Leadership and Power Types

Who Are Leaders and What Is Leadership

• A leader is someone who can influence others and has managerial authority.
• Leadership is the process of influencing a group to achieve goals.

Trait Theories

• Research in the 1920s and 1930s focused on identifying personal characteristics that differentiate leaders from non-leaders.
• Eight traits associated with successful leadership:
  • Drive, the desire to lead
  • Honesty and integrity
  • Self-confidence
  • Intelligence
  • Job-relevant knowledge
  • Extraversion
  • Proneness to guilt

Behavioral Theories

• University of Iowa Studies identified three leadership styles:
  • Autocratic style: centralized authority, low participation
  • Democratic style: involvement, high participation, feedback
  • Laissez-faire style: hands-off management
• Ohio State Studies identified two dimensions of leader behavior:
  • Initiating structure: defining roles and responsibilities
  • Consideration: mutual trust and respect for group members' ideas and feelings
• University of Michigan Studies identified two dimensions of leader behavior:
  • Employee-oriented: emphasizing personal relationships
  • Production-oriented: emphasizing task accomplishment

The Fiedler Model

• Proposes that effective group performance depends on the proper match between the leader's style and the degree of situational control.
• Least Preferred Co-worker (LPC) scale:
  • Low LPC: task-oriented
  • High LPC: relationship-oriented
• Situational factors in matching leader to situation:
  • Leader-member relations
  • Task structure
  • Position power

Path-Goal Theory

• The leader's job is to assist followers in attaining their goals and providing direction or support to ensure compatibility with organizational goals.
• Leaders assume different leadership styles depending on the situation:
  • Directive leadership: implementing guidelines and setting performance standards
  • Supportive leadership: friendliness and concern for followers' welfare
  • Participative leadership: consulting with followers and considering their input
  • Achievement-oriented leadership: setting challenging goals and showing trust in followers' abilities

Transactional-Transformational Leadership

• Transactional leader: guides or motivates followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements.
• Transformational leader: inspires followers to transcend their self-interests for the good of the organization.
• Charismatic leader: enthusiastic and self-confident, influencing people to behave in certain ways.

Managing Power

• Legitimate power: power a leader has as a result of their position.
• Expert power: influence a leader can exert as a result of their expertise, skills, or knowledge.
• Coercive power: power a leader has to punish or control.
• Reward power: power to give positive benefits or rewards.
• Referent power: power that arises because of a person's desirable resources or admired personal traits.

Understanding Gender Differences and Leadership

• Men and women use different leadership styles.
• Women tend to adopt a more democratic or participative style, unless in a male-dominated job.
• Women tend to use transformational leadership, while men tend to use transactional leadership.

Gender Differences in Leadership in the Arab World

• Leadership positions in the Arab world have traditionally been monopolized by men.
• The dominant leadership prototype in Arab culture is a male figure.
• However, many prominent women leaders have reached top decision-making positions.

Becoming an Effective Leader

• Leader training is more likely to be successful with individuals who are high self-monitors than with low self-monitors.

Discover the different types of power a leader can possess, including coercive, reward, and referent power. Learn how these powers are exercised and their effects on leadership.