Chapter 10: Leadership
• Leadership • Alternative Designs of Leadership for Teams • Characteristics of Team Leadership • Shared Leadership • Leader Emergence
Leadership • The leader may be assigned by the organization, but the team its self, may be self-managed or have a leadership role that may be distributed among the team members.
Alternative Designs of Leadership for Teams • Team leadership is a process whereby an individual influences the progress of team members toward attainment of a goal. • Types of leaders vary by method of selection and the roles they are expected to perform. • Often, the person who emerges as the leader of a team may not be the one best suited for the role.
Characteristics of Team Leadership • Although we normally think of a single individual in the position of a leader, but this is not always the case. • Instead of talking about leadership as pertaining to any one person, we need to recognize that leadership is a process or set of functions that may be performed by many of a team’s members.
Shared Leadership • Shared leadership is the notion that leadership functions can be shared or performed by various members of a team. Leaders perform a variety of functions in a team, and these functions do not have to be performed by the same person. • The team’s task can be divided into specific functions, and the responsibilities for each function assigned to a team member to perform.
Leader Emergence • Leader prototype theory provides another way to explain the emergence of leaders with characteristics unrelated to effectiveness (Lord, 1985). • This theory examines the relationship between the leader and the perceptions of team members. • Members have certain implicit notions about what constitutes a good leader. • To the extent that the leader meets these expectations, the leader is more influential. • Although the specific traits of good leadership vary in the minds of followers, it is usually assumed that effective leaders are intelligent, dedicated, and possess good communication skills.
Four Different Approaches to Leadership 1) Trait or Personality Approach • The belief that good leaders have certain characteristics 2) Behavioral Approach • How the leaders act and behave 3) Situational • Determine when leaders are needed and what factors can substitute for leadership 4) Contingency • Which attempts to combine personality or behavioral characteristics of leaders with situational characteristics
Trait or Personality Approach • The assumption that leaders have certain characteristics • Oldest model of leadership • Research does not necessarily support this theory • Present day research • Drive • Honesty • Leadership motivation • Self-confidence • Intelligence • Knowledge of business • Creativity • Flexibility • Intelligence is a must, but communication is more important?
Give me 1 Con to the trait approach? • Different leaders need different traits
Behavioral Approach • Set of appropriate behaviors • Unlike the Trait Approach, this approach focuses more on decision- making and task • Examines whether leaders should focus on the tasks or on the social relations among team members • Research is inconclusive • Leader-member exchange model • How does the leader and subordinates interact?
Problems and benefits of different decision- making approaches • Autocratic: tend to be more efficient decision makers, but this style can create dissatisfaction and implementation problems among followers. • Democratic: T end to encourage higher morale, job satisfaction, and commitment in their followers, but can be slow What is the most important aspect of the behavioral approach? • Recognition to motivate your team
Situational Approach • Situational factors determine the need for this approach • During day-to-day operations, leaders have very little impact • One of the chief values of the situational approach is in examining alternatives to leadership or factors that can substitute for leadership. • Characteristics of employees • Jobs • Organizations
Contingency Approach • Contingency theories are complex and more difficult to understand and apply than the other theories • Start by focusing on some characteristic of a situation • Combines the behavioral characteristics and situational characteristics
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