Leadership Flashcards
Characteristics of a good leader
Good decision making skills
Charismatic
Visionary
Ambitious
Good communication skills
Self confident
Empathetic
Determined
Experience
Good perceptual skills
What is an emergent leader
Are already a member of the group
They can assume the role of leader or be voted in by other group members
Eg: a team captain who is voted in by the rest of the team.
2 Strengths of an emergent leader
They have good knowledge of the other team members and can work and communicate with each individual in the most effective way.
They should already have the respect of the team, who trust their decisions and are motivated to work hard for them.
2 Weaknesses of emergent leader
Team members may struggle to adjust to the new status of the leader; there may be perceived favouritism, eg: in team selection.
It may be more difficult for the leader to make changes in the the way the team play, as the leader has been involved in the previous system
What is a prescribed leader
Are appointed from outside of the group
Eg: a externally appointed football manager from another club/team.
2 strengths of prescribed leaders
They can more easily make changes to systems/tactics, as the team expect this.
Team members may feel they have a ‘clean slate’ with the prescribed leader and so work harder than before; they may display more positive attitudes
2 weaknesses of prescribed leaders
They have no previous experience with team members and so may not manage individuals in the most effective way.
Building relationships and earning respect may take time.
Trait theory of leadership
Leaders have an innate ability or genetic predisposition to show leadership qualities.
This theory believes that leaders are born, that leadership traits are stable and enduring.
It claims that leaders can lead in whatever situation they are presented with.
The early instinct theory was called the ‘great man theory’ suggested that males with certain traits are born to lead
Social learning theory of leadership
This theory states that leadership qualities and characteristics can be learned from watching others and copying their actions.
As you will already know by now, this is known as vicarious learning. This theory shows the importance of the social environment for adopting leadership qualities, rather than the trait approach
Interactionist theory of leadership
This theory states that a leader may have certain characteristics / qualities that make them a leader which are innate, however they are only shown in certain situations.
This theory explains how some leaders are not leaders in everyday life, but when faced with a particular situation they show effective
leadership qualities.
The name ‘interactionist’ is key as this theory claims that it is the interaction of innate leadership qualities and the changing environment that make a leader
Autocratic leader characteristics
Decisive
Clear authority and makes all of the decisions
Dictatorial
Task orientated
Works quickly
Democratic leader characteristics
Shares decisions
Involves the group members,
Goals are more changeable.
Person orientated
Works slower than autocratic
Laissez faire leader characteristics
Group makes the decisions
Leader gives very little feedback
Leader makes few decisions and takes a back seat.
Situations autocratic leader would be effective in
1) Beginners or a large group.
2) Good for dangerous or complex task.
3) Good if there isn’t much time available.
4) If the group want an autocratic leader or they are experts that trust their leader.
5) Good with male athletes
Situations democratic leader would be effective in
1)Individual or small group tasks.
2) Good with females athletes.
3) Appropriate for safe or simple skills.
4) Good with experts and with situations where there are no time pressure.
5) Good if the group want a democratic leader
Situations laissez faire leader would be effective in
1) Good when used with developing creativity.
2) Good for working with elite performers.
3) Good for completing assessments.
4) Good if the leader fully trusts the group
Fiedler’s Contingency Model
According to Fiedler, the correct style of leadership to adopt depends on the ‘favourableness’ of the situation.
Highly favourable situation - Leaders position is strong, Task is simple with clear structure, Warm group and leader relations
Highly unfavourable situation - Leaders position is weak, Task is complex with vague structure, Hostile group and leader relations.
Autocratic leaders are more effective in both the most favourable
and the least favourable situations.
Democratic leaders are more effective in moderately favourable situations.
Explain the Three factors (antecedents) that influence the style of leadership of the multi dimensional model of sport leadership
Three factors (antecedents) influence the style of leadership
1. Situational characteristics: Eg: group size, time available, type of activity
2. Leader characteristics Eg: competence, experience, preferred style of leadership
3. Member characteristics: Eg: experience, gender, age, motivation
Explain The three factors impact on the leader behaviour (leadership style) in the multi dimensional model of sport leadership
The three factors impact on the leader behaviour (leadership style)
1. Required behaviour - The style that should be used by the leader in the situation
2. Actual behaviour - The style that the leader chooses to use
3. Preferred behaviour - The style the members would choose
Effect of this model on satisfaction and performance
Group performance and/or satisfaction depends on degree of congruence: this means how much the required, preferred and actual leader behaviour coincide/are the same.
If actual = required and preferred there is full congruence so satisfaction is high and performance is high
If actual = required not preferred there is high performance but low satisfaction
If actual = preferred but not required then high satisfaction low performance
