chapter 12: leadership Flashcards
leadership
“We define leadership as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals.Organizations need strong leadership and strong management for optimal effectiveness.”
trait theories of leadership
These trait theories of leadership focus on personal qualities, including personality traits like those in the Big Five (see the chapter on personality and individual differences) and characteristics that predict two distinct outcomes: leadership emergence and leadership effectiveness.”
trait theories of leadership - big five traits
big five traits:
- researchers have consistently found extroversion to be important for several leadership outcomes. despite being the strongest predictor of motivation to lead and leader emergence, extroversion also predicts several leadership behaviors or style
- although agreeableness and emotional stability are important to some aspects of leadership (e.g., they predict follower satisfaction with the leader), openness to experience appears to be less important as a trait despite being a modest predictor of leader effectiveness and follower voice behavior (see the following chapter on power and politics). conscientiousness, on the other hand, appears to be important for several leadership behaviors and outcomes. for example, conscientiousness predicts initiating structure behaviors as well as consideration behaviors (as described later in this chapter
- conscientiousness is also a moderate predictor of leader effectiveness and follower satisfaction as well as the strongest leader trait predictor of group performance
trait theories of leadership - proactive personality traits
Leaders’ proactive personality also has an important influence on leadership outcomes. In particular, it appears to matter during specific times during a team, department, or organization’s life cycle.
For instance, leader proactivity makes all the difference in leadership transitions, as leaders are more likely to foster followers’ identification with their new agenda, become more behaviorally engaged in their work, and engage in voice behavior.
trait theories of leadership - dark triad traits
- Research indicates they are not all bad for leadership:
Normative (midrange) scores on the Dark Triad personality traits (even psychopathy) were optimal, suggesting that having too much (or too little) of the Dark Triad traits can result in ineffective leadership.
However, this may be attributable to whether followers spend a lot of time with their leaders. When followers work closely with their leaders, they have more opportunity to observe exploitative or toxic behavior, which can diminish their trust in the leader and undermine their perceptions of leadership effectiveness
Thankfully, research indicates that building self-awareness and self-regulation skills may be helpful for leaders to control the effects of their Dark Triad traits.
This self-awareness may be difficult for leaders to achieve, especially since narcissists tend to engage in self-enhancement (e.g., perceive themselves more positively than others see them) and be selective in the feedback they elicit and listen to when it comes to leadership
trait theories of leadership - emotional intelligence (ei) and leadership
a core component of EI is empathy. Empathetic leaders can sense others’ needs, listen to what followers say (and do not say), and read the reactions of others. A leader who effectively displays and manages emotions will find it easier to influence the feelings of followers by expressing emotions appropriate for the context, such as genuine sympathy and enthusiasm for good performance
the fiedler contingency model (important)
The Fiedler contingency model proposes that group performance depends on the proper match between a leader’s style and the degree to which the situation gives a leader control. According to this model, leadership styles reflect the degree to which leaders approach situations from either a task-oriented or relationship-oriented perspective.
some of the predictions from Fiedler’s theory have not been supported: For instance, relationship-oriented leaders have been found to perform very well in favorable conditions”
we can assess it in terms of three contingency or situational dimensions:
1. Leader–member relations - is the degree of confidence, trust, and respect that members have in their leader.”
2. Task structure - is the degree to which the job assignments are regimented (that is, structured or unstructured).
3. Position power - is the degree of influence a leader has over power variables such as hiring, firing, discipline, promotions, and salary increases.
4. Favorable - a very favorable situation (in which the leader has a great deal of control) might include a payroll manager who has the respect and confidence of the employees
5. Unfavorable - an unfavorable situation, to the right in the exhibit, might be that of the disliked chairperson of a volunteer fundraising team (low leader–member relations, low task structure, low position power). In this job, the leader has very little control.
situational leadership theory and the 4 styles a leader can choose based on follower readiness
Similar to the Fiedler model, Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory (SLT) also assumes that the effectiveness of any leadership style depends on the situation and tasks involved.
*** However, SLT moves beyond Fiedler to focus on the followers. It says that successful leadership depends on selecting the right leadership style contingent on the followers’ readiness, the extent to which followers are committed toward and competent in accomplishing a specific task!!!!
- Telling/directing (used when followers are not quite competent, but are committed to do the task): The leader gives clear and specific directions on what to do and how to do it.
