LEADER
According to Hollander, “ Leadership is a process of influence
between a leader and those who are followers”
According to Hemphill & Coons “ Leadership is the behavior of
an individual when he is directing the activities of a group
towards a shared goal”
According to Harry Truman, “Leadership is the ability to get
other people to do what they do not want to do and like it”
Leadership is the ability to inspire confidence and support
among people who are needed to achieve organizational goals.
It is a process that shapes the group goals and organizational
goals,motivates behavior towards the achievement of these
goals and helps to define groups or organizational culture.
1)Process of Influence:
Leadership is a process whose important ingredients is the influence
exercised by the leader or group members. A person is said to have an
influence over others when they are willing to carry out his wishes and
accept his advice, guidance and direction. Successful leaders are able to
influence the behaviour,attitudes and beliefs of their followers
2) Continous Process:
Leadership is not one time influence of subordinates or followers. In order
to be a good leader, a manager should sustain the leadership continuously.
Hence, once a leader does not warrant always a leader
3) Art and Science:
Leadership is both art and science. Effective leadership requires both
dimensions. Leadership is a science as it is concerned with the
observation, study and classification of leadership practices which results
in a reliable explanation of what makes leaders effective. Leadership is an
art as it involves developing practical experience in the application of the
leadership practices and methods resulting form the “science of
leadership”. Thus, the art of leadership is about practicing the leadership
science until one develops intuitions .
4) Related to Situation:
Leadership is always related to a particular situation at a given point of time
and under a specific set of circumstances. That means leadership styles
will be different under different circumstances.
5) Function of Stimulating:
Leadership is the function of motivating people to strive willingly to attain
organizational objectives. Leaders are considered successful when they
are able to subordinate the individual interests of the employees to the
general interests of the organization.
6) Rational and Emotional:
Leadership includes actions and influences based on reason and logic as
well as those based on inspiration and passion. Since people are both
rational and emotional, leaders can use rational techniques and or
emotional appeals.
7) Community of Interests:
There must be community of interests between the leader and his followers
A leader has its own objectives. The followers have their own objectives.
They are moving in different directions in the absence of community of
interests. It is not advisable. It is the leader who should try to reconcile
the different objectives and compromise the individual interests with
organization interests.
8) Symbiotic Relationship:
Leadership tends to focus almost entirely on the leader although without the
followers, there is no leader. Leadership is symbiotic or participatory in
the sense that leaders and followers exist in a mutual beneficial
relationship where each adds to the effectiveness of the other.
Need for leadership arises because of the following reasons:
1) Imperfect Organisation Structure:
It is not possible for any organization structure to provide for all kinds of
realtionships.This explains the existence of informal groups within the
framework of a formal organization. With effective leadership
,imperfection of a formal organization may be corrected and the formal
and informal groups may be made to work in union
2) Technological,Economic and Social changes:
In the phase of rapid technological, economics and social changes the
organization is required to affect suitable changes in its operations and
style. For eg: in the events of a fall in demand, it may discontinuous
production of certain goods and services, or take up production of
alternative goods and services. Only an effective leadership can enable it
to meet the challenges posed b environmental factors.
3) Internal Imbalance Inspired by Growth:
As an organization grows in size and complexity. It may develop certain
imbalances. For eg: increase in organizational activities may lead to
increase in the levels of management, thus adding to complexity of the
Need for leadership arises because of the following reasons:
of the organization structure, and problems of command, coordination and
control work at all levels. Only an effective leadership can guide the
organization through such situations.
4) Realign Organization:
Leadership is needed to realign the organization with its customers and the
business, and to overcome the tendency to become inwardly obsessed and
self serving
5) Continuous Improvement:
Leadership is needed to achieve continuous improvement of productivity
and services for the consumer. These require innovation and investment
in research and education,long range planning and focus on future.
6) Learning Culture:
When culture becomes dysfunctional,leadership is needed to help the group
unlearn some of its cultural assumptions and learn new assumptions.
Leadership is important because it helps in :
i) Effective direction:
An organization comes into existence with certain objectives. To attain the
objectives, the activities of the organization must be directed. Direction of
the activities is effected through leadership. In short, effective leadership
directs the activities of an organization towards the attainment of the
specified organizational goals.
(ii) Source of motivation:
Leadership is the motivating power to group efforts. Effective leadership
motivates the subordinates for higher productivity.
(iii) Confidence:
Leadership creates confidence in-the subordinates by giving proper
guidance and advice.
(iv) High morale:
Good leadership increases the morale of the employees which, in turn,
contributes to higher productivity.
(v) Development of team spirit:
Effective leadership promotes team-spirit and teamwork which is quite
essential for the success of any organization.
Leadership is important because it helps in :
(vi) Encouraging initiative:
A progressive, forward and democratic minded leader, always encourages initiative on
the part of the followers.
