1. Theories of Leadership By- Prof. Lovely

2. Trait theories Trait theories: this theory was described by Kelly 1974. it wasan attempt to classify what personal characteristics such asphysical, mental and relating to personality are associated withthe success of leadership Is there a set of characteristicsthat determine a good leader? Personality? Charisma? Self confidence? Achievement? Ability to formulate a clear vision? 3. Trait cont According to this theory, there are certain personal qualities& traits which are essential to be a successful leader. Psychologically better, good judgments and involve in socialactivities. Share more n more information. This theory believes that leadership traits are inherited andcannot be learned. 4. Many researchers have suggested these traits in a successfulleader: Intelligence Physiological factors Emotional stability Intense inner motivational drive Human relations attitude Vision and foresight Empathy Fairness and objectivity Technical skills Open mind and adaptability Art of communication Social skills 5. Trait theories: Are such characteristicsinherently gender biased? Do such characteristicsproduce good leaders? Is leadership more thanjust bringing about change? Does this imply that leaders are born not bred? 6. Criticism of the Trait Theory Various studies prove that the trait theory cannot hold goodfor all set of circumstances. The list of traits is not uniform and different authors havegiven different lists of traits. It fails to take into account influence of other factors onleadership. There have been leaders who doesnt have these traits butthey are recognized as a good corporate leader and on theother hand the persons with the traits listed in this theory arenot the good leaders. 7. Behavioural Theory The limitations of Trait Theory led to a significant change in theleadership approach. In this theory full focus is on the actual behavior and actions ofleaders instead of their personal qualities. This theory emphasis on what the leaders do and how they behaveto become effective leaders. According to trait theory leadership is inherited but according tobehavior theory leadership can be learned. Several attempts have been made to identify the dimensions ofleader behavior. The most systematic and comprehensive studies inthis direction were conducted in USA at Ohio State University andUniversity of Michigan during 1945-47. 8. Ohio State Studies: In 1945 the Bureau of Business Research at Ohio StateUniversity initiated a series of studies on leadership. The main objective of the studies was to identify the majordimensions of leadership and to investigate the effect ofleaders behavior on employee behavior and satisfaction. Ultimately, these studies narrowed the description of leaderbehavior to 2 dimensions: Initiating structure Consideration 9. Contd Initiating structure: defines and organizes relationship betweenhimself and members of the group. Establishes well defined patterns of organization Develop channels of communication and methods or procedure. To supervise the activities of employees. Consideration: behavior characterized by: Friendliness Mutual trust Respect Supportiveness Openness Concern for the welfare of employees 10. Leader Behavior and LeadershipStylesHuman RelationsHigh Democratic High Consideration High ConsiderationConsideration & Low Structure& High Structure Low Structure &High Structure & Low ConsiderationLow ConsiderationLow Autocratic Laissez FaireLowHigh Initiating Structure 11. Findings of this Study: There is a positive relationship between consideration and regularityof employees and low grievances. But consideration is negativelyrelated to performance. There is a positive relationship between initiating structure andemployee performance. But initiating is also structure is alsoassociated with absenteeism and grievances. When both these dimensions are high, performance and satisfactiontended to be high. But in some cases high productivity wasaccompained by absenteeism and grievances. 12. Michigan Studies: These empirical studies were conducted slightly after WORLD WAR II by the institute of Social Research at the university of Michigan.The purpose of these studies was to identify styles of leadership behavior that results in higher performance and satisfaction of a group.These studies distinguished between two distinct styles of leadership:1. Production centered Leadership: also known as task oriented leadership. Stressed on certain points:Rigid work standards, procedures and rules.Close supervision of the subordinatesTechnical aspect of the jobEmployees are considered as a tool to accomplish the goal (not treating like a human being). 13. 