Leadership midterm review

Autocratic Leader

one person controls all the decisions and allows very little input from members (so a self appointed leader)

Democratic Leader

Members can also participate in decisions making (leaders are elected by others) 

Laissez faire Leader

a hands off approach allowing group members to make decisions (everyones a leader)

The first person to study leadership

Thomas Caryle

The main idea behind Great Man theory

Leaders are born not made and possess certain characteristics which were inherited not learned.

What did Thomas Caryle believe

Believes that leaders were sent down from god to lead others

The 19th century believe about leaders

19th century beliefs- Leaders can only be male

Characteristics of a “Great” Leader

• Vision - having an idea/goal and knowing how to reach it 

• Confidence - To believe in yourself and others

• Resilience - never stepping down from a challenge

• Decisiveness - being able to make hard decisions

• Intelligence - knowing how to use your intelligence in the right way

• Charisma - being able to get people’s attention

Examples of great leader throughout history

• Alexander the great,

• George Washington,

• Winston Churchill,

• Nelson Mendela

Criticisms of Great Man theory

• Most of the traits associated with with being a good leader are “male” traits

• Not everyone who possesses natural leadership qualities will grow to become a great leader

Trait Approach

A person's personality and leadership style is determined through character traits that are impactful to that person.

Core traits of trait Approach

self-confidence, determination, integrity, sociability, intelligence

key facts about Trait Approach

• Traits of a leader are different from group members

• Traits a leader possess must be relevant to the situation

• Recognized leadership can be determined by both situational and personal factors

Trait breakdown: Self confidence

The ability to be certain about one's capacity and abilities (allows leaders to influence others)

Trait breakdown: Determination

The desire to get the job done (this leader is able to boost moral, set expectations and motivate)

Trait breakdown: Integrity

a leaders ability to have strong moral principles and to demonstrate how honorable and reliable they are (allows a leader to be trusted, dependable and reliable)

Trait breakdown: Sociability

A leader’s inclination to seek out pleasant social relationships (allows a leader to have strong communication and to network)

Trait breakdown: Intelligence (intellectual)

ability to solve problems and develop ideas (leaders have higher intellectual ability than non leaders however this can sometime be counter productive)

Trait breakdown: Intelligence (emotional)

• ability to assess situations and communicate

• can be tested using the MSCIET test ( (Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test)

Strengths of trait Approach

• Appeal:

  • Leaders are seen as special and skilled

  • People like seeing their leaders as gifted people

• History:

  • Backed by extensive research; credible 

• Focus: 

  • Centers on leader’s personality traits

• Goals

  • Guides in identifying and assessing leaders

criticisms of trait approach

• Ambiguous:

  • Century of research leads to excessive and complex data

• Situational:

  • Ignores that effective traits vary by situation

  • Assumes leadership traits are universal

• Subjective:

  • Research often reflects researcher biases

  • Inconsistent focus across studies; some traits emphasized, others ignored

• Unsuitable: 

  • Views traits as fixed, limiting growth and development

  • Difficult to apply for training and personal development in leadership 

Situational Approach

• Leader should adapt their leadership style to the demands of different situations

Leadership style: Directing (S1)

 Communicative, goal achievement, less time offering support, gives instructions and watches to make sure they are followed (High directive, low supportive) 

Leadership style: Coaching

Communicative, goal achievement, meeting the needs of others, very supportive, still gives instructions and plays a strong role in the final decisions made (High directive, high supportive) 

Leadership style: Supporting (S3)

No specific goal, supportive: listens, praises, feedback, etc., employees use their skills to lead, complete, and decide tasks and decisions (Low directive, high supportive) 

Leadership style: Delegating (S4)

Less task input, not much support, has confidence in subordinates skills, less involvement in planning, details, follow through, etc. (Low directive, low supportive) 

Development levels: development 1

 Lack competence (knowledge), highly committed, excited to work and challenge themselves

Development levels: Development 2

Some competence, not committed, when working on something new they lose interest and motivation to do it

Development Levels: Development 3

Average or high competence, low commitment, have the skills to complete the task but don’t feel like they can

Development Levels: Development 4

Highest competence, highest commitment, they have the skills and the motivation to get the task done 

When is situational Approach used

• Ideally used when subordinates constantly change competence and commitment levels

Strengths of Situational Approach

• Used to train leaders

• What you should and shouldn't do in certain scenarios

• Builds a flexible leader (can change to the situation) 

Weakness of Situational Approach

• Not much research has been done 

• Up to interpretation, the author doesn’t make it clear how competence and confidence relate to 4 levels of development 

• Demographic factors (age, gender, etc) effect what leadership style is wanted

• Group vs Individual leadership - Should leader match leadership style to individual people or whole groups development levels, how to make everyone feel equal?