(vii) Overcoming resistance to change:
A leader overcomes resistance, if any on the part of followers to organisational
changes; through explaining to them the utility of such changes to both—the enterprise
and the employees.
(viii) Provide Aid to Authority:
The use of authority alone cannot always bring the desired results. Leadership acts
as an aid to authority by influencing inspiring and initiating action. Thus,authority
when combined with leadership brings success to an organization.
xi) Determining Goals:
A leader performs the creative function of laying down goals and policies for the
group he is leading. He also acts as a guide in interpreting the goals and policies.
x) Rectifying Imperfectness of Formal Organizational Relationships:
No organizational structure can provide all types of relationships and people with
common interest may work beyond the confines of formal relationships. Such
Informal relationships are more effective in controlling and regulating the behaviour of
the subordinates. Effective leadership uses these informal relationships to accomplish
the enterprise goals.
Leaders have the following characteristics:
1) Communication towards people:
Most team members are primarily concerned about relationships and about
being valued as a team member before they are concerned about the task
that the team is to undertake. Feeling secure in the group environment
pre-requisite before individual contribution. The good team leader is able
to spend time in building the team, not only when the team starts of, but
when a new comer joins an existing team
2) Decide to support and service:
Whilst team members want to see the ability to lead from the front they are
also strongly motivated by ability to lead from the back . Servant
leadership from the team leader is vital if team members want to serve
each other. This is particularly key characteristics of team leaders
3) Enthusiastic,Energetic,Inspirational and Expert:
Team members want to be motivated by team leaders, who have the energy
and enthusiasm to fire them up. However, they also want to feel secure
that the team leader has themselves, or has access to the necessary
expertise to lead the team in the right direction.
Leaders have the following characteristics:
3) Willingness to shoulder the responsibility:
Team leaders are tested under pressure. When challenges arises, as they
invitably will the leader will need to take responsibility to ensure that
they are fixed as far as possible and the team is strengthened as a result.It
does not mean that the leader should admit that issues beyond their
control or in any way their fault, (although they should be honest in
admiring their mistakes), but rather adopt a proactive attitude to ensure
the team is not deflected from its course.
5)Ability to achieve more as a team:
Teams only become a team once there is some synergy within the group
i.e., the team process adds value to that which desperate group of
individuals would achieve undirected. This is lightly to require the team
leader to explore leadership models that share the leadership role with the
team, to have an understanding of different individuals team roles,
strength us and gives establish a mutual accountability within the team,
and to create an team environment which is open, fun and allows healthy
and productive discussion.
Develops team work:
One of the primary function of the leader is to develop and combine his
followers as a team. Given the followers competence, potential and
needs. The leader needs to create an congenital and healthy working
environment for his work team.
2) Serving as linking-pin :
In Organisation, the leader serve as a linking pin between his/her team
members and management. As and when required, the leader
communicates the problems and grievance of the subordinates to the
management, and also helps to solve problems by participating in
problem solving process.
3) Provides guidance:
when team members face problem in doing their work they seek guidance
and advice from the leader. The problems may be technical or emotional
in nature.
4) Manages time:
Leader ensures the timely completion of activities undertaken by his/her
team members. He appreciates the triat saying,” A stitch in time saves
time”
1)
5) Exercises Power:
Leader exercises his power and authority over his subordinates as per the
demand of the situation. Exercise of power needs to stimulate positive
response from the subordinate
6) Improves Efficiency:
The leader needs to provide for a reward system to improve the efficiency
of capable workmen, delegate authority and invite participation of
employees in decision making. Availability of necessary and adequate
resources and communicating necessary information to the employees
also helps leader to secure effectiveness of group effort.
7) Motivate workers:
It is an important factor that induces the workers to perform well.
Motivation will be effective of the employees understand the nature of
work that is expected from each of them.
1)Great Man Theory
2)Trait Theory
3) Behavioural Theories
- Ohio state Studies
- Michigan Studies
- Scandinavian studies
- Managerial Grid
4) Contingency Theory :
- Fiedler’s Least Preferred Co-worker (LPC) Theory
- Cognitive Resource Theory
5) Situational Theory :
- Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Theory
- House’s Path Goal Theory •
- Leader Participation Model
1)Great Man Theory
Leaders are born, not made.
• This approach emphasized that a person is born with or
without the necessary traits of leaderships.
Early explanations of leadership studied the “traits” of great
leaders
“Great man” theories (Gandhi, Lincoln, Napoleon)
Belief that people were born with these traits and only the
great people possessed them
According to the great man theory of leadership, leadership
calls for certain qualities like commanding personality,
charm, courage ,intelligence, persuasiveness and
aggressiveness.
Great Man approach actually emphasis “charismatic”
leadership. charisma being the Greek word for gift.
