Leadership 1 Can Anyone Be a Leader? ◦ Some people don’t have what it takes to be a leader ◦ Some people are more motivated to lead than others Is Leadership Always Necessary? ◦ Some people don’t need leaders ◦ Leaders need to be aware of followers’ needs 2 Trait Theories (1920s–30s) ◦ Research that focused on identifying personal characteristics that differentiated leaders from nonleaders was unsuccessful ◦ Later research on the leadership process identified seven traits associated with successful leadership: Drive, the desire to lead, honesty and integrity, selfconfidence, intelligence, job-relevant knowledge, and extraversion 3 Drive Desire to lead Honesty and integrity Self-confidence Intelligence Job-relevant knowledge Extraversion 4 University of Iowa Studies (Kurt Lewin) ◦ Identified three leadership styles: Autocratic style: centralized authority, low participation Democratic style: involvement, high participation, feedback Laissez-faire style: hands-off management ◦ Research findings: mixed results No specific style was consistently better for producing better performance Employees were more satisfied under a democratic leader than an autocratic leader 5 Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory (SLT) ◦ Successful leadership is achieved by selecting a leadership style that matches the level of the followers’ readiness Acceptance: do followers accept or reject a leader? Readiness: do followers have the ability and willingness to accomplish a specific task? ◦ Leaders must give up control as followers become more competent 6 Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory (SLT) (cont’d) ◦ Creates four specific leadership styles incorporating Fiedler’s two leadership dimensions: Telling: high task–low relationship leadership Selling: high task–high relationship leadership Participating: low task–high relationship leadership Delegating: low task–low relationship leadership 7 Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory (SLT) (cont’d) ◦ Identifies four stages of follower readiness: R1: R2: R3: R4: followers followers followers followers are are are are unable and unwilling unable but willing able but unwilling able and willing 8 High relationship and low task High High task and high relationship STYLE OF LEADER S3 S2 S4 High Moderate Low S1 Low R4 R3 R2 R1 Able and willing Able and unwilling Unable and willing Unable and unwilling High Task Behaviour Low relationship and low task High task and low relationship Follower Readiness Source: Reprinted with permission from the Center for Leadership Studies. Situational Leadership® is a registered trademark of the Center for Leadership Studies. Escondido, California. All rights reserved. 9 Transactional Leadership ◦ Leaders who guide or motivate their followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements Transformational Leadership ◦ Leaders who inspire followers to go beyond their own self-interests for the good of the organization ◦ Leaders who have a profound and extraordinary effect on their followers 10 Charismatic Leadership ◦ An enthusiastic, self-confident leader whose personality and actions influence people to behave in certain ways ◦ Characteristics of charismatic leaders: Have a vision Are able to articulate the vision Are willing to take risks to achieve the vision Are sensitive to the environment and to follower needs Exhibit behaviours that are out of the ordinary 11 Charismatic Leadership (cont’d) ◦ Effects of Charismatic Leadership Increased motivation, greater satisfaction More profitable companies Charismatic leadership may have a downside: After recent ethics scandals, some agreement that CEOs with less vision, and more ethical and corporate responsibility, might be more desirable 12 Visionary Leadership ◦ A leader who creates and articulates a realistic, credible, and attractive vision of the future that improves upon the present situation ◦ Visionary leaders have the ability to: Explain the vision to others Express the vision not just verbally but through behaviour Extend or apply the vision to different leadership contexts 13 Team Leadership Characteristics ◦ Having patience to share information ◦ Being able to trust others and to give up authority ◦ Understanding when to intervene Team Leader’s Job ◦ Managing the team’s external boundary ◦ Facilitating the team process Coaching, facilitating, handling disciplinary problems, reviewing team and individual performance, training, and communicating 14 Liaison with External Constituencies Coach Conflict Manager Team Leader Roles Troubleshooter 15 Managing Power ◦ Legitimate power The power a leader has as a result of his or her position ◦ Coercive power The power a leader has to punish or control ◦ Reward power The power to give positive benefits or rewards ◦ Expert power The influence a leader can exert as a result of his or her expertise, skills, or knowledge ◦ Referent power The power of a leader that arises because of a person’s desirable resources or admired personal traits 16