100 Years of Leadership Research
Leadership defined
• If you get people to do something they are not
inclined to do,
• OR
• You get people to not do that which they’d
really rather do …..
• THAT is what leadership is about. (Influence)
The “Type” Approach
• Great “Man” theory – leaders are born, not
made
• Cultural Determinism – unusual social
circumstances create conditions where
ordinary people become great leaders
The “Trait” Approach
• Great leadership can be discovered by
analyzing specific traits that great leaders
possess, but followers do not
• Ralph Stogdill’s point – leaders, followers and
context ALL matter when studying leadership
Behavioral Approach
• Rather than study what leaders are like,
instead study what leaders DO when effective
• Ohio State studies reveal 2 basic behaviors
demonstrated by effective leaders
– Consideration
– Initiating Structure
Contingency Models
• Fred Fiedler’s “Contingency Model” – leading
is a function of LPC and 3 situation factors
– Task Structure
– Leader-member relations
– Leader position power
Critiques of THE “Contingency” model
• Model misses the core of leadership – the
mutual influence of leader and follower in an
exchange relationship
• Independent researchers fail to find the
results Fiedler and his students obtained
The Contingency Model - Fixed
• Study leaders, followers, context
• Focus on influence
• Recognize leadership as a “temporary” role –
managing is a job title, leading is a temporary
assignment
Current models
• Path-goal Theory – leaders clarify paths to
obtain goals valued by person and company
• Situation Leadership – leaders should shift
conduct based on the situation they face
• Charismatic leadership – throwback to Types
Current models (continued)
• Transformation leadership – leadership
happens when a top officer transforms the
entire enterprise (MBO definition)
• Transactional Leadership – focus on social
exchange between leader and follower
• A lot of writers use the word “leadership” too
broadly, when there are other factors that
matter for company-wide success
Mintzberg’s Mgmt Roles
http://www.edu-article.blogspot.com/2012/10/mintzbergs-10-managerialroles.html
Summary/Conclusion
• Leadership is a temporary influence process
• People attribute too much causal effect to
actions of top management
• Judging leadership by financial outcomes is a
fool’s errand