2.2.12. Leadership Flashcards
Characteristics that make an effective leader
- Good communication
- Charisma/ has presence
- Confident
- Flexible
- Empathy
- Good knowledge of sport
- Ambitious
- Decision making skills
- Good at sport/ experienced
- Good listening skills
Emergent leaders
- Come from within the group
- e.g. cricket player voting in a captain or an assistant coach becoming a head coach
Advantages of emergent leader
- Being readily accepted by the group
- Understand group dynamics
Disadvantage of emergent leader
Could be overfamiliar
Prescribed leaders
- Selected from outside the group/ externally appointed
- e.g. a new player being signed as captain or a new football manager being appointed from another team
Advantages of emergent leader
New voice, new ideas and re-motivate
Disadvantage of emergent leader
May not understand group dynamics
Autocratic leader
- Leader makes all decisions
- Task orientated
- Dictator style
- Works quickly
Uses of autocratic leader
- Large groups
- Dangerous activities
- Beginners/ cognitive performers
- Males respond better
- Complex tasks
- Groups are hostile
- Not much time available
- Group want autocratic leader
Democratic leader
- Involves members of group in task
- Delegates responsibility
- Person orientated
- Works slower than autocratic leader
Uses of democratic leader
- Small groups
- Safe activities
- Experts/ autonomous performers
- Females prefer
- Simple tasks
- Encourage positive relationships
- No time pressure
- Group want democratic leader
Laissez-faire leader
- Group makes the decisions
- Leader takes a back seat
- Leader has little direct influence on the group
Uses of a laissez-faire leader
- Elite performers with high motivation
- Tasks involving decision making
- Tasks requiring creativity
- Assessment situations
- Leader fully trusts group
Trait theory
- States people are born with characteristics that make them good leaders e.g. charisma
- Leadership traits are stable, enduring, predetermined
- Based on ‘Great Man Theory’- only men could be successful leaders -> males leaders are passed down qualities to son e.g. Alex Ferguson to Darren Ferguson
- e.g. if you are a leader, you can lead any size team, for any sport, at any level as they are simply a born leader
Evaluation of trait theory
- Theory is unfounded- successful female leaders e.g. Tracey Neville England Netball coach/ Sarina Wiegman
- Suggests only men inherit necessary qualities of leadership which is untrue
- Doesn’t take into account learnt leadership behaviour
Social Learning Theory
- States that leadership characteristics are learned from others
- More likely to copy behaviour if the person is of high status/ role model
- Leadership behaviour considers the social environment you’ve been exposed to
- Leadership behaviour is learnt if it’s reinforced
- e.g. you’re likely to copy the leadership behaviours of the school netball captain
Evaluation of SLT
- Doesn’t take into account innate leadership traits
- Young leaders don’t always imitate experienced leaders
Interactionist approach
- Trait + environment interact to influence leadership
- States that an individual is born with certain characteristics to make them effective leaders, but it becomes apparent in certain situations
- You show (inborn) leadership traits when the situation demands it
- e.g. an individual may be quite laid back daily but when playing for a football team, they take the lead and organise sessions
Evaluation of SLT
- Mixture of both trait and learning theory- you need to have been born with necessary leadership characteristics but they only become evident in certain situations
- Most credible theory of leadership
What is leadership behaviour dependent on?
- Situation the leader/ group are in
- Characteristics of the leader
- Characteristics of the group members
Antecedents
- Situational characteristics
- Leader characteristics
- Member characteristics
Situational characteristics
- Environmental conditions
- e.g. dangerous rock climbing activity
Leader characteristics
- Age, experience, personality of the leader
- e.g. experienced leader
Member characteristics
- Age, gender, experience of the group
Leader behaviour
- Required behaviour
- Actual behaviour
- Preferred behaviour
Required behaviour
- The most suitable behaviour for the environment
- e.g. autocratic increases safety
Actual behaviour
- What the leader decides to do/ leadership style selected
- e.g. autocratic increases trust
Preferred behaviour
- What the group wants the leader to do/ favours
- e.g. favours autocratic because it wins the heart and minds
What do situational characteristics lead to?
Required behaviour
Preferred behaviour
What do leader characteristics lead to?
Actual behaviour
What do member characteristics lead to?
Preferred behaviour
Required behaviour
Consequences
Performance and satisfaction
If required behaviour and actual behaviour match….
Performance will increase
If required, preferred and actual behaviour match…
Both performance and satisfaction will increase = congruence
If preferred behaviour and actual behaviour match….
Satisfaction will increase
What do the best leaders demonstrate?
Flexbility
