MG4031 Leadership PDF

MG4031 Management Principles Leadership Reading: Chapter 8, Modern Management  Learning Objectives To define leadership and understand the centrality of leadership in organisational functioning. To appreciate the functions of a good leader. To understand tr...

MG4031 Management Principles Leadership Reading: Chapter 8, Modern Management  Learning Objectives To define leadership and understand the centrality of leadership in organisational functioning. To appreciate the functions of a good leader. To understand trait, behavioural, contingency and charismatic theories of leadership.  Leadership The ability to provide effective leadership is one of the most important skills that a manager can posses Leadership is about getting results through people and has been defined as “a process of social influence in which one person garners the help and support of others in task accomplishment”  Key Leadership Functions Task: task completion Cultural: creating and sustaining a performance culture The list of Symbolic: leaders are important leadership because of what they stand for functions can be classified into five Political: leaders’ role in relation to key areas outsiders Relational: the nature of the relationship between the leader and the followers  Different Leadership Schools of Thought Four major 1. The Trait Approach schools of 2. The Behavioural Approach thought 3. The Contingency Approach prominent in the 4. The Charismatic Approach literature 1. Trait Theories of Leadership Earliest approaches to leadership Argued leaders are born not made Also known as the ‘great man’ theory and rooted in the Nature versus Nurture debate Underlying assumption It is possible to identify a unifying set of characteristics that make all leaders great Characteristics Identified in Trait Studies Intelligence Initiative Dependability Among the Lateral thinking ability characteristics Self-assuredness identified as great Maturity leaders are Visionary ability Need for achievement Need for power Goal-directedness Difficulties with Trait Theory The list of traits is long and if we relied solely on birth to produce leaders there may not be enough Ignores the role of nurturing and environmental experiences Ignores the interaction of a leader with subordinates From 1940s there was a move away from this theory  2. Behavioural Theories of Leadership Central hypothesis of this school of thought is that critical specific behaviours differentiate leaders from non-leaders Three main research studies associated with this approach 1. Ohio State University Leadership studies 2. University of Michigan Leadership studies 3. Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid  Ohio State Studies TWO BASIC STYLES OF LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR Considerate style Initiating Structure Emphasis placed on the status Style Focuses on planning, and well-being of employees organising, controlling and co- through creation of effective ordinating. work climate Typical behaviour includes Such leaders facilitate goal scheduling work to specific achievement and downplay their employees, detailing job formal hierarchical position and requirements, creating role performance standards and developing rules and regulations  University of Michigan Studies Two Dimensions of Leadership Behaviour Production oriented Employee oriented Emphasised technical or Emphasised task elements interpersonal relations Their research found that employee oriented had higher productivity and job satisfaction  The Blake and Mouton Grid Drawing the 2 research studies together its possible to develop a grid based on “concern for people” and “concern for production”  3. Contingency Theory Based on the premise that predicting leadership success and effectiveness is more complex than the simple isolation of traits or behaviours Argued that there was no one most effective leadership style that worked in all situations 2 Main Studies Fiedler’s Least Preferred Co-worker House’s Path Goal Theory  Fiedler’s Least Preferred Co-worker Fiedler asked Leaders to first to think of a co-worker with whom they worked that they would like least to work with again. He then asked them to score the person on a range of scales between positive factors and negative factors Unfriendly 12345678 Friendly Uncooperative 12345678 Cooperative Hostile 12345678 Supportive Guarded 12345678 Open Fiedler’s Least Preferred Co-worker Leaders who are relationship motivated, tend to describe their LPC in a more positive manner, e.g., more pleasant and more efficient. Therefore, they receive higher LPC scores. Leaders who are task motivated, on the other hand, tend to rate their LPC in a more negative manner. Therefore, they receive lower LPC scores.  Fiedler’s Least Preferred Co-worker A high LPC score suggests that the leader has a ‘human relations orientation’, while a low LPC score indicates a ‘task orientation’. Individuals who rate their least preferred co-worker in relatively favourable light on these scales get satisfaction out of interpersonal relationship. Those who rate the co-worker in a relatively unfavourable light get satisfaction out of successful task performance.  House’s Path Goal Theory ‘Path-goal’ results from belief that effective leadership is about helping others achieve goals. Effective leaders clarify the path for followers to achieve goals Identify how (‘path’) to goal achievement Help smooth the journey by reducing blocks and pitfalls  House’s Path Goal Theory 4 paths identified Directive Supportive Participative Achievement oriented House assumes leaders are flexible in terms of styles 4. Charismatic Leadership Theories Directed at identifying behaviours that differentiate charismatic leaders from non-charismatic counterparts An exchange relationship between leaders and followers which becomes possible when there is no outstanding sense of Transactional impending threat or anxiety. Situationally, the leader depends on self-motivated people who work well in a structured, leadership directed environment achieved through a focus on organization, supervision and rule-based performance. More about leaders adjusting to values, beliefs and needs of Transformational their followers. They seek to motivate and inspire workers leadership through influencing rather than directing others. Thank you