1
Leadership Studies
Lecture #1 Notes
After this Lecture
You should be able to:
1. Understand what leadership is and why it is important
2. Identify (in)effective leadership
3. Understand and reflect upon major leadership approaches
4. The role of followers in the leadership process
Part 1: History and Definitions
What is Leadership?
Different Perspectives
There are many different ways individuals think about leadership, e.g.
Napoleon Bonaparte
“A leader is a dealer in hope”
Leaders should:
o Promote optimism and confidence in followers
o Make followers hopeful that the future is bright
General George Patton
“Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way”
Autocratic understanding of leadership
o Authority and absolute power; followers should follow orders of the leader
Kenneth Blanchard
“The key to successful leadership today is inflkuence, not authority”
Views leadership as an influence process
Definition: a process in which an individual influences a group of
individuals to achieve a common goal (Northouse, 2012)
, 2
A Brief History of Leadership
Leadership in Animals
Dominance and survival of the fittest; the strongest animals become leaders of the group
o E.g. chimpanzees
Or decided collectively in a democratic structure
o E.g. deer; the herd moves from one spot to another if 60% agree
Examples:
Female lions take lead in hunting
Bees have scouters which search for a spot to make a beehive
Ants teach other ants how to build a nest
The oldest female elephant is in charge of the pack
Origins of Human Leadership
How did our ancestors make decisions?
o Egalitarian relationships (believed that everyone was equal)
o Expertise is power
An individual with expertise in a specific area would become leader of
that area (e.g. hunting, making a fire)
o Leading (and following) evolved to solve social coordination problems
Group movement
Intragroup peacekeeping
Intergroup competition
Development of cities
Population growth
Increased intra- and intergroup conflict
Hierarchies are most common
o Leadership increases the chance of survival
Nowadays:
Leadership organized on national levels
Centralized societies
Businesses are increasingly important
More and more structural
o Most leadership roles are now assigned (e.g. in politics, business)
Leader-follower relations are hierarchal, but participation becomes increasingly popular
o E.g. in an organizational context, employees want to be heard by higher-ups
Why do we have leaders?
1. To make collective decisions in an efficient and peaceful manner
o E.g. not every law in society can be decided upon by all members
2. To motivate individuals to contribute to the group’s success beyond self-interest
Leadership Studies
Lecture #1 Notes
After this Lecture
You should be able to:
1. Understand what leadership is and why it is important
2. Identify (in)effective leadership
3. Understand and reflect upon major leadership approaches
4. The role of followers in the leadership process
Part 1: History and Definitions
What is Leadership?
Different Perspectives
There are many different ways individuals think about leadership, e.g.
Napoleon Bonaparte
“A leader is a dealer in hope”
Leaders should:
o Promote optimism and confidence in followers
o Make followers hopeful that the future is bright
General George Patton
“Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way”
Autocratic understanding of leadership
o Authority and absolute power; followers should follow orders of the leader
Kenneth Blanchard
“The key to successful leadership today is inflkuence, not authority”
Views leadership as an influence process
Definition: a process in which an individual influences a group of
individuals to achieve a common goal (Northouse, 2012)
, 2
A Brief History of Leadership
Leadership in Animals
Dominance and survival of the fittest; the strongest animals become leaders of the group
o E.g. chimpanzees
Or decided collectively in a democratic structure
o E.g. deer; the herd moves from one spot to another if 60% agree
Examples:
Female lions take lead in hunting
Bees have scouters which search for a spot to make a beehive
Ants teach other ants how to build a nest
The oldest female elephant is in charge of the pack
Origins of Human Leadership
How did our ancestors make decisions?
o Egalitarian relationships (believed that everyone was equal)
o Expertise is power
An individual with expertise in a specific area would become leader of
that area (e.g. hunting, making a fire)
o Leading (and following) evolved to solve social coordination problems
Group movement
Intragroup peacekeeping
Intergroup competition
Development of cities
Population growth
Increased intra- and intergroup conflict
Hierarchies are most common
o Leadership increases the chance of survival
Nowadays:
Leadership organized on national levels
Centralized societies
Businesses are increasingly important
More and more structural
o Most leadership roles are now assigned (e.g. in politics, business)
Leader-follower relations are hierarchal, but participation becomes increasingly popular
o E.g. in an organizational context, employees want to be heard by higher-ups
Why do we have leaders?
1. To make collective decisions in an efficient and peaceful manner
o E.g. not every law in society can be decided upon by all members
2. To motivate individuals to contribute to the group’s success beyond self-interest
