Leadership Theories and Styles

This document provides an overview of various leadership theories and styles, including trait theories, behavioral theories, contingency theories, and transformational leadership. It discusses the importance of context and the role of traits and behaviors in effective leadership. The document also explores online leadership and provides implications for managers.

Leadership:
_ is the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals.
_ Not all leaders are managers, nor are all managers leaders.
_ Nonsanctioned (unofficial) leadership is often as important or more important than
formal influence.
Trait theories of leadership focus on personal qualities and characteristic (traits).
Good leaders: (common)
 Like being around people (social).
 Are able to assert themselves (extraverted – extroversion).
 Are disciplined and able to keep commitments they make (conscientious).
 Are creative and flexible (open).
 Emotional intelligence. A core component of EI is empathy.
Two conclusions:
 Traits can predict leadership.
 Traits do a better job predicting the emergence of leaders and the appearance of
leadership than actually distinguishing between effective and ineffective
leaders.
 Trait theories help us predict leadership, but they don’t fully help us explain
leadership.
Behavioral theories of leadership (Ohio State) imply (ngụ ý) we can train people to
be leaders.
 Initiating structure (clarity=clear, specificity): support employees in order to
solve their problem, define and structure his or her role and those of employees
in the search for goal attainment.
 Consideration (empathy-đồng cảm): being approachable, understanding.
+ The GLOBE study suggests there are international differences in preference for
initiating structure and consideration.
Summary:
__Leaders who have certain traits and who display culturally appropriate
consideration and structuring behaviors do appear to be more effective.
_ Traits and behaviors do not guarantee success.
_ Context matters too.

The least preferred coworker (LPC) questionnaire:
 Task- or relationship-oriented (leadership style)
 Assumes leadership style is fixed.
The Fiedler contingency model: effective group performance depends upon (is
contingent upon) the proper match between the leader’s style and the degree to which
the situation gives control to the leader. (Fiedler’s model assumes that an individual’s
leadership style is fixed.)
Contingency dimensions:
 Leader-member relations - the degree of confidence, trust, and respect members
have in their leader.
 Task structure - the degree to which the job assignments are procedural (step by
step).
 Position power - the degree of influence a leader has over power variables such
as hiring, firing, discipline, promotions, and salary increases.
Situational leadership theory (SLT) is a contingency theory that focuses on the
followers.
Successful leadership is achieved by selecting the right leadership style, which is
contingent on the level of the followers’ readiness.
 If followers are unable and unwilling to do a task, the leader needs to give clear
and specific directions.
 If they are unable but willing, the leader needs to display high task orientation
to compensate for followers’ lack of ability and high relationship orientation to
get them to “buy into” the leader’s desires.
 Conversely, if followers are able but unwilling, the leader needs to use a
supportive and participative style (be along, be with them).
 If they are both able and willing, the leader doesn’t need to do much.
Path-goal theory (developed by Robert House)
It is a contingency model of leadership that extracts key elements from the Ohio State
leadership research on initiating structure and consideration and the expectancy theory
of motivation.
The term “path-goal” is derived from the belief that effective leaders clarify (remove
the obstacles) the path to help their followers achieve their work goals.

Directive leadership yields greater satisfaction when tasks are ambiguous or stressful
than when they are highly structured and well laid out. Directive leadership is likely to
be perceived as redundant among employees with high ability or considerable
experience.
Supportive leadership results in high performance and satisfaction when employees
are performing structured tasks.
The leader-member exchange (LMX) theory
Early in the history of the interaction between a leader and a given follower, the leader
implicitly (ngầm) categorizes the follower as an “in” or an “out” and that relationship
is relatively stable over time. The leader does the choosing on the basis of the
follower’s characteristics.
Depends on personal compatibility, surbordinate competence, and/or extraverted
personality.
+ In group: Subordinate (employee) will have high interactions, helpfulness and trust
from leader or superior.
+ Outgroup: They have just keep a formal relations with leader like hi, hello.
Transactional leaders and transformational leaders
_ Transactional leaders: (in report: what time transactional? => problem)
+ Contingent reward: Contracts exchange of rewards for effort, promises rewards for
good performance, recognizes accomplishments.
+ Management by exception (active): Watchs and reasearch for deviations from rules
and standrad, take corrective action.
+ Management by exception (passive): Intervenes only if standard are not met.
+ Laissez – Faire: Abdicates responsibilities, avoids making decisions.
_ Transformational leaders: (solution) (inspire followers via way)
+ Idealized influence: Provides vision and sense of mission, instill pride, gains respect
and trust.
+ Inspirational motivation: Communicates high expectations, uses symbols to focus
efforts, expresses important purposes in simple ways.
+ Intellectual stimulation: Promotes intelligence, rationality, and careful problem
solving.

+ Individualized Consideration: Gives personal attention, treats each employee
individually, coaches, advises.
(Transformational leadership is more strongly correlated with lower turnover rates,
higher productivity, lower employee stress and burnout, and higher employee
satisfaction.)
Key characteristics of a Charismatic Leader (Robert House)
1. Vision and articulation. Has a vision – expressed as an idealized goal – that
proposes a future better than the status quo (don’t want to change or want to
keep it stable); and is able to clarify the importance of the vision in terms that
are understandable to others.
2. Personal risk. Willing to take on high personal risk, incur high costs, and
engage in self – sacrifice to achieve the vision.
3. Sensitivity to follower needs. Perceptive of others’ abilities and responsive to
their needs and feelings.
4. Inconventional behavior. Engages in behaviors that are perceived as novel and
counter to norms.
_ Charismatic behavior can be trained.
_ Charismatic leaders influence followers via an appealing vision.
_ During times of crisis, charismatic leadership can be visionary or crisis responsive.
_ The dark side of Charismatic leadership: focus on myself but not employees or have
allowed their personal goals to override the goals of the organization.
(inspire followers via vision)
Online leadership:
_ Needs more research.
_ Today’s managers and employees are increasingly linked by networks rather than
geographic proximity.
_ Online leaders have to think carefully about what actions they want their digital
messages to initiate.
_ Identification-based trust is difficult to achieve without face-to-face interaction.
_ Writing skills are likely to become an extension of interpersonal skills.
Training Leaders:
Leadership training is likely to be more successful with high self-monitors.

Teach implementation skills.
Teach trust building, mentoring, and situational-analysis.
Behavioral training through modeling exercises can increase an individual’s
charismatic leadership qualities.
Review leadership after key organizational events.
Train in transformational leadership skills.
Implications for Managers
_ For maximum leadership effectiveness, ensure that your preferences on the initiating
structure and consideration dimensions are a match for your work dynamics and
culture. (can be problem)
_ Hire candidates who exhibit transformational leadership qualities and who have
demonstrated success in working through others to meet a long-term vision.
Personality tests can reveal candidates higher in extraversion, conscientiousness, and
openness, which may indicate leadership readiness. (gud solution)