Introduction to Leadership (Week 1) - Vocabulary Flashcards
Leadership: Core Concepts
Course structure recap
Section is shorter (two and a half hours) due to asynchronous content: each week includes a video (roughly 30–45 minutes) watched before class so in-person time is spent on activities rather than lecture.
In-class time still includes teacher input, but you’ll be able to engage more in activities and discussions.
Week 1 topic: Introduction to leadership
Topics: what leadership is, past research, takeaways from that work, and a brief look at modern leadership styles.
There is a short reading tied to the week’s topics and in-class discussion will expand on it.
What is Leadership? Definitions and Core Ideas
Consensus definition presented: leadership is a process whereby somebody intentionally influences others to guide, structure, facilitate activities and relationships in a group or organization; sometimes includes aiming toward a common or shared goal.
Two essential words highlighted:
Leadership is a process (an activity you engage in), not simply a role or position in an org chart.
Leadership involves influencing others to work toward a goal.
Distinctions:
Formal leaders hold a position of authority and can draw on both formal and personal power.
Informal leaders do not hold formal power but still influence others through personal power.
Leadership can be shared (e.g., co-leaders, shared leadership in groups) and can change hands over time (succession).
Practical implications:
You don’t need a formal title to be a leader; leadership is about influence and effectiveness.
Shared leadership can bolster strengths by pairing complementary skills with aligned values.
When selecting a partner for shared leadership, seek complementary skills/traits and shared values.
Leadership: Emergence vs Effectiveness
Two foundational questions in leadership research:
1) Leader emergence: to what degree is an individual viewed as a leader by others in a group without formal assignment?
2) Leader effectiveness: how well does a person influence and guide a group to achieve goals?Emergence mechanisms:
Implicit leadership theories: people have implicit ideas about what a good leader looks like; individuals who fit these ideas are more likely to emerge as leaders.
Stereotypes and physical cues: tall people and men are often stereotyped as leaders; media depictions reinforce this; group prototypes also matter (the member who best fits group identity or represents the group’s ideal). A person’s emergent leadership can be driven by both general stereotypes and group-specific prototypes.
Effectiveness measures (four common metrics):
Leader effectiveness: followers (or peers/supervisors) rate how effective the leader is at leading.
Group performance: objective measures of how well the group performs.
Follower job satisfaction: how satisfied followers are with their work under the leader; a leader can influence retention (the saying: "people don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses").
Satisfaction with the leader: overall satisfaction with the leader as an individual (separate from job satisfaction).
Summary takeaway: emergence and effectiveness are related but distinct questions; traits that predict emergence do not guarantee effectiveness, and vice versa.
Trait Theories of Leadership (The “Great Man” Era and Beyond)
Historical roots:
Early research (1920s–1930s) focused on identifying traits that distinguished leaders from nonleaders, drawing on the idea that leaders are born, not made.
Henry Ford quote: leadership as a matter of “the man who can sing tenor” for the job.
Early outcomes:
Decades of searching did not yield reliable trait predictors of leadership; traits were not determinative.
Modern trait work has identified some associations but still lacks universal, strong predictors.
Key distinction:
Leader emergence vs. leader effectiveness: traits are somewhat better at predicting emergence than effectiveness.
Core finding about traits (summarized):
Correlations between traits and outcomes exist but are not large; there is no single trait that guarantees leadership across all outcomes.
The strongest and most consistent links tend to be to management-related behaviors rather than to a trait alone.
Notable trait findings (illustrative examples):
Extroversion:
Emergence/effectiveness associations are often positive; in research, about
R^2 \approx 0.35 (≈ 35% of variance in leader effectiveness ratings explained by extroversion).
follower job satisfaction tends to be higher under extroverted leaders.
group performance shows no consistent significant effect from extroversion.
In notation: r \, (leader_effectiveness) \approx 0.59 would imply a substantial relationship in some datasets, but the presentation emphasizes variance explained (R^2 \approx 0.35).
Agreeableness:
little to no impact on leader effectiveness ratings; slightly higher group performance with agreeable leaders (small effect).
follower job satisfaction can show a small positive relationship; e.g., ~R^2 \approx 0.018 (1.8% of variance explained).
Conscientiousness:
often linked to job performance but may coincide with lower follower job satisfaction and lower satisfaction with the leader in some contexts.
Overall trait takeaway:
Traits can matter, but they do not predict leadership across all outcomes in a consistent, strong way.
