Leadership Fundamentals

Leadership

• Leaders influence employee attitudes and behaviors, impacting job satisfaction and organizational commitment.
• Leadership styles depend on individual differences, follower needs, and the organizational context.
• Leadership is the ability to influence people toward achieving organizational goals.
• It's dynamic and utilizes power and influence to complete tasks.

Leadership vs. Management

• Management focuses on stability, order, and problem-solving.
• Leadership fosters creativity and change.
• Leadership complements management, it doesn't replace it.
• An ideal manager blends leadership and management qualities.

Leadership Traits

• Early research focused on personal characteristics/traits.
• Traits include intelligence, values, self-confidence, and appearance.
• Modern research analyzes physical, social, and work-related characteristics.

Personal Characteristics of Leaders

• Physical: Energy and stamina.
• Personality: Self-confidence, honesty, integrity, enthusiasm, desire to lead, independence.
• Work-related: Achievement drive, conscientiousness, and persistence.
• Intelligence and Ability: Intelligence, knowledge, judgment, and decisiveness.
• Social: Sociability, interpersonal skills, cooperativeness, tact, diplomacy.
• Social Background: Education and mobility.

Behavioral Approaches

• Two main leadership behaviors: task-oriented and people-oriented.

Ohio State Studies

• Identified two key behaviors: Consideration (people-oriented) and initiating structure (task-oriented).
• Consideration: Respecting subordinate ideas and feelings, creating trust.
• Initiating Structure: Guiding work activities toward goal achievement, providing instructions, and emphasis on deadlines.

Management Styles (Ohio State)

• High initiating structure, low consideration
• High initiating structure, high consideration
• Low initiating structure, low consideration
• Low initiating structure, high consideration
• High consideration and high initiating structure is generally the most effective.

Michigan Studies

• Compared effective and ineffective supervisors.
• Employee-centered leaders focus on employee needs and build effective work groups.
• Job-centered leaders prioritize schedules, costs, and production efficiency.

The Leadership Grid

• Two-dimensional theory (concern for people and concern for production).
• Five leadership styles: Country Club Management, Team Management, Middle-of-the-Road Management, Impoverished Management, and Authority-Compliance.
• Team Management is often deemed the most effective.

Types of Leaders

• Transactional: Focus on supervision, organization, and group performance, using rewards and punishments.
• Charismatic: Inspire followers beyond expected performance, igniting energy and commitment.
• Transformational: Drive innovation and change, acknowledging follower needs, and encouraging questioning of the status quo.

Power and Influence

• Power: Potential ability to influence behavior.
• Influence: Effect of actions on attitudes, values, beliefs, or behavior.

Types of Power

• Position Power:
  • Legitimate: Formal position and authority.
  • Reward: Authority to bestow rewards.
  • Coercive: Authority to punish.
• Personal Power:
  • Expert: Special knowledge or skill.
  • Referent: Personal characteristics that command respect and admiration.