (1,9), Impoverished (1,1), Middle-of-the-Road (5,5), Team (9,9)

What characterizes Authority-Compliance leaders?

Controlling, demanding, hard-driving, overpowering

What characterizes Country Club leaders?

Agreeable, comforting, eager to help, avoids conflict.

What characterizes Impoverished leaders?

Uninvolved, indifferent, withdrawn, apathetic.

What characterizes Middle-of-the-Road leaders?

Prefers compromise, avoids strong positions, soft-pedals disagreement.

What characterizes Team leaders?

Determined, open-minded, prioritize issues, enjoy work, high concern for people and results.

What is paternalistic/maternalistic leadership?

A leader who alternates between 9,1 and 1,9 styles depending on the situation.

Why is 9+9 ≠ 9,9?

Because switching between extremes is not the same as consistently balancing high concern for people and results.

What is the Behavioral Approach?

A leadership approach that assesses leaders based on task and relationship behaviors.

How does the Behavioral Approach work?

Describes major components of leader behavior and provides a map for effective leadership.

What are the strengths of the Behavioral Approach?

• Shifted research away from traits
• Broadened leadership study
• Supported by many studies
• LBDQ-XII predicts leader success
• Useful for self-evaluation

What are the weaknesses of the Behavioral Approach?

• Weak link between behaviors and outcomes
• Questionnaires rely on follower ratings (bias)
• No universal best leadership style
• Mostly US-based research

How can the Behavioral Approach be applied?

• Leaders can self-assess
• Helps identify needed behavior changes
• Used in leadership development programs
• Includes Blake & Mouton Grid seminars
• Applies to nearly all leadership situations

What Leadership Grid style does Steve Jobs represent?

Authority-Compliance (9,1).

What Leadership Grid style does Henry Ford represent?

Authority-Compliance (9,1).

What Leadership Grid style does Howard Schultz represent?

Country Club (1,9).

What does the reflection exercise ask you to do?

Place a respected leader on the Grid and explain their behaviors.

What does the Grid application exercise ask?

Identify a situation where another style (not 9,9) would be more effective and explain why.