Traits influence the behaviors leaders exhibit, which mediates leadership outcomes (i.e., traits → behaviors → outcomes).
Emergence is more trait-linked than effectiveness; effectiveness remains highly context-dependent.
Behavioral Theories of Leadership
Core idea: focus on what leaders actually do (behaviors) rather than on who they are (traits).
Early behavioral categories (the two foundational ones):
Task-oriented behaviors: focus on completing the task, clarifying roles, setting goals, planning, monitoring performance.
Relations-oriented (relationship) behaviors: emphasize member needs, support, motivation, communication, coaching.
Additional behavioral categories that have gained attention over time: change-oriented, integrity-oriented, empowerment/servant-style, among others.
Practical takeaway from behavioral research:
The best leaders tend to score highly on multiple behaviors, not just one; success arises from using the right behaviors at the right time, not from a single “best” style.
The most effective leaders adjust their behavior to the followers and the situation; context matters more than any single behavior.
Three practical leadership pillars (as a simple starter framework):
Task-oriented behaviors
Relations-oriented behaviors
Passive leadership (the counterexample to avoid; see below)
Important caution:
Passive leadership is consistently bad: completely hands-off leadership is ineffective.
The most effective leaders often exhibit both task- and relational-oriented behaviors simultaneously, switching as needed.
Implication for practice:
Develop fluency in multiple behaviors and practice applying them adaptively to followers and tasks.
Contingent Theories of Leadership
Core idea: there is no one best leadership style; effectiveness depends on the situation and following.
Contingent theory logic: match leader behaviors to the specific situation and follower characteristics.
Classical example: John Kotter (organizational change) highlights that leaders sometimes tell hard truths to motivate action, while other times sharing difficulties can prevent demoralization; the right move depends on the context.
Wheeler’s Contingency Theory (one of the earliest major approaches):
Adds three situational factors to guide behavior: Leader–Member Relations, Task Structure, and Position Power (positional power).
This yields a 3-factor x 3-factor (nine) set of situations (one exception deemed implausible by Wheeler).
Practical illustration: in specific situations, a leader should be more task-oriented or more relationship-oriented, depending on the combination of those three factors.
Problems and limitations of contingency theories:
Real-time application is complex: evaluating three (or more) situational factors and mapping to the right behavior is cognitively demanding in the moment.
Training leaders to execute these mappings is difficult; you’d need to convey a potentially large, nuanced rule set.
Followers may view leaders as unpredictable if they rely on different theories across time, reducing trust.
Trying to adhere strictly to one theory can backfire; leaders need flexibility and intuition,
developed through practice and feedback rather than pure theory.
Overall takeaway:
There is no single best theory of leadership; effective practice requires a repertoire of behaviors and the ability to match them to the situation.
The ultimate path to becoming a good leader is through practice, feedback, and mindful adjustment rather than reliance on a single theory.
Contemporary Theories and the Current Scholarly Shift
What’s popular in media today focuses on influence and complex patterns of leader–follower relationships; these perspectives describe what good leaders do but often lack practical guidance on when to enact particular behaviors or how to quantify them.
Authentic leadership (one prominent contemporary model):
Core idea: leadership is grounded in being true to oneself, with a process that integrates positive psychology and a well-developed organizational context.
Claimed components: higher self-awareness, relational transparency (open sharing of thoughts, minimizing inappropriate emotions), balanced processing (fair-minded consideration of viewpoints), and an internalized moral perspective (ethical compass).
Critique and practical concerns:
The definition uses heavy jargon and can be hard to translate into concrete actions.
It’s unclear how leaders should practically foster self-development and organizational context in day-to-day work.
The literature often lacks clear guidance on when to emphasize which dimension.
Summary of the contemporary critique and shift:
Contemporary theories tend to offer a broad, nuanced portrait of leadership requiring sophisticated integration of traits and situational cues without clear action thresholds.
There is a recent scholarly push (as of 2024–2025) to move back toward a behavioral-centered framework with a smaller set of core behaviors and emphasis on learning how to apply them appropriately in different contexts. The aim is to create more usable guidance for aspiring leaders.
Key takeaway about contemporary theories:
They highlight the importance of follower relations and ethical, authentic behavior but often do not provide crisp, situational guidelines for action; this is part of the reason the field is trending toward more concrete behavioral models.
Practical Takeaways and Actionable Guidance
Before class readings:
Read the syllabus thoroughly; it contains essential information for the course.
Expect at least one article to read and a case to discuss in class.
