Critical Review of Leadership and Change Management Theories

This report provides a comprehensive critical review of leadership and change management, examining various theories and their practical applications. It explores different leadership styles, including transformational, transactional, and charismatic leadership, and discusses the principles of effective leadership. The review delves into theories such as the Great Man Theory, Trait Theory, Contingency theories, and Situational Theory, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. It also addresses the importance of understanding leadership in the context of organizational objectives and employee well-being. The report references multiple academic articles to support its analysis and provides insights into how different leadership approaches are chosen based on situational requirements, emphasizing the evolving nature of leadership in today's dynamic environment. It highlights the significance of factors like personality traits, leadership skills, and the relationship between leaders and followers in achieving organizational goals. The report concludes by summarizing the key takeaways and emphasizing the importance of adapting leadership styles to meet the changing needs of organizations.

Critical Review Leadership and
Change Management

Leadership and Change Management 1
Table of Contents
Critical review.......................................................................................................................................2
References.............................................................................................................................................7
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Leadership and Change Management 2
Critical review
Leadership is a challenge for most of the people. Different theories and principles suggest
that how it is managed appropriately as per the requirements of the team and organization to
provide best results.
According to James & Ogbonna (2013), to be a good leader, one needs to be
educated, trained and experienced. Good leadership is a never-ending process which goes on
throughout life. From the perspective of the employees of any organization, leaders affect the
fulfillment of objectives of the organization and also the wellbeing of the employees. The
author further discusses that there are different theories of leadership which helps in
providing different views about it. Some of the theories are Great Man Theory, Trait Theory,
Contingency theories, Situational Theory, Transactional theory, Transformational theory,
Skills theory and many other. The author further says that there are certain principles of
leadership which helps the individual in being a good leader.
As per Uzohue, Yaya & Akintayo (2016), one of the theories of leadership is Great
Man Theory in which it is assumed that the leaders are born and not made. It shows that the
leaders are the one who is distinct from others, have the capability to handle the tough
situations and are great. This is often related to the military leadership. The theory develops
an understanding that certain traits in humans make great leaders. But the theory faces a
criticism that there is no scientific validity behind it and it makes leadership restricted to a
limited community. Some of the authors believe that this theory is a myth because the
leadership abilities and qualities are evolved with experience, education, and personalities
and not by birth.
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In the view of Sharma, M K & Jain (2013), there are different factors of leadership.
The authors add up that there is a Bass’ Theory of Leadership. The theory states that there are
three ways to explain how a person becomes a leader. The theory adds up that there are some
personality traits which may develop an individual into a good leader. People can also learn
from leadership skills which are also known as the Transformational Process. In the words of
Khan, Nawaz & Khan (2016), leadership is leading a group of people and the group members
follow a leader and obey whatever their leader wants them to. This is a kind of transaction
between the team members and organization where the employees are getting paid for their
efforts. The leader punishes the team members when they do not fulfill the expectations of
them. The relationship between the leader and team members is based on these transactions.
The managers and leaders of today set down their expectations from the employees and
benefit them for their good work and vice versa when they do not fulfill their expectations.
This is a modern leadership style where achieving targets is the priority for the managers.
This kind of leadership works where the employees need to be guided and an eye is to be kept
on them by the leader. On the contrary, McCleskey (2014) believed that Leadership is not
about the ruling but it is about focussing on the connections which are formed between the
leaders and the followers. The transformational theory of leadership says that leadership is a
process which involves people and motivates them to work for the common goal.
This theory is the debated idea from the last 30 years. On one hand, it is regarded as
the inspirational and motivational theory which establishes openness between the followers
and the leaders. On the other hand, it is criticised by the number of scholars. They opined that
the theory lacks the sufficient identification which impacts the effectiveness of a leader
(McCleskey, 2014).
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As per Gunter, H M (2016), there are certain principles of leadership which are
implemented for bringing effectiveness in the leadership. These principles include
developing a sense of responsibility in the workers, ensuring that the tasks are accomplished,
keeping the employees’ informed, caring for their wellbeing, making them proficient, seeking
improvement in the worker, making sound decisions and taking responsibility for the actions.
The leaders are also responsible for setting an example for others and for training the team for
better work and results. They are responsible for utilizing the capabilities of the organization.
The author also adds up that there are some principles which develop sustainable leadership.
Sustainable leadership creates learning among the team members and also addresses several
issues of the team. It develops diversity and capacity among the team and engages the team
with the environment.
The article “A Review of Leadership Theories, Principles and Styles and Their
Relevance to Educational Management” by Rose N. Amanchukwu, Gloria J. Stanley &
