100 Years of Leadership Research

Leadership defined If you get people to do something they are not inclined to do, OR You get people to not do that which they’d really rather do ….. THAT is what leadership is about. (Influence)

The “Type” Approach Great “Man” theory – leaders are born, not made Cultural Determinism – unusual social circumstances create conditions where ordinary people become great leaders

The “Trait” Approach Great leadership can be discovered by analyzing specific traits that great leaders possess, but followers do not Ralph Stogdill’s point – leaders, followers and context ALL matter when studying leadership

Behavioral Approach Rather than study what leaders are like, instead study what leaders DO when effective Ohio State studies reveal 2 basic behaviors demonstrated by effective leaders – Consideration – Initiating Structure

Contingency Models Fred Fiedler’s “Contingency Model” – leading is a function of LPC and 3 situation factors – Task Structure – Leader-member relations – Leader position power

Critiques of THE “Contingency” model Model misses the core of leadership – the mutual influence of leader and follower in an exchange relationship Independent researchers fail to find the results Fiedler and his students obtained

The Contingency Model - Fixed Study leaders, followers, context Focus on influence Recognize leadership as a “temporary” role – managing is a job title, leading is a temporary assignment

Current models Path-goal Theory – leaders clarify paths to obtain goals valued by person and company Situation Leadership – leaders should shift conduct based on the situation they face Charismatic leadership – throwback to Types

Current models (continued) Transformation leadership – leadership happens when a top officer transforms the entire enterprise (MBO definition) Transactional Leadership – focus on social exchange between leader and follower A lot of writers use the word “leadership” too broadly, when there are other factors that matter for company-wide success

Mintzberg’s Mgmt Roles roles.html

Summary/Conclusion Leadership is a temporary influence process People attribute too much causal effect to actions of top management Judging leadership by financial outcomes is a fool’s errand