Leadership Theory

Internal Environment

What makes a good leader?

Brainstorm – what are the differences between a leader and a manager?

Leader ManagerV

‘Leadership is practised not so much in words as in attitude and actions’

Harold Green, CEO

‘’A leader shapes and shares a vision, which gives point to the work of others’

Charles Handy, 1932, Management Thinker

‘The leader’s job is to help everyone see that the platform is burning, whether the flames are apparent or not.’

Larry Bossidy, 1935, CEO of Allied Signal Corporation‘Management brings order and consistency……………….. Leadership is about coping with change.

Kotter, 1977, Management Theorist

They cover a range of disciplines which include:

Trait theory

Style theory

Contingency theory

Leadership Theories

Ability to lead a group is something you are born with

Trait Theory

What criticisms can you make againsttrait theory?

You should be selected and can’t be trained

Personal characteristics needed

What personal characteristics do youare necessary to be an effective leader?

Style Theory

* Claims what leaders do is important and not their personal characteristics – success can be learned

* How objectives are achieved is key – task orientation

* How to maintain good working relationships – people orientation is also seen as important to success

People orientated

Task orientated

Most leaders will carry out a range of both

Autocratic Style

Define tasks, allocate tasks and supervise tasks – employee involvement or discussion from employees is not sought.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantagesof this leadership style.

Democratic Style

Leader sets objectives but leaves employees to decide how to best achieve the objectives. Communication between employee and leader is frequent. At the most extreme this is called laissez-faire.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantagesof this leadership style.

What did the Lippitt and Whitestudy prove?

Seeks to take more variables into the equation

The most suitable leadership style will depend on the circumstances

Most successful leaders can adapt

We look at 5 versions of Contingency Theory

Contingency Theory

Fiedler’s Contingency Model

3 factors determine the nature of a situation. Whether to use a people or a task orientated style would depend on these 3 factors.

The Leader

The Task Structure

Position

The ‘best fit’ approach - Handy

Handy states leaders must consider 4 factors when deciding on a suitable style.

The Leader

The Subordinate The Task

The Environment

Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Approach

Leadership style should differ depending on the situation and maturity of employees (job and psychological). They defined 4 styles of leadership – telling, selling, participative and delegative.

Critique this model?

John Adair – Action- centered leadership

In Effective Leadership in (1983) he describes the role of a leader as having 3 elements.

Achieve a taskDevelop individualsBuild the team

Six Dimensions of Leadership – Andrew Brown (1999)

Claims there a 6 dimensions of leadership which all leaders should use depending on the circumstances:

heroes fine actors high self esteem immortalists astute power-brokers diplomatic ambassadors calculating victims

Overall Contingency Theory suggests the most appropriate leadership style will depend on factors such as:

the task

group size

organisational culture

nature of the group members

Factors affecting Leadership Style