Leadership in Teams:
Maximizing Success
Advanced Personal Knowledge
“…we would argue that effective leadership
processes represent perhaps the most critical
factor in the success of organizational teams”
(Zaccaro, Rittman & Marks, 2001, p. 452)
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Personal Knowledge
Learning Objectives
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Develop individual leadership
characteristics based on leadership
goals
Help teams become more productive by
developing leadership strategies which
facilitate task completion
Understand how individuals may adopt
transformational leadership within their
teams
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Conceptualizing Leadership
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Can you give an example of someone you
think is a good leader? Why?
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What are characteristics of good leaders?
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Leadership Defined
“Leadership is a process whereby an
individual influences a group of
individuals to achieve a common goal”
(Northouse, pg. 3, 2004)
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Leadership Defined, continued
During last 50 years, there have been over 65
different classification systems of leadership.
They differ in:
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Focus on individual leader versus the group and
its processes
Focus on inherent styles/characteristics versus
behaviors or skills that can be learned
Focus on “designated” versus “emergent”
leadership
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Brainstorming Activity
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Think about teams you have been on
in the past: were the leaders
designated or did they emerge? How
did well did the team work together?
Do you have a preference?
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What is the Leader’s goal?
Team Excellence*
Characteristics of Excellent Teams include:
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Clear, elevating goal
Results-driven structure
Competent team structure
Unified commitment
Collaborative climate
Standards of excellence
Principled leadership
External support
* (Larson & LaFasto, 1989)
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Common Leadership
Responsibilities*
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Initiate the relationships/start the team
Create and maintain communication
Maintain relationships (internal and
external to the team)
Use power to influence others and
reach mutual goals (position or personal
power)
Provide a vision for achievement and
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motivation
How is Good Leadership
Exercised and Demonstrated?
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Personal Characteristics: “You’re a
born leader!”
Skills and Knowledge: “You’re an
exceptional individual!”
Behaviors: “You’re a skillful facilitator!”
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Personal Characteristics
associated with Leaders*
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Intelligence (complex problem solving
skills and social judgment skills)
Self-confidence (self esteem and
assurance)
Determination (initiative, drive,
proactive, perseverance)
Ethical (can be trusted by others,
integrity)
Social (friendly, outgoing, tactful)
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Skills and Abilities associated
with Leaders*
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Technical: knowledge about the team’s
specific tasks or activities (THINGS)
Interpersonal: knowledge of how to
work with others and to help others
work with each other (PEOPLE)
Conceptual: knowledge about ideas,
concepts, ability to hypothesize (IDEAS)
(Optional) Test yourself: The Leadership
Skills Inventory
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*Katz (1955), Muford, Zacarro, Harding (2000)
Leadership Behaviors*
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Focuses on the behaviors or style of the
leader (not just traits or characteristics)
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Two major types of behaviors:
Task
 Relationship
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How can these behaviors be combined
by a leader to influence the team to
succeed??
