Leadership Flashcards
What is Leadership?
- Leadership is about influencing, motivating, and enabling others
- When in an organizational context, this effort is directed towards helping followers to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members
- Wonderful leaders elevate their followers
Leaders vs. Managers
Q: Type of power?
A: Somewhat… managers tend to have formal power whereas leaders don’t always
Q: Behavioural differences?
A: Yes
Leaders= influencing behaviours
Managers= directive behaviours
Trait Theories
- Researchers sought to identify the physical characteristics or psychological traits that differentiated leaders from non-leaders
- Find common characteristics of leaders, and then choose people who exhibit those characteristics for leadership positions
- Traits can predict leadership, but they are better at predicting leader emergence than effectiveness
- Just because you are extraverted doesn’t mean you will be a better leader, you will just emerge as a leader
Behavioural Theories
Directive leadership:
- Assign employees specific tasks
- Set goals and deadlines
- Clarify work duties and procedures
- Plan work activities
Behavioural Theories
Supportive leadership:
- Listen to employees for their opinions and ideas
- Create a pleasant work environment
- Show interest in staff
- Appreciate employees’ effort
Lead-Member Exchange
Considers that the relationship between a leader and a follower also depends on the follower
Leader-Member Exchange
Full Range Model of leadership
There are two components to the full range leadership model:
1. Transactional leadership
2. Transformational leadership
Transactional Leadership
Similar to management
Three components:
1. Contingent reward- use recognition and rewards to motivate employees
2. Management-by-exception – punish employees when standards are not met to motivate employees
3. Laissez-faire leadership – hands off leadership
Transformational Leadership
- Views leaders as agents of change in the organization
- Different from managerial leadership theories
- Made up of four elements:
1. Idealized influence
2. Inspirational motivation
3. Intellectual Simulation
4. Individualized consideration
Idealized Influence
The leader serves as an ideal role model for followers
Inspirational Motivation
Leaders have the ability to inspire and motivate followers
Intellectual Stimulation
The leader challenges followers to be innovative and creative
Individualized consideration
The leader demonstrates genuine concern for the needs and feelings of followers
TL Scale
Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire most widely used
Using the 0 (not at all) to 4 (frequently) scale- indicate how often your leader…
1. (II) considers the moral and ethical consequences of decisions
2. (IM) talks optimistically about the future
3. (IS) re-examines assumptions to question whether they are appropriate
4. (IC) Helps me to develop our strengths
Laissez-Faire or Passive
- Definition- Absence of leadership
- Laissez-faire leadership characterized by:
- Very little guidance from leaders
- Complete freedom for followers to make decisions
Two man types of passive leadership:
* Reward omission- leader non-reinforcement of good subordinate behavior
* Punishment omission – leader non-reinforcement of poor subordinate behavior
Charismatic Leadership
Idealized influence +Inspirational motivation = Charisma
Being Charismatic
Verbal
1. Metaphors
2. Stories and anecdotes
3. Moral conviction
4. Sentiments of the collective
5. Set high expectations
6. Communicate confidence
7. Contrasts
8. Lists
9. Rhetorical questions
Non- verbal:
10. Gestures
11. Facial expressions
12. Animated tone
Romance of Leadership
- People’s tendency to inflate the extent to which leaders can affect their environment
- Based on the followers’ perception of leadership
Leadership in a crisis
Definition of a crisis: “A low-probability, high-impact event that threatens the viability of the organization and is characterized by ambiguity of cause, effect, and means of resolution, as well as by a belief that decisions must be made swiftly”
People’s perceptions of leaders and the leader’s impact on group performance are higher under crisis than no crisis conditions.
Costs of Managers
Adds overhead
Increases the risk of bad judgement
Slows down decision making
Creates large power disparities
So, if not managers… then what?
Self-managed teams
Self-Managed Teams
What would that look like?
No one has a boss
Employees negotiate responsibilities with peers
Everyone can spend the company’s money
Every individual is responsible for acquiring their own resources
There are no titles or promotions.
Compensation decisions are peer-based
Benefits of Self-Managed Teams:
Lower costs
More collegiality
Greater initiative
Higher loyalty
Increased flexibility
Costs of Self-Managed Teams:
Tough adjustment
Longer induction
Accountability challenges
Growth issues
