Trait and Behavioral Theories of Leadership: A Comprehensive Analysis

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TRAIT AND BEHAVIORAL THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Conceptualized leadership effectiveness.........................................................................................3
Leader Traits versus Behaviors.......................................................................................................3
Leaders behaviors............................................................................................................................3
Results & analysis............................................................................................................................4
Testing an Integrated Model............................................................................................................5
Discussion........................................................................................................................................5
Theoretical Implications..................................................................................................................5
Practical Implications......................................................................................................................6
Strengths and Limitations................................................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................7
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Introduction
Different traits & the organizational behavior are very necessary to be possessed by all the
effective organizational leaders in order easily achieve the defined organizational goals &
objectives. The article demonstrates the different theories of the leadership for developing the
overall personality & also enhancing the leadership effectiveness. The conceptual model is also
being demonstrated in order to analyze about how the different traits or the behavior of
leadership affects & influence the leadership effectiveness.
Conceptualized leadership effectiveness
The criteria of leadership effectiveness are being conceptualized among three main dimensions
including the content, level of analysis & the target of evaluation. The content is being related to
the performance of leadership tasks along with the affective & relational criteria. The level of
analysis is being conceptualized at the different levels such as the individual, group, dynamic or
the organizational level. The target of evaluation demonstrates that whether the leader is being
working in accordance to the target or in relation to another outcome, leading towards the
“domain of leadership effectiveness”. The effective selection of the appropriate criteria depends
upon the creative & innovative values of the leadership & respective objectives (Aime et.al.
2010).
Leader Traits versus Behaviors
It has been identified & analyzed that the behavior of leadership are more proximal in
comparison to the act of whole concept of leadership including the different traits & leadership
behaviors. The behavior of leadership also predicts more variance in the context of the leadership
effectiveness than the leadership traits. The effectiveness of leadership which is being affected
by the different individual leadership traits includes the two different mechanisms. The first
mechanism includes the actual behavior which results as the main function of the different
leadership traits. Through the second mechanism the leadership traits may highly impact the
leadership effectiveness which is not considered as the actual behavior of leadership but helps in
the effective identification of the leadership traits (Ghasabeh, et.al. 2015).
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Leaders behaviors
The behavior of leadership mediates the effective relationship among the different traits & the
effectiveness which is essential for the personality of an effective leader. The behavioral
approach of different leaders is being predicted including the structure of task work, assuming
the different challenges, taking & implementing the different risks & also solving out the
different problems. Those leaders, who are very open to their respective experience monitors the
different enrollments, assume the organizational challenges; determine the different positive as
well as the negative implications along with the different external forces & then intervening in an
appropriate manner. They actively monitor as well as intervene in accordance to the different
problems & respective behavior. The emotional stable leaders are very calm in nature &
maintain the structure in accordance to the changing circumstances (Effelsberg, et.al. 2014).
They are more comfortable while taking & facing the organizational risks in relation to all the
challenging situations or circumstances.
Results & analysis
After conducting the “meta-analysis” certain estimations were being demonstrated in the
effective manner. Only 2 % of total variance of job satisfaction is being illustrated & analyzed by
the leadership traits. The interpersonal attributes covers for only 27.7 % of the total value. The
trait predictor of “agreeableness” is essential for enhancing the full satisfaction of the leader in
the positive manner. The leadership traits cover the volume of 6 % in relation to the satisfaction
of leader.
Two most essential traits of a leader are being analyzed & demonstrated for the overall concept
of leader effectiveness, which includes the “Extraversion & Conscientiousness”. Both of these
are positively related to the effectiveness across the task competencies & different interpersonal
attributes. Both of them account for the 35.3 % and 27.6 % respectively (Dinh, et.al. 2014).
The following table analyses & demonstrates the relative importance of leader traits in predicting
the leadership effectiveness outcomes:
Leader traits Leader Group Follower job Satisfaction with
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effectiveness performance satisfaction leader
+/- %R2 +/- %R2 +/- %R2 +/- %R2
Gender - 1.4 - 13.6 Null 0.4
Intelligence + 8.2 + 1.5
Emotional
stability
+ 14.3 - 7.6 + 7.2 + 7.4
Agreeableness + .9 + 22.0 + 1.8 + 81.0
Conscientiousnes
s
+ 27.0 + 61.5 - 50.6 - 9.4
Extraversion + 35.1 Null .3 + 25.9 + 0.6
Openness to
Experience
+ 13.2 + 7.1 Null 1.0 + 1.2
Total R2 + .22 .14 .02 .06
This table provides the brief description about the direction of presenting the effective
relationship along with the percentage of R2 which is being effectively explained by the
particular leader trait for each & every respective criteria of leadership effectiveness.
