What is Leadership? The influence of one group member over other group members to help achieve group or organizational goals Traits physical appearance cognitive abilities

Some More Leader Traits personality dominance high energy level self-confidence trustworthiness motivation to lead flexibility

Trait Approach to Leadership The approach: Leaders possess special traits that make then different from others; these traits account for leadership ability. The research: That leaders were no different from followers, until recently. Now, motivation, flexibility, and cognitive ability are identified. The limitations: Different situation may call for different types of leaders

Leader Behaviors People orientation -- consideration, the leader is concerned about the well being of employees and being fair. Task orientation -- initiation of structure, the focus of this leader is on goal attainment.

Consequences of Leader Behavior Consequences of consideration: This style of works well when the task is intrinsically satisfying, or when the task is extremely structured and clear Consequences of initiation of structure: This style works best with situations where there is pressure due to deadlines, ambiguous tasks, or external threat.

The Contingency Approach The most effective leadership style depends or is contingent on the specific situation. Several approaches Fiedler’s Contingency Model House’s Path-Goal Theory Hersey & Blanchard’s Situational Leadership

Fiedler’s Contingency Theory Leader Style Production Person Prod Group Relations Good Poor Task Structure Struct Unstruct Struct Unstruct Power S W S W S W S W

Path-Goal Theory Leader Behavior Directive Supportive Achievement Paticipative Situation Factors Subordinate factors Work Environment Subordinate Outcomes Satisfaction Leader Acceptance Effort

Situational Leadership Theory High Task Telling Selling Behavior Delegating Participating Low High Relationship Behavior

Backwards & Forwards Summing up: Today we explored various concepts of leadership; trait approaches, behavioral approaches and contingency approaches Looking ahead: Does leadership matter, do women really have a different style of leading and how important is leadership to the organization.