OB 3 leadership

Leadership Overview

• Dr. Neetika Shrivastava

Definition of Management

• Management is a process of coordinating actions and allocating resources to achieve organizational goals.

Leadership Definition

• Leadership is the ability to influence a group toward goal achievement.

• Sherman (1995) emphasizes aligning people toward common goals and empowering them to act.

Key Concepts of Leadership

• Leadership is a process of influence where leaders encourage others towards achieving goals.

• Types of Leadership:

  • Formal Leadership: Based on a positional role in an organization.

  • Informal Leadership: Emerges when an individual demonstrates influence or leadership qualities without formal authority.

Differences between Leadership and Management

• Leadership focuses on creating change; management copes with complexity.

• Characteristics of leaders include:

  • A vision for the future.

  • The ability to inspire and align people.

  • Integrity based on self-awareness and honesty.

Manager vs. Leader Characteristics

• Manager Characteristics:

  • Administers, maintains systems, focuses on control, and emphasizes short-term outcomes.

• Leader Characteristics:

  • Innovates, develops people, inspires trust, focuses on long-range goals, and challenges the status quo.

Leadership Theories

• Key Approaches to Leadership Theories:

  • Trait Approach

  • Behavioral Approach

  • Contingency Approach

Trait Theories of Leadership

• Key leadership traits identified include:

  • Ambition, energy, honesty, self-confidence, intelligence, and relevant job knowledge.

• Great Man Theory: Suggests leaders are born with necessary traits.

• Limitations of trait theories include:

  • No universal traits universally predict leadership effectiveness.

  • Traits are better predictors of leadership appearance than effectiveness.

Behavioral Theories of Leadership

• Autocratic Leadership: Centralized decision making; leader commands and controls.

• Democratic Leadership: Participatory decision-making; delegates authority.

• Laissez-faire Leadership: Passive-style; defers decision-making.

Ohio State and Michigan Studies

• Ohio State Studies:

  • Initiating Structure: Defining and structuring roles for goal achievement.

  • Consideration: Building mutual trust and respect with subordinates.

• University of Michigan Studies:

  • Employee-centered leaders are more effective than job-centered leaders.

Managerial Grid

• Management styles based on concern for people vs. production:

  • 1,9 (Country Club Management): Comfort and relationships prioritized.

  • 9,9 (Team Management): Focus on both tasks and relationships.

  • 1,1 (Impoverished Management): Minimal effort to maintain membership.

Contingency Approaches

• Acknowledges that situational factors influence leadership effectiveness.

• Fiedler’s Contingency Theory: The effectiveness of a leadership style depends on the match between the leader's style and the situation's favorability.

Identifying Leadership Style - Fiedler

• Measurement of leadership style through the Least-Preferred Co-worker (LPC) scale; higher scores indicate relationship-oriented leaders, lower scores suggest task-oriented ones.

• Effective Leadership Situations:

  • Task-oriented leaders succeed in favorable or unfavorable situations, while relationship-oriented leaders thrive in moderately favorable conditions.

Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Theory

• Situational leadership focuses on adjusting style based on follower readiness, categorized into:

  • Telling: High task, low relationship

  • Selling: High task, high relationship

  • Participating: Low task, high relationship

  • Delegating: Low task, low relationship.

Path-Goal Theory

• The role of the leader is to assist and motivate followers towards achieving goals compatible with group objectives.

• Leadership styles in Path-Goal Theory:

  • Directive: Focused on structure.

  • Supportive: Relationship-focused.

  • Participative: Involves followers in decisions.

  • Achievement-oriented: High structure and support.

Charismatic Leadership Theory

• Charismatic leaders possess self-confidence, vision, and the ability to inspire enthusiasm among followers.

Transformational Leadership

• Fosters engagement in a collective purpose among followers, characterized by high levels of motivation and cooperation.

Key Traits of Successful Leaders

• Essential Traits Include:

  • Passion, honesty, empathy, innovation, stress tolerance, and commitment to goals.

• Emotional Intelligence: Critical for understanding and managing emotions in leadership.

Future Directions in Leadership

• Organizations of the future will focus on knowledge and interconnectedness.

• New Leadership Approach: Focus on guiding using vision, mutual values, and fostering individual growth within a self-organizing framework.