Meaning and Principles of Leadership

Meaning and Nature of Leadership

• Leadership involves directing activities of organized groups to achieve a goal.
• Leadership entails distinguishing between power, authority, and influence.
• Leadership can change people's behaviors by altering their motivations.
• Kotter states leadership creates organizations or adapts them to changing conditions.

Nature of Leadership

• Leadership involves a process of influence.
• It is a continuous process.
• Leadership combines both art and science.
• It is related to the specific situation.
• Leadership involves stimulating others.
• It is rational and emotional.
• Leadership builds a community of interests.
• It serves a symbolic function or relationship.

Principles of Leadership (US Army, 1973)

• Strive for self-improvement through continual learning.
• Achieve and maintain technical proficiency.
• Embrace responsibility for your actions.
• Always make informed and timely decisions
• Be a role model for your subordinants
• Show genuine interest in the well-being of your team.
• Keep workers informed on the tasks needed
• Cultivate responsibility within your employees.
• Guarantee understanding, with supervision, for completing tasks.
• Train using teamwork for best results.
• Effectively leverage your organization's capabilities.

Theories of Leadership

• Great Man Theory (Thomas Carlyle): Leaders are born, not made, and emerge during great times.
• Trait Theory: Studies characteristics of successful/unsuccessful leaders to forecast leadership efficiency.

Situational Leadership Theory

• Effective leadership requires flexibility to adapt leadership approaches and tactics to different situations.
• Directing Leaders: Use authority to define roles/tasks for followers and supervise them closely.
• Coaching Leaders: Define roles/tasks but invite followers' participation and ideas.
• Supporting Leaders: Delegate decisions (task allocation, processes) to followers but remain involved in decision-making
• Delegating Leaders: Entrust control to followers in decisions and problem-solving; the follower decides leader's involvement.

Behavioral Theory

• Leaders can be made, rather than born
• Leadership is rooted in behaviorism
• Leadership focuses on actions, not qualities, and can be learned through teaching and observation.

Managerial Grid Theory

• A breakthrough in leadership studies by focusing on people and task orientation as independent facets.
• Jane Mouton and Robert Blake created a graphic representation of leadership styles
• Leadership Grid: Leaders must concern themselves with their people and assigned tasks.
• The grid plots leader behavior along two dimensions: concern for people (y-axis) and production (x-axis).
• Five consequential leadership styles: Impoverished Management (1,1), Country Club (1,9), Authority-Compliance/Task Management (9,1), Middle-of-the-Road (5,5), and Team/Earn Management (9,9).

Participative Theory

• Participative decision-making enhances understanding of issues and helps carrying out decisions smoothly.
• Leader proposes decision, listens to feedback, then decides.
• Team offers to make a decision but the team leader has the final say
• Joint decision with the team as equals
• Full delegation of decision to team

Contingency Theory

• The leader's capability relies on various situational factors.
• Factors include the preferred leadership style, subordinate capabilities, performance, and variables.

Management Theory

• Transactional theories were defined by Max Weber & Bernard Bass.
• There is emphasis on supervision, organization, and group performance.
• Rewards and punishment are given

Transformational Theory

• People follow those who inspire them.
• The list of aspects include: Motivational, Intellectual Stimulation, Idealized Influence, and Individualized Consideration,.

Path Goal Theory (-Robert House)

• The theory states that a worker's view of the goal that will make that worker succeed is a leader's path of conduct.