theories of leadership

Question 1

successful leadership:

Answer 1

guiding and influencing others to achieve organizational goals effectively

Question 2

trait theory

Answer 2

• the theory suggests that individuals possess specific qualities that make them natural leaders.
• certain inherent traits or characteristics are associated with effective leadership
• focuses on the personal attributes of leaders (physical, personality, characteristics, competencies, and values) to facilitate the selection of good leaders.
• it was found through early trait research studies, that a leader has specific traits, and if an individual has these traits, they would be an excellent leader.
• this all started with the great man theory created by Thomas Carlyle in “1840”:

Question 3

strengths of Trait theory

Answer 3

+ provides a framework for identifying key traits that may contribute to effective leadership. Useful for leadership development and selection processes.
+ Trait theory laid the groundwork for the study of leadership and inspired further research into understanding the personal attributes associated with successful leaders

Question 4

weaknesses of trait theory

Answer 4

• trait theory has been criticized for oversimplifying leadership by focusing solely on individual traits and not considering situational and contextual.
• not all effective leaders share the same set of traits, and traits associated with success may vary across different cultures / contexts

Question 5

behavioural theory

Answer 5

shifts the focus from inherent traits to observable behaviour.
- identifies specific behaviours that effective leaders exhibit and categorizes them into:
1) task-orientated behaviour:
focusses on getting the job done 2) relationship-orientated behaviour:
focusses on relationships and employee needs

Question 6

strengths of behavioral theory

Answer 6

+ observable and measurable: behavioural theories emphasize observable behaviours making it easier to study and measure leadership action.
+ by categorizing behaviours into task-orientated and relationship-orientated, behavioural theories offer practical insight for leadership development and training

Question 7

disadvantages of behavioural theory

Answer 7

• contextual dependence: behavioral theories may not adequately account for the impact of situational factors on leadership effectiveness. the appropriateness of specific behaviors may depend on the context
• neglect of individual differences: behavioral theories to dot account for individual differences amongst leaders. two leaders may exhibit the same behaviour, but the impact may differ based on the individuals characteristics

Question 8

trait and behavioural

Answer 8

• can be seen as complementary rather than mutually exclusive
• while trait theory focuses on WHO A LEADER IS, behavioural emphasizes WHAT A LEADER DOES.
• Successful leadership may involve a combination of inherent traits and learned behaviours as well as recognizing the influence of situational and contextual behaviours

Question 9

situational/context fitting approach

Answer 9

CONTEXT
- leader can analyse the situation and adjust their leadership method based on what job their is at hand
based on behaviour but there are also forces within the control of the leader, and they can change their leadership style based on those forces.
e.g. if a manager comes across a situation where the employee is capable of doing their job, then they don’t need to be massively job centred, they can instead be employee-centred rather than employee centred.
on the other hand, if lots of change is happening, and they have to make quick decisions they can go for a more job-centred approach.
ALTHOUGH
It could be difficult for an individual to change up their leadership style depending on the situation.
SITUATIONAL: Hersey & Blanchard
- an approach to determine the most effective style to leadership.

Question 10

new leadership

Answer 10

a leader is an inspirational visionalry, bulding a shared sense of purpose, a culture where everyone is aligned woth organization’s goals.

2 types of leaders:
TRANSACTIONAL LEADERS:
focuses on having a good relationship with the followers to benefit from trade, swaps and bargains. measures success based on rewards and penalties
TRANSITIONAL LEADERS:
able to lead with their personalities, want to advance within their leadership so try to be inspirational and motivational

distributed leadership: an idea within new leadership
- leadership should not just be at the top of the organization, it should be distributed throughout (facebook, apple = team-based measure)

Question 11

dark side of leadership

Answer 11

-toxic leaders
- destructive behaviour, dysfunctional personalities
- what they do is not beneficial for organizations in the long run
- manipulative toxic - punishment based
- discriminatory leadership

Question 12

critical leadership

Answer 12

categories are made based on characteristics. who is a leader, who is not.
- gender: leader - masculine construct