Ch4.docx

**Learning Content** **Trait Theory of Leadership** \"It is based on the characteristics of many leaders - both successful and unsuccessful - and is used to predict leadership effectiveness. The resulting lists of traits are then compared to those of potential leaders to assess their likelihood of...

**Learning Content** **Trait Theory of Leadership** \"It is based on the characteristics of many leaders - both successful and unsuccessful - and is used to predict leadership effectiveness. The resulting lists of traits are then compared to those of potential leaders to assess their likelihood of success or failure\" - Management Study Guide, 2021. Successful leaders have interests, abilities, and personality characteristics that are distinct from those of ineffective leaders. The identified core traits of a leader are: ***Achievement drive*** ***Leadership motivation*** Has a desire to influence, lead and help others to achieve their goals. ***Honesty and integrity*** Being open, trustworthy, and reliable. It lives with high values and stands for what is right.  ***Self-confidence*** Belief in one\'s self, skills, ideas, and abilities ***Cognitive ability*** ***Knowledge of business*** ***Emotional Maturity*** ***Charisma, creativity, and flexibility*** **Strengths/Advantages of Trait Theory** - It is a naturally appealing theory - It is valid, as the foundation and basis of the idea have been validated by a large body of research. - It acts as a benchmark against which an individual\'s leadership qualities can be measured.  - It provides a thorough understanding of the leader\'s role in the leadership process. **Limitations of The Trait Theory** - When it comes to judging who is considered a \'good\' or \'successful\' leader, there is likely to be some subjective judgment.  - The list of possible characteristics is usually quite large. There have been over 100 different qualities discovered in successful leaders in various leadership positions. These are only broad generalizations.  - There is also debate on which characteristics are more crucial for a successful leader.  - The approach tries to link physical characteristics like height and weight to leadership effectiveness. The majority of these factors have to do with circumstances.  - The theory is really complicated **The Contingency Theory of Leadership** According to Villanova University (2021\" the contingency theory of leadership puts forth the idea that the success of a leader hinges on the specific situation at hand\". Certain factors come into play when determining if a specific leader or leadership style is appropriate for a given situation. These considerations include the work at hand, the leader\'s personality, and the make-up of the group to be led. Its primary premise is that leadership, whether successful or unsuccessful, is situational. According to this theory, a leader should be able to assess each circumstance and determine whether or not your leadership style will be beneficial. **Contingency theory of leadership in the workplace** In the workplace, there are factors that can affect a leader\'s effectiveness, these include the scope of a project, the size of the team, and the expected delivery date for a result. Contingency theorists believe that no matter how successful a leader is, there will always be a situation that will test them. Therefore, leaders must be willing to acknowledge that their success depends on their circumstances in addition to their personal skills. ***Contingency theory of leadership factors in the average workplace: *** - Maturity level of the employees - Relationships between coworkers - Work pace  - Management style - Typical work schedule  - Goals and objectives - Standards for behavior - Company policies - Employees\' work styles - Employees\' morale **Contingency Leadership Models ** 1. **Fiedler\'s Contingency Theory** This theory refers to a leader that has the \"ability to lead\". This theory fits situations where groups are closely supervised and not team-based. It also uses a least preferred co-worker scale to help determine the type of worker the leader least likes working with.  2. **Situational Leadership** It is called Hersey and Blanchard\'s Situational Leadership Theory. This theory puts forth the idea that leadership styles hinge on four behaviors: telling. selling, participating and delegating.  3. **Path-Goal Theory** It is a combination of two popular theories - goal-setting and expectancy. According to this theory, effective leaders create clear paths for their subordinates to follow in order to help them achieve their goals, and they work to remove any obstacles that stand in their way. 4. **Decision-Making Theory** It is known as the Vroom-Yetton-Jago Leadership Decision-Making Model. This model proposes that effective leaders assess situations, size them up, and then determine how much support the group will give to the effort, adjusting their preferred leadership style to fit. **The Behavioral Theory of Leadership** This theory, according to the Indeed Editorial Team (2021), is a management philosophy that evaluates leaders based on their actions in the workplace. This theory contends that a leader\'s success is determined by their behavior rather than their natural characteristics. Observing and evaluating a leader\'s actions and behaviors in response to a specific situation is central to behavioral leadership theory. **Types of behavioral leadership** 1. **People-oriented leaders** It focuses on behaviors that enable them to meet the needs of the people with whom they interact, such as supervisors, employees, and clients. They are primarily motivated by interpersonal relationships and communication. People-oriented leaders cultivate relationships with their team members in order to motivate them to perform well and gain favor with regard to: - Encouraging collaboration - Rewarding success - Observing their team's progress - Mentoring team members 