1. Contemporary issues in Management
Leadership -Class notes

2. The leadership story: (Stephen Covey)
A group of workers and their leaders are set on a task of clearing a road through a dense jungle on a remote island to get to the coast where an estuary provides a perfect site for a port.
The leaders organise the labour force into efficient units and monitor the distribution and use of capital assets – progress is excellent.

3. The leadership story:
The leaders continue to monitor and evaluate progress, making adjustments along the way to ensure the progress is maintained and efficiency increased wherever possible.
Then, one day amidst all the hustle and bustle and activity, one person climbs up a nearby tree. The person surveys the scene from the top of the tree.

4. The leadership story:
And shouts down to the assembled group below… “Wrong Jungle!”
The managers response? Shut up we are making progress!!!

5. Leadership verses Management
“Management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things”
(Warren Bennis and Peter Drucker)

6. Leadership: A definition
“Leadership is having influence, nothing less, nothing more” –John C Maxwell
“Leadership is having followers” –Peter Drucker
“Leadership is having individual capability of being a leader” –Warren Bennis

7. Our definition
“Leadership is defined as the process of influencing others to facilitate the attainment of organizationally relevant goals”
Ivancevich et al, 2008, Organizational Behavior and Management, 7th Edition, Tata-MacGraw-Hill Publishing Co, New Delhi, India

8. Challenge of defining leadership
It is difficult to achieve a unified definition of leadership due to the fact that leaders and leadership situations differ.
Some definitions are based on leader characteristics, others on leaders behavior and others on outcomes or end results.
There are 3 key variables to leadership
The people being led
The task people are performing
The environment in which the people and task exist

9. Characteristics of Effective leaders
They provide direction and meaning to people they are leading
They generate trust
They favor action and risk taking
They are purveyors (inspire) of hope.

10. Managers vs. Leaders Managers Focus on things Do things right Plan
Organize
Direct
Control
Follows the rules
Leaders
Focus on people
Do the right things
Inspire
Influence
Motivate
Build
Shape entities

11. Evolution of leadership thinking
Leadership has evolved over the years from a trait based approach to the concept of teams without bosses
There are 3 major approaches to understanding leadership
Trait approaches
Behavioral approaches
Situational Approaches

12. Traits approaches to leadership
The traits theory of leadership is an attempt to identify specific characteristics (physical, mental, personality) associated with leadership success. The theory relies on research that relates various traits to certain success criteria.
Traits theory is also supported by personnel testing and other researches based on observation of behavior in group situations.

13. Traits associated with leadership effectiveness
Intelligence
Judgment
Decisiveness
Knowledge
Fluency of speech
Personality
Adaptability
Alertness
Creativity
Personal integrity
Self confidence

14. Traits associated with leadership effectiveness
Abilities
Ability to enlist cooperation
Cooperativeness
Popularity and prestige
Sociability (interpersonal skills)
Social participation
Tact, diplomacy

15. Behavioral Approaches
In the 1940s researchers began to explore the notion that how a person acts determines that person’s leadership effectiveness.
Leaders are seen to be Job-centered or Employee centered according to behavioral leadership theory.
The managerial grid is a well known leadership behavior study tool (see below)

16. David McLelland posited that leadership takes a strong personality with a well-developed positive ego. To lead, self-confidence and high self-esteem are useful, perhaps even essential

17. Robert Blake & Jane Mouton Leadership Grid developed in1964 suggests five different leadership styles, based on the leaders' concern for people and their concern for goal achievement.

18. The leadership Grid

19. Job-centered & employee centered leader
Job-centered leader focuses on completing the task and uses close supervision so that subordinates perform their tasks using specified procedures
Employee centered leader focuses on the people doing the work and believes in delegating decision making and aiding employees in satisfying their needs by creating a supportive work environment.