Path goal theory

Focuses on how leaders motivate followers/subordinates to achieve goals within a team setting

Strengths of path goal theory

• Useful theoretical framework - 

  • Leaders understand how different leadership styles impact group satisfaction and performance 

  • Thus guiding leaders in choosing the best style for specific tasks and subordinates 

• Focus on motivation - 

  • Integrated motivation (expectancy theory) principles into leadership 

  • Encourages leaders to build team confidence and motivation  

• Highly practical - 

  • Provides ways leaders can clarify goals, move obstacles and offer support 

  • Focuses on helping subordinates achieve goals with clear guidelines 

Criticisms of path goal theory

• Complex/confusing - 

  • Includes many leadership styles (directive, supportive, participative and achievement orientated) 

  • Difficult to apply consistently 

  • Too broad and involves many factors (like task structure, goal clarity, worker ability, leadership style) 

• Poor theoretical support issues 

  • Not a lot of support for the overall theory 

  • Inconsistent results for directive leadership 

  • Mainly focuses on directive and supportive leadership and pays less attention to the other styles of leadership (participative & achievement orientated) 

• Poor explanation of motivation 

  • Incorporates expectancy theory 

  • Lacks clarity on how leadership behaviors influence motivation 

  • Does not explain how influence is created 

  • Those who practice this theory are often left with an unclear understanding about how it affects the amount of expectation and motivation 

• Leader dependency 

  • It puts an emphasis on leaders who provide guidance and support, showing the amount of dependency 

  • Could be counterproductive: they shouldn't just depend on the leader as this can limit group members development

Path goal leadership styles: Supportive

• Leaders are friendly, approachable, and considerate.

• They attend to the needs of others, show supportive behaviors, and treat everyone as equals.

Path goal leadership styles: Participative

• Leaders involve team members in decision-making.

• They consult with subordinates, seek their ideas and suggestions, and use these inputs to determine the team's direction.

Path goal leadership styles: Directive

• Leaders provide clear instructions and expectations.

• They specify how tasks should be performed, set time requirements, and establish performance standards.

Path goal leadership styles: Achievement-orientated

• Leaders set challenging goals and high standards.

• They encourage confidence, push for high performance, and support the team in achieving these goals.

when is each path goal leadership style preferred?

• Supportive Leadership: Preferred by those with strong affiliation needs.

• Directive Leadership: Suitable for individuals who are dogmatic and need structure in uncertain situations.

• Participative Leadership: Favored by those who desire control (enables a sense of involvement).

• Achievement-Oriented Leadership: Appeals to those with ambitious needs.

Transformational Leadership

• Process that changes and transforms

• Correlates with emotions, ethics, values and long term goals

The 2 types of leadership under transformational leadership approach

Transactional and Transformational

Transactional leader

• Managerial leadership 

• Focuses on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance 

• Leader is able to see what the followers want and help them achieve a level of performance that results in satisfying rewards 

• Reward system (maslow's law)

• Leader pays attentions to the followers work in order to find faults 

• Leader is directive and action oriented

• Effective in crisis and emergency

Transformational leader

• inspire, stimulate and motivate followers to achieve results greater than what was planned originally 

• Person inspires others  

• Creates a connection that raises motivation and mortality 

• Eg. Gandhi wanted to raise hope of others, also made change for himself

How does Charisma tie into Transformational Leadership?:

• Charismatic leaders are very similar to transformational leadership

• Traits include: 

  • Dominance, influential, confident, a sense of moral values, charismatic   

• This results in:

  • Trust, acceptance, affection,obedience and heightened goals, involvement with followers towards reaching a common goal

Transformational Leadership Factors: Inspirational Motivation 

• High expectations to their followers 

• Motivation to be committed and be a part of the shared vision 

Leaders use symbols and emotional appeals to focus group members

Transformational Leadership Factors: Intellectual Motivation

• Creative, innovative, and challenge their own beliefs and values as well as those of the leader and the organization 

• Support followers 

• Engage in careful problem solving

Transformational Leadership Factors: Individualized Consideration

• Supporting climate 

• Carefully listen to individual needs of followers 

• Leaders act as coaches 

• Leaders may use delegation to help flowers grow through personal challenges

Transformational Leadership Factors: Contingent Reward

• Exchange process between leaders and followers (reward system) 

• Agreement from followers on what must be done and payoffs for the people doing it

Transformational Leadership Factors: Management Expectation

• Corrective criticism and negative feedback, negative reinforcement 

• 2 different forms: Active and Passive 

  • Active: Watches followers closely for mistakes or rule violations, then take corrective action

  • Passive: Intervenes only after standards have not been met 

• Both use negative reinforcement patterns than positive reinforcement pattern described in “contingent reward”

the 5 fundamental practices

Model the way, encourage the heart, enable others to act, inspired a share vision, and challenge the process

Strengths of transformational leadership

• Widely researched

• Intuitive appeal

• People are attracted to this type of leadership

• Incorporates followers and leaders

• Emphasis on followers needs morally uplifting

• Effective 

Criticisms of transformational leadership

• Locks conceptual Clarity

• Overlapping Concepts

• The MIQ used for measuring leadership has flaws and isn't entirely accurate

• Treats leadership as a personality trait rather than a behavior that people may learn from

• Can be elist and anti-communist

• Probably focuses on leaders rather than giving others attention

• Potentially can be abused /corrupted 

Leader member exchange theory

focuses on the relationship and interactions between a leader and each individual follower 

Phases of leader member exchange theory

• Stranger phase: Formal, professional interactions

• Acquaintance phase: Increased responsibility, building trust

• Mature Partnership phase: Mutual trust, respect, collaboration

Contingency Theory

 A theory that matches a leader’s leadership style to the situation.

Contingency Theory leadership styles

• Task Motivated - low on the LPC scale, mostly concerned with reaching a goal

• Relationship Motivated - high on the LPC scale, mostly concerned with developing close interpersonal relationships

Contingency Theory situational variables

• Leader-Member Relations - Degree of confidence, loyalty, and attraction that followers feel for their leader

• Task Structure - Degree to which the requirements of a task of clearly laid out 

• Position Power - Amount of authority a leader has to reward or to punish followers