Leadership What the heck is it?

What is Leadership? Academic View  Leadership is about coping with change,  The ability to influence a group towards the achievement of goals,  A relationship between people in which influence and power are unevenly distributed

What is Leadership? Practitioner Views  Leadership is organizing, inspiring, and driving a group to achieve results beyond their expectations. Michael Dell  Leadership is taking a group of people in a new direction or to higher levels of performance than they would have achieved without you. George Fisher

Leadership Theories Trait theory  Focuses on personal characteristics  Leaders seen as different from the average person  Traits and effective leadership not highly correlated

Leadership Theories Limitations of Trait Theory Do traits lead to effective leadership or does effective leadership lead to traits? Traits do not guarantee effective leadership Situation may limit the validity of traits Traits predict the appearance of leadership, not its effectiveness

Leadership Theories Traits that predict effective leadership  Motivation  Ambition, energy, tenacity  Honesty and integrity  Self-confidence  Cognitive ability  Content knowledge

Leadership Theories Behavioral Theories  Behavioral style determines leadership effectiveness  Assumes there are 2 primary functions of leadership: Orientation to task and Orientation to people  Assumes there is one best way to approach leadership: orientation to teamwork, democratic processes and production processes

Leadership Theories Do behaviors alone capture the complexity of the leadership process? Early research focused on three styles: -Autocratic, command -Democratic, group input and DM -Laissez-faire, total freedom

Leadership Theories Situational Theories  Circumstances determine appropriate behavior  Appropriate style is contingent on the situation.  Considers traits, behavioral and situational approaches to create adaptability

Leadership Theories Situational Leadership Model (Hersey and Blanchard) - Focuses on amount of guidance given - Relationship oriented behavior - Readiness level of individuals to perform tasks - Forms 4 possible leadership styles - Appropriate style depends on subordinate readiness combined with leader’s view of performance