2)Traits Theories of Leadership
Theories that consider personality, social, physical, or
intellectual traits to differentiate leaders from non-leaders
Traits of Leaders
Leadership Traits:
• Intelligence
• Ambition and energy
• Physical Features
• The desire to lead
• Inner Motivation
• Honest and integrity
• Maturity
• Self-confidence
• Vision & Foresight
• Intelligence
• Acceptance of Responsibility
• High self-monitoring
• Open-Minded and adaptability
• Self-confidence
• Job-relevant knowledge
• Human Relations Attitude
• Fairness and Objectivity tual traits to differentiate leaders from
non-leader
3)Behavioral Theories of Leadership
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Theories proposing that specific behaviors differentiate
leaders from nonleaders.
Pattern of actions used by different individuals
determines leadership potential
Eg: Democratic,Autocratic, and laissez-faire
• Trait theory:
Leaders are born, not made.
• Behavioral theory:
Leadership traits can be taught.
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Theories that attempt to isolate behaviors that differentiate
effective leaders from ineffective leaders
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Behavioral studies focus on identifying critical behavioral
determinants of leadership that, in turn, could be used to train people
to become leaders
BEHAVIOUR LEADERSHIP STUDIES:
a)Ohio State Studies
 Initiating
Structure
The extent to which a leader is likely to define and structure his or
her role and those of sub-ordinates in the search for goal attainment
 Consideration
The extent to which a leader is likely to have job relationships
characterized by mutual trust, respect for subordinate’s ideas, and
regard for their feelings
b)University of Michigan Studies

Employee-Oriented Leader
Emphasizing interpersonal relations; taking a personal interest
in the needs of employees and accepting individual differences
among members

Production-Oriented Leader
One who emphasizes technical or task aspects of the job
c)MANAGERIAL GRID - BLAKE AND MOUNTON
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Appraises leadership styles using two dimensions:
Concern for production
Concern for people
Impoverished Manager (1,1) - Exerts Minimum Efforts to get essential
works done
Country-club Manager (1,9) - Has high concern for people but low
concern for production
Authority-obedience Manager (9,1) – Has more concern for production
but less concern for people
Team Manager (9,9) – Has high concern for both production and people
Organisation Man Manager (5,5) – Moderate levels of concern for
both production and people
The Managerial Grid
(Blake and Mouton)
d)SCANDINAVIAN STUDIES
 Development-Oriented
Leader
- One who values experimentation,
seeking new ideas, and generating and
implementing change.
- Their premise is that in a changing world,
effective leaders would exhibit
development-oriented behavior.
4)CONTIGENCY THEORY:
Contingency Theory deals with this additional aspect of leadership
effectiveness studies. They are classified into
Fiedler Model
- Cognitive Resource Theory
 Hersey and Blencherd’s Situational Theory
 Leader-member Exchange Theory
 Path-Goal Theory
 Leader Participation Model

a)Fiedler Model
• The theory that effective groups depend upon a proper match
between a leaders style of interacting with subordinates and the
degree to which the situation gives control and influence to the
leader.
• There are basically three steps in the model
1)Identifying Leadership Style
2) Defining the Situation
3) Matching leaders and situations
 Fiedler Model - Identifying Leadership Style
 Fiedler believes a key factor in leadership success is the individual’s
basic leadership style So he created the Least Prefer Co-worker
(LPC) Questionnaire
 LPC:-An instrument that tells to measure whether a person is task
or relationship oriented
If the low LPC score then the person is task oriented
If the high LPC score then the person is relationship oriented
 Fiedler
Model -Matching leaders and Situations
After knowing the leadership style through LPC and defining all
the situations, we will chose the leader who will fit for the
situation.
Two ways in which to improve leader effectiveness
1) Change the leader to fit the situation
2) Change the situation to fit the leader
b)Cognitive Resource Theory
A theory of leadership that states that stress unfavorably effects
the situation, and intelligence, and experience can lessen the
influence of stress on the leader.
 A refinement of Fielder’s original model:
 Focuses on stress as the enemy of rationality and creator of
unfavorable conditions
 A leader’s intelligence and experience influence his or her
reaction to that stress
Stress Levels:
– Low Stress: Intellectual abilities are effective
- High Stress: Leader experiences are effective
Research is supporting the theory
5) Situational Theory:
a)Hersey and Blanchard Theory
A Model that focuses on follower “readiness”
– Followers can accept or reject the leader
– Effectiveness depends on the followers’ response to the leader’s actions
– “Readiness” is the extent to which people have the ability and willingness
to accomplish a specific task
 A paternal model:
– As the child matures, the adult releases more and more control over the
situation
– As the workers become more ready, the leader becomes more laissez-faire
Hersey and Blencherd identify four specific leader behaviors
The most effective behavior depends on the follower’s ability and motivation
If followers are unable and unwilling to do a task, the leader needs to give
specific and clear directions
If followers are unable and willing, The leader need to display a high task
orientation.
