Leadership Studies
Lecture #3 Notes
Topic Overview
Positive leader-follower relationships
Negative leader-follower relationships
Leader loneliness
Learning Goals
1. What is special about leader-follower relationships?
2. How do leader-follower relationships develop?
3. Why would leader-follower relationships turn bad?
4. What is loneliness? What are the key drivers?
5. What can we do about leader loneliness?
Leader-Follower Relationships
1. What is special about leader-follower relationships?
2. How do leader-follower relationships develop?
Leadership Revisited: Behavioral Theories
Two-factor theory of leadership
o Ohio State Leadership Studies: researchers observed more than 1,000 leadership
behaviors to inductively answer the research question: “What do leaders do?”
o Findings (two major actions that leaders do)
Initiating structure (task-oriented)
The extent to which a leader structures the environment for goal
attainment (assigns deadlines, designs tasks)
Consideration (relationship-oriented)
The extent to which a leader forms relationships characterized by
trust, respect for employees, and regard for their feelings
Leadership Revisited
In essence, a relationship is what brings or “glues” followers and
leaders together
1
, Leader-Follower Relationships
Always a power dynamic involved (power: the extent of having control or influence
over somebody)
o E.g. leaders contain more information and resources, have decision power over
followers, etc.
o E.g. number of followers outnumber leaders, control social life/status of leaders
Serve multiple goals
o Instrumental
Leaders and followers
must work together to
achieve certain
organizational goals
o Developmental
Leaders are
responsible or feel
responsible for the
career development of
their followers
o Socioemotional
Are involuntary, i.e. assigned
Formalized; clear organizational tasks that determine who are the leaders and who are
the followers
Food for thought: Is friendship mutually exclusive in leader-follower relationships?
Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory
Background (built upon 2 older psychological theories)
o Social exchange theory
People engage in a cost-benefit analysis of their relationships
If the cost is larger than the benefits relational issues or termination of
the relationship
o Role theory
The way in which people engage in actions is dependent on the roles they
are assigned or take up
I.e. people actively act out their socially defined categories!
Central principle
o Leaders develop different exchange relationships with their followers, whereby
the quality of the relationship alters the impact on important leader and member
outcomes (Gerstner & Day, 1997)
o Relationship development based on reciprocity
When leaders give something to followers, their followers give something
back in exchange
E.g. leaders give individualized feedback to followers; followers increase
commitment and performance
2
Lecture #3 Notes
Topic Overview
Positive leader-follower relationships
Negative leader-follower relationships
Leader loneliness
Learning Goals
1. What is special about leader-follower relationships?
2. How do leader-follower relationships develop?
3. Why would leader-follower relationships turn bad?
4. What is loneliness? What are the key drivers?
5. What can we do about leader loneliness?
Leader-Follower Relationships
1. What is special about leader-follower relationships?
2. How do leader-follower relationships develop?
Leadership Revisited: Behavioral Theories
Two-factor theory of leadership
o Ohio State Leadership Studies: researchers observed more than 1,000 leadership
behaviors to inductively answer the research question: “What do leaders do?”
o Findings (two major actions that leaders do)
Initiating structure (task-oriented)
The extent to which a leader structures the environment for goal
attainment (assigns deadlines, designs tasks)
Consideration (relationship-oriented)
The extent to which a leader forms relationships characterized by
trust, respect for employees, and regard for their feelings
Leadership Revisited
In essence, a relationship is what brings or “glues” followers and
leaders together
1
, Leader-Follower Relationships
Always a power dynamic involved (power: the extent of having control or influence
over somebody)
o E.g. leaders contain more information and resources, have decision power over
followers, etc.
o E.g. number of followers outnumber leaders, control social life/status of leaders
Serve multiple goals
o Instrumental
Leaders and followers
must work together to
achieve certain
organizational goals
o Developmental
Leaders are
responsible or feel
responsible for the
career development of
their followers
o Socioemotional
Are involuntary, i.e. assigned
Formalized; clear organizational tasks that determine who are the leaders and who are
the followers
Food for thought: Is friendship mutually exclusive in leader-follower relationships?
Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory
Background (built upon 2 older psychological theories)
o Social exchange theory
People engage in a cost-benefit analysis of their relationships
If the cost is larger than the benefits relational issues or termination of
the relationship
o Role theory
The way in which people engage in actions is dependent on the roles they
are assigned or take up
I.e. people actively act out their socially defined categories!
Central principle
o Leaders develop different exchange relationships with their followers, whereby
the quality of the relationship alters the impact on important leader and member
outcomes (Gerstner & Day, 1997)
o Relationship development based on reciprocity
When leaders give something to followers, their followers give something
back in exchange
E.g. leaders give individualized feedback to followers; followers increase
commitment and performance
2