20. Leadership style and performance
Kurt Lewin, Ronald Lipitt, and Ralph White developed in 1939 the seminal work on the influence of leadership styles and performance. According to their study they identified three styles:
Authoritarian(Autocratic),
democratic, and
laissez-faire
Additional studies now include Paternalistic style

21. Leadership styles cont’d
Different situations call for different leadership styles.
In an emergency when there is little time to converge on an agreement and where a designated authority has significantly more experience or expertise than the rest of the team, an autocratic leadership style may be most effective;

22. Leadership styles cont’d
However, in a highly motivated and aligned team with a homogeneous level of expertise, a more democratic or laissez-faire style may be more effective.
The style adopted should be the one that most effectively achieves the objectives of the group while balancing the interests of its individual members

23. Styles of leadership: Autocratic
Leader makes decisions without reference to anyone else
High degree of dependency on the leader
Can create de-motivation and alienation of staff
May be valuable in some types of business where decisions need to be made quickly and decisively

24. Styles of leadership: Democratic
Encourages decision making from different perspectives – leadership may be emphasised throughout the organisation.
Leader may relay on
Consultative: process of consultation before decisions are taken
Persuasive: Leader takes decision and seeks to persuade others that the decision is correct

25. Styles of leadership: Laissez-Faire
‘Let it be’ – the leadership responsibilities are shared by all
Can be very useful in businesses where creative ideas are important
Can be highly motivational, as people have control over their working life
Can make coordination and decision making time-consuming and lacking in overall direction
Relies on good team work
Relies on good interpersonal relations

26. Styles of leadership: Partenalitic
Paternalistic:
Leader acts as a ‘father figure’
Paternalistic leader makes decision but may consult
Believes in the need to support staff

27. Situational Approaches to leadership
These theories suggest that leadership effectiveness is a function of various aspects of the leadership situation.
Fiedler’s Contingency Leadership model – which postulates that the performance of a group is dependent on the interactions between leadership style and situational favourableness.

28. Situational Approaches to leadership
Vroom-Jago Leadership model –which specifies which leadership decision-making procedures will be most effective in each of several different situations (autocratic style, consultative style, group style or delegated style)
Path-Goal Leadership model –Suggests that it is necessary for a leader to influence the follower’s perceptions of work goals, self development goals and path to goal attainment (Founded on the expectancy motivation theory).

29. Situational Approaches to leadership
Hersey Blanchard Situational Leadership Model –emphasizes followers and their level of maturity. The leader must properly judge or intuitively know followers maturity level and then use a leadership style that fits that level.
This model proposes four leadership styles to adapt 1) Telling, 2) Selling, 3) Participating & 4) Delegating.

30. Other Perspectives: Charismatic Leadership
The charismatic leader is one who creates an atmosphere of motivation based on an emotional commitment and identity to his or vision, philosophy, and style on the part of followers. A combination of charm & personal magnetism.
John F Kennedy
Barack Oboma
Winston Churchill,
Jomo Kenyatta
Nelson Mandela

31. Attributes of a charismatic leader
Develop visionary thinking
Communicate the vision
Show conviction
Engage in extraordinary behaviors
Develop self-confidence

32. Other Perspectives: Transactional leadership
Transactional leader helps follower identify what must be done to accomplish the desired results (e.g. better-quality output, more sales or service, reduced cost of production) and ensures that employees have the resources they needed to complete the job.

33. Other Perspectives: Transformational Leadership
Transformational leader motivates followers to work for goals instead of short-term self interest and for achievement and self-actualization instead of security; is able to express a clear vision and inspire others to strive to accomplish the vision.

34. Other Perspectives: Transformational Leadership
Factors that describe a transformational leader are;
Charisma
Individual attention
Intellectual stimulation (helps followers rethink situations)
Contingent reward (informs followers what to expect as reward)
Management by exception (Allows followers to work on tasks)

35. Coaching as a leadership concept
Coaching is the everyday interaction of helping, guiding and encouraging another employee to improve his or her understanding of the work and improve performance
How to coach in an organization;
Observe the detail.
Develop the person’s strengths

36. Coaching, cont’d Work to improve people, not change them.
Require continual improvement.
Pace the person. Don’t wear them out by working so hard all the time.
Believe that you can be the best.

37. Q&A