- Selling/coaching (used when followers have demonstrated some competence but are not quite committed or motivated to do the task—they are discouraged because they realize how far they have to go): The leader should continue to give clear and specific directions on what to do and how to do it but also should provide support, socio-emotional feedback, and encouragement and convince the employee that the task is worthwhile.
- Participating/supporting (used when followers are competent but have variable commitment to do the task—they worry about additional responsibility or feel insecure): Given the employee’s acquired competence at the task, the leader should take a step back and no longer be as directive—but should continue to be supportive and provide encouragement.
- Delegating (used when followers are competent and committed to do the task): The employee is now fully capable and committed to the task—they can now be delegated the task and left alone to get it done.”
follower contingency theories : leader-participation model
The leader–participation model relates leadership behavior to subordinate participation in decision making.
Like the previous contingency theories we have discussed, this theory suggests that leader behavior must adjust to reflect the task structure (such as routine, nonroutine, or in between) and the demands of the situation.
However, it does not cover all leadership behaviors and is limited to recommending what types of decisions might be best made with subordinate participation and shared responsibility.
It lays the groundwork for the situations and leadership behaviors most likely to elicit acceptance from subordinates and serves as a precursor to shared leadership theory
follower contingency theories : share leadership theory
the situation calls for followers to play an active role in the decision making that affects the team, work group, or unit.
Shared leadership theory takes this idea a step further to suggest that leadership can become an emergent state (see the chapter on teams) in which leadership roles are distributed across followers, and all are capable of influencing one another. Notably, shared leadership shifts the assumption that leadership is something enacted by one person to a broader understanding of leadership that is capable of being enacted by a collective.
follower contingency theories : followership theory
In many ways, followership theory “flips the leadership script” to focus on the follower’s capability to put into practice a leader’s vision or set of goals (compare with our definition of leadership from earlier).”
“Therefore, the success of a leader depends heavily on the quality and makeup of the followers they are attempting to influence toward a common goal or visions. Moreover, the leader’s emotion and behavior can be affected or influenced by followers: Engaged followers can lead to engaged leaders; exhausted followers can lead to exhausted leaders
Describe the positive leadership styles and relationships: leader-member exchange (lmx) theory
Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory:
“Think of a leader you know. Does this leader have favorite followers who make up their “ingroup”? If you answered yes, you are acknowledging the leader–member exchange (LMX) theory. LMX suggests leaders and followers have unique, one-on-one relationships that vary with each follower (e.g., some are higher quality than others). It also suggests that leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of their followers.
Limitations
“it appears as if LMX’s relationship with perceptions of trust, job satisfaction, and justice as well as with OCBs and turnover intentions depends in part on the culture”
“Another limitation is that the agreement between leaders and followers on their relationship quality (e.g., a boss might think the relationship is great, the follower might not) is not very strong”
charismatic leaders
Charismatic leaders: “Sociologist Max Weber defined charisma (from the Greek for “gift”) as “a certain quality of an individual personality, by virtue of which [they are] set apart from ordinary people and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities. These are not accessible to the ordinary person and are regarded as of divine origin or as exemplary, and on the basis of them the individual concerned is treated as a leader”
charismatic leadership theory
According to charismatic leadership theory, followers attribute heroic or extraordinary leadership abilities when they observe certain behaviors (e.g., those that are values-driven, symbolic, or emotion-laden) and tend to give these leaders power.”
“A number of studies have attempted to identify the characteristics of charismatic leaders: They have a vision, have a sense of mission, are willing to take personal risks to achieve that vision, are sensitive to follower needs, and exhibit extraordinary behaviors (i.e., they “go against the flow”)
Key characteristics
1. “Vision and articulation.
Has a vision—expressed as an idealized goal—that proposes a future better than the status quo; able to clarify the importance of the vision in terms that are understandable to others.
- Personal risk.
Willing to take on high personal risk, incur high costs, and engage in self-sacrifice to achieve the vision. - Sensitivity to follower needs.
Perceptive of others’ abilities and responsive to their needs and feelings. - Unconventional behavior.
Engages in behaviors that are perceived as novel and counter to norms.”
vision
By articulating an appealing vision, a long-term strategy for attaining a goal by linking the present with a better future for their team, group, or organization.
