Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003 Elements of Leadership Chapter 11

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, /11 Defining "Leadership"  Leadership is the ability to influence through communication the activities of others, individually or as a group, toward the accomplishment of worthwhile, meaningful, and challenging goals  Employees generally have higher expectations of leaders as models or exemplars of the organization

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, /11 The Core of Leadership: Influence  The exercise of influence is the essence of leadership behavior and the major difference between leaders and managers  Seven influence strategies to practice leadership are:  Reason  Friendliness  Coalition  Bargaining  Assertiveness  Higher Authority  Sanctions  Leaders need to learn a variety of strategies; they can’t rely on just one

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, /11 Distinguishing Management from Leadership  Management  Focus on moment-to-moment organizational performance  Concerned with process  Leadership  Focus on the long-term goals of the organization  Concerned with substance

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, /11 Approaches to Understanding Leadership  The three main approaches or theories used to define, measure, theorize, and study leadership are:  Trait Theory  Behavioral Theory  Contingency Theory

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, /11 Trait Theory of Leadership  Trait theory states that the secret of leadership is found in terms of six general categories of traits  Physical — age, height, weight, etc.  Background — education, class, mobility, experience, etc.  Intelligence — ability, judgment, knowledge, etc.  Personality — aggressiveness, alertness, dominance, charisma, etc.  Task-related — achievement, responsibility, initiative, etc.  Social — supervisory ability, cooperativeness, tact, etc.  No one trait or combination of traits have been found that are consistently linked with leadership

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, /11 Behavioral Theory of Leadership  Behavioral theory focuses on the behavior of leaders — what do effective leaders do that ineffective ones don’t  Task-oriented — leader primarily concerned with the work  Person-oriented — leader concerned with human aspects of the group; these leaders were found to be more effective  Combination of task- and person-oriented — one best way to lead requires a balance between the two  Two-Dimensional Theory — initiating structure and consideration  Managerial Grid Theory — 81 leadership styles, but “9,.9” — team management — is best

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, /11 Contingency Theory of Leadership  Effective leadership behavior is contingent upon the situation, i.e., effective leadership depends on the interaction of the leader’s personal characteristics, the leader’s behavior, and factors in the leadership situation  The following must be taken into account:  Leadership flexibility — fit the style to the situation  Leadership flexibility — fit the style to the maturity level of followers  Leadership inflexibility — fit the situation to the leader’s style

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, /11 Contingency Theory of Leadership (cont.)  Path-Goal theory of leadership is a popular contingency theory  Effective leaders help workers engage in behaviors that lead to rewards they value. The leader’s role is to:  Clarify need to achieve personal and organization goals  Increase rewards that are valued by the follower  This theory identifies four types of leader behaviors:  Directive  Supportive  Participative  Achievement

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, /11 Modern Views of Leadership  Covey — writings laced with references to spiritual and universal “laws” as the basis of leadership  Bennis — centers on traits and behaviors of living leaders  Cohen and March — describe leaders as navigating through organized anarchy by applying a light touch  Transformational leadership — inspirational form of behavior based on modifying followers’ beliefs, values, and behavior  Transactional leadership — appeal to workers’ rational exchange motives  “Universality” — leadership is most effectively used when developed throughout the organization

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003 End of Chapter 11