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Testing an Integrated Model
The validity is being predicted of the integrated model the effective relationship is being
mediated by the behavior of leaders, follower attributions & different processes of the
identification. The relationship is being demonstrated among the effective traits of leadership &
the four different criteria of leadership effectiveness. The concept of “Conscientiousness” was
being mediated by both the initiating structure & the transformational leadership. The concept of
“emotional stability” was being mediated by the contingent rewards and the concept of
“openness” was being mediated by the initiating structure.
A fully “saturated model” is also being examined including various effective traits in the model
in relation to all the different behaviors & initiating the enhancement of ultimate leadership
effectiveness. The full extent of leader behavior is being examined effectively which leads to
mediate the effective relationships. The variance is also being reflected by the direct effect & by
each & every respective trait through the particular mechanism apart from the behavior of leader.
The overall total effect includes the summation of both the direct as well as the indirect effects in
the effective manner (Lawton & Páez, 2015). The relationship between the “leader traits” and
“leadership effectiveness” is mediated by the behaviors of laissez-faire leader also.
Discussion
The lack of integration is being found in the effective literature of leadership by conducting the
meta-analysis along with examining the predictable validity of different leader traits as well as
the behavior across the wide range of “leadership effectiveness”. The behavior of passive leaders
is being associated in the negative manner in accordance to the effectiveness & other standard
level of relationships.
Theoretical Implications
It has been found out that some of the leader traits & different behaviors lose the higher
percentage of predictive validity in the context of conjunction with wide variety of leadership
traits & behaviors. Three implications were being identified after conducting the effective
research for the leadership. The first implication is being defined as the “leadership scholars” in
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order to effectively integrate the research with the research paradigms. It can be understood more
effectively with the help of an example which states that the behavioral theories of leadership
should consist of the effective discussions & different empirical tests to which the individuals
belong at the particular leadership behavior. The second implication includes the bar of
acceptance in relation to the “new leadership theories” which needs to raised & promoted. The
proponents of new leadership theory should be compared explicitly & different theories should
be contrasted in the effective manner (McCleskey, 2014). The third implication includes the
encouragement to all the scholars in relation to the given empirical similarities between the
behaviors of leader along with revising the existing measures. This implication effectively
captures the conceptual distinctions among the different behaviors of leader.
Practical Implications
The understandable importance of particular leader traits & different behaviors help the large
numbers of business organizations in order to improve their selection process of effective &
talented leaders along with enhancing & executing the development practices.
Two effective suggestions are also being provided in relation to the appropriate content for
developing the wide variety of programs of leadership development. The first suggestion
includes the importance of actively occupying the leadership role with the help of effective
leadership development programs. Along with the effective programs, different initiatives of
leadership development are also very essential for encouraging the individuals & to effectively
facilitate the leadership actions.
The second suggestion includes the execution of leadership development programs on the basis
of three dimensions in accordance to the leadership behavior including the task, change &
relational. The work should be scheduled effectively by all the standard leaders; they should also
support & help their respective followers in order to effectively facilitate all the changes in an
appropriate manner (Uhl-Bien, et.al. 2014).
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Strengths and Limitations
The overall study & research is limited in the context of the leadership body. All the components
are not been able to be tested because of the lack of research on particular leader traits. Another
limitation of this research includes the relying upon the “hierarchical, leader-centric view” of
leadership which involves the basic assumption that the leadership is structured as the process of
“top-down & hierarchical”. The effective strengths include the high level of contribution to the
current view of literature.
Conclusion
It has been concluded that the popular traits & different perspectives of leadership behavior are
being integrated effectively & efficiently. All these are also being combined in order to predict
the different criteria of leadership effectiveness.
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References
 AimeF,JohnsonS,RidgeJW,HillAD.(2010).Theroutinemaybestablebuttheadvantage is not:
Competitive implications of key employee mobility. Strategic Management Journal, 31,
75–87.
 Ghasabeh, M. S., Soosay, C., & Reaiche, C. (2015). The emerging role of
transformational leadership. The Journal of Developing Areas, 49(6), 459-467.
 Effelsberg, D., Solga, M., & Gurt, J. (2014). Transformational leadership and follower’s
unethical behavior for the benefit of the company: A two-study investigation. Journal of
Business Ethics, 120(1), 81-93.
 Dinh, J. E., Lord, R. G., Gardner, W. L., Meuser, J. D., Liden, R. C., & Hu, J. (2014).
Leadership theory and research in the new millennium: Current theoretical trends and
changing perspectives. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(1), 36-62.
 Lawton, A., & Páez, I. (2015). Developing a framework for ethical leadership. Journal of
Business Ethics, 130(3), 639-649.
 McCleskey, J. A. (2014). Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and
leadership development. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 5(4), 117.
 Uhl-Bien, M., Riggio, R. E., Lowe, K. B., & Carsten, M. K. (2014). Followership theory:
A review and research agenda. The leadership quarterly, 25(1), 83-104.
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