Ch. 3 Leadership Flashcards
Leadership
The ability of a person to motivate and inspire a group of people to achieve a common objective.
- Leadership is an action, not a position
Managers
- individuals in an organization who can effectively manage tasks: finances, production, and purchasing
- may or may not be effective leaders
Leaders
- Those who are people-oriented and demonstrate respect, concern, and empathy for others in the work setting
- Inspire/motivate staff members to perform work that contributes to organization’s vison and goals
6 Leadership Characteristics
- Intelligence
- Drive
- Motivation
- Integrity
- Self-Confidence
- Expertise
Intelligence
- A leadership trait that includes the ability to acquire and retain knowledge and the ability to respond quickly and successfully to new situations
- Not necessarily correlated with educational level
- Must be complimented with other leadership traits
Drive
- A leadership trait related to the ambition, effort, and risk-taking necessary to succeed
- Willingness to take on difficult tasks and implement new ideas
- The ability to set high standards for themselves and others (not asking others to do what they are not willing to do)
Motivation
- A leadership trait relating to the realization of a vision or goal
- The need to share that vision with others
- The use of power for the good of the group
- The desire to be a leader
Integrity
- A leadership trait that is seen in a leader’s reliability, fairness, and credibility to others (consistency between what is said and what is done)
- Honesty
- Trustworthiness
- Impartiality
Self-confidence
- A leadership trait that involves having confidence and security in oneself to make decisions, take risks, and admit to making mistakes
- Maintains composure in the face of negative criticism
- Demonstrates “grace under pressure”
Expertise
- A leadership trait that reflects the training and knowledge that a leader has about his specific field
- At lower management levels, more technical expertise is required
- At upper management levels, conceptual expertise is required
Other Leadership Characteristics
(besides the 6 major traits)
Charisma – personal magnetism
Creativity – ingenuity; new ways to get things done
Flexibility – adaptive to change; react to new information
Leadership Styles
- Autocratic
- Participative
- Democratic
- Consensus
(Leaders tend to have a predominant style, but move along this continuum depending on the current situation)
Autocratic Leadership Style
- Leader takes total control, assumes full authority, and takes full responsibility for the area managed
- Sometimes equated to the military model (subordinates expected to carry out decision without question)
- Advantage – takes very little time to reach a decision
- Disadvantage – limited or no input from others
Participative Leadership Style
- Leader gathers information and seeks input from colleagues or subordinates before taking action
- Advantage – Leaders have a variety of ideas at their disposal; others feel that they have a meaningful role in the process
- Disadvantage – This process takes considerable time and energy to carry out (less efficient); expected to use ideas of subordinates and share credit for success
- potential for rifts between management and employees
Democratic Leadership Style
- Based on “majority rules”; decisions are made by the group rather than by the manager alone
- Advantage – increases the possibility of making good decisions; responsibility is shared; more employee “buy-in”
- Disadvantages – process is very time-consuming; persons who disagree with the decision may disrupt its implementation
- potential for rifts within the team
Consensus Leadership Style
- Decisions or plans are made by a group that works together until all members reach an agreement
- Advantage – group support for the action taken; team members feel valued
- Disadvantage – exceptionally large time commitment (for negotiation and compromise); may never reach a consensus
Servant Leadership
- Style that is aligned with both participative and consensus management styles
- Managers focus on meeting the needs of employees
- Employees, in response, work to help the managers achieve their or the organization’s goals
Transformational Leadership
- Style that transforms employees who merely carry out their duties to employees who feel comfortable in contributing their input to the management process
- Requires two-way interaction between manager and staff (participative, democratic, and consensus styles)
Transforming Leadership
Style that prepares the subordinate to take over management functions and, in some cases, to become the successor to the manager
Self-Managed Teams
Work groups that function without a designated manager and involve the team members in decision making and in working together to manage themselves
- Sometimes used during transition periods
- Often used for project work
Power
the source of a leader’s influence over subordinates
Types of Power
- Expert Power
- Referent Power
- Legitimate Power
- Reward Power
- Coercive Power
Expert Power
Power based on knowledge, experience or information; allows leader to exert influence over subordinates due to knowledge in a certain field
Referent Power
Stems from the relationship between the leader and followers (role model or mentor)
- not based on the leader’s position or title, but on the leader’s ability to share a vision (charisma)
