Chapter 9 - Leading

Question 1

What is the “leading function”?

Answer 1

managers take the lead to bridge the gap between formulating plans and reaching goals. They transform plans into reality.

Question 2

Is leadership the same as management?

Answer 2

no, management is a broader scope.

Question 3

What is influencing?

Answer 3

It’s the process leaders follow when:
communicating ideas
gaining acceptance for these ideas
inspiring followers to support and implement ideas

Question 4

What is one of the most important variables influencing success in organisations?

Answer 4

Leadership (not management)

Question 5

What are the components of the leading function?

Answer 5

1) Authority - right to give orders, demand action
2) Power - ability to influence behaviour
3) Responsibility - obligation to achieve
4) Delegation - assigning responsibility and auth
5) Accountability - evaluation

Question 6

What can managers never delegate?

Answer 6

They can delegate auth and responsibility but never ACCOUNTABILITY

Question 7

Delegation refers to giving employees new tasks. Such a task may become part of:

Answer 7

• redesigned job

- or a once off task

Question 8

A manager’s sources of POWER falls into 2 categories.

Answer 8

1) position power (top management delegates)

2) Personal power (bestowed by followers)

Question 9

There are 5 types of personal power. What are they?

Answer 9

1) COERSIVE power - enforce compliance through fear eg used by criminals
2) REWARD power - ability to influence through giving or withholding reward eg. Salary raises
3) LEGITIMATE power - granted by organisation, right to discipline or dismiss employees
4) REFERENT power - a manager’s personal power or charisma.
5) EXPERT power - from knowledge, expertise or professional ability.

Question 10

Blake and Mouton developed the “Managerial Grid” what is it?

Answer 10

An instrument that identifies various leadership styles on a 2 dimensional grid. They used a questionaire to measure this.
Found the “team-management” style to be the ideal

Question 11

What is the Contingency / Situational approach to leadership about?

Answer 11

It attempts to determine the best leadership style for a given situation. Researchers considered:
How structured the task is
Quality of the relationship between leader and employees
Position power of leader
Role clarity of employees
Acceptance of leader by employees

Question 12

What was Fred Fiedler’s contingency theory of leadership about?

Answer 12

Proposed that effective group performance depended on proper match between leader style of interaction and degree to which control is given to leader.
Fiedler developed an instrument to measure a leader as “task orientated” or “relationship orientated”
Fiedler believed leadership style is fixed

Question 13

Which model on leadership did Robert House develop and what was it about?

Answer 13

The Path Goal model.
It is the leader's responsibility to help employees achieve their goals through 4 leadership behaviors : 
Directive
Supportive
Participative
Achievement-orientated

Much research supported the logic of this theory

Question 14

Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard proposed which leadership model and what was it about?

Answer 14

Situational Leadership Model
Work maturity of employees determined the best leadership style for the situation.
Manager uses telling, selling, participating and delegating to match maturity level of given situation

Question 15

What are the 5 dimensions of trust?

Answer 15

1) integrity
2) competence
3) consistency
4) loyalty
5) openness (telling whole truth)

Question 16

What traits do Charismatic leaders have?

Answer 16

Self confidence
Vision
Ability to articulate the vision
Strong convictions about the vision
Unconventional behaviour
Environmental sensitivity

Question 17

What abilities do Visionary Leaders have?

Answer 17

Ability to create and articulate a realistic, credible, attractive vision of the future of the organisation

Question 18

James Burns distinguished between 2 types of leadership. Transactional and Tranformational leadership. What are they about?

Answer 18

Transactional - motivate by appealing to self-interest

Transformational - leaders and followers raise each other to higher levels of morality and motivation

Question 19

Transformational leaders display 4 transformational styles. What are they?

Answer 19

1) idealised behaviour
2) inspirational motivation
3) intellectual stimulation
4) individualised consideration
5) idealised attributes (based on other leadership styles)

Question 20

An emerging approach to leadership is Strategic Leadership. What is it about?

Answer 20

A person’s ability to anticipate, envision, maintain flexibility, think strategically and work with others to initiate changes

Question 21

Another emerging approach to leadership is Cross Cultural leadership. What is it about.

Answer 21

The manager will need to adjust to the differences in national (international) cultures and change his style accordingly

Question 22

Another emerging approach to leadership is the Ethical Leadership approach. What is this about?

Answer 22

Crucial in the global business world plagued by corruption. This is becoming a prerequisite for effective leadership.

Question 23

Performance = ?

Answer 23

Ability x motivation x resources = performance

Question 24

What are the 2 informal groups?

Answer 24

Interest groups - sharing common interest eg . Fees must fall (disband when goal is met)
Friendship groups - to satisfy social needs (sport ect)

Question 25

What are the 2 formal groups?

Answer 25

Command groups - groups in line of auth

Task groups - created by organisations to complete a task

Question 26

What are the 5 characteristics of a group?

Answer 26

• size
• composition
• norms (standards)
• cohesiveness (way stand together)
• status (formal or informal)

Question 27

Give an example of a Work Group.

Answer 27

Group of admin clerks

Question 28

Name the 3 types of work teams.

Answer 28

Problem solving
Self-managed
Cross-functional (on same hierarchy level)

Question 29

What are the 5 characteristics of high performance teams?

Answer 29

Clear understanding of goals
Capable members
Mutual trust
Good communication
Encouraging leader

Question 30

According to Belbin the effective team leader:

Answer 30

Limits their role and is inclined to delegate and not interfere with the way in which team members do their work

Question 31

Meredith Belbin’s Team Role theory named 9 roles. What are they?

Answer 31

1) PLANT creative, solve problems
2) RESOURCE INVESTIGATOR extrovert, develops contracts
3) COORDINATOR clarifies roles, mature, confident
4) SHAPER challenging, thrives on pressure
5) MONITOR EVALUATOR sober, strategic
6) TEAM WORKER cooperative, diplomatic, listens
7) IMPLEMENTER disciplined, efficient, ideas into action
8) COMPLETER FINISHER painstaking, anxious, look for errors, delivers on time
9) SPECIALIST single minded, little knowledge or skill, dedicated, self starting

Question 32

What is the purpose of the Sender in Communication?

Answer 32

To communicate effectively,
Know exactly what message is
Take care of words

Question 33

What is the requirements of a message in communication?

Answer 33

It should be simple and clear

Question 34

What can Leadership be defined as?

Answer 34

The process of influencing employees to work willingly towards the achievement of organisational objectives