1. Style Approach
Team S.W.A.T.

2. Research on Leadership Styles
Many research studies could be categorized under the heading of style approach, only a few strongly represent the idea
Ohio state
University of Michigan
Studies by Blake and Mouton

3. Ohio State Studies Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire (LDBQ)
Administered to hundreds of individuals in various fields
Two general types of leader behaviors
Initiating structure (Task)
Consideration (Relational)

4. University of Michigan Studies
Studied leaders’ behaviors performance on small group performance
Two behaviors identified:
Employee orientation
Leaders approach with strong human relations emphasis
Production orientation
Leadership behaviors that stress technological advancement and production aspects of the job

5. Results
Behaviors viewed as distinct and independent (two different continua)
The degree to which a leader exhibited one behavior was not related to the degree to which he or she exhibited the other behavior
When two behaviors were treated as independent orientations, leaders were seen as being able to be oriented to both
Determining how a leader optimally mixed task and relationship behaviors has been the central task for research in style approach

6. Style Approach Emphasizes the behavior of the leader
Focuses exclusively on what leaders do and how they act
Explains how leaders combine two kinds of behaviors to influence subordinates in efforts to reach a goal

7. Task Behaviors vs. Relational Behaviors
Facilitates goal accomplishment
Relationship Behaviors
Help subordinates feel comfortable with themselves, with each other, and with the groups situation

8. Blake and Mouton’s Leadership Grid of Style Approach
Most well-known model of leader behavior
Explains how leaders help organizations to reach their purposes through two factors:
Concern for production
How a leader is concerned with achieving organizational tasks
Concern for people
How a leader attends to the people with the organization who are trying to achieve its goals.

9. Blake and Mouton’s Leadership Grid of Style Approach
Joins concern for production and concern for people on two intersecting axes
X axis = concern for results
Y axis = concern for people
Portrays five major leadership styles:
Authority-Compliance (9,1)
Country Club management (1,9)
Impoverished management (1,1)
Middle-of-the-Road management (5,5)
Team management (9,9)

10. Authority-Compliance Management
Places heavy emphasis on task and job requirements
Less emphasis on people
Communication under-emphasized
Leadership is controlling, demanding, and overpowering

11. Country Club Management
Low concern for task accomplishment
High concern for interpersonal relationships
De-emphasis on production
Leadership characterized as agreeable, eager to help, comforting, and uncontroversial

12. Impoverished Management
No concern for task, as well as interpersonal relationships
Going through the motions with lack of involvement
Leaderships described as indifferent, noncommittal, resigned, and apathetic

13. Middle-of-the-Road Management
Leaders are compromisers
Immediate concern for task and interpersonal relationship
Leader avoids conflict and emphasizes moderate levels of production and relations with others to establish equilibrium
Leaders are described as one who is expedient, soft-pedals disagreement, and is interested in group progress over their own convictions

14. Team Management
Places strong emphasis on both tasks and interpersonal relationships
Promotes high degree of participation and teamwork
Satisfies a basic need in employees to be involved and committed to their work
Leaders characterized as clear, open-minded, determined, and one who stimulates participation

15. Combined Styles
Blake and his colleagues have identified two styles that incorporate multiple aspects of the grid
Paternalism/Maternalism
Leaders uses both (1,9) and (9,1) styles but does not integrate the two
Opportunistic
Leader uses any combination of the basic five styles for purpose of personal advancement

16. How does the Style Approach work?
Provides framework for assessing leadership behaviors in a broad way and general way
Gives leaders a way to look at their behavior by sub-dividing it into the two dimensions
Reminds leaders that their impact occurs through both the task they perform and the relationship they create.

17. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Style Approach
Easily applied
Studies on leadership style validates and gives credibility to the approach
Provides core of the leadership process
Can be used as a heuristic (cognitive map)
Approach applies to everything a leader does
Weaknesses
Hasn’t adequately shown how leaders’ styles are associated with performance outcomes
There is no universal leadership style
Implies that the most effective leadership style is the Team Management style (9,9)