2. Employee centered Leadership: (relation oriented leadership)To treat subordinates as a human beingsTo show concern for the employees needs, welfare etcTo foster employee participation in decision makingTo motivate employees 14. Following are the findings: Both styles led to increase in production, but it was slightlymore in production oriented style. But production oriented style led to decrease satisfaction andincrease turnover and absenteeism Whereas employee centered style increases satisfaction anddecreases absenteeism 15. Following are 2 behavioral theories basedon the above dimensions of leaderbehavior:1. Managerial Grid2. Likerts Management Systems 16. Managerial Grid This theory is propounded by Robert R. black & Jane S. Mouton. Managerial Grid is a graphic model of alternative combinations ofmanagerial styles or behaviors on a 2 dimensional space. The 2 styles are :1. concern for people2. concern for production According to this theory, leaders are most effective when theyachieve a high & balanced concerned for people and for task. These are shown on vertical and horizontal dimensions of the Gridon a 1 to 9 scale or degree. 17. Managerial Grid Diagram9 1,99,98 Concern for People765 5,54321 1,19,11 2 3 4 5 67 8 9Concern for Production 18. ContdAlthough there can be 81 possible combinations (9*9), but forillustrative purposes they have identified 5 combinations of styles.These are as follows: Impoverished leadership: 1,1 low concern for production as wellas for people. Country club leadership: 1,9 low concern for production and highconcern for people. Task leadership : 9,1 high concern for production and low concernfor people. Middle of the row leadership: 5,5 moderate concern forproduction and people. Team Leadership: 9,9 high concern for production and people. 19. Likerts Management Systems Rensis Likert of Michigan University USA and his associates madeextensive research on management and leadership patterns in alarge number of organizations. Likert evolved 4 models of management as systems ofmanagement. His system are:system 1 : Exploitative authoritativesystem 2 : Benevolent authoritativesystem 3 : Consultativesystem 4 : Participative Democratic Likert found that most individual managers and organization fitinto one or the other of his systems in terms of certain operatingcharacteristics as goal setting, decision making, motivation,leadership, communication and control. 20. ContdLikerts systems of management may be described in brief asfollows: System 1 management : Managers and organizations in thesystem are highly autocratic. They believe in determininggoals and the means of achieving them. Communication ishighly formal. System 2 management : in this system a master-servantrelationship exists between the manager and employee. Sometimes manager adopt paternalistic attitudes here is & at othertimes harsh attitude towards subordinate. Centralization isthere. One way communication. Organization environmentis stress-full. 21. Contd System 3 management : in this system, management shows someinterest in employees and their contributions. They are consultedand their views are taken into account by managers. Someoperational decisions are allowed to be made at lower levels ofmanagement. There is a open communication between superiorsand subordinates. No such control. Trust and confidence betweeneach other. Rewards for motivation. System 4 management : this is an ideal system of management.The relationship between managers and subordinates are cordialand frankly. Subordinates are closely involved in decision-makingprocess and goal setting process. Superiors are very supportive innature. 22. Findings of this theory System 1 oriented organizations scored very poorly while theperformance of System 4 oriented organizations was verycreditable. He concluded that participative leadership is only the validapproach to make optimum utilization of resources. For System 2 & 3 he suggested extensive and intensiveleadership training at all levels of management to move theminto system 4. 23. Contingency theories The personality and behavior theories of leadership ignore situational factors in determining the success or effectiveness of leader.They hold the view that a leader can be successful or effective if he possess certain in-born qualities or if he behaves in a particular manner.Such a view is criticized by later theorists who assert that the success or effectiveness of a leader is determined by various situational factors apart from the qualities and behavior of the leader himself.A moderate situational view is that leadership should be viewed in terms of a dynamic interaction between the leader, the group of followers, the task situation and the environment.Some theories considered under this theory:1.Fiedler model2.Leader-member exchange theory3.Hersey & Balanchards4.Path goal theory 24. Fiedlers Contingency Model ofLeadership After a long and painstaking research Fiedler argued thateffectiveness of leadership depends on the combination of aleaders personality and the situation in which he functions.Situational variables are described by Fiedler in terms of followingthree dimensions:1. Leader Member Relationship: the extent to which the leader isaccepted, respected and trusted by members of his work group.2. Task Structure: the extent to which the jobs of members of thework group are defined and known.3. Position Power: the extent of formal authority commanded bythe leader and also the rewards and penalties he can dispense tomembers. 