The Role of Traits, Motives, and Charisma in Leadership.
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Transcript of The Role of Traits, Motives, and Charisma in Leadership.
The Role of Traits, Motives, and Charisma in Leadership
Learning Objectives
• Describe the trait theory of leadership• Understand how emotional intelligence is
related to leadership• Nature vs. nurture view of leadership• Describe the role of charisma in leadership• Understand how charisma and
transformational leadership are related
Trait (or Universal) Theory of Leadership
• Certain personality traits and other individual attributes are associated with effective leadership across many situations
• If we have these traits and attributes, then we will be successful as leaders
• Requires that we measure individuals on these attributes in some way
Individual Attributes
Account for 30-50% of the differences in an individual’s behavior
Examples:• Personality traits• Cognitive, emotional, and physical competencies• Motives• Values and attitudes• Skills and knowledge• Demographic variables
What is personality?
Definition:• Set of unique traits and other mental
characteristics that give consistency to an individual's behavior across situations
Source: Nature vs. Nurture? • What “twin studies” reveal• The role of genes• The role of environment, including culture• Gene X Environment interactions
Personality Development
Does personality change across the life span?
Are there “windows of opportunity” for personality change?
General Personality Traits of Effective Leaders
Task-Related Personality Traits of Leaders
Model of Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Trigger
Emotional Response
Behavioral Response
Self AwarenessAnd Regulation
IndividualMotivation
EmpathyMotivational
Influence
ManagingSelf
ManagingOthers
Leadership Motives (Needs)
Cognitive Factors Associated with Effective Leadership
How do we measure personality traits?
1. Observation
2. Projective tests such as inkblots and TAT's
3. Validated paper and pencil (or computerized) tests and inventories
Just look at the picture briefly (10-15 seconds) and write the story it suggests.
Just look at the picture briefly (10-15 seconds) and write the story it suggests.
Problems in personality measurement
People must give reliable and truthful answers
People must understand the language used
Responses may be affected by moodPeople may have multiple identities
across situations and find it difficult to self-assess their "real" personality
So,
Let’s do someself assessment!
Locus of control
• Definition:Definition: the extent to which one believes that the things that happen to them are under their own or others’ control
• Spheres of controlSpheres of control: personal, interpersonal, or sociopolitical
• Has effects on: Motivation, leadership, job selection and design, stress, and change
• Cultural differences may determine locus of control
Locus of Control: Internals
Believe their own abilities and efforts control the things that happen to them
Are independent, like to participate in decisions, are involved in work, adjust to work and handle job stress well, like to influence others, are future rather than present oriented, are achievement oriented, and may chafe under too many rules, restrictions, and rigidity
Locus of Control: Externals
Believe that others, situations, and fate control what happens to them.
They prefer structure, do not like to work independently, have few expectations based on past successes or failures, and are susceptible to influence attempts by others
Class Personal Interpersonal Sociopolitical Mean Range Mean Range Mean Range N
EMBA III 59 43-69 54 38-64 48 38-68 21
KMBA 2000 54 32-68 53 24-64 39 22-55 18
KMBA 2001 54 34-66 54 38-65 40 24-66 23
KMBA 2002 53 32-65 47 34-64 40 30-56 18
KMBA 2003 54 41-62 50 38-63 39 26-50 24
PMBA 2002 58 46-65 51 32-62 40 20-54 25
NUWC 2002 55 40-64 55 45-62 40 27-54 10
NUWC 2003 58 46-67 53 36-65 41 14-57 23
NAVY 2003 51 28-61 54 43-62 38 24-49 13
MGT 402 2004 56 45-63 53 40-69 41 23-53 21
Means and Ranges of Scores on Locus of Control
MachiavellianismDegree to which one uses deceit, lying, and
compromising ethics to attain one’s own self interest; strong believers in “the end justifies the means”
High Machs:– Have lots of self confidence and self esteem– Are cool and calculating– Try to manipulate ambiguous situations to control
them– Do not let feelings and loyalty to get in the way of
obtaining own ends
Machiavellianism
Differences between locus of control (interpersonal sphere) and
Machiavellianism:
They are positively related, but internals use “legitimate” methods of
influence while high Machs use duplicitous techniques
EMBA Full Time and Part Time MBA Undergraduates
1986 64 (43-85) 1986 80 (46-112) 1990 81 (55-118)
1987 61 (35-83) 1992 64 (47-87) 1994 76 (49-106)
1988 59 (40-79) 1993 73 (42-103) 1997 73 (54-100)
1989 61 (41-95) 1994 65 (31-91) 1999 77 (37-122)
1998 72 (41-97) 1996 67 (50-87) 2000 74 (49-85)
1999 64 (47-91) 1997 70 (42-118) 2000 75 (42-104)
1998 76 (52-111) 2004 73 (42-103)
2002 68 (45-90) NUWC
2003 62 (41-88) Navy
1999 75 (40-97)
2001 75 (53-100)
2003 62 (33-86) NUWC
2002 73 (49-109)
2002 76 (49-98)
2003 77 (48-94)
Average 63.5 Average 73 Average 76
Means (Ranges) of Machiavellian Scores
Kolb McIntyre Learning StyleMeasures the ways people prefer to learn
Why important?– Determines how we train others and help them to
change and adapt– Helps us understand why "some people never
learn”– May be linked to other dispositional variables:
risk taking, being creative, emotionality– Helps us see there are variable ways to
determine the "truth"
Vertical arrow: Information gathering
Horizontal arrow: Information evaluation
CE
RO
AC
AE
Divergers
AssimilatorsConvergers
Accommodators
Sensing
Intuition
Extraversion
Introversion
Big Five Personality Variables
