LMTP: Trait and Skills Approach Julie Potter: February 2017

Ten Leadership Theories in 5 minutes Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Trait Approach Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Overview Great Person Theories Historical Shifts in Trait Perspective What Traits Differentiate Leaders From Non- leaders? How Does the Trait Approach Work? Focused on innate qualities – really believing that people are born leaders! Reconceptualised as a relationship between people in a social situation. Personal factors were still viewed as important but the arguments were that the qualities were associated with the actual situation presented. Visionary versus charismatic – Jung and Sosik (2006) traits self actualization – motivation, attain social power, impression management – ideas very current Stogdill (1948 and 74) 1st study revealed 8 traits – intelligence, alertness, insight, responsibility, initiative, persistence, self-confidence, and socialability. The traits have to fit the situation in which they are functioning. The trait moved to behavior as researchers recognized leadership is not a passive process but involves a relationship with a group. The 2nd study found that traits and situation were determinants to leadership. Reported 1o characteristics p.21 – drive, vigor, risk taking, self confidence, readiness, ability and capacity to structure social interaction systems. Man (1959) identified 6 traits – intelligence, masculinity, adjustment, dominance, extraversion and conservatism. Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Great Person Theories Trait Approach: one of the first systematic attempts to study leadership “Great Man” Theories (early 1900s) Focused on identifying innate qualities and characteristics possessed by great social, political, & military leaders Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Historical Shifts in Trait Perspective Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Major Leadership Traits Traits to possess or cultivate if one seeks to be perceived by others as a leader: Intelligence – Verbal, perceptual, and reasoning capabilities. Self-Confidence – Certainty about one’s competencies and skills. Determination – Desire to get the job done (i.e., initiative, persistence, drive). Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Major Leadership Traits Traits to possess or cultivate if one seeks to be perceived by others as a leader: Integrity – The quality of honesty and trustworthiness. Sociability – Leader’s inclination to seek out pleasant social relationships. Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

5-Factor Personality Model & Leadership Goldberg (1990) Are you and introvert or an extrovert? Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

5-Factor Personality Model & Leadership Big Five & Leadership Study Using Meta-Analysis (Judge et al., 2002) Results – a strong relationship between personality traits and leadership Extraversion – factor most strongly associated with leadership Most important trait of effective leaders Conscientiousness – second most related factor Openness – next most related Low Neuroticism Agreeableness – only weakly related to leadership Reported that 96% of leaders identify as extroverts. So what does that mean for the introverts amongst us? Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Who’s the Introvert? Which if these individuals do you think identifies as an introvert? Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Emotional Intelligence & Leadership Definition Underlying Premise Ability to perceive and: apply emotions to life’s tasks reason/understand emotions express emotions use emotions to facilitate thinking manage emotions within oneself and relationships people who are more sensitive to their emotions & their impact on others will be more effective leaders Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Different Ways to Measure EI MSCEIT: EI as a set of mental abilities to perceive, facilitate, understand, and manage emotion Goleman (1995, 1998): EI as a set of personal and social competencies self-awareness, confidence, self-regulation, conscientiousness, and motivation Shankman & Allen (2002): EI as awareness of three aspects of leadership context, self, and others Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

