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Assignment aim and structure:
The aim of this assignment is to analyze the relevant concepts, theories and models about leadership and describe one person who could be identified as leader and analyze how effective this person’s leadership is and why it is effective. Defining what is leadership comes first, second will provide an overview about my organization and the importance of leadership. Moving forward will address the different type of leaders and the difference between management and leadership. We will address as well, the theories of effective leadership; and last but not least, identify our leader and conclude a summary of this assignment.
What is leadership and how is effective:
It is much like the words democracy, love and peace, although each of us instinctively knows what we mean by such words. The words can have different meanings for different people, and the same holds true when defining leadership. More than a century has lapsed since leadership become a topic of academic introspection, and definitions have evolved continuously during that period. According to Donelly et al (1985)” Leadership is an attempt at influencing the activities of followers through the communication process and toward the attainment of some goal or goals”. There are as many definitions of leadership as there are people who have attempted to define the concept (Stogdill, 1974).
Over the years, a number of theoretical models have been produced each trying to understand when and how leadership is effective. The trait approach is one of the early content theories, focusing on “what” and affective leader is, not on ‘how’ to effectively lead. This approach assumes that certain physical, social and personal characteristics are inherent i...
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...rship and Organization: A Behavioral Science Apprach. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1961
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Gupta, A. (2012) ‘The role of a leader’ [online], available: http://www.practical-management.com/Leadership-Development/Role-of-an-Organizational-Leader.html [accessed 16 March 2013]
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A leader can be defined as a person who influences a group of people, organization, etc. in to achieving a set out or common goal. The aim of this paper is to identify the different approaches to leadership, but there is no single definition of leadership, as it can mean many different things to many people depending of their profession, environment and leadership style (Mielach, 2012).
Lord, R. (2000). Leadership. In A. E. Kazdin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of psychology, vol. 4. (pp. 499-505). Doi:10.1037/10519-216
Introduction According to the Oxford Dictionary, a leader is defined as “the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2013). Though there is a definition for what a leader is, people still have different ideas about what a leader should be and how he or she should act. There has never been a concrete idea of what a leader is; the only thing we know is that this person is the one in charge of the unit. We look at characteristics of those people we see as leaders and use those attributes to compare other people to see if they are able to be as good as, or even better than, those aforementioned leaders. We have to keep in mind that in different situations, leaders must do different tasks which indicates the need for different qualities.
Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.
Leadership can be defined as the method in which one influences a group of individuals for a common goal. There have many great leaders in the world but these leaders are not born leaders. One must have willpower and the desire to become an effective leader. These leaders become dependent upon based upon their abilities and their success. A leader is looked upon for guidance and the inspiration to know what the right thing to do is. The theoretical foundations of the research of leadership are firmly supported. To better understand the foundations and understand the focus of leadership, it is essential to have knowledge of the history of leadership, the meaning and concept of leadership, types of leaders and leadership styles, and issues in leadership such as issues with culture and gender. According to Antonakis (2004), “leadership researchers have struggled for most of the last century to put together an integrated, theoretically cohesive view of the nature of leadership, invariably leading to disappointment in those who studied it” (p.4). An overview of the history of leadership is necessary to understand the concept of leadership because it also provides a framework for other areas of leadership. In any conventional group, individuals fill different role and one of those roles must the leader which is essential for the group to achieve it purposes.
Leaders are the individuals who help to create options and opportunities. They help in identifying the choices and solve the problems. They build commitment and coalitions. Leaders do this by inspiring others and working along with them to construct the shared vision of the possibilities and commitments of a better group, organization or community. They engage the followers in such a way that most of the followers become leaders in their own right. The variety of demands of an increasingly complex world very often require that leadership be shared by most of the members of an organization, in appropriate ways for different situations. A leader is the on...
Through the centuries, different leadership theories have emerged. These theories focus on the qualities distinguished between leaders and staff/employees, and others looked at factors like situation and skill lever. Of these eight theories we will look at four.
Leadership Theories Comparison and Contrast Melissa A. Swinson Barry University Abstract This paper will identify different leadership theories that have I have felt have been most helpful as well as least helpful in relating to leadership insights. There is a wide variety of theories to explain the concepts and practice of leadership. I will provide an overview of the more dominant or better known theories.
The method of leadership is almost as similar as management, and a leader can be a manager. “Both management and leadership are seen as positions of responsibility or accountability in an organization” (Edwards, Schedlitzki, Turnbull, & Gill, 2015). Leadership and management can relate and overlap within the roles and functions and are similar within one another in meaning. Together leadership and management direct the actions of a group or individually.
Leadership Theories and Studies. (2009). In Encyclopedia of Management. Retrieved July 20, 2011 from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3273100155.html
Northouse, P. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Yukl, G. (1998). Leadership in organizations (4th Ed.). Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ.Morrison, A. J. (2000). Developing a global leadership model [Electronic Version]. Human Resource Management, 39, 117. Retrieved March 24, 2014 from LIRN ProQuest.
We can divide the theories that deal with leadership in 3 chronological groups. First were the trait theories. Until the 1940's, research in the field of leadership was dominated by these theories. Second came the behavioral theories which were very influent until the late 1960's. Finally, contingency theories are the most modern theories about leadership.
Organizational leadership is the balance between what is optimal for the group, as well as, independent individuals ("Key Components of Organizational Leadership," 2015). From a personal viewpoint, it could be described as method in which manager’s foster people, no matter their title, to be a leader. This is because organizational leadership is both an art and science that unites both employees and organizations ("What is Organizational Leadership?," 2014) But who becomes defined as a leader? The following essay will discuss the 3 general factors that define a leader, which include the characteristics of the leader, the behavior or style of the leader, and the characteristics of the followers/situation.