Leadership Behavioral Approaches

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What are the two general kinds of behaviors in leadership?

Task behaviors and relationship behaviors.

What do task behaviors facilitate?

Goal accomplishment.

What do relationship behaviors help followers feel comfortable with?

Themselves, each other, and the situation.

What was the central purpose of the behavioral approach?

To explain how leaders combine task and relationship behaviors to influence followers. Signup and view all the answers

Which studies were among the first to investigate the behavioral approach?

The Ohio State University studies. Signup and view all the answers

What was the main focus of the Blake and Mouton research in the 1960s?

How managers used task and relationship behaviors in organizations. Signup and view all the answers

How did the Ohio State studies analyze leader behaviors?

By having followers complete questionnaires about their leaders. Signup and view all the answers

How many questions were in the questionnaire used in the Ohio State studies?

<ol start="150"> <li></li> </ol> Signup and view all the answers

What two types of leader behaviors were identified from the questionnaire responses?

Initiating structure and consideration. Signup and view all the answers

What are initiating structure behaviors essentially considered?

Task behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

What are consideration behaviors essentially considered?

Relationship behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

What do consideration behaviors include?

Building camaraderie, respect, trust, and liking between leaders and followers. Signup and view all the answers

What two types of leadership behaviors were identified by the Michigan studies?

Employee orientation and production orientation. Signup and view all the answers

What is employee orientation?

The behavior of leaders who approach subordinates with a strong human relations emphasis. Signup and view all the answers

What leadership behaviors does production orientation consist of?

Behaviors that stress the technical and production aspects of a job. Signup and view all the answers

What does production orientation parallel?

The initiating structure cluster found in the Ohio State studies. Signup and view all the answers

What was the purpose of the studies conducted by researchers from Ohio State and Michigan?

To determine how leaders could best combine their task and relationship behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Leadership Behaviors

Leadership encompasses two main types of behaviors: task behaviors and relationship behaviors.
Task behaviors aim to facilitate goal achievement by helping group members reach their objectives.
Relationship behaviors focus on fostering comfort among followers, enhancing their self-feeling, connections with each other, and situational comfort.

Behavioral Approach

The behavioral approach seeks to elucidate how leaders blend task and relationship behaviors to influence followers towards goal attainment.

Key Studies in Behavioral Leadership

Notable foundational research on the behavioral approach originated from the Ohio State University studies during the 1940s.
Blake and Mouton’s research in the 1960s examined how managers applied task and relationship behaviors within organizational contexts.

Ohio State University Studies

The Ohio State studies assessed leader behaviors through a questionnaire completed by followers.
The questionnaire included 150 questions that evaluated different aspects of leadership.

Types of Leader Behaviors

Analysis of the questionnaire responses revealed two core leader behavior types: initiating structure and consideration.
Initiating structure behaviors:
- Primarily aligned with task behaviors.
- Involve organizing work, creating structure, and defining roles and responsibilities.
Consideration behaviors:
- Focus on relationship dynamics.
- Include building camaraderie, trust, and respect between leaders and followers.

LBDQ-XII and Core Behaviors

The two behaviors identified by the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ-XII) are fundamental to the behavioral approach and define key leadership functions.

Michigan Studies

Research at the University of Michigan categorized leadership behaviors into two frameworks: employee orientation and production orientation.
Employee orientation:
- Emphasizes strong human relations and is akin to the consideration behaviors identified in Ohio State studies.
Production orientation:
- Focuses on the task-related and technical aspects of work.
- Corresponds to the initiating structure behaviors recognized in the Ohio State findings.

Comprehensive Research Efforts

Extensive research by both Ohio State and Michigan universities aimed to identify optimal combinations of task and relationship behaviors.
The goal was to enhance leader effectiveness, ultimately improving follower satisfaction and performance.

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

This quiz explores the two fundamental kinds of leadership behaviors: task behaviors and relationship behaviors. Understand how these behaviors contribute to goal accomplishment and follower comfort within groups. Test your knowledge on the influential aspects of leadership.