Leadership in an Organizational Context Chapter 16: Organizational Behavior 261 Gabrielle Durepos

Reminders for Today Attendance Midterm Exam Results –BSAD High 95% Low 46% Average 68.4% –BSAD High 94% Low 36% Average 68.1% Group project outline due Monday, Oct 31st

Outline Toward an understanding of leadership Leadership versus management Leadership theories –Trait perspective –Behavior perspective –Contingency perspective Conclusions

Toward an understanding of Leadership 1/2 Why study leadership? –Leaders can influence actions and can enact change –Leaders make a difference to organizational outcomes = improve performance Leadership understood as: –Personality traits –Style of behavior – a way of being –A power relation –Individual exerts influence –Ability to define “goals” –A combination of the above variables Managerialist approaches tend to study leadership as: –A thing – that someone possesses –Focused on skills that someone has –Exercised through a type of behavior

Toward an understanding of Leadership 2/2 Leadership as an influence relationship: –Between two parties –Substantive long term change is enacted In the way people perceive events In the way people make sense of their daily lives and purpose In their collective future In the way individuals “buy into” mutual purposes –Where certain individuals become “followers” –Towards mutual purposes

Leadership versus Management: Are all managers leaders? Are all leaders managers? Leadership –Influence relationship –Leaders and followers both influence each other –Long term substantive change: Questions how to do what they do? –Provide: Vision; strategy; inspiration Management –Authority relationship –Supervisors and subordinates; supers dictate what gets done –Status quo: Let’s make sure we do what we have to do according to time and quality specifications –Implement: Vision; strategy; inspiration

Leadership Theories: Trait Perspective 1/2 Early “trait perspective” theorists: –Individuals who possess a single “trait” or clusters of “traits” are effective leaders –“Traits” include: Intelligence, self confident, determined, sociable Later “trait perspective” theorists: –Leadership is based on complex groupings of traits and social interactions –There is no consistent set of “traits” that guarantees leadership & success –BUT  Leaders can be identified as possessing certain traits that makes them stand out

Leadership Theories: Trait Perspective 2/2 Weaknesses: –Neglects the context of the leader What about different cultural contexts Is the notion of a “good leader” culturally determined? –Neglects the importance of “followership” The notion that ‘leaders are only considered leaders if they attract followers’ is neglected in this perspective

Leadership Theories: Behavior Perspective 1/3 Behavior perspective seeks to answer the following: –What behaviors make leaders effective? –What do leaders do? –How do they behave towards subordinates? Early theorists and the behavior perspective: –Two dimensions of leadership behavior: Task oriented behavior Relationship oriented behavior –These are at opposite ends of a spectrum…

Leadership Theories: Behavior Perspective 2/3 Later theorists: Blake and Mouton’s “The Leadership Grid” –Two main activities of leaders involve: Concern for production Concern for people –The two categories are independent of each other –In different combinations, they yield five major leadership styles Task compliance leader: – high concern for production, low concern for people Team leader: –high concern for production, high concern for people –Is seen as the best style of leadership Country club leader: –low concern for production, high concern for people Impoverished leader: –low concern for production, low concern for people (laissez faire) Middle of the road leader: –Medium concern for production, medium concern for people

Leadership Theories: Behavior Perspective 3/3 Weaknesses: –This theory offers a prescription for good leadership It offers a recipe for effective leadership… if you act in accordance to x, y, and z… then you are a good leader Is this overly simplistic? –Presents a “one-best way” approach If you are a “team leader” (high production, high people); you are understood as a great leader –Is a “high production – high people” approach always the best way? –What about the leader’s situation?

Leadership Theories: Contingency Perspective 1/2 Most effective leadership style depends on: –The leader –Follower characteristics –The situation – environment Different behaviors or clusters of traits will be effective in different situations Leaders must be flexible and able to adapt their behaviors and styles to match the situation Weakness: –Does not answer why certain leaders with certain leadership styles will be more effective in some situations than in others

Leadership Theories: Contingency Perspective 2/2 Hersey and Blanchard and “Situational Leadership” –Managers should reflect on the maturity and development of their followers and adjust the degree of: task orientation relationship orientation –Different stages of a follower development require different management styles of leadership: Directing style –Follower is new to the task and development is low –Leader should be high on task direction and low on supportive behavior Coaching style –as follower gains experience, leader adds support and encouragement, solicits input Supporting style –If follower development is high, the manager be highly directive and highly supportive Delegating style –Final stage of follower development –Requires low task direction and low support style –Manager must appraise where followers are on the development continuum and adapt leadership style to match the development level of followers

Conclusions How do we assess effective leadership? –Certain sets of traits? –Certain behaviors? –Ability to enact change? –Ability to influence and instill vision? Are leaders born or made? Think about the various leadership theories that we have just gone over… –These are quite formulaic… –Will they explain effective leadership in EVERY situation? –What about a person who is seen as a leader but is not effective in a particular situation? Is Lieutenant – General Roméo Dallaire an effective leader (Rwanda, )?

Hand Back Midterms Exams are not to leave this room Midterm Exam Results –BSAD High 95% Low 46% Average 68.4% –BSAD High 94% Low 36% Average 68.1%