1. Traits, Behaviors, and Relationships
Chapter 2
Traits, Behaviors, and Relationships

2. The Trait Approach
Traits: the distinguishing personal characteristics of a leader, such as intelligence, honesty, self-confidence, and appearance
Great Man Approach: a leadership perspective that sought to identify the inherited traits leaders possessed that distinguished them from people who were not leaders

3. Ex. 2.1 Personal Characteristics of Leaders
Energy
Physical stamina
Intelligence and Ability
Intelligence, cognitive ability
Knowledge
Judgment, decisiveness
Personality
Self-confidence
Honesty and integrity
Enthusiasm
Desire to lead
Independence
Social Characteristics
Sociability, interpersonal skills
Cooperativeness
Ability to enlist cooperation
Tact, diplomacy
Work-Related Characteristics
Drive, desire to excel
Responsibility in pursuit of goals
Persistence against obstacles, tenacity
Social background
Education
Mobility

4. Self-confidence: assurance in one’s own judgments, decision making, ideas and capabilities
Honesty: truthfulness and nondeception
Integrity: the quality of being whole, integrated, authentic, and acting in accordance with solid moral principles that are shared by your constituents.
Drive: high motivation that creates a high effort level by a leader

5. Behavior Approaches
Autocratic: a leader who tends to centralize authority and derive power from position, control of rewards, and coercion
Democratic: a leader who delegates authority to others, encourages participation, relies on subordinates’ knowledge for completion of tasks, and depends on subordinate respect for influence

6. Action memo
Use a democratic style to help followers develop decision-making skills and perform well without close supervision
Adopt an autocratic style when there is time pressure or followers have low skill levels and the leader’s expertise is needed.

7. Ex. 2.2 Leadership Continuum
Subordinate-Centered
Leadership
Boss-Centered
Leadership
Use of authority by manager
Area of freedom for subordinates
Manager makes
decisions and
announces it
Manager presents
ideas and invites
questions
Manager
presents
problems,
gets sugg.
makes
changes
Manager
permits
subordinates
to function
within limits
defined by
superior
Manager
presents tentative
decision subject
to change
Manager
defines limits,
asks group
do make
decision
Manager “sells”
decision
Where do you start with new people or in a new position?

8. Ohio State Studies
Consideration: the extent to which a leader is sensitive to subordinates, respects their ideas and feelings, and establishes mutual trust
Initiating Structure: the extent to which a leader is task oriented and directs subordinates’ work activities toward goal achievement

9. University of Michigan Studies
Employee-centered: a leadership behavior that displays a focus on the human needs of subordinates
Job-centered: leadership behavior in which leaders direct activities toward efficiency, cost cutting, and scheduling, with an emphasis on goals and work facilitation

10. Ex. 2.3 The Leadership Grid® Figure
High
1,9
Country Club Management
9,9
Team Management
Concern for People
5,5
Middle-of-the-Road
Management
Impoverished Management
1,1
Authority-Compliance
Management
9,1
Low
Concern for Results
Low
High

11. High-High Leader Show concern for both tasks and people
People oriented behavior is related to higher follower satisfaction and fewer personnel problems
Task-oriented behavior is typically associated with higher productivity
Address both the social and task dimensions to succeed as a leader in a variety of situations

12. Ex. 2.4 Themes of Leader Behavior Research
People-Oriented
Task-Oriented
Ohio State University
Consideration
Initiating Structure
University of Michigan
Employee-Centered
Job-Centered
University of Texas
Concern for People
Concern for Production

13. Open questions
Are these 2 dimensions the most important dimensions of leadership?
Can people orientation and task orientation exist together in the same leader, and how?
Is the “high-high” leadership style situational or universal?
Can people actually change themselves into leaders high on people and/or task orientation or both?

14. Ex. 2.5 Stages of Development of Individualized Leadership
Vertical Dyad Linkage
Leaders’ behaviors and traits have different impacts across followers, creating in-groups and out-groups
Leader-Member Exchange
Leadership is individualized for each subordinate. Each dyad involves a unique exchange independent of other dyads.
Partnership Building
Leaders can reach out to create a positive exchange with every subordinate. Doing so increases performance.
Systems and Networks
Leader dyads can be created in all directions across levels and boundaries to build networks that enhance performance.

15. Leader-Member Exchange
An individualized leadership model that explores how leader-member relationships develop over time and how the quality of exchange relationships impacts outcomes

16. Ex. 2.6 Leader Behavior Toward In-Group versus Out-Group Members
Discusses objectives; gives employee freedom to use his or her own approach in solving problems and reaching goals
Listens to employee’s suggestions and ideas about how work is done
Treats mistakes as learning opportunities
Out-Group
Gives employee specific directives for how to accomplish tasks and attain goals
Shows little interest in employee’s comments and suggestions
Criticizes or punishes mistakes

17. Ex. 2.6 (contd.)
In-Group
Gives employee interesting assignments; may allow employee to choose assignment
Sometimes defers to subordinate’s opinion
Praises accomplishments
Out-Group
Assigns primarily routine jobs and monitors employee closely
Usually imposes own views
Focuses on areas of poor performance

18. Build a positive, individualized relationship with each follower rather than treating people as members of an in-group or out-group.
Forge a unique, constructive partnership with each person to create an equitable work environment and provide greater benefits to yourself, followers, and the organization.
Beware of forming in-groups and out-groups. You will often be self-deceived into believing that they do NOT exist.