25. Contd Leader-member relations may be good or poor, task structure ofwork group may be high or low and position power of the leadermay be strong or weak. Such characteristics of situational variablesmay exists in different combinations. Situations are favourable to the leader if all 3 of these dimensionsare high and visa versa. Fiedler generalized that task oriented leaders are effective. Goodperformance by leaders. According to Fiedler, the group performance can be improved in 2ways. One is leadership training to modify the personality andvalues. Second is the modification or improvement of thesituation. 26. Contd Fiedlers model is considered as a significant contribution toknowledge on leadership. It emphasizes that a leaders effectiveness is neither purely amatter of qualities nor that of situation. It is the result of interaction between the 2. 27. Path-Goal Leadership Theory It was developed by Martin Evans & subsequently refined byRobert House. The theory extracts key element from theOhio state Leadership research & the Expectancy Theory ofMotivation. The essence of the theory is that it is the leaders job to assisthis/her followers in attaining their goals & to providenecessary directions & support to ensure that goals arecompatible with the overall objectives of the group ororganization. The term Path-Goal is derived from the belief that effectiveleaders clarify the path to help their goals and make thejourney along the path by reducing road blocks. 28. Contd Following are the four types of leader behavior predicted on the basis of path-goal theory:I. Directive LeadershipII. Supportive LeadershipIII. Participative LeadershipIV. Achievement Oriented Leadership 29. Diagram of Path-Goal Leadership Theory Impact onSituation Leader BehaviorFollower OutcomeSupportive (Relationship)Increase confidenceCourteous & friendlyFollower lacksConcern for well being & needsto achieve workself confidence Open & approachable outcomeBalance equal treatment with statusDirective (task)Tell what is expected More effortAmbiguous How & when to do itClarity pathJob Schedules & norms improvedProcedures & regulations to reward satisfaction &Achievement (Demanding & supporting) performance Lack of jobSet challenging goalsSeek continuous improvement Set goals challengeExpect highest performance highWorkers assume more responsibility Participative (consult) Clarify followersIncorrectShare work problemsreward needs & change Solicit suggestions, concerns Include in decision making rewards 30. Hersey & Balanchards Situational Theory This model is developed by Paul Hersey & Ken Blanchard. Thistheory has been used by nearly 500 companies. It has been widelyaccepted in all the military services. This theory focuses on the followers. Successful leadership isachieved by selecting the right leadership style, which iscontingent on the level of followers readiness or maturity. Situational leadership uses the same two leadership dimensionsthat Fiedler identified: Task and relationship behavior. However Hersey & Balanchard go a step further by consideringeach as either high or low and then combining them into 4 specificleader behaviors; telling, selling, participating, delegating. 31. Contd1. Telling (high-task-low relationship): the leader defines roles and tells people what, how, when, and where to do various tasks. It emphasizes direct behavior.2. Selling (high-task high relationship): the leader provides both supportive as well as directive behavior.3. Participating (low-task-high relationship): the leader and follower share in decision making, with the main role of the leader being facilitating and communicating.4. Delegating (low-task-low relationship): the leader provides little direction and support. 32. ContdThe final component in Hersey & Balanchards theory is defining 4stages of follower readiness:1. R1: people are both unable and unwilling to take responsibility to do something. They are neither competent nor confident.2. R2: people are unable but willing to do the necessary job tasks. They are motivated but currently lack the apropriate skills.3. R3: people are able but unwilling to do what the leader wnts.4. R4: people are both able and willing to do what is asked of them. 33. Hersey & Balanchards Situational Model(High)HighHigh taskRelationship&High& low task(Supportive Behavior)Relationship Relationship Behavior LowLow Relationship Relationship & low task & High task (Low)Task Behavior (High) (Directive Behavior) HighModeratesLow Mature Immature R4R3R2 R1 34. Leader Member Exchange Theory This theory is propounded by George Graen and hisassociates. The LMX theory argues that because of time pressures,leaders establish a special relationship with a small group oftheir subordinates. There individuals make up in group. They are trusted by theleaders. Leaders give attention to them & they receive specialprivileges. Other subordinates fall into the out group. They get less ofthe leaders time & have superior subordinate relations basedon formal authority. 35. Contd Graen & his colleagues emphasizes that LMX has evolvedvarious stages:1. The discovery of differentiated dyads.2. The investigation of characteristics of LMX relationships &their organizational outcome.3. The aggregation of differentiated relations to group. The theory and research provide evidence that leaders dodifferentiate among sub-ordinates. This is related to the performance of the employees & theirsatisfaction.