UNITAR – Afghan
Fellowship Program
W. Duffie VanBalkom &
Fazal Malik Qasimi
The Trait approach
• Leaders are born with certain traits
• Which traits? ……. example:
• Intelligence, self-confidence,
determination, integrity, sociability
• Ignores context, teams, followers
• Can’t agree on traits
• Stable attributes limit influence of
training & development
November 2009, Hiroshima, Japan
The Skills approach
• Leadership can be learned
• Competencies (knowledge, people
skills & problem-solving skills) lead
to:
• Performance Outcomes
• Comprehensive, appealing
• Drives leadership training programs
• Weak predictive value
The Style approach
• Helps understand the complex process of
Leadership
• Focus on what leaders do (vs. are)
• Behaviour oriented at two levels: task &
relationships
• Links between style and performance are
weak
• Can’t agree on universal best behaviours
(is high-high always best?)
Situational leadership
Different Contingency theories
• Matches leadership behaviour to
followers’ development needs
(competence & commitment)
• Combines direction & support
• Flexible approaches
• Useful in leadership training &
mentoring
• Cross-cultural & team limitations
“It depends” theory, calls for different
leadership behaviors depending on the
situation:
1. Needs of the team members
2. Type of Task
3. Power dynamics
4. Organizational Culture
5. Context
Focus on motivation and developing a
conducive organizational culture, but calls
for varying behaviors, styles, skills and
directives to influence positive change
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