Leadership Theory Paper

For centuries leaders have been analyzed in order to determine what the traits and characteristics of a successful leader are. Leadership, as defined by Koontz and Weihrich (2008) is “the art or a process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly and enthusiastically toward the achievement of group goals” (p. 311). Leadership plays an important role in employee’s participation, creativity, recruitment to an organization, their commitment to the organization, and productivity levels. Over the years, there have been a number of theories surrounding leadership such as the “Great Man” theory, which, according to Riaz and Haider (2010), “assumes that leaders are born and have innate qualities, therefore, leaders

There are different leadership theories developed throughout the history. Most popular ones are trait theories, behavioral theories, contingency theories, and leader-member exchange (LMX) theory. The author of the post will briefly discuss two theories, Fiedler contingency theory and Leader-Member Exchange (LMX), and compare and contrast their strengths and weakness.

Some take conscious effort, patience and time. If I want to improve as a leader based on the trait theory then I need to exercise more tact in my day-to-day proceedings. To do so I need to implement the following strategy “Being a tactful leader is about your intention, the execution of a plan and the results.” (Debbie, 2011) Instead of quickly reacting to situations off the top of my head I need to have a clear intention of what I want to accomplish and formulate a plan of how I want to get there. This may be as simple as thinking more before I speak. Or it could be as detailed as planning for necessary interactions by deciding what result is desired and what might help motivate the other participant to get there

Kendra Cherry (2016) describes the trait based approach to leadership as “different personality traits and characteristics that are linked to successful leadership across a variety of situations”. In addition Zaccaro, S. J. (2007) has a view that “the unique attributes of such individuals in their inherited or genetic makeup and that personal qualities defining effective

Moreover, the trait approach gives a deeper understanding of the leader element in the leadership process by emphasising exclusively on the leader, (Gore et al, 2011). The trait theory does not offer hypotheses about the role of situational variance or characteristic of the followers. Instead, this approach provide information about leaders, and about which traits cause which behaviours and that certain set of traits are central to the leadership process and play an indispensible part of effective leadership.

The best leaders are those who have the flexibility to adapt their behavioural style, and choose the relevant style suitable for different situations. This theory claims that people can learn how to be successful leaders by observation and particular behaviour patterns may be seen as suitable leadership techniques.

The Great Man Theory describes the leader as being born with the necessary characteristics to lead an organization ("Leadership Theories," n.d.). Trait Theory expanded on the Great Man Theory stating leaders who are born with the characteristics or traits to be a great leader will help them excel as leaders ("Leadership Theories," n.d.). Behavioral theories focus on the leader’s behaviors and not their characteristics ("Leadership Theories," n.d.). Contingency theories state leadership styles vary based on the environment or situation ("Leadership Theories," n.d.). Transactional leadership theories focus on the transaction between leaders and their followers ("Leadership Theories," n.d.). Transformational leadership theories focus on the relationship of the leader and their followers and how that relationship impacts the organization ("Leadership Theories," n.d.).

Trait Theory expresses the concept of inherent leadership qualities rather than something one learns. A few studies show leaders are exceptional people who are born with qualities to lead (Clawson, 2006; Stogdill, 1948). Great Man Theory stipulates that leadership is inherent and there is no amount of training or coaching that can help an individual acquire leadership qualities; one must have it in oneself (Stogdill, 1948). Effective leadership has a great quest for responsibility and task completion. Often leaders do not get frustrated easily but are vigorous in pursuing organizational goals, take risks, do not shy away from solving problems, and are driven to take initiative in social situations (Clawson, 2006; Stogdill, 1948).

In any society, institution or organization, leadership plays an important role. From organization, discipline, planning and mentorship, the role of a leader is invaluable (Tannenbaum, Weschler & Massarik, 2013). However, the challenge lies in the determination of the precise qualities or attributes that a great leader should possess. Several theories have been put forth to try and demystify the concept of leadership. These theories attempt to describe who a leader is, what qualities he or she possesses, and how he or she executes the leadership mandate. These theories include; trait theory, behavioral theory and the situational theories of leadership. This paper focuses on the situational Theory of leadership.

There are four types of leadership theories. Those theories are the trait theory, behavioral theory, situational and contingency theories. The trait theory is used to decide the characteristics of many leaders and decide whether a leader is successful or unsuccessful. The characteristics are used to determine whether a person is a leader or a follower. Most organizations around the world use the trait theory as a technique to better understand their employee's personal

This theory is based on the premise that there are certain personality characteristics that are essential for a person to possess in order to be a leader. The main emphasis is on what the person is in terms of a constellation of personality traits. This theory searches for that set of universal leadership traits that will assure success. Numerous traits have been suggested: courage, integrity, loyalty, charisma, ambition, intelligence, honesty, clairvoyance, persistence, arrogance, health, political skill, confidence and vision.

The trait approac‎h was on‎e of the e‎arliest theorie‎s propose‎d to ex‎plain leadership. Effe‎ctive leaders w‎ere suppos‎ed to hav‎e spe‎cific traits, alth‎ough the rese‎arch fai‎led to provid‎e ev‎idence of pre‎cise characteristic‎s that predi‎cted leadership s‎uccess. Th‎is app‎roach sugge‎sted that so‎me ind‎ividuals are natura‎lly incl‎ined to l‎ead (Yukl, 2006). The researche‎r o‎n trait theory was con‎ducted rough‎ly fr‎om the 1930s th‎rough the 1950s. Some leadership theori‎sts ha‎ve return‎ed to trait theory. There is st‎ill litt‎le evidenc‎e that the‎re are univer‎sal traits associated with effective leadership.

One way to assess potential leadership abilities of organizational members is to consider the trait approach. The trait approach can be characterized as one that relies on the idea that effective leaders share common traits that support their talents to persuade or organize others toward a common idea. In the early 20th century, leadership was studied to determine what specific characteristics made a person a great leader. These ideas were developed into a theory called the “great man.” These traits were thought to be innate and only “great” people could possess them. In the 1940’s, Ralph Stodgill challenged this idea. Because of his research, the idea of the trait approach began to take on another meaning. It was determined that a person does not become a leader because he or she possesses certain traits. A leader with a specific set of traits in one situation may not be considered a leader in an altered situation. Because of this idea, Stodgill believed that the success of a leader does not necessarily depend on the specific traits, but on the relationships between the leader and followers in any given situation (Northouse, 2013).

Trait-based theory in some ways similar to the great man theory. The trait theory presumes that people acquire certain qualities or traits make them better suited to leadership trait theories usually recognize certain personality or behavioral characteristics that ae shared by leaders. Conflicts in the relationship among leadership traits and leadership success ultimately led scholars to shift patterns in search of new information for successful leadership (Scientific & Academic

This leadership theory argues that there is no specific way of leading, rather a leadership style should be based on the situation. This means that when a person is set to lead, they will perform at maximum level, however as soon as they are taken out of their element this level of performance may fall. Also, a leadership style that worked well in one situation may not work well in another situation and so it’s based on how a leader adjust in various situations. “To a certain extent contingency leadership theories are an extension of the trait theory, in the sense that human traits are related to the situation in which the leaders exercise their leadership.” (leadership theories). I agree with this statement, since an individual in leadership mode would indeed possess better characteristic traits than when they are not leading. This theory also assumed that leaders are more likely to express their leadership when they feel that their followers will be