What is leadership?
Leadership is "the behaviour of an individual when he is directing the activities of a group towards a shared goal". (Hemphill and Coons, 1957, p.7)
A leader is interpreted as someone who sets direction in an effort and influences people to follow that direction. How they set that direction and influence people depends on a variety of factors. To really comprehend the "territory" of leadership, one should briefly scan some of the major theories, notice various styles of leadership and review some of the suggested traits and characteristics that leaders should have.
There are many leadership theories. Arthur G. Jago (1982) proposed a framework that organizes leadership theories based on each theory's focus and
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In this style, leaders look upon their followers as people - their needs, interests, problems, development and so on. They are not simply units of production or means to an end.
Directive leadership. This style is characterized by leaders taking decisions for others and expecting followers or subordinates to follow instructions.
Participative leadership. Here leaders try to share decision-making with others.
(Wright 1996: 36-7)
Contingencies theory.
The central idea of this approach was that effective leadership was dependent on a mix of factors. Fred E. Fiedler argued that effectiveness depends on two interacting factors: leadership style and the degree to which the situation gives the leader control and influence.
Devices Fiedler used to determine leader personality and the situation was Least Preferred Co-worker (LPC) Scale. The LPC is used to measure a leader's motivation: "Task motivation" vs. "relationship motivation" (these are the trait versions of the "concern of production" vs. "concern of people" categories in the Managerial Grid).
Fiedler assumes that everybody's least preferred co-worker in fact is on average about equally unpleasant. But people who are relationship motivated tend to describe their least preferred co-workers in a more positive manner, e.g., more pleasant and more
Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal. The article “Leadership That Gets Results” by Daniel Goleman is an article that helps readers understand that there is not only one way of becoming a successful leader. Research indicates that leaders with best results do not rely on only one leadership style. Goleman, describes leaderships styles as array of clubs in a golf pro’s bag. Over the course of the game, the pro picks clubs based on the demands of the shot. Thinking is involved during the selection, but usually it is automatic. The pro is aware of the challenge ahead, quickly utilizes the right tool, and puts it to work. It has also been found that emotional intelligence
A leader is someone who stands out among his or her peers and is chosen to be placed into a position that requires setting an example and providing direction for that group. Although anyone can be chosen as a leader, he or she must be willing and deserving of this position.
Richard J. Shavelson and Lisa Towne provided a framework to address any question that poses research. For a DEL student, I found these principles as a solid guideline or in the military, standing operating procedure to follow. As I embarked on a journey of research in leadership theory, these principles are a standard in which I will start (Shavelson and Towne, 2002, p. 52).
The Renaissance was a rebirth of cultural awareness and learning that took place during 1400 - 1500. Art became a branch of learning during the Renaissance. It was a period of time when art was very important. Artists had finally recaptured the amazing detail and realism that the Greeks and Romans perfected. Artists broke boundaries with new exciting mediums and bright colors. Filippo Brunelleschi permitted artists to decide the proportional size of a figure by inventing the vanishing point perspective. This made it possible to put everything into perfect proportion. Many elderly people are found in the paintings. Such as Man in a Red Turban on page 270 fig. 15.34 or online at http://www.abcgallery.com/E/eyck/eyck3.html.
The contingency theory of leadership works to predict which style is best in which circumstance, because what may work in one situation, may not work in another. Imagine that as a CEO, Helena always applied a democratic based leadership style, but one day the company was faced with a dilemma that she had to address immediately. Without the ability to consult her employees, Helena has to make a decision, and this will affect the entire company. This would be an example of the contingency theory of leadership, being able to change ones leadership style to suite the situation.
To ensure leadership effective, several leadership theories are put forward and are adopted by different organizations. Some widely accepted theories include Trait Approach, Style Approach, Situational Approach, New Leadership Approach and Post-charismatic & Post-transformational (Western, 2013). Beyond doubt, they have their pros and cons, and they could play their role to guarantee the effectiveness of leadership as long as they are applied in an appropriate condition.
There are four types of leadership that are of major focus in this theory and they are: 1. Supportive Leadership: The focus here is mainly on relationships. Any or all decisions are taken in the best interests of the team members and this kind of approach is best in conditions where tasks are repetitive or stressful. These approaches will in-turn increase the follower's self-esteem thereby making the job more interesting (Dessler, G. 2016). 2.
it is being a leader who is ethical and who goes beyond self-interest to help the group. This questionnaire affects my own leadership because it tells me that I have the problem of being too laissez-faire when there are situations where I need to be more direct.
Leadership is and has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task”[1]. A definition more
What is leadership, what does it mean, and how has it been used? Leadership is the action of leading a group or an organization, this is a vital role in any group. If a group is without a leader, the group will surely fall apart, and likely never reach their goal. Leaders are the people who take a stand, the people who fight for change, and the ones who reach for the sky. Today I will go over why Martin Luther King Jr. has been recognized as a great leader, how Walt Disney created one of the best companies to this day, and how their leadership styles compare.
The leadership behavior area of focus that stuck out to me based off the results of the survey was the Directive Leadership behavior. The directive leadership behavior concentrates on a structure for the manager and the employees and can be synonymous with task-orientation. Directive Leadership is designed to aid leaders in the definition and organization regarding employee responsibilities that focuses on goal achievement and maintaining good lines of communication (Johnson, 2016).
According to Maxwell (1998), “If you can’t influence others, they won’t follow you…Leadership is influence-nothing more, nothing less” (p. 20). These three styles of leadership attempt to influence followers to reach their full potential in unique methods, but in hopes of reaching the same outcome. Their goal is to influence followers to be successful and lead their organizations well.
Effectiveness of leadership rest solely on the style of leadership that the leader embraces. Many times it is also contingent upon the framework of leadership. This simply suggests that dissimilar leadership styles are applicable in different situations. In order to be effective, one must possess an array of skills, influence, traits, behaviors, values, motivation and relationships with followers. Effectiveness of leadership is also the result of the mind, body, soul and spirit coming together to be a visionary, passionate, flexible, inspiring, innovative, courageous, experimental, and initiates change. Effective leadership means are centered on creating an invigorating environment that is safe, fair, and consistent for all. The aforementioned statements
The basic assumption of SLT is that leader task and relationship behaviours are moderated by the level of follower readiness (Blank et al., 1990, p. 580). The level of follower readiness determine the appropriate amount of leader task and relationship behaviour. As the level of follower readiness changes the amount of leader task and relationship behaviour should change to match the level of follower readiness.
In psychology, trait theory also called dispositional theory, is an approach to the study of human personality. Personality traits measurement weren’t reliable across studies. Many studies have analyzed the traits among existing leaders in the hope of uncovering those responsible for ones leadership abilities! In vain, the only characteristics that were identified among these individuals were those that were slightly taller and slightly more intelligent.