General personality variables that are said to cover the most important traits that differentiate us from each other
Extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, openness to experience, and conscientiousness
Trait Job Satisfaction
Leadership Motivation
Neuroticism -.29 -.24 -.31
Extraversion .25 .31 --
Openness .02 .24 --
Agreeableness .17 .08 --
Conscientious-ness
.26 .28 .24
Total R .41 .48 .49
# of samples 163 73 65
Correlations of Traits with Satisfaction, Leadership, and Motivation
Research on the “Big Five” Traits
Absenteeism: Extraversion is positively related while conscientiousness is negatively related to absenteeism
No differences found between racial groups, and thus less adverse impact when using for selection purposes compared to cognitive ability tests
Research on the “Big Five” Traits
Agreeableness– Needed for jobs requiring teamwork and good
interpersonal facilitation skills– However, negatively related to career satisfaction
Extraversion– Related to positive affectivity and interpersonal
facilitation– Positively related to salary levels, promotions, and
career satisfaction
Research on the “Big Five” TraitsDark side to conscientiousness
– Not helpful for jobs that require creativity, innovation, spontaneity, or quick decision making ("analysis paralysis")
Openness to experience– Needed for jobs requiring innovation,
creativity, and spontaneity– Predictive of cross-cultural sensitivity and
success in international assignments– Negatively related to salary levels obtained
Research on the “Big Five” Traits
Emotional Stability (Neuroticism)
– Related to negative affectivity (whiners?)– Cope poorly with stress– Negatively related to career satisfaction
Research on the “Big Five” Traits: European Samples
Conscientiousness and emotional stabilityConscientiousness and emotional stability are valid predictors across job criteria and occupational groups (police, professionals, managers, salespeople, and skilled labor)
Extraversion:Extraversion: positively related to extrinsic career success (salary, promotion) more for European than US executives
Neuroticism:Neuroticism: negatively related to extrinsic success more for US than European executives
Other personality traits
DogmatismDogmatism• Rigidity and inability to change• Close-minded
Authoritarianism:Authoritarianism: • Rigid adherence to conventional values• Belief in rigid hierarchies and status
systems• Obeys authority unquestionably• Prefers highly structured work situations
and directive leadership
Why is studying personality important to leadership?
Useful in selection, training, motivation, communication, and change
Job/career fit and success
Affects decision making, problem solving, conflict management, managing politics, and coping with stress
Helps us understand how others are different from us, despite similar experiences and situations
Why is studying personality important to leadership?
Personality predicts how well we do in terms of "contextual performance" (i.e., commitment, absenteeism, involvement, dedication, interpersonal facilitation)
Abilities and job experiences predict task performance better
Cultural differences may impact personality: may determine one's success in managing cross-culturally
Strengths and Limitations of Trait Approach
Strengths
– Serves as a guide to leader selection
– Can guide individuals in preparing for leadership
– Predicts “contextual” rather than “task” performance
Limitations
– Identifies many and sometimes contradictory traits
– Does not specify how much of a trait or characteristic is needed
– Can breed an elitist conception of leadership
What is charisma?
• Greek: “divinely inspired gift”
• Special quality of leaders whose purposes, powers, and extraordinary determination differentiate them from others (e.g., heroism, magnetism, exemplary character, etc.)
What do charismatic leaders do?• Have idealized vision of the future• Superb communication skills (use stories, anecdotes,
and non-verbal strategies)• Inspire trust using faith and hope• Make people feel capable of achieving goals• Engage in emotional appeals• Use drama and unconventional influence approaches• Incur personal risk and self promote incessantly• Many create major changes in the situations in which
they operate
What are the sources of charisma?
• Personal power sources of leader: expertise and referent power
• Special knowledge, skills, experience, or personal character that attracts followers
• The group’s or network’s attribution about the characteristics of a leader (involves ongoing interactions and impression management)
What are some positive effects of charisma?
– Trust the leader– Begin to hold beliefs similar to those of the
leader– Have affection for the leader– Identify with and attempt to emulate the
leader– Emotional involvement in goals and
mission of leader– Extra-role commitment
What are some negative effects of charisma?
• Deception, manipulation, and exploitation of followers
• Convince followers to take great and sometimes deadly risks
• Followers may give up thinking for themselves and blindly obey leader
• May lead followers to illegal, unethical, or socially irresponsible ends
What is transformational leadership?
• Processes which bring about major change in organizational settings
• Focus followers on system-wide rather than just self interest
• Build vision, shared values,and a larger meaning
• Imagine different and better conditions and ways to achieve them
How Transformations Take Place
How is charisma related to transformational leadership?
• Many transformational leaders are considered charismatic
• But not all charismatic leaders engage in major change processes
• Transformational leaders are more concerned than charismatic leaders with:– personal development of followers– empowerment of followers– innovation and change