Nwachukwu P. Ololube has addressed different leadership styles, theories, principles, and
methods. Authors have discussed trait theory in which assumption is made according to
which certain qualities are inherited by the people for suiting to leadership. In Trait theory,
particular personalities or behavioral characteristics are identified which are being shared by
the leaders. In theory, is considered less reliable as there are inconsistencies between the
leadership traits and the effective leadership. Authors have discussed that a shift has been
identified due to this inconsistency from this leadership theory to the other theories so as to
enhance the effectiveness of the leadership (Amanchukwu, et. al., 2015).
In the article “Effective Leadership Styles” by Kavitha Sethuraman and Jayshree
Suresh discussion has been made regarding the different theories of leadership. One of these
theories is contingency theory developed by Fiedler. This theory has explained the
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relationship between the style of leadership and performance of groups while facing different
situations. Contingency theory is an effective approach which has explained that a leader
must monitor the performance of the team and forecast the impact of the environmental
conditions which can affect the performance of the team. According to the contingency,
theory focus is on the environmental factors and is an important determinant of the leadership
style suitable for a situation. The behavior of the leader, leader-member exchange,
relationship or task and effective orientation of the leader based on the situation forms a base
for the contingency theory (Sethuraman & Suresh, 2014).
According to Laguerre (2010), leadership can be defined as a process of putting
efforts for influencing and facilitating the work of the group and ensuring that the future
challenges are met. Contingency model has been considered in this article which is a
situational model of leadership. An assumption has been made which forms a base for this
mode. According to this assumption, the performance of the leaders can be determined by
two factors interrelated. These factors are level of control and influence of leader over the
situation and basic motivation of the leader. Further development of this theory is considered
crucial as these have effectively addressed the important aspects of the leadership.
In the article “An Empirical Study of Leadership Theory Preferences among Gen Y in
Malaysia” by Rameshwaram Moorthy, the discussion has been made regarding different
approaches. One of the most important approaches is the behavioral approach. The focus of
this approach is on the behaviors and actions of the leaders. The focus of the leadership
research is shifted towards the understanding of the actions of the leaders and effect of these
actions of the leaders. Leadership behavior is defined by this approach. This approach is
lacking in identifying the relationship between the task and relationship behaviors and the
outcomes of the work. This approach suggests that effective leaders are those who establish a
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balance between task and relationship-orientation. But it has been proclaimed that it is not
important to establish a high-level balance as the need depends on the situational factors
(Moorthy, 2014).
Abdollah Sajjadi, Masoud Karimkhani and Mohammad Mehrpour in their article
“New emerging Leadership theories and styles” have discussed different leadership theories
and styles. Neo-Charismatic leadership approach is an emerging leadership style which
combined charismatic, transformational and visionary leadership. This approach will help the
leaders in dealing with the change process and transformation of followers. This approach is
an effective way for enhancing the commitment of the followers, motivation among the
followers and performance of the followers (Sajjadi, et. al., 2014). In the words of Harper
(2012), Charismatic leadership is an approach which leads towards the transformation of
value. The emphasis of the leader is placed on the changing needs, values, self-concepts, and
goals of the team. Charismatic leadership helps in inspiring the team members by
acknowledging the efforts of the team members.
Thus, it can be concluded from the above discussion that different leadership styles,
approaches, and theories are being used by different organizations. These different leadership
styles, approaches, and theories are being chosen on the basis of the requirement of the
situation.
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References
Amanchukwu, R. N., Stanley, G. J. & Ololube, N. P. (2015). A Review of Leadership
Theories, Principles and Styles and Their Relevance to Educational Management.
Management. 5(1): 6-14.
Gunter, H. M. (2016). An intellectual history of school leadership practice and research.
Bloomsbury Publishing.
Harper, S. (2012). The Leader Coach: A Model of Multi-Style Leadership. Journal of
Practical Consulting. 4(1), 22-31.
James, O. & Ogbonna, I. G. (2013). Transformational vs. Transactional Leadership Theories:
Evidence in Literature. International Review of Management and Business Research,
2(2).
Khan, Z A, Nawaz, A & Khan, I (2016). Leadership Theories and Styles: A Literature
Review. Journal of Resources Development and Management. Vol. 16.
Laguerre, J. C. (2010). Can Leadership Be Developed by Applying Leadership Theories? :
An Examination of Three Theory-based Approaches to Leadership Development.
Honors Projects Overview. 42.
McCleskey, J A (2014). Situational, Transformational, and Transactional Leadership and
Leadership Development. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly. Volume 5, Number
4.
Moorthy, R. (2014). An Empirical Study of Leadership Theory Preferences among Gen Y in
Malaysia. Rev. Integr. Business and Economic Research. 3(2).
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Sajjadi, A., karimkhani, M. & Mehrpour, M. (2014). New emerging leadership theories and
styles. Technical Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences. 4 (3): 180-188.
Sethuraman, K. & Suresh, J. (2014). Effective Leadership Styles. International Business
Research, 7(9).
Sharma, M K & Jain, S (2013). Leadership Management: Principles, Models and Theories.
Global Journal of Management and Business Studies. Volume 3, Number 3. pp. 309-
318.
Uzohue, C E, Yaya, J A & Akintayo, O A (2016). A Review of Leadership Theories,
Principles, Styles and their Relevance to Management of Health Science Libraries in
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26.
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