If the followers are able and unwilling, The leader needs to use a supportive
and participative style.
If followers are both able and willing, The leader doesnt need to do much.
Situational Leadership Theory (SLT)
A contingency theory that focuses on followers’ readiness. Also
called as Life-Cycle theory of leadership.
Unable and
Unwilling
Unable but
Willing
Able and
Unwilling
Able and
Willing
Follower readiness:
ability and willingness
Leader: decreasing need
for support and supervision
Directive
High Task and Relationship
Orientations
Supportive
Participative
Monitoring
Follower
Readiness
Able
Willing
Unwilling
Supportive
Participative
Monitoring
Leadership
Styles
Unable
Directive
High Task
and
Relationship
Orientations
11–29
b)Path-Goal Theory
The theory that it is the leader’s job to assist followers in attaining their goals
and to provide them the necessary direction and/or support to ensure that their
goals are compatible with the overall objectives of the group or organization.
Leaders provide followers with information, support, and resources
to help them achieve their goals
– Leaders help clarify the “path” to the worker’s goals
– Leaders can display multiple leadership types
Four types of leaders:
1) Directive: focuses on the work to be done
2)Supportive: focuses on the well-being of the worker
3)Participative: consults with employees in decisionmaking
4) Achievement-Oriented: sets challenging goals
Path-Goal Theory
c)Yroom & Yetton’s Leader-Participation Model
This theory is designed specifically to help leaders select the best
approach to making decisions. The model identifies different
ways a decision can be made by considering the degree of
follower participation. It proposes a method for leaders to select
the right approach to making a decision in a given set of
circumstances.
The model uses a decision-tree technique to diagnose aspects of
the situation methodically. This technique involves answering a
series of yes or no questions and following the yes path to the
recommended type of decision-making approach.
c)Yroom & Yetton’s Leader-Participation Model
Decision tree
This is an example of a decision tree. The Vroom-Yetton-Jago model utilizes decision
trees to determine the best leadership style for a given situation.
Autocratic or Authoritative Style
Democratic or Participative Style
Laissez-Faire or Free-Rein Style
Autocratic
Authoritarian
Tells employees what they want done and how to do it.
The subordinates have no opportunity to make suggestion or take part in
decision-making function
Generally, this style is not a good way to get the best performance from a
team.
Advantages
- Reduced stress due to increased control
-A more productive group ‘while the leader is
watching’
- Improved logistics of operations
-Faster decision making
Disadvantages:
- Short-termistic approach to management.
- Manager perceived as having poor leadership
skills
- Increased workload for the manager
- People dislike being ordered around
- Teams become dependent upon their leader
Democratic
Participative style
The leader involves one or more employees in the decision making
process (to determine what to do and how to do it).
Leader maintains the final decision making authority.
Allows everyone to be part of a team everyone feels that they have
participated and contributed.
Motivates by empowering members
Advantages
- Positive work environment
- Successful initiatives
-Creative thinking Reduction of friction
and office politics
-Reduced employee turnover
Disadvantages
- Lengthy and ‘boring’ decision making
- Danger of pseudo participation
- Like the other styles, the democratic style is not always appropriate. It
is most successful when used with highly skilled or experienced
employees or when implementing operational changes or resolving
individual or group problems.
c)Free Reign (laissez faire)
Leader allows employees to make the decisions.
Leader is still responsible for the decisions.
Employees analyze the situation and determine what needs to be done and how
to do it. Leader sets priorities and delegates.
Leader has little control. Team has little direction or motivation.
This is an effective style to use when:
- Employees are highly skilled, experienced, and educated.
-Employees have pride in their work and the drive to do it successfully on their
own.
-Employees are trustworthy and experienced
Disadvantages
- It makes employees feel insecure at the unavailability of a manager.
- The manager cannot provide regular feedback to let employees know how
well they are doing.
- Managers are unable to thank employees for their good work.
- The manager doesn’t understand his or her responsibilities and is hoping the
employees can cover for him or her.
AUTOCRATIC STYLE - Adolf Hitler and his
administration were responsible for the deaths of millions of
Jewish people DEMOCRATIC STYLE;
Indra Nooyi “Leadership is hard to define and good
leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you
to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader. As a leader, I am
tough on myself and I raise the standard for everybody;
however, I am very caring because I want people to excel at
what they are doing so that they can aspire to be me in the
future." Indra Nooyi in an interview to CNBC in June 2008.
LAISSEZ-FAIRE :
BARACK OBAMA ; A leader who leaves his/her
colleagues to get on with their work. The style is largely a
"hands off" view that tends to minimize the amount of
direction and face time required. You two take care of the
problem while I go. . .