How Does the Trait Approach Work? Focus of Trait Approach Strengths Criticisms Application 1) Focus exclusively on the leader Not on the follower or The situation No hypothesis about what kind of leader is needed or what a leader should do.? 2) Intuitively appealing Much research undertaken. To back it up. Benchmarks – what to look for. 3) Studies ambiguous and uncertain at times. Failed to take situation into account Results in highly subjective determinants. Does not look at traits in relationship to leadership outcomes. Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Focus of Trait Approach Leader Personality Assessments Focuses exclusively on leader What traits leaders exhibit Who has these traits organisations use personality assessments to find “right” people Assumption - will increase organisational effectiveness Specify characteristics/traits for specific positions Personality assessment measures for “fit” Instruments: LTQ, Myers-Briggs Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Strengths Intuitively appealing Perception that leaders are different in that they possess special traits People “need” to view leaders as gifted Credibility due to a century of research support Highlights leadership component in the leadership process Deeper level understanding of how leader/personality is related to leadership process Provides benchmarks for what to look for in a leader Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Criticisms Fails to delimit a definitive list of leadership traits Endless lists have emerged Doesn’t take into account situational effects Leaders in one situation may not be leaders in another situation List of most important leadership traits is highly subjective Much subjective experience & observations serve as basis for identified leadership traits Research fails to look at traits in relationship to leadership outcomes Not useful for training & development Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Application Leadership Traits Intelligence Self-Confidence Determination Integrity Sociability Provides direction as to which traits are good to have if one aspires to a leadership position Through various tests and questionnaires, individuals can determine whether they have the select leadership traits and can pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses Can be used by managers to assess where they stand within their organisation and what is needed to strengthen their position Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Skills Approach Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Skills Approach Perspective Three-Skill Approach (Katz, 1955) Overview Skills Approach Perspective Three-Skill Approach (Katz, 1955) Skills-Based Model (Mumford et al., 2000) How Does the Skills Approach Work? Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Skills Approach Description Perspective Definition Leader-centered perspective Emphasis on skills and abilities that can be learned and developed Leadership skills-The ability to use one’s knowledge and competencies to accomplish a set of goals and objectives Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Three-Skill Approach (Katz, 1955) Technical Skill Human Skill Conceptual Skill Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Basic Administrative Skills – Katz (1955) Leaders need all three skills— but relative importance changes based on level of management Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Technical Skill Having knowledge about and being proficient in a specific type of work or activity. Specialized competencies Analytical ability Use of appropriate tools and techniques Technical skills involve hands-on ability with a product or process Most important at lower levels of management Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Human Skill Having knowledge about and being able to work with people. Being aware of one’s own perspective and others’ perspectives at the same time Assisting group members in working cooperatively to achieve common goals Creating an atmosphere of trust and empowerment of members Important at all levels of the organisation Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Conceptual Skill the ability to do the mental work of shaping meaning of organisational policy or issues (what company stands for and where it’s going) Works easily with abstraction and hypothetical notions Central to creating and articulating a vision and strategic plan for an organisation Most important at top management levels Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Skills Model Perspective Competencies Skills-Based Model Skills Model Perspective Competencies Individual Attributes Leadership Outcomes Career Experiences Environmental Influences Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Skills-Based Model of Leadership Skills Model Description (Mumford, Zaccaro, Harding, Jacobs, & Fleishman, 2000) Skills-Based Model of Leadership Perspective Research studies (1990s) goal: to identify the leadership factors that create exemplary job performance in an organisation Emphasizes the capabilities that make effective leadership possible rather than what leaders do Capability model - Examines relationship between a leader’s knowledge & skills & the leader’s performance. Suggests many people have the potential for leadership Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Competencies Skills Problem Solving Social Judgment Knowledge Creative ability to solve new/unusual, ill-defined organisational problems Capacity to understand people and social systems - Perspective taking - Social perceptiveness - Behavioral flexibility - Social performance The accumulation of information & the mental structures to organize the information Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Individual Attributes General Cognitive Ability Crystallized Cognitive Ability Motivation Personality Person’s intelligence Perceptual processing Information processing General reasoning Creative & divergent thinking Memory Intellectual ability learned or acquired over time Three aspects of motivation Willingness Dominance -Social good Any characteristic that helps people cope with complex organisational situations is probably related to leader performance Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Leadership Outcomes Problem Solving Performance Criteria = originality & quality of solutions to problem situations – good problem solving involves creating solutions that are: - Logical - Effective - Unique - Go beyond given information Degree to which a leader has successfully performed his/her assigned duties Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Career Experiences Challenging Assignments Mentoring Appropriate Training Hands-on Experience with Novelty Experience gained during career influences leader’s knowledge & skills to solve complex problems Leaders learn and develop higher levels of conceptual capacity if they progressively confront more complex and long-term problems as they ascend the organisational hierarchy Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Environmental Influences Factors in a leader’s situation that lie outside of his or her competencies, characteristics, and experiences Internal environmental influences – Ex. Outdated technology, skill level of employees External environmental influences – Ex. Economic, political, or social issues; natural disasters Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

How Does the Skills Approach Work? Focus of Skills Approach Strengths Criticisms Application Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Principal Research Perspectives Skills Approach Principal Research Perspectives Focus Focus is primarily descriptive – it describes leadership from skills perspective Provides structure for understanding the nature of effective leadership Katz (1955) suggests importance of particular leadership skills varies depending where leaders reside in management hierarchy Mumford, Campion, & Morgeson, (2007) suggest higher levels of all skills needed at higher levels of hierarchy Mumford, Zaccaro, Harding et al. (2000) suggest leadership outcomes are direct result of leader’s skilled competency in problem solving, social judgment, & knowledge Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Strengths First approach to conceptualize and create a structure of the process of leadership around skills Describing leadership in terms of skills makes leadership available to everyone Provides an expansive view of leadership that incorporates wide variety of components (i.e., problem-solving skills, social judgment skills) Provides a structure consistent with leadership education programs Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Criticisms Breadth of the skills approach appears to extend beyond the boundaries of leadership, making it more general, less precise Weak in predictive value; does not explain how skills lead to effective leadership performance Skills model includes individual attributes that are trait-like Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Application The Skills Approach provides a way to delineate the skills of a leader It is applicable to leaders at all levels within the organisation The skills inventory can provide insights into the individual’s leadership competencies Test scores allow leaders to learn about areas in which they may wish to seek further training Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. © 2016 SAGE Publications, Inc.