L2: Trait, Behaviour, Contingency Approach to Leadership Flashcards
what does the trait approach of leadership posit?
leaders are born
- leadership is based on inherent traits (confidence, intelligence, extraversion)
- certain ppl naturally possess qualities that make them effective leaders
- assumes these traits are stable & predict leadership emergence & success
what are traits
- have a geneticbasis but shaped by environment
- personality traits are relatively stable dispositiosn to behave in a particular way - consistent behaviour across time & situations
- stable: they tend to remain relatively unchanged over time
- ex: self confidence, being introverted, conscientious, optimistic, energy level
- think of it as: ur psych default setting
vs states
what are states
- temporary conditions that fluctuate depending on the situation or moment
- short term: they change more frequently & are often influenced by the environment
- ex: feeling anxious before exam, excited at concert
- think of it as ur psych eather report - it can change quickly
vs traits
when was trait approach to leadership popular?
- most prominent in first half of 20th century, especially in early leadership research
- interest declined in mid 20th century due to mixed & inconclusive results (researchers couldnt agree on a universal set of traits that defined effective leadership)
what are some relevant personality traits for leadership (trait approach)?
- stress tolerance
- extraversion
- conscientiousness
- core self evaluations
- power motivation
how is stress tolerance a relevant leadership trait?
- energy level & stress tolerance are related to managerial effectiveness: helps to cope w hectic pace, long hours, high demands of most managerial jobs
- they tend to stay focused & calm rather than panicking,dont deny the problem exists or shift responsibility to someone else
how is extraversion a relevant leadership trait?
- they are assertive, active, energetic, upbeat, talkative, optimistic
- more likely to be perceived as leader like
- their optimistic views of the futue help them emerge as group leaders
how is conscientiousness a relevant leadership trait?
- being dependable, doing what u promised to do, paying attention to detail
- most of the Big 5 are related to leadership emergence & effectieness
how are core self evaluations relevant leadership traits?
- its a broad personality trait: self esteem, locus of control, self efficacy, emotional stability (high on all these is good for leadership)
- related to job & life satisfaction, job performane, task motivation & goal setting
- related to job & life satisfaction, job performance, task motivation, goal setting
how is power motivation a relevant leadership trait?
- someone w a high need for power
- more likely to seek positions of authority
- need for power is related to advancement to higher management levels
- a strong need for power is desirable but depends on how its expressed: socialized vs personalized power orientation
what is socialized power orientation?
- exercise power for the benefit of others
- less egoistic & defensive
- use influence to build up the organization and make it successful
= the drive to influence others for the collective goal
what is personalized power orientation?
- use power to aggrandize themselves & satisfy their need for esteem & status
- exercise power impulsively
- seek to dominate others by keeping them weak and dependent
= the desire to control & dominat others for personal gain or ego
what are bright vs dark traits of leadership
bright traits are socially desirable, dark traits are socially undesirable
bright traits leadership: humility, conscientiousness etc
dark traits leadership: narcissisim
but: dark side of bright traits & bright side of dark traits! its not fully black or white
what is the dark side of bright traits
socially desirable traits can, in particular situations, & at extreme levels have negative implications
- conscintious leaders are catuious & analytical but less willing to innovate & take risks, may delay decision making,resist change
- agreeable leaders may avoid interpersonal conflict, may be prone to give lenient performance ratings to not hurt someones feelings
- leader high on CSE (core self evaluation) can at extremes result in overconfidence (hubris) & self love (narcissism)
how can we evaluate a leadership trait?
on social desirability: bright vs dark
but a bright trait (socially desirable one) can have dark implications
so the 2nd way we evaluate traits is on actual effects in specific context or situations
bright + bright= socially desirable trait has positive implications
bright + dark= socially desirable trait has neg implications
dark+bright= socially undesirable trait has pos implications
dark+dark= socially undesirable trait has neg implications
what is an example of a bright side of a dark trait?
overly confident/dominant team leader might not be liked, but could save the group project by motivating others, delegating tasks and pushing the team forward
so good outcome for the group!
what is an example of a bright trait w bright effects
conscientious leader displays high ethical standards in pursuing agenda in long term interest of organisation
what are the limitations of the trait approach?
- most traits are not guided by a theory that explains how traits are related to effectiveness except by examining how they relate to behaviour: few trait studies include mediating processess
- lack of attention to the leadership situation: whether traits are helpful may depend
- the relationship between traits & leadership effectiveness is assumed to be linear but its not: a moderate amount is usually better than a max amount (too much of a good thing can be bad)
what is the helpful side of the trait approach to leadership?
some traits and skills (like Big 5) have been identified as relevant for leader effectiveness and advancement
what does the leader trait emergence effectiveness model show
how traits influence who emerges & is effective as a leader
& where these traits come from
& what mediators and moderators influence the relationship between traits & leadership emergence/effectiveness
what do the mediators mean in the leader trait emergence effectiveness model?