2. **Task-oriented leaders** It focuses on setting goals, achieving objectives, thrive in a well-structured environment and often show authoritative behavior. It focuses more on the team\'s final outputs rather than the day-to-day developmental process. Task oriented common behaviors include: - Initiating projects - Organizing processes - Clarifying instructions - Gathering relevant data 3. **Participative leaders** Participative leaders strive to involve their entire team in decision-making processes. They place a premium on active communication, collaboration, and feedback. Active leaders understand their team\'s strengths and weaknesses and assign tasks accordingly. This leadership style allows each team member\'s voice to be heard and taken into account. Active leaders are more likely to:  - Ask for constructive feedback  - Facilitate team meetings  - Take suggestions for improvement - Delegate tasks to other team members 4. **Status-quo leaders** Leaders who maintain the status quo prioritize both productivity and employee satisfaction. They ensure that all tasks are completed on time while also supporting and encouraging their team members. Behaviors associated with status-quo leaders include: - Distributing tasks evenly  - Requiring regular progress reports - Enforcing company policies fairly - Responding to feedback neutrally 5. **Indifferent leaders** Indifferent leaders place little value on interaction or communication with their team. They typically monitor progress from afar and do not contribute to their team\'s daily efforts. They are primarily concerned with their own personal success and advancement. Behaviors typical for indifferent leaders include: - Avoiding questions  - Procrastinating  - Self-preserving - Assigning unwanted tasks to others 6. **Dictatorial leaders** Dictatorial leaders frequently place a higher value on results than on people. They may put pressure on their team members to perform well even during stressful or difficult times. Behaviors associated with dictatorial leader include: - Setting inflexible deadlines  - Disregarding excuses - Ignoring feedback - Achieving short-term goals 7. **Country club leaders** Leaders of country clubs place a high value on team members\' happiness and satisfaction. They believe that a comfortable and well-equipped team is more likely to succeed. When working with country club leaders, team members are more likely to demonstrate high levels of trust and loyalty. Behaviors associated with s Country club leaders involves: - Responding to team member feedback  - Focusing on employees\' well-being  - Defending employees\' interests and rights - Supporting the team members\' decisions 8. **Sound leaders** It is regarded as the most effective type of behavioral leadership because it prioritizes both productivity and team morale equally. They value their team members, set realistic goals, and produce high-quality results. Behaviors associated with sound leaders include: - Encouraging open communication - Allowing employees to work independently - Listening to and implementing feedback  - Providing training and continuing education to team members 9. **Opportunistic leaders** These kinds of leaders are goal-oriented and will use any means necessary to achieve their goals. Behaviors associated with san opportunistic leader include: - Lack of consistency - Pursuing results regardless of cost - Enforcing their own standards for success  - Caring for their team to improve performance 10. **Paternalistic leaders** This leadership style strives to be firm but fair, similar to that of a father with a child. They frequently set lofty goals and reward members of the team who achieve them. They value their team members\' individual skills and provide opportunities for professional development. Behaviors associated with the paternalistic style include: - Rewarding positive behavior or success - Disciplining failure Disregarding feedback  - Offering leadership opportunities to promising employees **The Full Range Theory of Leadership** The Full Range of Leadership Model (FRLM) \"is a general leadership theory focusing on the behavior of leaders towards the workforce in different work situations. The FRLM relates transactional and transformational leadership styles with laissez-faire leadership style\" (Wikipedia). **Distinct Leadership Styles** **by Bruce Avolio and Bernard Bass (1991)** 1. **Transactional** In transactional leadership, leaders encourage followers\' compliance by using both rewards and punishments. Those who use the transactional approach, as opposed to transformational leaders, do not seek to change the future; rather, they seek to maintain the status quo. Transactional leaders scrutinize their followers\' work to identify flaws and deviations. A transactional leader is concerned with the objective exchange of value between an employee\'s performance and the manager\'s reaction to it. The manager communicates clear requirements and goals to the employee and recognizes and rewards accomplishments. 2. **Transformational**  Transformational leadership adheres to a different, more long-term-oriented philosophy: egotistic goals are replaced by long-term, higher-ranked values and ideals. This paradigm shift typically increases employee commitment, self-confidence, and satisfaction. Podsakoff and colleagues distinguish six dimensions of transformational leadership: 1. Role model  2. Future vision  3. Individual support  4. Promotion of group goals  5. Intellectual stimulation 6. High performance expectation 3. **Laissez-Faire** Laissez-faire is French for \"Let them do (what they want)\". This is the least active style of leadership. This leadership style is characterized by an avoidance of responsibility and can be seen as the absence of leadership. Employees make their own decisions, and no rules are in place. When measured by the impact of the leader\'s opinion on the team, laissez-faire is the least effective leadership style.