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Task Behaviors
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Focus is on production: how the team
tasks are accomplished
Involves paying attention to:
policy
 development of new products
 making plans for the future
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Relationship Tasks
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Focus is the people on the team
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Behaviors include building trust,
commitment to the organization,
promoting the wellbeing of team
members, and establishing harmony on
the team
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4 Combinations of Task &
Relationship Styles
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High Task/High Relationship: “Team Management”work is accomplished by committed people with a
common stake in the process and outcome
Low Task/Low Relationship: “Impoverished
Management”-leader in name only, uninvolved,
indifferent
High Task/Low Relationship: “Authority/Compliance”benevolent dictator who acts as though people are
unconnected to the task
Low Task/ High Relationship: “Social Club”-attention
to the needs of people creates comfortable, friendly
team environment, with relaxed work tempo
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Beyond Personality, Styles and
Tasks:
Transformational Leadership*
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Focus is on transforming individuals by
addressing values, ethics, long term goals
• Considers the “whole” person; helps them
reach their full potential
• Motivates team members to do much more
than is expected of them
• Promotes the common good over individual
self interest
*Burns (1978)
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Transformational Leaders:
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Are purposeful role models in terms of ethics
and values
• Can formulate a vision of the desired future
state of the organization or team WITH team
members
• Can understand and empower team
members
• Can act as change agents to initiate and
maintain team progress, create an inclusive,
creative, committed environment
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Transformational Leaders on
Teams
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Must be concerned with both team performance and
team development (tasks and relationships)
Leadership behaviors can be shared by all members
of the team at various times; leadership is fluid and
based on the team needs at the time
Tasks include: motivating members, identifying
tasks/problems, conflict resolution, matching team
tasks/goals to individual needs/competencies and
external requirements
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Why Transformational
Leadership?*
Studies have shown:
It increases organizational performance
 It generates higher commitment to the task
from team members
 It reduces employee stress and increases
well-being
 Is it linked with customer satisfaction
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*Epitropaki (2004)
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Taking the Skills Inventory*
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Leader-centered model that stresses
developing particular skills
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Luckily, skills are competencies that individuals
can learn or develop. You do not need to be born
with them.
The skills approach provides an expansive
view of leadership: includes problem-solving
skills, social judgment skills, knowledge,
individual attributes…
• The Skills Inventory helps you understand
how leadership skills are measured, and what
your own skills might be.
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*Northouse (2004)
Leadership summary
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Being a leader is all-encompassing:
good leaders are also good teammates
The role of “leader” may shift from
person-to-person as the task
necessitates
The proper balance of task and
relationship behaviors must be present
for effective leadership
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Optional Slides
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Case Study Discussion
Taking additional leadership instruments
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What kind of Leader are you?
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In terms of characteristics:
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In terms of skills:
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Complete the Skills Inventory (Northouse, 2004)
In terms of style:
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How many leader characteristics do you possess?
Ask for feedback confirmation from a team member.
Complete the Style Questionnaire (Northouse,
2004)
In terms of transformational leadership:
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Complete the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire
(MLQ)
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Case Study
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Break into small groups and discuss the
following scenario from a:
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Leadership skill perspective
Leadership style perspective
Transformational leadership perspective
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Is one leadership approach more useful
than the others?
• How would a leader with YOUR
characteristics work with this situation?
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Leadership in Teams:
The Leader in You
Leadership on teams is a complex process
 Involves attention to completion of the task and
productivity of people
 Is a combination and reflection of you as a whole
person: intellect, emotion, spiritual, personality,
skills, and behaviors
 Involves communication, problem solving,
technical skills, awareness of the needs of the
team, external demands and expectations, and a
vision
 Everyone can be a leader and exemplify
leadership behaviors/attitudes
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References
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Blake R.R., & Mouton, J.S. (1985). The Managerial Grid III. Houston,
TX: Gulf.
Burns, J.M. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper & Row.
Epitropaki, O. (2004). What is transformational leadership? From
http://www.shef.ac.uk/~iwp/publications/whatis/transformational.pdf
Katz, R.L. (1955, Jan-Feb). Skills of an effective administrator. Harvard
Business Review.
Kirkpatrick, S.A., & Locke, E.A. (1991). Leadership: Do traits matter?
The Executive, 5,48-60.
Larson, C.E., & LaFasto, M.J. (1989). Teamwork: What must go right,
what can go wrong. Newberry Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Mumford, M.D., Zaccaro. S. J., Connelly, M.S. & Marks, M.A. (2000).
Leadership skills: Conclusions and future directions. Leadership
Quarterly, 11(1), 155-170.
Northouse, P.G. (2004). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand
Oaks, London: Sage Publications.
Stodgill, R.M. (1974). Handbook of leadership: A survey of theory and
research. New York: Free Press.
Zaccaro, Rittman, & Marks. (2001). Team leadership. Leadership
Quarterly, 12(4), 451-483.
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