why are 2 variables related
why does a certain trait lead to leadership emergencr
what do the moderators mean in the leader trait emergence effectiveness model ?
they explain under which circumstances emerged leaders will be effective
what does the attribution theory say about leadership & humility?
subordinates attributions of leader humility determines whether it has positive or negative outcomes
if they attribute humility as self serving (so the employee is reason for leaders humility) -> psych entitlement -> more workplace deviance
dont attribute it as self serving -> more leader member exchange -> less workplace deviance
what is the general research question of Qin research?
when does leader humility lead to positive vs negative subordinate outcomes (like psych entitlement, leader member exchange which both influence workplace deviance) and why?
define leader humility
an interpersonal characteristic that emerges in social contexts that connotes
- a manifested willingness to view oneself accurately
- a displayed appreciation of others strengths & contributions
- taechability or openness to new ideas & feedback
define subordinate workplace deviance
volutnary behaviour that violates sig org norms and in doing so threatens the well being of an org, its members, or both
define subordinate psych entitlement
A momentary sense that one deserves special or unique treatment relative to his or her peers
what is meant by self-serving attribution of leader humility?
the extent to which subordinates attribute a leader expressed humility in a self-serving way (e.g. my strengths and contributions make my leader treat me humbly)
aka high levels of self serving attribution is when subordinate believes leaders treat them humbly because they are unique and deserve such treatment.
what were the 2 interaction hypotheses of Xin on leader humility?
H1:self serving attribution of leader humility increases psych entitlement
aka when theres high subordinate self serving attribution of leader humility then it leads to increased psych entitlement, when theres low subordinate self serving attribution then no increase in psych enttilement
H2: leader humility improves LMX only when subordinates dont attribute the humility in a self serving way cause then subordinates value leader humility in the relational exchange process
what were the 2 moderation mediatoin hypotheses in Xin’s research on leader humility?
- only when subordinate self serving attribution of humility is high, does psych entitlement increase workplace deviance
- only when self serving attribution is low does LMX lead to less workplace deviance
why did Xin think that self serving attribution of leader humility increases psych entitlement?
attribution theory!
posits that leader humility increases subordinate psych entitlement cause the leaders humility inflates sub perceptions of self capabilities & self worth
what were the results of Xins study on leader humility?
- when high self serving attribution then leader humility incrases sub psych entitlement
- ## when low self serving attribution, this effect becomes basically non existent
what were the practical implications of Xins study on leader humility?
- leaders must be aware of how their humility is percieved & attributed by employees
- and avoid selfs erving attribution cause this may increase workplace deviance
what does the behavioural approach of leadership posit?
that leaders are made
- leadership is based on what ppl do, not who they are
- effectgive leadership can be learned through observing & developing sepcific behaviours (task oriented vs ppl oriented leadership)
- focus is on actions, not inborn characteristics
what is task oriented behaviour vs relations oriented behaviour
task: primarily concerned w accomplishing the task in an efficient & reliable way, getting thigns done!
relations: primarily concerned w increasing mutual trust, cooperation, job satisfaction, and identification w the team or organisation
what does task oriented leadership look like in practice?
- planning work activities
- clarifying roles & objectives
- monitoring operations & performance
- solving operational problems
what does relations orietned leadership look like in practice?
- supporting
- developing suboridnate skiills
- providing praise & recognition
what does the contingency appraoch to leadership posit?
a leader adapts their behaviour or style based on the needs of the situation/team
what are the 2 early contingency theories?
- path goal theory
- situational leadership theory
what does path goal theory posit?
- focuses on how leaders can motivate their followers to achieve goals by providing the right guidance & support
- does this by clearing obstacles & providing resources & guidance
- leaders are coaches & supporters of their employees
- leaders can adopt differnt styles depending on the situation & needs of followers (thats why its a contingency appraoch theory)
what are the 4 leadership styles one can adopt according to path goal theory?
▪ Directive: Giving clear instructions and expectations
▪ Supportive: Being friendly, approachable, and showing concern for the well-being of followers
▪ Participative: Involving followers in decisionmaking and seeking their input
▪ Achievement-oriented: Setting challenging goals and encouraging high performance
what does situational leadership theory posit?
leaders should adapt their approach based on the needs & DEVELOPMENT level of their followers, which is defined by their competence & commitment
4 dev levels
leaders behaviours vary on 2 dimensions: supporting & directing, which results in 4 categories of it
what are the 4 development levels an employee can be at according to situational leadership theory?
D1: low competence, high commitment
D2: some competence, low commitment
D3: high competence, variable commitment
D4: high competence, high commitment
what are the 4 categories of leader behaviours according to situational leadership theory
▪S1 Directing: Do it like this! for D1: high directive, low supportive
▪S2 Coaching: I think this, what do you think? for D2: high supportive, high directive
▪S3 Supporting: So, what’s your idea?, for D3: low directive, high supportive
▪S4 Delegating: I’ll see it next week!: for D4: low directive, low supportive