Core practical guidelines from Week 1 content:
Do not be a passive leader; stay actively engaged.
Develop and flexibly apply multiple leadership behaviors (task-oriented, relations-oriented, and others) based on follower needs and situational demands.
Remember that there is no single best leadership style; adapt to the environment, the task structure, and the people involved.
For aspiring leaders, seek feedback and practice deliberately to build intuition and a personal leadership style.
Real-world relevance and examples mentioned:
Shared leadership arrangements (e.g., co-CEOs, CEO–COO partnerships) can be effective when partners have complementary skills and shared values.
Leadership effectiveness can be different from leadership emergence; someone who emerges as a leader might not always be the most effective.
Final note for students:
Read the assigned materials, come prepared to discuss, and anticipate integrating theory with practical leadership exercises in class.
Key Terms and Concepts (Glossary Snippet)
Leader emergence: the degree to which an individual is seen as a leader by others in a group without formal designation.
Leader effectiveness: a leader’s performance in influencing and guiding a group toward its goals.
Implicit leadership theories: unstated beliefs about what a leader looks like or how a leader behaves that influence who is perceived as a leader.
Group prototype: the member who best represents the identity or “typical” member of a group, often driving emergence when the group has a strong identity.
Trait approach: leadership research focusing on identifying stable personality traits that differentiate leaders from nonleaders.
Behavioral approach: leadership research focusing on what leaders actually do (their behaviors) rather than who they are (traits).
Contingent theory: leadership effectiveness depends on the fit between leadership behavior and situational factors.
Authentic leadership: a contemporary model emphasizing self-awareness, transparent relations, balanced processing, and internalized moral perspective.
Relational transparency: open sharing of thoughts and feelings with others, while maintaining appropriate boundaries.
Change-oriented leadership: behaviors focused on driving organizational change.
Empowerment/servant leadership: behaviors aimed at empowering followers and supporting their development and performance.
Connections to Foundational Principles and Real-World Relevance
Foundational idea: leadership is about influence and coordination toward a common goal, not merely a title or role.
Foundational tensions:
Traits can help with certain aspects (e.g., emergence) but do not guarantee effectiveness; behaviors matter more for outcomes.
No single style guarantees success; effective leaders adapt to followers and task demands.
Real-world relevance:
Understanding informal leadership roles helps explain dynamics in organizations where influence is broad and not always tied to formal power.
Shared leadership models reflect modern organizational structures where collaboration and cross-functional leadership are common.
The emphasis on feedback and practice highlights the experiential nature of leadership development.
Notable Quotes and Illustrative Examples
Henry Ford on leadership selection: leadership is about the person who can “sing tenor” for the role, reflecting the trait-based view of leadership from the era.
John Kotter on contingent truth-telling: great leadership involves sometimes sharing hard truths and other times withholding them to avoid demoralizing the group; the appropriate action depends on the situation.
Gates example of empowerment: a leadership behavior example used to illustrate task- and relationship-oriented actions in practice.
Formulas, Data Points, and Statistical References Mentioned
Trait and behavior correlations and variance explained:
Extroversion related to leader effectiveness: about R^2 \approx 0.35 (35% of variance explained).
Extroversion related to follower job satisfaction: positive association observed; exact R^2 not always specified in each measure, but a positive trend is reported.
Agreeableness related to follower job satisfaction: small effect; R^2 \approx 0.018 (1.8% of variance explained).
General note: across traits, effects are typically small; maximum correlations reported around r \approx 0.25 for some relationships with certain outcomes.
Practical implication of the numbers:
Traits are not determinative; they partially predict emergence and some aspects of effectiveness, but they do not guarantee outcomes across all measures.
The mechanisms by which traits influence outcomes are largely through the behaviors those traits promote.
Summary Takeaways for Exam Preparation
Leadership is a process of influencing others toward a goal, not a fixed role.
Emergence vs Effectiveness are distinct; different factors predict each.
Trait theories show limited predictive power; behaviors are the primary drivers of leadership outcomes.
Behavioral theories indicate that successful leadership requires using a mix of task- and relations-oriented behaviors, plus other behaviors, and applying them appropriately.
Contingent theories emphasize fit between style and situation but can be difficult to apply in real time; no single theory guarantees practical guidance.
Contemporary theories critique overly broad or ambiguous guidance and are pushing toward a return to actionable behavioral frameworks.
Practical guidance: actively lead, develop multiple behaviors, seek feedback, adapt to followers and context, and understand that formal power is not the only route to influence.