What Leadership Means

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What Leadership Means

Leadership is 'the behaviour of an individual when he is directing the

activities of a group towards a shared goal'. (Hemphill and Coons,

1957, p.7)

A leader is interpreted as someone who sets direction in an effort and

influences people to follow that direction. How they set that

direction and influence people depends on a variety of factors. To

really comprehend the 'territory' of leadership, one should briefly

scan some of the major theories, notice various styles of leadership

and review some of the suggested traits and characteristics that

leaders should have.

There are many leadership theories. Arthur G. Jago (1982) proposed a

framework that organizes leadership theories based on each theory's

focus and approach.

"Focus" refers to whether leadership is viewed as a set of traits or

as a set of actions.

Focus on Traits: Theories with such a focus see leaders as having

certain innate or inherent personality traits that distinguish them

from non-leaders. These personality traits are supposed to be

relatively stable and enduring.

Focus on Behaviour: Theories with this type of focus see leadership as

observable actions of the leader instead of personality traits.

"Approach" is concerned with whether a particular theory or model of

leadership takes a universal or a contingent perspective.

Universal Approach: This approach believes that there is a universal

formula of traits or behaviour for an effective leader. In other

words, the universal approach assumes that there is "one best way" to

lead in all situations.

Contingent Approach: Contrary to the universal approach, the

contingent approach does not believe the "one best way" formula. It

believes that effective leadership depends on the specific situation.

I am going to analyse two theories in detail, which according to me

appear contradictory are Blake and Mouton?s Managerial Grid Theory

(1978) under the head behaviour theories and Fiedler?s Contingency

theories under the head contingencies theory.

Behavioural Theories

For over 20 years, a major thrust in leadership research has focused

on the various behavioural patterns or styles used by different

leaders and the functions fulfilled by these individuals. This

research examined the impact that leadership behaviour had on the

performance and satisfaction of followers. From...

... middle of paper ...

... totally group or

task-oriented; group members and the situation itself, all influence a

leaders effectiveness. The leader needs to be aware of his own

behaviour and influence on others, individual differences of group

members, group characteristics, task structure, environmental and

situational variables, and adjust his leadership style accordingly.

Leadership needs to be adaptive.

Organizations have changed over the past several decades with regard

to the structuring of work methods and processes. Moving away from the

traditional hierarchical design, most organizations are developing

flatter, leaner structures that support a more empowered, team-based

workforce. The nature of leadership has also changed significantly

over time.

References

Gary A. Yukl, (2002) Leadership In Organizations, Prentice-Hall

International Edition, 2nd Edition,

Peter L. Wright, (1996) Managerial Leadership, Routledge, 1st Edition,

Bittel L. R., The McGraw-Hill 36 ?hour Management Course,

(McGraw-Hill, 1989),

Fred E. Fiedler, (1987), A Theory Of Leadership Effectiveness,

McGraw-Hill, 1st Edition

Blake, R. R. and Mouton, J. S. (1978) The New Managerial Grid, Houston

TX

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