Organizational Psychology:
A Scientist-Practitioner Approach
Jex, S. M., & Britt, T. W. (2014)
Prepared by:
Christopher J. L. Cunningham, PhD
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Kelsey-Jo Ritter
Bowling Green State University
Kristen S. Jennings
Clemson University
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Chapter 11: Leadership and
Influence Processes
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Defining Leadership
• Complex phenomenon
• Defined in terms of behaviors or outcomes
• Common ground treats leadership as a
process with wide-ranging effects
– Figure 11.1
• Comment 11.1
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Importance of Leadership
Critical leader behaviors:
• Providing strategic direction and vision
• Motivation and coaching
• Enforcement and interpretation of
organizational policies
• Obtaining resources for organizational
groups
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Trait Approach
• Effective leaders are inherently different from
ineffective leaders
• Research is not supporting a clear leader profile,
so leader emergence is also a common focus
• Traits may predict leader emergence and
managerial effectiveness/advancement
• Shift toward considering combinations of traits
rather than isolated characteristics
• Shortcomings of this approach
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Behavioral Approach
• Effective leaders behave differently from ineffective
ones
• Split between leadership focused on task
completion and on interpersonal relations
• Consideration of leader behaviors perceived as
needed by employees
• Limitations with a two-dimensional model, but
there may be some merit here
• Still, no consistent behavioral profile for effective
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leader
Contingency Approach
• There is no universal set of effective leader traits
or behaviors across all situations
• Good leadership requires effective reading of the
situation and adjustment of behaviors to fit
present needs
• Currently this is the most common approach to
leadership
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Fiedler’s Contingency Theory
• Highlights influence of situation favorability
– Based on leader-member relations, task structure,
and leader’s position power
– Octants of favorability are discussed (Figure 11.3)
– Task- vs. relationship-oriented distinction and
the Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) as a means of
assessing this distinction among leaders
– LPC and situational favorability (Figure 11.4)
• Mixed empirical support for this theory
• May relate to Cognitive Resource Theory
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Path-Goal Theory
• Leadership and motivation blend, highlighting
leader’s influence over subordinates’ success—
showing the path to the goal
• Adaptiveness of leadership styles: Directive,
supportive, achievement-oriented, and participative
forms depending on situation
• Leader style based on characteristics of a leader’s
subordinates and environment
• Difficult theory to test, but clear implications for
management training, development, selection, and
placement
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Vroom-Yetton-Jago Model
• Effective leadership from decision-making styles
that fit a given environment or situation
• Leaders select the best decision-making styles
based on eight situational attributes (Table 11.2,
Figure 11.5)
• Research supports the model’s tenets, but model
may oversimplify decision-making conditions
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Leader-Member Exchange (LMX)
• Vertical dyad linkages between leaders and
subordinates
• Links may differ depending on the social exchange
between a leader and a subordinate
– In-group vs. out-group employees
• Leader-subordinate relationships develop over time
• LMX has positive effects within organizations such
as with OCB, performance, and job attitudes
• Challenge of defining and measuring exchange
relationships
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Charismatic/Transformational and
Transactional Leadership
• Charismatic/transformational forms associated with
leader behaviors that influence and inspire
subordinates with the potential for creating
meaningful change within an organization
• Dimensions of transformational leadership: idealized
influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual
stimulation, individualized consideration
• Transactional (contingent reward) based on following
rules and emphasizing reward or punishment for
guiding subordinate behavior
• All three forms may be present in a single leader
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Authentic Leadership
• Developing theory based on leaders being
“who they are” and connecting with
subordinates by means of this being-trueto-self quality
• Dimensions of self-authenticity
– Self-awareness
– Balanced processing
– Relational transparency
– Internalized morale perspective
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Servant Leadership
• Recent trend in theory and research
• Seven characteristics of a servant leader
– Establishing relations with followers through
dedicating time and attention
– Empowering followers
– Facilitating follower development and growth
– Ethical behavior
– Ability to think conceptually
– Showing a focus on followers and their success
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– Supporting stakeholders outside the organization
Ethical and Unethical Leadership
• Increased interest due to unethical leader
behaviors in recent years
• Ethical leadership: Normatively
appropriate conduct through personal
actions and interpersonal relationships,
and through promotion of such conduct in
followers
• Unethical leadership: High selfinterest, exploiting others, being vengeful211
Power and Influence in Organizations
• Leader effectiveness is closely associated with
a person’s ability to use power to influence
others
• Power: One’s potential to influence others
• Four outcomes of power/influence:
– Compliance
– Identification
– Internalization
– Resistance
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Bases of Power
French and Raven’s model:
– Coercive (personal and impersonal)
– Reward (personal and impersonal)
– Legitimate (based on position, reciprocity, equity,
and dependence)
– Expert (positive and negative)
– Referent (positive and negative)
– Informational (direct and indirect)
– Ownership
– Prestige power
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Influence Tactics
• Nine main tactics (Table 11.3):
– Rational persuasion
– Inspirational appeals
– Consultation
– Ingratiation
– Exchange
– Personal appeal
– Coalition (using social proof)
– Legitimating
– Pressure
• Power of combining tactics is highlighted
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Politics in Organizations
• Defined as influence behavior within organizations that
develops outside traditional power systems and benefits
a person or group at the expense of the organization
• Close relationship with power in organizations
• Several factors motivating politics within organizations:
– Uncertainty
– Scarcity of resources
– Technological change
– Ambiguity in decision making
– Organizational change
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Politics in Organizations (Cont.)
• Dark side of organizational politics = divide
and conquer
• Minimal research suggests politics have
negative consequences within organizations
• Four specific political tactics:
– Impression management
– Information management
– Promotion of the opposition
– Pursuing line responsibility
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Organizational Political Tactics
• Five strategies linked with impression
management:
– Self-promotion
– Ingratiation
– Exemplification
– Intimidation
– Supplication
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Organizational Political Tactics
(Cont.)
• Information management: Based on
premise that information is power
• Promotion of the opposition:
Counterintuitive strategy based on helping an
opponent move ahead and out of the way
• Pursuing line responsibility: Finding a
position within the organization that will allow a
person to exert one’s influence (ideally close to
core technology)
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