Leadership Theories Flashcards
What is trait Theory
Leaders possess certain innate characteristics that followers do not possess (and probably cannot acquire), such as physical characteristics (for example, strength, stamina) and personality traits (for example, decisiveness, integrity). Sometimes referred to as the “Great Man” theory.
It equates these characteristics and leadership but without evidence.
It may discourage leader development by implying that the ability to lead cannot be acquired with study and practice.
what are behavioral theories
Leaders influence group members through certain behaviors.
What is Blake -Mouton Theory and what type of theory is it
Behavioral
Leadership involves managing:
Tasks (work that must be done to attain goals).
Employees (relationships based on social and emotional needs).
Five types of managers, only one of which (team leader) is considered a leader:
Country club managers (low task, high relationship) create a secure atmosphere and trust individuals to accomplish goals, avoiding punitive actions so as not to jeopardize relationships.
Impoverished managers (low task, low relationship) use a “delegate-and-disappear” management style. They detach themselves, often creating power struggles.
Authoritarian managers (high task, low relationship) expect people to do what they are told without question and tend not to foster collaboration.
Middle-of-the-road managers (midpoint on both task and relationship) get the work done but are not considered leaders.
Team leaders (high task, high relationship) lead by positive example, foster a team environment, and encourage individual and team development.
What are Situational Theories
Building on behavioral theories, situational theories propose that leaders can flex their behaviors to meet the needs of unique situations, employing both task or directive behaviors and relationship or supportive behaviors with employees.
What is Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership
Leaders adapt their behaviors to meet the evolving needs of team members. Like Blake-Mouton, the behaviors involve tasks and relationships.
As team members grow in skill and experience, leaders supply the appropriate behavior:
Telling when the employee is not yet motivated or competent.
Selling when the increasingly competent employee still needs focus and motivation (“why are we doing this”).
Participating when competent workers can be included in problem solving and coached on higher skills.
Delegating when very competent team members can benefit from greater levels of autonomy and self-direction.
what is Fiedlers Contingency Theory and what type of theory is it
Situational
Leaders change the situation to make it more “favorable,” more likely to produce good outcomes.
“Situation favorableness” occurs when:
Leader-member relationships are strong.
Task structure and requirements are clear.
The leader can exert the necessary power to reach the group’s goal.
Unfavorable situations must be changed to improve group (and leader) effectiveness. This can include:
Improving relations between the leader and the team (for example, by building trust).
Changing aspects of the task (for example, breaking a project down into more manageable pieces, providing more resources for the team).
Increasing or decreasing the leader’s exercise of power (for example, to increase team involvement in and ownership of ideas, to decrease harmful conflict or resistance to change).
what is Path-Goal Theory and what type of theory
situational
This theory emphasizes the leader’s role in coaching and developing followers’ competencies. The leader performs the behavior needed to help employees stay on track toward their goals. This involves addressing different types of employee needs:
Directive—Help the employee understand the task and its goal.
Supportive—Try to fulfill employee’s relationship needs.
Achievement—Motivate by setting challenging goals.
Participative—Provide more control over work and leverage group expertise through participative decision making.
What is Emergent Theory
Leaders are not appointed but emerge from the group, which chooses the leader based on interactions.
What is Transformational Leadership
Emergent Theory
This theory emphasizes a leader’s ability to inspire employees to embrace change. Transformational leaders are able to encourage and motivate their employees to innovate in their work, to seek out changes that can add value and growth to the organization.
Transformational leaders do not micromanage. They give their employees greater autonomy to make decisions and come up with creative solutions. A leader will also lead by example, exemplifying moral and ethical standards and values, and encourage the same from others.
This leadership approach also encourages communication, cooperation, and collaboration with others and can use mentorship to help raise up future transformational leaders.
what is leader-member exchange theory
its a emergenty theory
This theory focuses on a two-way relationship between leaders and chosen employees. The leader mentors a selected team member (or members) and gives them access to more information and resources in order to strengthen levels of trust and support. This mentorship is intended to maintain the leader’s position through the development of different two-way relationships.
This type of relationship can contribute to growth and productivity but can also create in- and out-groups within the team. The in-group may tend to strengthen and support the leader’s decisions and position due to their closer relationship. Members of the out-group may lag in development and productivity if they perceive that they are excluded or neglected.
what is servant leadership and what type of theory
Emergent
The leaders’ goal is to serve the needs of their employees. This theory emphasizes the sharing of power. Leaders should work to help their employees develop and perform to the highest possible level, and this will generate benefits within and without the organization. It is a way of inverting the organizational/leadership norm of bottom-up service.
Servant leaders tend to be more empathetic and more trusted by employees. This can lead to greater innovation, collaboration, performance, and participation. This approach to leadership can be more resource-intensive and can take longer to produce results.
What are the leadership theories
Emergent, Situational , Trait, Behavioral
What are the leadership theories by name
Blake-Mouton Theory, Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership, Fiedler’s Contingency Theory, Path-Goal Theory, Transactional Leadership, Transformational Leadership, Leader-Member Exchange Theory, Servant Leadership
