Leadership Minali Wadu Mesthri BSc in HR & Leadership (UK) MSc in Business Psychology (UK)
01 03 Definitions Failure of Traditional Management 02 04 Differences between Leadership Theories Manager vs Leader
04 Leadership Theories
Introduction to Leadership Theories A search on the internet = millions of books and articles on leadership These evidences are fictions than serious social scientific studies. In 1959, Warren Bennis, noted that “Ironically, probably more has been written and less known about leadership than about any other topic in the behavioural sciences” For most of human history, the learning of leadership was an exercise in studying the great leaders of the past and in trying to copy them. In the 20th Century we began to analyse leadership in a more scientific way. Yet, no universally accepted definition of leadership.
Leadership Theory / School Leadership Theories ● Great Man or Trait School ● Behavioural or Styles School ● Situational School ● Contingency School ● Transactional & Transformational School
Great Man Era “No great man lives in vain. The history of the world is but the biography of great men.” —Thomas Carlyle
Great Man Era ● Popular during the 19th century. ● The mythology based on world’s famous leaders such as Julius Caesar, Mohandas Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln and Alexander the Great. ● Great leaders are born and not made. ● Historian Thomas Carlyle also had a major influence and he mentioned that effective leaders are those gifted with divine inspiration and the right characteristics.
Great Man Era Theory ● Earlier studies on leadership looked at people who were already successful leaders. ● These individuals were aristocratic rules who achieved their position through birthright. ● People of a lesser social status had fewer opportunities to practice and achieve leadership roles. Thus it contributed to the ideas that leadership is an inherent ability.
Criticisms of Great Man theory ● Herbert Spencer a noted theorist identified that Great Man theory is unscientific and primitive. ● He believed leaders were products of their environment. ‘Before a great man can remake his society, that society has to make him.’ ● As the 20th Century progressed leadership research focused on identifying leadership traits.
Trait theory Trait theory is derived from Great Man theory. This theory focuses that • people are born with inherited traits • some traits are particularly suited to leadership • People who make good leaders have the right (or sufficient) combination of traits Researchers analysed physical and psychological traits and qualities such as high energy, appearance, aggressiveness, persuasiveness and dominance that all successful leaders possessed.
What are the essential traits for good leadership? Identify 05 traits.
Activity 01 Can you find your answer from here?
Trait theory Stogdill (1974) reviewed 163 studies conducted between 1949 and 1970 Stogdill criticised trait theory as insufficient in predicting leader effectiveness. Northouse has identified intelligence, self- confidence, determination, integrity and sociability as universal leadership traits in the 20th century.
Case Study 01 Catherine the Great (also known as Catherine II and Yekaterina Velikaya) was the empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. At age 14, she was married to Karl Ulrich who was to be heir to the throne of Russia as the “grand duke Peter.” Peter was neurotic, rebellious, an alcoholic. When it was time for Peter to take the throne, he was already widely hated by the public. Catherine, on the other hand, was widely liked. Her traits were what allowed her to gain much support. She was considered to be clear-headed, ambitious, and intelligent. Shortly after he inherited the throne, Peter was assassinated by Catherine’s supporters (it is not known whether or not Catherine ordered the assassination). In September of 1763, Catherine was crowned as empress of Russia. As empress, Catherine was completely dedicated to her country. Her intent was to make Russia a prosperous and powerful state through establishing order, spreading education, creating a court, and developing a national culture. Her projects were far too many, and she was not very successful in accomplishing her goals. However, the same traits that allowed her to gain support at the start of her career, allowed her to maintain support throughout her role.
Case Study 01 (Cont’d) Q1: Does Catherine fit for a ‘great man’? Why or why not? W h a t s o c i a l f a c t o r s contributing to your response? Q2: In what way does Catherine exhibit the trait theory?
Case Study 02 Donald Trump, the 45th and current president of the United States, is a prominent business figure and former reality TV star. His election in 2016 triggered discussion among leadership theorists. While Great Man Theory has been nearly put to sleep across the board, the controversy surrounding President Trump has reawakened the idea. Throughout history, major leaders have been elected largely on their strong leadership characteristics would help pull the country out of a bad situation (i.e., Great Man Theory). Theorists stand to point out that Trump stood out from his opponent with his willfulness, self-confidence, and spontaneity. Regardless of whether he was elected for his personality or not, these theorists argue that his characteristics are crucial to the results of his presidency. Even though recent years have considered Great Man Theory dead and the personality of the leader more or less irrelevant to the success of a group, President Trump’s personality has been shown to play a major role in his actions as a leader. This contrasts from most of the presidents we’ve seen throughout history, who have relied on the advice and ruling of their cabinet and strict systematic processes, which made the impact of their personalities quite small. In this way, theorists suggest, Great Man Theory has made a comeback to the modern world.
Case Study 02 (Cont’d) Q1: Can characteristics have different meanings in different settings? Ex: someone with a personality trait viewed negatively in a social setting, maybe bluntness, be viewed positively in a political setting? What other traits have different meanings in multiple settings? Q2: Do you see Great Man or Trait Theory applied in other modern settings?
Influence Era The first major shift in leadership theory, in its long journey away from the ‘great man’ theories, was collectively known as the Influence Era. The Influence Era acknowledged that leadership involves a dynamic between the leader and the follower. This dynamic moves away from associating leadership with a set of personality traits, and rather emphasises how the active influence of the leader over the follower determines their relationship. The major outcome of these theories was the balance in all leaders between behaviour aimed at concern for the task, versus behaviour aimed at concern for individual satisfaction and group cohesion.
Behavioural Leadership Behavioural theory assume that leaders are made, not born. These theorists believed anyone can learn to be a leader. This theory branches from the former in that it analyses the action from leader to follower rather than the characteristics of the leader alone. This theory suggests that the behaviour of a leader can take one of two directions; task or relationship - oriented .
Behavioural Leadership - Task / Relationship Task oriented style is exhibited when a leader has more concern for production or achieving organisational tasks. It involves technical directions when leading a group. Relationship oriented style is exhibited when the leader has more concern for the people who are working to achieve the goals of the group. It includes more relationship-building activities and promotion of trust and commitment within the group.
Blake & Mouton’s Managerial (Leadership) Grid (1964)
Behavioural Leadership - Role Theory Role theory was based on the assumptions that individuals; • Define roles for themselves and others based on social learning and reading • Form expectations about the roles that they and others will play • Subtly encourage others to act within role expectations • Will act within the role they adopt
Behavioural Leadership - Role Theory (Cont’d) Within organisations, formal and informal information about leadership values, culture, training, expectations and behaviour. When expectations do not match behaviour, role conflict can occur. Ex: When an HR intern becomes an HR executive or when HR Executive struggles to take over the Assistant Manager role (conflict can result until these people learn new behaviour patterns).
Video 01 Actors Who Were Never The Same After A Role https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O55kFMD_dc
Task & Relationship Questionnaire (Northhouse, 2009) (Cont’d) Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always Statement 1 2 3 4 5 1. Make a ‘to do’ list of the things that need to be done. 2. Try to make the work fun for others. 3. Urge others to concentrate on the work at hand. 4. Show concern for the personal well-being. 5. Set timelines for when the job needs to be done.
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